Region Archives: US East

CHEYENNE, Wyoming — Rep. John Eklund thought back a half century, to an era when commercial sawmills processing Wyoming timber abounded and logging was the Equality State’s third-largest industry. “We should be able to get back to that,” the Cheyenne Republican said Tuesday morning in the Wyoming Capitol. …Commercial logging in national forests around the country, including Wyoming, has fallen off dramatically from its heyday. Cut and sold timber has stagnated at a fraction of what it was from the 1950s through the 1980s for three decades running, U.S. Department of Agriculture data shows. …Trump’s order isn’t the only prospective policy change afoot that could revitalize commercially cutting American forests. The “Fix Our Forests Act,” has passed the U.S. House of Representatives and moved to the U.S. Senate. The bill, proving divisive in big commercial timber country, would further expedite environmental reviews — and could potentially have immediate impacts in Wyoming.

Angela Bartholomay

BOTTINEAU – Angela Bartholomay, an associate professor of Science at Dakota College at Bottineau, is the recipient of the 2025 Project Learning Tree (PLT) Leadership in Education award. Bartholomay has been honored for her work promoting environmental stewardship through education for more than 30 years, according to a DCB news release. PLT, an initiative of the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI), is an award-winning education program that advances environmental awareness, forest literacy and green career pathways, using trees and forests as windows on the world. The Leadership in Education award recognizes educators who make significant contributions in their state to PLT and youth environmental education. …Bartholomay, along with Butch Bailey, a forester and instructor for Mississippi State University Extension Service, and Susan Cox, Conservation Education coordinator for the USDA Forest Service, Eastern Region, will be honored at the 2025 PLT Annual Conference in Clemson, South Carolina, from March 10-14.

The US Department of Agriculture revoked a federal tree-planting grant to Keep Indianapolis Beautiful in a move the nonprofit’s CEO Kranowitz said may be the result of anti-DEI initiatives coming from the Trump Administration. The money would have helped KIB plant more trees throughout the city, and those plantings should not be all the same kind of tree, Kranowitz explained. The $400,000 grant for urban forestry projects was awarded to the organization in January through the Arbor Day Foundation, but was then clawed back on Tuesday. There’s growing evidence that words like “biodiversity” are being targeted by federal agencies bent on terminating Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives across the country. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins recently cancelled a federal contract in Hawaii for an agency meeting on biodiversity and has identified and canceled other training programs on environmental justice claiming they run “contrary to the values of millions of American taxpayers.”

Justin Baker and Mirela Tulbure, both professors of forestry and environmental resources in the College of Natural Resources, are among 20 early- and mid-career NC State faculty to be named 2024-25 University Faculty Scholars. Established by Chancellor Randy Woodson in 2012, the University Faculty Scholars program recognizes faculty for their outstanding academic achievements and contributions to NC State through their teaching, scholarship and service to the university and beyond. Baker, who holds a Ph.D. in agricultural economics from Texas A&M University, joined the College of Natural Resources in 2019. …Tulbure, who holds a Ph.D. from South Dakota State University, also joined the College of Natural Resources in 2019. 

A group of scientists has been quietly working for decades on a project to improve tree genetics, with white oaks among the target species for the UT Tree Improvement Program. For those who are curious, genetics in organisms refers to the study of genes and how they are passed down from generation to generation. Genetics in trees, however, focuses on the study of genes within tree species and examines how their genetic makeup influences traits such as growth rate, wood quality, and resilience to environmental stresses. Scott Schlarbaum, a distinguished professor of forestry at UTIA, leads the UT Tree Improvement Program and is among the co-authors of the paper that describes the white oak genome and how local adaptations may have implications for the species in relation to heat and drought stress. Photo by A. Mains, courtesy UTIA.

Gov. Kemp joined Georgia Department of Natural Resources leaders in recognizing four corporate forest landowners for stewardship and land management practices benefiting Georgia wildlife. Georgia Power, Weyerhaeuser, PotlatchDeltic and Forest Investment Associates were named DNR’s Forestry for Wildlife partners for 2025. Forestry for Wildlife Partnership is a voluntary, 30-year-old program that promotes wildlife conservation and sustainable forestry as part of forest management. Partner projects are coordinated by DNR’s Wildlife Resources Division and focused on improvements synced with the Bobwhite Quail Initiative and State Wildlife Action Plan, two statewide strategies. Work varies from restoring habitat for red-cockaded woodpeckers to preserving wetlands used by rare amphibians and prairies harboring endangered plants.

ASHEVILLE – Caroline Becker was on a list of probationary employees who would soon lose their job with the U.S. Forest Service. Becker, 23, who was employed as a GIS specialist at the agency’s Asheville headquarters, would have celebrated her one-year anniversary as a full-time employee on Feb. 25. Instead, Becker received a letter from Dedra Fogle, the U.S. Forest Service’s human resources director, notifying Becker of her termination. …“The Agency finds, based on your performance, that you have not demonstrated that your further employment at the Agency would be in the public interest,” Fogle wrote. …A program manager with the U.S. Forest Service who spoke to the Citizen Times on the condition of anonymity for fear of retribution from her employer, said the recent firings are a huge strain on the already understaffed agency and pose a major threat to the Helene recovery effort and future wildfire response.

Additional coverage from Colorado, Montana and Idaho: More than 150 Forest Service workers managing public land in Colorado lose jobs as part of Trump cuts – Several of the fired workers shared the Feb. 14 email from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management that informed them they were being fired. The email said they were losing their jobs based on performance. One Forest Service worker told The Sun that neither they nor any of their fired colleagues had ever received any negative feedback on annual performance reviews. 

On Feb. 6, Indiana Gov. Mike Braun wrote to the United States Forest Service (USFS) asking for the immediate withdrawal of a forest management project that would log 5,000 acres and burn over 15,500 acres of the Hoosier National Forest—204,000 acres of woodland located in south central Indiana. It is known as the Buffalo Springs Restoration Project, and it would directly impact Tucker Lake, Springs Valley, Youngs Creek and Lick Creek Trails, affecting the habitats of Indiana wildlife and a popular recreation site. The project is set to begin this month. Braun is selling property close to the project area for $1,675,000 and has a listed asset of over $250,000 worth of “timber ground” in the French Lick area. …A USFS newsletter explains the reasoning behind the project: concerns about disease and wildfires from dry plant matter and trees in the area and carbon emissions from decaying wood. …Braun and many other Hoosiers are still in opposition. 

A recent letter penned by Indiana Gov. Mike Braun urged federal officials to “immediately withdraw” a controversial plan to log and burn nearly 20,000 acres of The Hoosier National Forest. The Buffalo Springs Restoration Project, proposed by the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), seeks to log 5,000 acres and burn 15,500 acres of the national forest land in southern Indiana.  Although USFS originally estimated a decision on the project would come in January — and that work could begin early this year — a final determination is still pending. When proposed in 2021, it was pitched as a way to improve sustainability of the forest’s oak-wood ecosystem. The removal of non-native pine trees would also regenerate native hardwood communities and “improve overall forest health and wildlife habitat,” according to the federal agency. But in a letter sent last week to USFS Chief Randy Moore, Braun pointed to increasing pushback from Indiana residents, and said the project could threaten the drinking water for more than 100,000 Hoosiers.

Texas A&M Forest Service awarded over $951,000 to 168 landowners to conduct prescribed fires this year. This funding will treat 35,138 acres. Prescribed fire is a strategic land management tool that uses low-intensity fire on a specific area of land to achieve set goals. Prescribed fire is the most effective and efficient land management tool for decreasing the risk of catastrophic wildfires by reducing hazardous fuels. “Over the past 10 years, our prescribed fire grants have treated over 100,000 acres helping reduce the risk of wildfire,” said Karen Stafford, Texas A&M Forest Service Community Resiliency Coordinator. “Our prescribed fire grants prioritize wildfire mitigation and emphasize protecting homes, communities and natural ecosystems.”.. Following the burn, management goals and the ecosystem are monitored by Stafford and her team.

Lookout Mountain native Kerry Phillips, 34, said he is “humbled” to be given the Georgia Forestry Commission’s 2024 Director’s Award. This is the first time the honor has been presented to a GFC employee for their performance excellence. Phillips has been serving as Acting Chief Ranger for GFC’s Dade County Unit for the past year. He stepped into the role after a harrowing wildfire accident injured his predecessor early last year. …The Director’s Award recognizes Phillips’ ability to manage emergency situations, especially as the north Georgia drought worsened and wildfire conditions increased. His leadership in Dade County ensured operations continuity, though faced with numerous geographical, demographical, and political challenges. He is credited for working tirelessly on region-wide projects and trainings, and contributing to important leadership initiatives. Phillips is well known for his professionalism and his commitment to the wildland firefighter core values of duty, respect, and integrity.

Alabama’s roads and bridges are already under immense strain, but two bills moving through the Legislature could accelerate their decline—adding 150 million dollars in maintenance costs annually, reducing highway lifespan by up to 30 percent, and forcing weight restrictions on hundreds of bridges. Senate Bill 110 and House Bill 204 would allow heavier log trucks to operate on Alabama highways while simultaneously limiting enforcement by requiring state troopers to escort overweight trucks to permanent platform scales—effectively halting roadside safety inspections for extended periods. Experts warn that these changes could have devastating consequences for infrastructure durability, public safety, and taxpayer-funded repairs. The push for heavier loads is being driven by logging and timber industry interests, which stand to benefit financially from relaxed restrictions. However, transportation and infrastructure experts warn that the cost to the public far outweighs any economic gain.

Bipartisan legislation has been introduced in the U.S. Senate to safeguard the nation’s white oak tree population, which is key to several commercial industries and vital to wildlife. Sens. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and Mark Warner, D-Va., introduced the White Oak Resilience Act of 2025, which will “mobilize” more federal resources and research in protecting the tree’s population. The senators say the trees are essential to the ecosystem and a “trademark” for several American industries. In addition, the White Oak is regarded as “the most important hardwood tree” in the eastern half of the country. The trees are also vital to multiple wildlife species. However, bourbon is likely binding the neighboring commonwealths while forging a bipartisan endeavor to protect the historic tree. The wood from the white oak has long been used to age Kentucky’s most famous spirit, where bourbon, bluegrass and horses reign supreme.