Region Archives: United States

Three South Carolina men and a juvenile were charged with a misdemeanor Tuesday after authorities said their failure to properly put out their cigarettes sparked the Table Rock Fire, which has burned more than 13,000 acres. …The Table Rock Fire was sparked by their handling of cigarettes while they were hiking in Table Rock State Park on March 21, the Forestry Commission said. …The fire was 30% contained Tuesday. No injuries have been reported. …The charge of negligently allowing fire to spread to lands or property of another is a misdemeanor punishable with a minimum of five days in jail and a maximum of 30 days in jail if convicted or a fine of $25 to $200. …In South Carolina, 12,652 acres have burned, and 635 acres have burned in North Carolina, the Forestry Commission said in a daily update.

At Edmund Niles Huyck Preserve in rural Albany County, the white spruce trees are struggling. Planted in the 1920s at what was then the southern part of the trees’ range, the plot now has no white spruce saplings, and “the adults are not doing well either,” said Andrei Lapenas, a professor at the University at Albany’s Transformational & Ecosystem-based Climate Adaptation. Lapenas, said higher temperatures from climate change have slowed older trees’ growth, while younger trees are being out-competed by the mature ones. Meanwhile, a different species, red spruce, has established itself in the preserve… He speculated that in the next 20 to 40 years, the preserve “will be overtaken by other tree species, and red spruce is a good candidate for this.”

Nearly 18,000 acres in the lower Blackfoot River watershed prized for its habitat and wood products could become publicly owned if the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) follows through with its planned acquisition. Missoula County last week signed a letter of support backing the BLM’s proposed acquisition of the former private industrial timberland in the Gold and Twin Creek drainages northeast of Missoula. Chet Crowser, chief lands and communities officer with the county, said that acquiring the parcels would permanently protect public ownership and provide benefits for decades to come… More than 60% of Missoula County is covered with public lands – lands the county claims sustain local economies through restoration and active management.

New York has a new interactive web tool to track the state’s progress in an ambitious goal by Gov. Kathy Hochul to have people plant 25 million trees within a nine-year period. The new online “Tree Tracker” enables state residents to self-identify as a private landowners, group members, paid professionals, municipality workers or state agency employees and input information about their tree planting. “New York is taking decisive action to protect our environment and strengthen communities’ ability to withstand severe weather,” Hochul noted in statement unveiling the online tool last month. “Our progress toward the 25 Million Tree goal is a testament to the power of community-driven action, and the new Tree Tracker will make it easier for New Yorkers to track our progress, share updates and contribute to a healthier environment for the future.”

PITTSBURG, Pennsylvania — Local officials are pushing for more logging in Pennsylvania’s only national forest, and the federal government might grant their wish. President Trump warned of a reliance on imported wood amid threat of Canadian lumber tariffs and called for more logging in federal forests. The Allegheny National Forest spans over 500,000 acres, drawing thousands of people for camping, hunting, boating and other outdoor activities. Local officials can’t rely on property tax from the federal land, but they do receive a 25% share of revenue from timber sales in their counties. mOfficials hope for increased timber sales to generate more cash for their budgets. …U.S. Rep. Glenn Thompson, R-Centre County, “I welcome reforms that will ensure a robust forest industry, strengthen rural economies and benefit local education.” …“I am in favor of [increased logging], but it has to be done wisely. You can’t overcut,” said Ken Klakamp, Warren County commissioner.

ASHEVILLE, N.C. — A coalition of conservation groups sued the U.S. Forest Service over its Nantahala-Pisgah Forest Plan, arguing the agency violated federal law by downplaying the harmful impacts of a dramatic expansion in logging and by failing to include binding standards to restore important native ecosystems. The Plan guides the long-term future of North Carolina’s Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests… The Nantahala-Pisgah Forest Plan outlines where activities like logging and roadbuilding will occur and sets objectives for future timber harvests. The Plan will determine what happens on these Forests for a generation. The Forest Service was handed a collaboratively developed Forest Plan proposal that allowed for logging while minimizing harmful impacts. However, the agency rejected the compromise out of hand in favor of a Plan that aims to quintuple the amount of logging in the Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests and expand logging and roadbuilding into sensitive habitats. 

OKLAHOMA — The former head of the Oklahoma Forestry Service is speaking out after he was fired by Gov. Kevin Stitt for his agency’s response to a wildfire outbreak earlier this month. Mark Goeller, who was let go by the state on March 26, posed on social media Sunday evening, claiming he has been falsely accused of not meeting the standards required by his position. …”The Agency to which I dedicated over 40 years of my life was said to have performed poorly. Preparations were made well in advance, the public was notified of the impending fire danger, firefighting resources were ordered and in place.” He said nothing was held back regarding his agency’s response to the wildfires, and it was because of their efforts the fires were not as impactful as they could have been.

MICHIGAN — A crippling ice storm in northern Michigan has knocked out power to at least 90,000 residential and business customers. As of midday Sunday, half an inch to three-quarters of an inch of ice had accumulated in much of northeast Lower Michigan, and an inch and a half had accumulated in Elmira, near Gaylord. …Virtually all customers of the Presque Isle Electric & Gas Co-op and Alpena Power Co. were without power Sunday, some for more than 30 hours. Presque Isle reported about 32,000 electric members and reported about 32,000 outages. Alpena Power serves about 16,750 electric customers covering 250 square miles in the northeastern Lower Peninsula of Michigan and said 99% of its customers were without power. The two utilities serve much of Michigan’s northeastern Lower Peninsula. “This storm is unlike anything we have experienced,” Presque Ile co-op president and CEO Allan Berg said.

The Women in the Woods program, developed by Louisiana Tech University professors Dr. Heidi Adams and Dr. Nan Nan, is designed to encourage young women to explore careers in forestry through mentorship, community outreach, and hands-on learning. The initiative, supported by the USDA NIFA Women and Minorities in STEM Fields Program, has recently received a $200,000 grant. “Our goal is to create an inclusive, supportive environment for young women interested in forestry,” said Adams. “This program offers real-world insights into the profession and inspires young women to consider forestry as a viable career path.” A recent survey of female college students with forestry-related leadership experience found that many women do not view forestry as a potential career because they rarely see women represented in the field.