Region Archives: US East

WEST END, North Carolina — Jesse Wimberley, 65, gathers groups across eight North Carolina counties to starve future wildfires by lighting leaf litter ablaze. …Prescribed burn associations are proving key to conservationists’ efforts to restore a longleaf pine range forming the backbone of forest ecology in the American Southeast. Volunteer teams, many working private land are filling service and knowledge gaps one blaze at a time. …The longleaf pine ecosystem spans just 3% of the 140,000 square miles (360,000 square kilometers) it encompassed before industrialization and urbanization. But some pockets remain, from Virginia to Texas to Florida.  Private landowners are central to the coalition’s latest restoration effort. They hold roughly 86% of forested land in the South, according to America’s Longleaf Restoration Initiative. …As the severity and frequency of storms, droughts and wildfires increase, longleaf pines could become even more important for ecological resilience.

Although a recently published guest column failed to offer an answer to its query “Can we just stop cutting state forests?” I am pleased to inform the author there is a means for making that determination. It is called “science,” and the specific field that governs forestry is “silviculture.” This science is old, and through over a century of observation, measurement and experimentation, silviculturalists have established a deep body of knowledge, including things like: Tree mortality is higher in overcrowded forests; forests that are homogeneous in age, class or species diversity are less resilient to climate change and pests; and that modern forests on the whole are crowded and homogeneous (due to historical land use), and thus subject to elevated risk of mortality from crowding, climate change or pests. The good news is that silviculturalists have devised practices based on over a century of ongoing research and experience to remedy this vulnerability…

MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) today announced Urban Forestry Grant Program recipients for the 2024 grant year. The program helps fund projects consistent with state and national goals for increasing the urban forest canopy. The Urban Forestry Grant Program is distributing almost $805,000 in grant funds, with $554,680 in state funding and an additional $250,066 in federal funding. A dollar-for-dollar match puts the estimated cost of these projects over $1.6 million. In total, 58 applications were selected for funding, with awards ranging from $1,580 to $25,000. Seven additional applicants may also receive funding in a second round in spring 2024 if funds reserved for the Catastrophic Storm Grant Program are not needed through the winter months. Two types of competitive grants were available for this application cycle: regular and startup. 

Larry Paul

Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson announced Larry Paul, wildland firefighter and lead rotor-wing pilot, as the Florida Forest Service’s 2023 Firefighter of the Year. A retired Lt. Commander following a 25-year career in the U.S. Navy, Paul began his Florida Forest Service career in 2007 as a pilot for the Blackwater Forestry Center. “I am proud to announce Larry Paul as the Florida Forest Service’s 2023 Firefighter of the Year,” said Commissioner Wilton Simpson. “Larry’s dedication to protecting our citizens and natural resources embodies the true spirit of service. His exemplary leadership and selfless commitment make him a shining example of the exceptional men and women serving in the Florida Forest Service.” Paul stood out among his peers for his dedication to the care and well-being of his fellow firefighters and the citizens of Florida. Paul is not only a skilled pilot but also a natural leader and innovator. 

We were excited to learn recently that the New Hampshire chapter of Project Learning Tree (PLT) is receiving new support, thanks in large part to the New Hampshire Timberland Owners Association (NHTOA). PLT is an environmental education program which provides instructional materials and professional development opportunities, working with educators, parents, and community members. It is managed at the national level by the Sustainable Forestry Initiative, but depends in part on state coordinators to provide its services. Over the next three years, NH PLT will become a program of NHTOA’s education foundation. We talked with Cheri Birch, NH PLT board member and the program director of NHTOA, about plans for the 2024 Forests of New Hampshire Teacher Tour, to be held this coming July at the Appalachian Mountain Club’s Cardigan Lodge in Alexandria. The four-day event will include a number of educational field trips, including a visit to Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest.

LEXINGTON, Kentucky — Urban forests are more than a collection of trees. To those who maintain them, they also embody a unique mindset and a thoughtful perspective viewing urban spaces as integral parts of larger forests and regional ecosystems. This is the philosophy guiding the team of arborists at the University of Kentucky, a dedicated group of professionals committed to shaping the campus environment beyond the confines of buildings and classrooms. For the team of UK arborists, and the many who appreciate and utilize the green space — the urban forest surrounding the University is an essential element of the campus experience rather than a mere backdrop. The trio of full-time campus arborists wears multiple hats in their endeavor to nurture the University’s urban forest. 

The eastern redcedar — has come to be considered a nuisance as it spreads across the Great Plains. In some places, the redcedars have been welcomed. People plant them as windbreaks or snow fences, partly because they grow so readily and require little care. But the resilience that makes them useful can also cause problems. …Redcedars aren’t necessarily thirstier than other trees, but they’re extremely drought tolerant. That means they often slurp up water in places where it’s scarcest. …In Nebraska, redcedars pose a unique water quality problem for the Platte River, which provides drinking water to Lincoln and Omaha. …Redcedars are super flammable. Before 1850, most of the Great Plains saw fires every few years, allowing redcedars to grow in places where grass fires couldn’t reach them. Since then, fire has abated and redcedars have run rampant. Now there are efforts in several states to introduce controlled burns.

WASHINGTON — The American Forest Foundation (AFF), a national conservation organization that works to deliver meaningful conservation impact through the empowerment of family forest owners, announced the receipt of $465,000 in philanthropic funds from the Arbor Day Foundation to further the organization’s Georgia-based afforestation pilot, Field to Forest. Field to Forest, a pilot initiative under AFF’s Family Forest Carbon Program, is designed to assist landowners in transitioning marginally productive or difficult-to-manage cropland and pastureland to managed pine forest. The pilot leverages funding through the voluntary carbon market to provide family landowners with the financial and technical assistance they need to sustainably manage their land for future generations.

For decades, Rhode Islanders could be forgiven for thinking wildfires were the kind of thing that happened out West – not something to worry about here. But that all changed in April, when Exeter witnessed the largest wildfire to scorch the state since 1942 – just a day after another brush fire had charred 200 acres in West Greenwich. “We will face that again,” Scott Kettelle, president of the Rhode Island Association of Fire Chiefs, told fellow members of a special legislative commission on preventing forest fires. “It’s just a matter of when.” And some rural fire chiefs worry that Rhode Island isn’t ready. Disease and insect infestations have left forests full of highly flammable tinder, access roads have been neglected and blocked, and the declining number of forest rangers and volunteer firefighters means there are fewer people to spot fires and put them out. …Kettelle sees a need to come up with a plan for dealing with wildfires.

Greenville, S.C – The U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities commends the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), The Florida Natural Areas Inventory (FNAI), The Longleaf Alliance (TLA), and dozens of other partners on the creation of the Southeast Longleaf Pine Ecosystem Occurrences Geodatabase (LEO). This unique database is the only central repository for known occurrences of longleaf pine ecosystems. LEO will play a critical role in helping partners meet the goals of America’s Longleaf Restoration Initiative (ALRI). It will help ensure that public and private funds for longleaf management are directed to the highest priorities, accelerating the restoration of this environmentally and economically important ecosystem. The LEO project was led and funded by NRCS and administered by the Endowment. The longleaf pine ecosystem is unique to the Southeastern U.S., and once occupied an estimated 90 million acres.

BARAGA COUNTY, Mich. — The Nature Conservancy in Michigan (TNC) recently completed the first timber harvest at its Slate River Forest Reserve. This is the first timber harvest at the reserve since TNC purchased the more than 10,000 acres in 2021. The sale was planned, prepared and marketed by TNC and Huber Resources Corp. foresters. Timber Products, who operates a saw and veneer mill in Munising, purchased the sale. “The family that previously owned what is now Slate River Forest Reserve were exceptional stewards of the land and we’re proud to implement similar forest management practices that have been used for more than 60 years to keep the forest vibrant and healthy,” said Alex Helman, forest project manager for TNC in Michigan. “By conducting periodic, small-scale harvests, we can help younger trees grow into the canopy, encourage higher tree species diversity in the forest, create or enhance wildlife habitat and cultivate high quality sawtimber.”

Tree height is an important indicator of a forest’s maturity and overall health. Forest restoration projects rely on tree height as a predictor and measurement of success, but forecasting a forest’s future tree height based on observations alone is almost impossible. There are too many factors that contribute to the growth and health of trees. Because so many factors can impact how a tree develops, researchers enhanced a predictive model called the Allometric Scaling and Resource Limitations (ASRL) model and then deployed it using Google Earth Engine, looking at forests in the northeastern United States. …“Potential tree height can reach into the future, seeing a tree’s growth over an infinite timeline. Predicting potential tree height is important for future forest development and structure, which is profoundly significant for forest restoration planning and evaluation,” said Zhenpeng Zuo, a doctoral student at Boston University in Boston, Massachusetts.

Enviva company officials assured critics that wood pellets are mostly made of waste: treetops, limbs, even sawdust. Not true, according to reporting from environmental journalist and WFU Professor Justin Catanoso, who also says the science shows wood pellet burning contributes more to the climate crisis than burning coal. …Enviva, the largest wood pellet manufacturer in the world, boasts four plants in North Carolina along with a distribution facility at the Wilmington port. When concerns first arose among North Carolina environmentalists about the state’s pine and hardwood forests going into wood-chippers for shipment overseas, Enviva company officials assured critics that wood pellets are mostly made of waste: treetops, limbs, even sawdust. …After covering climate change-related issues for more than a decade, Catanoso has been chipping away at other Enviva company assertions, including the notion that Enviva only buys wood from areas that will be re-planted.

The NC State Christmas Tree Genetics Program has spent more than four decades working to develop “elite” Fraser fir trees. Fraser firs are native to North Carolina’s Appalachian mountains and represent more than 98% of all the Christmas tree species grown and sold in the state.  In the late 1990s, the Christmas Tree Genetics Program evaluated and tested tens of thousands of Fraser firs in an effort to identify those with the best genetic characteristics. …“Our trees will make the lives of both growers and consumers easier,” said Justin Whitehill, director of the Christmas Tree Genetics Program.  The trees will not only have a superior growth rate and appearance, but they will also retain their needles longer after harvest.

BOSTON — Multiple Franklin County and North Quabbin residents testified Wednesday in favor of a bill that aims to change forest management and conservation efforts in the state. H.4150, “An act relative to forest protection” filed by state Rep. Carmine Lawrence Gentile, D-Sudbury, takes a stance in favor of keeping forests in their natural state and allowing them to progress without intervention. Supporters of the bill are against management practices that include logging to keep forests in a desired biological state, which is currently done by the state Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR). …The bill aims to change forest management and conservation efforts by introducing a series of amendments across multiple chapters of Massachusetts General Laws. The key provisions include establishing a “Forest Reserves Scientific Advisory Council” to oversee forest designations and management. The bill also creates a “Forest Trust” for advancing the state’s interests in forest preservation.

Although firefighters in the Chicagoland region train extensively to fight fires in buildings, they don’t often train for fires erupting in natural areas, especially with live fires. In early November, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory hosted the three-day training on combating wildland fires. With more than 50 people attending this training, eight different municipalities and four conservation forestry groups were represented. Run by the Illinois Fire Service Institute, the Statutory Fire Academy for Illinois trains more than 60,000 first responders across the state. …firefighters learned about the basics of wildland fires and fire safety. The training covered the types of topography that can influence wildfires and how different plants can fuel the fires. They learned how weather and especially unpredictable winds can pose challenges for wildland firefighting. As live fires were used in Fermilab’s wildland areas for this training, preparation was essential and involved careful coordination with Fermilab’s ecology team.

Tony Dixon

Milwaukee—USDA Forest Service Chief Randy Moore announced the appointment of Tony Dixon as Regional Forester for the Forest Service’s Eastern Region. Dixon will oversee management of more than 12 million acres of the National Forest System lands in the Northeast and Midwest. Dixon will also continue to foster and maintain strong ties with tribal nations, 20 states and the District of Columbia, state and private landowners, and our many partners throughout the Northeast and Midwest. Dixon currently serves as the Deputy Chief for Business Operations. He has served in a variety of positions and geographical locations, including the Chief Financial Officer, National Director of Strategic Planning, Budget, and Accountability; National Director of the Forest Service Job Corps Program; Deputy Regional Forester of the Rocky Mountain Region; and Forest Supervisor of the National Forests in Mississippi. …Dixon will begin the position in January 2024 and will succeed Gina Owens, who retires on December 29, 2023. 

NEBRASKA — The most cost-effective way to manage eastern red cedar is fire management, says Andy Moore, Loess Canyons coordinating wildlife biologist with Pheasants Forever. Not so, according to saw mill operator John Peterson. When he sees a controlled burn, he says, “There goes a couple hundred thousand dollars down the drain, or more, you know.” …Moore’s job as a wildlife biologist involves working with ranchers, mainly in the Loess Canyons south of Brady, to manage stands of eastern red cedar. …Peterson owns Peterson Sawmill Services. He and his wife, Rebecca, operate a sawmill and wood barn east of Stapleton. They have been in the lumber business since the 1960s. Both men’s jobs involve removing eastern red cedar off the land, but take very different approaches to how the trees are removed.