Region Archives: US East

…Shawnee is the only national forest in the state and one of the smallest in the nation. The agency initially billed the timber sale, called the McCormick Oak-Hickory Restoration Project, as a “thinning” operation to remove older trees and make room for younger saplings. But logging operations contribute to habitat loss, and Stearns found the Forest Service’s justification lacking. … For months, he and other local environmentalists scoured the web and newspapers for mentions of the sale to prepare for the comment period, but the McCormick Project never turned up. …It turned out that the Forest Service advertised the project under a different name — “V-Plow” — and by the time advocates realized it, they were a week into the project’s three-week comment period. …The following month, Stearns and other environmentalists sued the agency, trying to block the plan.

WARREN COUNTY, Pittsburgh — Local leaders and timber industry professionals are hoping for an economic boost as logging increases in the Allegheny National Forest. The timber industry has strong roots in the four counties that contain the Allegheny National Forest: Elk, Forest, McKean, and Warren. With fewer than 150,000 residents, it’s a small enough region where almost everyone knows everyone else in the business. …“If you’re somebody who lives here, almost everybody is touched in some way by the timber industry,” said Julia McCray, at the Allegheny Forest Alliance, a coalition dedicated to the national forest’s health that includes local officials and people from the timber industry. As logging expands on federal lands amid a Trump administration push for more timber, the effects could be felt for years to come — in the forest and beyond. A single logging operation relies on a multi-step chain of work that employs many.

Matthew Pelkki

MONTICELLO — Arkansas’ forests are overweight and becoming more obese every year. According to the US Forest Service census of our forests, our forests had 630 million tons standing timber in 1970. Today, Arkansas forests boast a hefty 1.1 billion tons of standing timber. We have added about 10% to our forest land, but that still represents a whopping weight gain. The growth of our forests isn’t slowing down … yet. According to the Arkansas Division of Forestry, each year our forests grow by more than 50 million tons, while all harvests and removals are 27 million tons. That means every year our forests are increasing their stocking by about 23 million tons. Our forests are becoming unhealthy. My cardiologist tells me that I cannot keep gaining weight every year or I’ll have some real health problems. Forests don’t have heart attacks, but they are subject to insects, diseases and fires that can ravage the landscape and peoples’ lives.

STARKVILLE, Mississippi—Two Mississippi State University graduate students and an alumnus earned top recognition at the 2025 Society of American Foresters national convention for their research posters highlighting advancements in forestry and natural resources. Simran Pandey, a forestry master’s student from Nepal, earned first place for her research poster “Economic Impacts of Natural Disturbances in Mississippi’s Pine Forests: A Case Study of Southern Pine Beetle”. …Bipin Paudel, also a master’s student from Nepal, placed second for his research poster “Predicting Leaf Area in Eastern Cottonwood and Poplar Hybrids Using Tree and Site Data” that focused on developing models linking tree physiology and productivity across diverse environments. Maxwell Schrimpf, an MSU alumnus from Michigan, placed third with his poster “Growing Warm Trees with Cold Feet” that explained the assisted migration of southern pine species to northern environments, determining if the trees could withstand harsher winter conditions. 

As the American West warms due to climate change, wildfires are increasingly burning in higher-elevation mountains, charring the watersheds where the region’s vital snowpack accumulates. A new study has found that in the immediate aftermath of fires across the region, the snowpack disappears earlier in burned areas. This change can threaten forest health and affect the downstream farms, cities and species that rely on the snowpack for their water, according to other research. Scientists who study the effects of wildfires on the snowpack and streamflows are finding that the story is complex and nuanced. The impacts can vary greatly across the West’s diverse ecosystems and topography. Plus, each wildfire burns differently, so the severity of the blaze is another critical factor. …Published in the Sept. 17 issue of Science Advances… The research also concluded that warming temperatures due to climate change will further accelerate post-fire melting.

PISGAH NATIONAL FOREST, North Carolina — A lawsuit has been filed against the US Forest Service over what environmental groups call an “unlawful” logging project in Pisgah National Forest. “The reason that we’re in court is because not only did the Forest Service fail to provide notice to the public about a logging project under NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act) as they were required to do, but also because they’re doing that in an area that is just so sensitive and important,” said Sam Evans, Southern Environmental Law Center’s (SELC) national forests and parks program leader. …A USDA Forest Service spokesperson said, “Per longstanding agency policy, we’re unable to comment on the merits of any lawsuit filed in response to our efforts to keep the communities we serve safe by removing excess wildfire fuel left in the wake of Hurricane Helene.”

Historically, the longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) forest extended for approximately 92 million acres across the southeastern US, from the Piedmont region to the Gulf Coastal Plain, and from Virginia to Texas. It was one of the most important species in different ecosystems supporting a complex web of life and human livelihoods for millennia. …However, less than 4% of the original longleaf range remains intact today, due to logging, fire exclusion, and land use change. Very few old-growth longleaf remnants exist only in four of the nine longleaf states (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina), and some ecosystem types have no remaining representatives of the primary forest. Fortunately, a growing interest in restoring longleaf for wildlife habitat, climate resilience, and cultural heritage is sparking renewed efforts across public and private lands. This publication aims to track the origins and decline of the longleaf pine ecosystem from a historical and social point of view. 

Minnesota Forest Industries executive vice president Rick Horton argues in this second installment of my interview with him that loggers don’t determine the age of aspen that is cut on state lands, the Department of Natural Resources does. The conflict is one of a handful of flashpoints that arose after the federal government withheld more than $20 million from the DNR for failing to document wildlife benefits of logging on state wildlife management areas — a controversy about which the Legislative Auditor also issued a critical report. In my November 14 column, I quoted a retired DNR forest wildlife planner and a retired DNR forester who said the state’s timber industry’s influence over the DNR threatens forest wildlife. Headquartered in Duluth, Minnesota Forest Industries represents the state’s approximately 69,000 Minnesotans who cut timber and manufacture lumber, siding and other wood and paper products. 

Leonard and Independence Twp, MI – Parts of the forest at Independence Oaks and Addison Oaks county parks have received an Old-Growth Forest Recognition from The Old-Growth Forest Network. Independence Oaks is the 24th forest recognized in the state of Michigan and joins more than 315 forests recognized nationwide. Addison Oaks also was inducted into the Old-Growth Forest Network as a community forest, recognizing the role it plays in connecting people with nature. The forests in the Old-Growth Forest Network are chosen because they are among the oldest known forests in their county and receive formal protections to ensure their trees and ecosystems are protected from commercial logging.

In a landmark effort to safeguard South Carolina’s natural heritage, more than 62,000 acres of forestland — an area three times the size of Hilton Head Island — will be permanently conserved under the Pee Dee Basin Initiative, the largest conservation easement in South Carolina state history. This extraordinary, $70-million conservation effort will preserve timberlands, protect wildlife habitat, and expand public access to nature across Marion, Williamsburg and Georgetown counties. …Coined the nation’s “wood basket,” this region’s timber industry contributes more than $23 billion annually and supports more than 100,000 jobs, according to the South Carolina Forestry Commission. The Pee Dee Basin’s timberlands are among the most productive in the world, and this project ensures they remain a sustainable economic engine. Much of the land will remain in private hands, managed under conservation easements that prohibit the land from being developed. The South Carolina Forestry Commission will hold and monitor the easements.