Region Archives: United States

The Northern Forest Region — 26 million acres of woodlands spanning Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and northern New York — is changing due to climate change, invasive insects and other threats. Protecting these ecologically, economically and culturally vital forests will require novel tools and knowledge, prompting new University of Maine research launching this spring. UMaine scientists are conducting six new projects that will help monitor and preserve the Northern Forest and the species that call it home. The research is made possible with $1.4 million from the Northern States Research Cooperative. 

Widespread 20th-century reforestation in the eastern United States helped counter rising temperatures due to climate change, according to new research. The authors highlight the potential of forests as regional climate adaptation tools, which are needed along with a decrease in carbon emissions. ….Before European colonization, the eastern United States was almost entirely covered in temperate forests. From the late 18th to early 20th centuries, timber harvests and clearing for agriculture led to forest losses exceeding 90% in some areas. …About 15 million hectares of forest have since grown sin these areas. …The researchers found that forests in the eastern U.S. today cool the land’s surface by 1 to 2 degrees Celsius (1.8 to 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) annually. The strongest cooling effect occurs at midday in the summer, when trees lower temperatures by 2 to 5 degrees Celsius (3.6 to 9 degrees Fahrenheit)—providing relief when it’s needed most.

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said a series of environmental directives and goals he initiated to protect and restore forests and wetlands in the state will help counter climate change and aid the economy. Cooper signed an executive order on Monday that in part sets statewide targets for governments and private land-protection groups by 2040 to both “permanently conserve” 1 million acres of forests and wetlands and to restore 1 million new acres of similar lands. The governor also wants 1 million new trees planted in urban areas by 2040. Cooper’s office called the executive action the most significant by a governor to protect the state’s ecosystems since then-Gov. Jim Hunt’s “Million Acre Initiative” for land preservation was announced in 1999. …Among other items, the order from Cooper also directed state agencies to use plants and seeds in landscaping projects that are native to the Southeast, with a preference for North Carolina-native plants. 

CLOQUET, Minnesota — The University of Minnesota will likely continue to use the Cloquet Forestry Center for a “somewhat lengthy” period after land ownership is transferred back to the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. That’s according to Karen Diver, senior adviser to the president for Native American affairs at the University of Minnesota and former chairwoman of the Fond du Lac Band, who updated the land transfer. …The session comes a year after a report to the university’s Board of Regents recommended the center, a 3,400-acre research facility located entirely within the Fond du Lac Reservation, be returned to the Fond du Lac Band. …Some alumni and former employees of the center expressed concern that giving the land back would jeopardize the future of the forestry program, but Brian Buhr, dean, tried to dispel those fears.

The Southern Forest Products Association has published its newly redesigned website – SouthernPine.com – to provide an easy-to-use, one-stop-shop for all Southern Pine lumber technical guidance, resources, and best-use applications.  SouthernPine.com combines the following sites into a single resource for all things related to Southern Pine lumber: SFPA.org; SouthernPine.com (and the members-only site); Southern Pine Decks; Southern Pine Global; and Raised Floor Living and Raised Floor Living Pro. …The re-envisioned website project, with a focus on Southern Pine lumber technical guidance and resources, came out of strategic visioning and planning the SFPA board of directors conducted in 2020. The new site meets all current accessibility requirements, and all content can be translated into 12 languages to drive Southern Pine lumber’s demand and increase user knowledge around the globe.  

At the top of America’s Amazon, nearly 8,000 acres of Alabama’s most sensitive and ecologically important land is being preserved forever, thanks to a multi-million dollar collaboration involving The Nature Conservancy in Alabama, Patagonia, and an undisclosed donor. The Nature Conservancy in Alabama says it has closed a $15 million+ deal to buy 7,990 acres in Clarke County at the head of the Mobile-Tensaw Delta, often called America’s Amazon for its remarkable biodiversity and wildlife. “This is one of the most important conservation victories that we’ve ever been a part of,” said Mitch Reid, state director for The Nature Conservancy in Alabama. …The Delta, a web of interconnected swamps, bayous, rivers and streams, contains an almost unparalleled number of species of fish, reptiles, amphibians, birds, plants and mammals.

…Three aircraft and a contingent of more than 100 wildland fire management professionals and scientists on the ground with research tools, are part of the Integrated Research Management Team, a collaborative effort between the U.S. Forest Service, the Department of Defense, and various wildland fire research and educational intuitions—some as far away as Spain—coming to Fort Stewart to study its prescribed burn program. James Furman, the U.S. Forest Service’s liaison to the Department of Defense’s wildland fire management program, said the research at Fort Stewart is important for helping wildland fire experts across the nation learn more about smoke and fire behavior from a program that is a recognized nationwide expert. …The U.S. Forest Service team will take the data collected and create next-generation fire behavior models to better learn how to manage prescribed fires and prevent wildfires, not only in the southeast but across the United States.

NEW HAMPSHIRE — For centuries the monetary value of forested land has been realized only when trees are felled, when standing timber is turned to finished lumber. With the onset of climate change, the economics of traditional forestry are being disrupted by monetizing the role of forests as sequesters of CO2 and storehouses of carbon to address the warming climate. Carbon harbored in standing trees has become a virtual commodity. In managing a forest for capturing and storing carbon timber, harvests are reduced to reap the value of the carbon in standing trees. Reduced timber harvests shrink employment and investment in traditional forestry industries while transferring income earned by foresters, loggers, truckers, mechanics and sawmills to the investors and traders plying the carbon markets. …It is a lot easier for trees to capture and store carbon than for lawmakers to strike a balance between harvesting timber and trading carbon.

In the southeastern landscape of Georgia, the dance between fire and land has long been a delicate balance. As the second-largest practitioner of prescribed burning in the Southeast, the state typically torches around 2 million acres of private and public land each year. These intentional fires are vital for the health of ecosystems and the survival of species… while also serving as a crucial defense against wildfires. However, this long-standing practice is now under threat, as climate change begins to shrink the window for safe and effective prescribed burns. The shifting climate has resulted in fewer “good burn days” – periods. Once averaging around 50 good burn days per year, Fort Moore now sees only 30-40. …Despite the decrease, prescribed burns have led to a decrease in wildfires, demonstrating their importance in managing fire-prone landscapes. Yet, with the new EPA standards for PM2.5, land managers may face further restrictions to protect air quality.