Region Archives: US East

Stuart Roosa had once been a U.S. Forest Service smokejumper. In 1971 Roosa was the command module pilot on NASA’s Apollo 14 mission, responsible for circling the moon alone while Alan Shepard and Edgar Mitchell cavorted on the lunar surface below. Roosa had brought a canister packed with hundreds of tree seeds: loblolly pine, Douglas fir, redwood, sweetgum and sycamore. Dave Williams is the unofficial archivist of the so-called “Moon Trees,” roughly 120 of which were planted around the world. It isn’t really Williams’s job — he’s a planetary scientist who works on preserving data collected on the Apollo missions and making it available to researchers. …Trees were planted across the country and in at least two foreign countries. …Roosa died in 1994, before Williams had a chance to speak with him. But Williams connected with the late astronaut’s children. Daughter Rosemary Roosa runs the Moon Tree Foundation, which makes second generation saplings available.

An additional $3 million in funding will be provided to the state Department of Environmental Protection’s Forest Fire Service to aid in fighting wildfires, officials announced Thursday. The importance of additional funding for new equipment and staff “cannot be understated” as climate change continues to worsen and prolong wildfire seasons in New Jersey, state Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn M. LaTourette said. “In addition to protecting lives and property, our Forest Fire Service assists with natural disasters, maintains hundreds of miles of roads, works alongside multiple cooperators to develop and implement strategic plans that reduce the risk of future wildfires, and lends their talents to other states when wildfires strike,” said LaTourette. Additional funds will also be made available to expand the Forest Fire Service’s contracted air support during peak spring fire season and to help fund full-time employees to fill vacancies, state officials said.

Washington, DC — On the week of AmeriCorps 30th anniversary, President Biden announced the creation of the American Climate Corps. AmeriCorps, the federal agency for national service, will serve as the hub for the American Climate Corps. The American Climate Corps is an interagency partnership between AmeriCorps; the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; and the Departments of Labor, Interior, Agriculture and Energy.  …One of the first major partnerships under President Biden’s American Climate Corps is between AmeriCorps and the US Forest Service to establish the new AmeriCorps NCCC Forest Corps. This is a five-year, $15 million interagency agreement, with the first cohort of 80 members to begin service in the summer of 2024. The AmeriCorps NCCC Forest Corps will deploy across America to conserve national forests and grasslands, mitigate risks of wildfires in high-risk regions and support reforestation efforts and wildfire crisis response.

A coalition of more than two dozen conservation groups sent a letter to the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) Tuesday seeking to stop a logging project in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest over concerns that the Trump administration’s approval of the project didn’t adequately account for its environmental impacts.   The plan, known as the Fourmile Vegetation Project, was approved in November of 2020, yet the conservation groups argue that many of the environmentally focused actions of the Biden administration since then should prevent the USFS from moving forward with seven planned timber sales in the 12,000 acre project.  …The groups state that the Biden executive actions to “confront the climate crisis” and preserve mature and old growth forests should mean that the timber sales’ approval gets revoked. 

WISCONSIN – U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin today announced that Wisconsin will receive a total of $13.5 million in Inflation Reduction Act funding she helped deliver to support two projects to combat climate change, expand access to green spaces, and create healthier communities in the City of Milwaukee and Dane County. The funding comes through the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service’s Urban and Community Forestry Program, which awards competitive grants to combat extreme heat and climate change and improve access to nature. …The City of Milwaukee received $12 million for their project, Growing Milwaukee’s Tree Canopy and Community Resilience, to coordinate local government agencies and community-based organizations in urban greening activities, the majority of which will be conducted in disadvantaged areas. …Dane County was awarded $1.5 million for the Equitable Forestry Stabilization Management and Forestry Career Pathways Program to create new project positions and add a youth Tree Crew from underrepresented areas.

RANDOLPH, Vt. – Flooding earlier this summer and persistent wet weather are impacting the logging industry.  Sam Lincoln has dealt with many floods over the 25 years he’s logged in Vermont. He says nothing compares to this summer’s aftermath.  “I think this is the worst I’ve ever seen it. 2021 was pretty bad but this is worse for sure, economically it’s far worse,” Lincoln said.  The July floods washed out rural logging roads and continuous showers the rest of the summer mucked up work zones, making it nearly impossible to operate skidders, trucks and other equipment.  Lincoln says the slow going has led to him losing $157,000 in revenue. … Joe Nelson, a consulting forester, typically oversees six logging projects over the summer. Right now, he’s monitoring only three, a drop in the harvest of upward of 75%. 

Marco Yáñez

MONTICELLO — Marco Yáñez, assistant professor of silviculture and forest ecology for the University of Arkansas at Monticello, has a keen interest in climate effects. Yáñez, who hails from Chile, joined the faculty on August 1 and will begin teaching in January. He conducts research at UAM for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station and teaches classes through the University of Arkansas at Monticello’s College of Forestry, Agriculture and Natural Resources. Together, the division and the college co-host the Arkansas Forest Resources Center.

CHARLESTON, West Virginia — Gov. Jim Justice announced today that he has appointed Jeremy C. Jones as State Forester and Director of the West Virginia Division of Forestry. Jones is a West Virginia native and a graduate of West Virginia University. He has over 20 years of experience with the West Virginia Division of Forestry, beginning as a Service Forrester in Roane County. Most recently, he served as Assistant State Forester-Fire for the division. Jones steps into the position following the retirement of former West Virginia Division of Forestry Director Tom Cover. “I am honored to continue to serve the West Virginia Division of Forestry through this new role and thank Gov. Justice for this opportunity,” Jones said. “I am excited to lead the agency into the future.”

A new study finds that creating physical gaps in the forest canopy gives Eastern hemlocks more access to resources and help those trees withstand infestation by an invasive insect. The approach adds another tool to the toolkit that foresters can use to protect these trees. The paper is published in the journal Forest Ecology and Management. …The hemlock woolly adelgid—an invasive insect that was introduced to North America 70 years ago and has spread along the East Coast—can kill a hemlock tree in as little as four years. …”Integrated pest management utilizes multiple tactics to combat insect pests… This study focused on silviculture. Is there a way to actively manage a forest to improve the health of Eastern hemlocks?” says Robert Jetton, associate professor of forest health at North Carolina State University and study co-author.

Two renowned Minnesota old-growth forests — the Lost 40 Scientific and Natural Area in Itasca County and the Itasca Wilderness Sanctuary SNA in Clearwater County — will be the first in the state to join the national Old-Growth Forest Network. The network recognizes existing old-growth forests across the nation and highlights the importance of preserving these areas. “Minnesota has 48,000 acres of protected old-growth forest” Minnesota DNR Forest Ecologist Emily Peters said. …The DNR has a longstanding goal to protect this rare and important forest resource on state lands.” The Old-Growth Forest Network is a nonprofit working to connect people with nature by creating a voluntary national network of protected, publicly accessible forests. The network’s goal is to identify and ensure the preservation and recognition of at least one forest in every county in the U.S. where forests grow.

Spotted lanternflies have overtaken much of Pennsylvania and are expanding their reach, but a new study reports that the invasive insects are doing less damage to trees than previously believed. Research from Penn State recently published in the journal Environmental Entomology shows spotted lanternflies have no long-term effects on forests or ornamental trees. Short-term research initially said that lanternflies, which feed on several tree species, can reduce the growth of maple saplings, but the new study shows that trees recover and grow in subsequent years. Spotted lanternflies are native to China and were first discovered in the United States in Pennsylvania’s Berks County in 2014. They have since expanded across Pennsylvania and beyond, and Southwestern Pennsylvania has seen swarms of the insects since 2019.

STARKVILLE, Miss.—The longest-running, live, in-woods equipment demonstration in the South—the Mid-South Forestry Equipment Show—will be held Sept. 22 and 23 at Mississippi State’s John W. Starr Memorial Forest. The event is hosted by Mid-South Forestry Equipment Show, Inc., and is a partnership between the Mississippi Forestry Association, MSU’s College of Forest Resources and the Mississippi Loggers Association. With 35 years of biennial operation, the event offers networking opportunities for loggers, landowners, foresters and equipment manufacturers. …The two-day demonstration consists of live and static forestry equipment displays, loader and skidder competitions, continuing education presentations for foresters and loggers, food vendors and two $1,000 cash giveaways.

A new report has confirmed what forest managers have been warning the public about for years: Forest fires are becoming more widespread thanks to climate change. The report, created by researchers at the University of Maryland, broke down global satellite data and found wildfires were the cause of 26 to 29 percent of global forest loss between 2001 and 2019. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), further analyzes the researchers’ maps to estimate just how many more acres of forests were lost to fires compared with two decades ago. “We calculated that forest fires now result in 3 million more hectares (~7.4 million acres) of tree cover loss per year compared with 2001 … and accounted for more than one-quarter of all tree cover loss over the past 20 years,” OCHA said.

To say the 37th Forest Products Machinery & Equipment EXPO in Nashville last month was a great time is an understatement. After six shows in Atlanta dating back to 2011, SFPA, which hosts the biennial event, moved the show to the Music City Center in Nashville. Based on conversations at the show, comments on social media, and early survey reports, the move exceeded all expectations from long-time and first-time exhibitors and attendees. I’m especially thankful for the SFPA Board of Directors and their support that helped facilitate the move to Nashville. Moreover, I’m so proud of the SFPA Staff – Alaina, Christian, Rachel, and Linda – for their dedication, enthusiasm, and attention to detail. Each of them was instrumental in making EXPO 2023 a noteworthy experience! It was great to see so many members of the forest products industry in attendance to be a part of this historic moment.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Purdue Department of Forestry and Natural Resources honored five individuals for their career achievements at an awards ceremony held at Purdue University on Sept. 8. David Case (BS forestry ’80) received the department’s Lifetime Achievement Award, Trent Osmon (BS forestry ’99) was named the FNR Distinguished Alumnus, and Adam Janke (BS wildlife ’09) was selected as the FNR Outstanding Young Alumnus for 2023. John “Jack” Seifert was honored with the Chase S. Osborn Award in Wildlife Conservation, and Emily McCallen (PhD ’18) received the Chase S. Osborn Early Career Award.