Region Archives: US East

You deserve to have the facts about how the Forest Service cares for our public forests and wildlife. That’s why I’m compelled to set the record straight concerning some recent inaccurate claims about the scale of our management, the reasons for it and its impacts. In this column on water quality — part two of a series — I’ll share information on laws, facts and scientific data and consensus that help us determine how to manage our public lands. We’ve heard concerns about how forest management may affect water quality. The Forest Service was founded with a mission to protect water quality, and we continue that mission by managing for diverse, healthy forests and restoring stream health in and around the Hoosier National Forest. For example, we remove under-sized culverts and restore stream flow with future sustainability in mind. This decreases sedimentation and improves aquatic wildlife habitat.

A long-term study at the University of Cincinnati has documented the rise of invasive species in a forest devastated by a tornado 25 years ago. The EF-4 tornado on April 9, 1999, carried wind speeds of more than 200 miles per hour through suburbs north of Cincinnati. …And it devastated a good part of the 64 acres Harris Benedict Nature Preserve and deciduous forest that UC oversees. …Since the storm, biologists in UC’s College of Arts and Sciences have documented the forest’s recovery in four detailed botanical surveys. Their findings are shedding light on how major disturbances can have lasting and unexpected consequences for biodiversity, lead author and UC Professor Theresa Culley said.The study found that forests have the capacity to regenerate after a major disturbance but often with fewer native species and more nonnative, invasive ones. …Researchers also found large stands of Callery pear trees, a tree introduced by horticulture that has spread to many wild forests.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — In the summer of 2023, the skies throughout the Upper Midwest were hidden behind a blanket of smoke. …The gray haze had come all the way from forest fires in Canada. Jingjing Liang, an associate professor in the Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, said that the whole world feels the impacts of deforestation and forest degradation in different ways. “The forest ecosystem is a global commodity. We share their risks and benefits, so everybody is responsible for protecting the forests.” In the spirit of building a community to manage and protect the world’s forests, Liang and his colleagues in Science-i created the Global Big Ideas Competition and the Bridging Worlds Workshop. The workshop will be held at Purdue on May 6-7, with an optional reception May 5. Anyone is welcome to attend the free event and can register online by April 12.

BREWER – In 2023, Maine TREE and the Brewer School Department collaborated to introduce a Forestry Immersion Program. This program allowed students to spend six weeks in the forest while earning high school credits. The program is returning in 2024 thanks to a generous grant from the Maine Outdoor Learning Initiative. This year, the program is fully funded and will offer an unparalleled opportunity to fifteen students to immerse themselves in Maine’s forests and enhance their education in a unique way. The program aims to empower young adults by strengthening their essential life skills and creating better opportunities for their future. It focuses on honing skills such as teamwork, communication, a strong work ethic, and problem-solving abilities. Over the six weeks, participants camp in the Maine woods four nights a week, visit job sites, engage in online academics, and go on hands-on discovery tours in the forest to learn and grow.

Oklahoma – The Choctaw Nation Tribal Forestry Department recently moved into their new home in Talihina. …The department has grown so much since it was founded in 2022 that more space was needed for growth and the overall efficiency of the program. The Tribal Forestry Services Department is a forestry wildland fire-fighting unit within the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. Located in Talihina, Oklahoma, the department serves the CNO Reservation. The department provides services such as wildfire suppression, wildfire prevention programs, forest timber assistance, Hazardous fuels reduction, and feral swine removal assistance. I’m pleased (and more than a little proud) to say our Tribal Forestry Services Department is the nation’s first tribal-led wildland fire module, sponsored by the U.S. Forest Service. …The Choctaw Nation firefighters are almost like a SWAT team but for firefighting. The unit is made up of tribal members, expertly trained to prevent wildfires.

PAMPA, Texas – The Panhandle Wildfire Investigative Committee, chaired by state Rep. Ken King of House District 88, kicked off its first day of hearings designed to improve the state’s response to disasters such as the Smokehouse Creek fire… Over three days, the statehouse committee is holding hearings to determine what went wrong with the response and what can be done to ensure that the resources are available to respond to a fire of this magnitude. …The first day consisted of five panels with local and state emergency response leadership and other experts who could give input and answers about the recent fires. …One of the principal areas of debate was the lack of air support to fight fires in the Texas Panhandle. …In the afternoon panel, local fire chiefs emphasized the need for more funding for rural departments, many of which are staffed by volunteers. 

Additional coverage in the Texas Tribune, by Stephen Simpson: Utility pole inspection company declines to testify at Texas Panhandle wildfire investigation hearing

DULUTH — As state, local and federal agencies brace for what’s predicted to be a busy wildfire season across the Northland, St. Louis County has launched a new website that shows residents how and where to evacuate in case of emergencies. The site, stlouiscountymn.gov/wildfire, will be used when needed to get information to 1,600 specific areas of the county in harm’s way of a wildfire or other dangerous event. The new online mapping tool allows residents to monitor, by community and even by neighborhood, their risk level and how to prepare if evacuation is needed. Recent deadly fires in places like Paradise, California and Lahaina, Hawaii — where many people tried to evacuate but couldn’t escape the fires — demonstrated the need for well-planned evacuation routes and destinations when chaos reigns amid wildfires… St. Louis County’s announcement comes …officials warn of a looming spring wildfire season that could be worse than most.

VERMONT – I’m writing to express my dismay at the misinformation again being spread about the Telephone Gap timber project. Timber harvesting on the Green Mountain National Forest is good for Vermont and the environment. Stopping harvesting is not a magic bullet to stop climate change, an incredibly complex problem with many possible pieces to the solution. Yelling “Stop harvesting timber and save the planet” makes for a catchy headline and pushes some fundraising but misses the mark. For more on our thinking about timber harvesting go to the Vermont Forest Products Association website video page: vtfpa.org/videos. I have been working in the forest products industry my entire 49-year career. I have learned that trees 80 to 150 years old are in the prime range for harvesting, providing the best quality forest products and fitting in with sound management practices. We harvest trees in that age range regularly and produce vibrantly healthy forests as a result.

WATERBORO, Maine — The state’s widespread fires of 1947 could not kill off the 3,000 acres of mostly pitch pine trees and brush here. But a beetle half the size of a grain of rice, pushed north by a warming climate, is prompting foresters to take action to protect the Waterboro Pine Barrens, which span Newfield, Shapleigh and Waterboro. The pitch pines there are favorite eating and breeding grounds for the southern pine beetles, first found in York County in 2021. …They already have killed thousands of acres of pine forest in the southern United States and on Long Island, New York. They have been spotted on Cape Cod in their move north but remain scarce in Maine, with no infestations reported yet. Jon Bailey wants to keep it that way. Bailey, southern Maine preserves manager for The Nature Conservancy, which owns the Waterboro Pine Barrens, is spearheading the drive to protect the woodland preserve along with other forestry organizations.

GOLD HILL, North Carolina — Working Lands Trust (WLT), a key advocate for the conservation of North Carolina’s forestry legacy, proudly announces the receipt of a transformative $382,605.62 grant from the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities. This funding will bolster WLT’s tireless efforts towards forestry stewardship, community empowerment, and the support of military resilience within the Eastern North Carolina Sentinel Landscape. The awarded grant will underpin an initiative designed to support and bolster opportunities for forestry centric programming within North Carolina’s rural and BIPOC communities. The project will be implemented in collaboration with esteemed partners including the Eastern North Carolina Sentinel Landscape, the North Carolina Foundation for Soil and Water Conservation, the Sustainable Forestry and Land Retention Project, the Land Loss Prevention Project, the Natural Resource Conservation Service, and the National Woodland Owners Association.

Jeff Kastle

Some people work every single day to ensure natural resources are preserved for their grandchildren. Georgia Forestry Commission Management Forester Jeff Kastle is one of those people and his work is being recognized by the National Conservation Planning Partnership (NCPP) who has awarded Kastle with their highest honor for developing and implementing outstanding conservation plans and techniques. …A number of accomplishments contributed to Kastle’s recognition. He is noted for establishing and leading a successful relationship with one of Georgia’s largest and most successful regional forest landowner associations located in his work area. He is a highly regarded forestry technical service advisor for the National Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and Farm Service Agency. He has shown outstanding commitment to promoting continuing forestry and logger education and his commitment to partnerships serves as a model for other GFC employees.

NORTH CAROLINA — I appreciate the recognition of values for our national forests in Gray Jernigan, MountainTrue’s deputy director’s article on March 18.” …While his group is entitled to use the justice system, they do not own the right to just half of the story. …I agree fully with Arkansas Congressman Bruce Westerman’s quote “Trees are still the most large-scale, cost effective and environmentally friendly carbon sequestration devices we have.” That is why the newly released Nantahala / Pisgah Forest Plan recognizes more than half of these forests remain left to natural processes while the rest will be managed for restoration. Once you look at areas within the remaining 40-45% of forest, only 20-25% may be actively managed overtime. …Forestry management uses the timber industry to achieve the goal of a healthy well-balanced forest and this is our biggest asset to combat climate change. …The people of Transylvania County deserve more than half-truths stories and demonizing our resource managers.

HERNANDO COUNTY, Fla. — The Florida Forest Service is deploying new drone technology to help fight fires and control prescribed wildfires. New legislation permits the Florida Forest Service to use American-made drones. Each drone is equipped with a series of chemical-infused balls that — upon deployment — fill with anti-freeze. The mixture causes a chemical reaction inside the ball, starting a fire. It’s changing the way firefighters are conducting prescribed burns. “It’s just going to make it safer for our folks not being entrapped,” said Keith Mousel, Withlacoochee Center Manager for the Florida Forest Service. “Not having to deal with the heat, fatigue, and the dangers that go with walking through unburnt woods.” …The drones will be used by firefighters across seven different districts, ranging from the Alabama state line down to Fort Myers.

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has developed a tool to slow the spread of oak wilt, a fungal disease killing thousands of trees each year. Oaks, a keystone species in Wisconsin, are most susceptible to infection and to spreading the disease when trees or branches have been cut or damaged. The DNR’s satellite mapping system tells forest owners when it’s the safest time to harvest or prune oak trees. Developed by the DNR and the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2021, the mapping system is based on temperature and improves the accuracy of advise about maintaining forests as climate change and warm winters decrease predictability. The tool is designed to be able to respond to the unpredictability of climate change. Oak wilt is commonly spread when spore-carrying beetles infect damaged trees. By tracking temperature, the tool works by predicting when the beetles will emerge.

Hudson, Minnesota — In the summer of 2018, Hudson had its first official report of an Emerald Ash Borer (EAB), a green beetle that infests then kills the ash tree, which presented a problem for Hudson and many other cities across North and South America. Hudson once had 1,400 ash trees, making up roughly 24% of its total tree population, according to a city official. But after the nationwide infestation of the EAB, the city’s ash tree population has dropped to 350, and all of the remaining trees will likely come down in the next three to four years, per city officials. Dave Drewiske, a member of Hudson’s Daybreak Rotary Club, is helping lead an effort to replant different types of trees — Saint Croix Elm, Field Maples and a flowering tree called the Japanese Lilac, to name a few — to regrow the plant population it lost with the EAB infestation. 

A new report highlights the opportunity for New England to dramatically expand forest protections and sustainably meet the region’s wood product needs by reducing consumption and reorienting production. The report calls on New England states to permanently protect roughly 70% of the region’s landscape—a significant increase from the 25% currently protected—while expanding sustainable forest management across two-thirds of New England’s forests. Researchers from the University of Vermont, Harvard Forest, Conservation Science Partners, University of Massachusetts, and Brandeis University found that New England only produces three-quarters of the wood it consumes—and meets some of this shortfall with wood drawn from places with weaker environmental and social oversight. Even starker disparities exist in the region: 70% of the region’s production comes from Maine, while 70% of the region’s consumption occurs in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. The report challenges these and other states in the region to boost production and reduce consumption of wood products.

GAINSVILLE, Florida — When policymakers make tough calls on which areas to prioritize for conservation, biodiversity is often their top consideration. Environments with more diversity support a greater number of species and provide more ecosystem services, making them the obvious choice. …There are several ways to measure diversity, and each reveals a slightly different, and sometimes conflicting, view of how life interacts in a forest or other ecosystem. In a new study… three measures of biodiversity are related to productivity, or the amount of growth, in forests across the eastern United States. …The team found that a greater number of tree species, called species richness, consistently resulted in a more productive forest. …The researchers assumed that other measures of diversity would also show a strong, positive relationship with productivity. Instead, they found that the measure of relatedness (phylogenetic diversity) and of various structural and chemical differences (functional diversity) were both negatively correlated with productivity.