Region Archives: US East

Lansing, MI – U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow (MI) was recently honored with the Conservation Champion Award at Pheasants Forever’s 2024 Michigan State Convention. The award recognizes Stabenow’s decades of service to conservation, and her tremendous success in advocating for the natural world in her home state and across the nation. …Stabenow is currently the chair of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry. Through this work, she shapes the nation’s food, farm and conservation policy — impacting generations to come. The 2024 Farm Bill will be the Senator’s sixth during her time in office, and the third she has led as either the chair or the ranking member of the committee.  

The Maryland Forest Service is offering a new grant program to distribute $4.8 million in federal Inflation Reduction Act funds towards urban and community forestry projects during the next four years. The Community Forestry Catalyst Fund expands resources for Maryland’s ambitious commitment to enhance its forest cover and tree canopy through the state’s 5 Million Trees for Maryland initiative and existing programs, like the Chesapeake Bay Trust’s Urban Trees Grant Program. These programs prioritize tree plantings where they can provide the greatest benefits to people, such as heat island abatement, air quality regulation, and flooding reduction.  “We’ve seen strong evidence in the past 30 years that the forest conservation laws we have in Maryland are effective at curbing the amount of forest lost during development,” said Maryland Forest Service Director Anne Hairston-Strang.

We’ve all read and heard about the devastation caused by Hurricane Idalia which passed along the west coast of Florida before striking the Florida Panhandle. …However, one rather under-reported loss from the hurricane is that of the forest industry. Hurricane Idalia struck the Big Bend area of Florida on Aug. 30 as a Category 3 storm with maximum sustained winds of 125 mph and a storm surge of 3-10 feet. …The Florida Forest Service (FFS) collected data from 792 survey points within six counties. They found that 289,000 acres of timber were affected, resulting in an estimated loss of $64.7 million. Of this total, pine trees suffered the most damage at $42.6 million, followed by hardwoods at $8.1 million, and cypress at $2.2 million. …Communities relying on the forest products industry will also feel the effects through loss of tax revenue, fewer logging jobs and mill slowdowns.

Rabi Musah and Allix Coon

ALBANY, N.Y. — Recent estimates value the wood processing industry global market at $143 million as of 2022, with the demand for materials at record highs. The lucrative market is also attractive to bad actors. In some tropical countries, illegal logging accounts for the majority of forest clearing, threatening economies, endangered plant and wildlife species, and contributing to climate change. While it’s a widespread problem, differentiating between legal and illegal timber can be near impossible, as most look similar — an issue that Rabi Musah is aiming to address. Musah, a chemist and professor at the University at Albany, is leading a team of researchers developing a new technique to identify tree species chemically by analyzing a sample of wood. The technique yields a chemical “fingerprint” that is unique to each tree species, allowing authorities to quickly determine whether the harvested wood is from a protected species.

Within the 1,000-acre footprint of the U.S. Forest Service’s proposed Crossover timber project in the Nantahala National Forest are at least 98 acres of rare old-growth forest, including trees two centuries old, biologist Josh Kelly of MountainTrue said. “That the National Forest is proposing a timber sale here, and in hundreds of acres of places just like this, is very troubling for the future of these forests,” Kelly said. The project, which is currently under analysis, proposes timber harvesting, prescribed burning and the improvement of wildlife and botanical habitat in Cherokee and Graham counties. A draft environmental assessment was released in October 2022 and a final analysis and decision is expected this June. On top of resistance from environmentalists, Crossover and other upcoming actions and projects could come into conflict with a new Forest Service policy proposed in December 2023, seeking to amend all National Forest plans to emphasize the preservation of old-growth forests.

Additional coverage in the Asheville Citizen Times, by Mitchell Black: Nantahala environmental analysis released; advocates criticize logging and road building

Tony Evers

MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers tonight, during his 2024 State of the State address, announced the approval of an additional conservation easement covering 54,898 acres of the Pelican River Forest to complete one of the largest conservation projects in Wisconsin history. Altogether, over 67,000 acres of the Pelican River Forest will be protected, ensuring the forest will remain open to the public in perpetuity for outdoor recreation activities such as fishing, hunting, skiing, trapping, and hiking. …Conserving the Pelican River Forest also makes significant progress towards Gov. Evers’ Trillion Trees Pledge, which includes conserving 125,000 acres of forestland by 2030. According to the DNR, the Pelican River Forest conservation easements will achieve 55 percent of the governor’s goal. 

MAINE — A new investment fund, which aims to generate both environmental and financial returns for investors, has made its first acquisition in Maine. The Exemplary Forestry Investment Fund has bought the 3,000-acre Scammon Ridge Headwaters forest from the Haynes Family of Winn, Maine. The fund has been created by Exemplary Forestry Management, together with its partners New England Forestry Foundation, Maine Mountain Collaborative, and Quantified Ventures, using a mixture of leveraged philanthropic, private, and public capital. It aims to eventually own and manage 100,000 acres of Maine forest by utilizing the exemplary forestry approach. The New England Forestry Foundation’s senior forest science and policy fellow, Alec Giffen said in an interview this approach is all about using the best forestry techniques to help mitigate the impact of climate change, improve wildlife habitats and increase biodiversity.

An Oregon timber company has sued the U.S. Forest Service for $33 million for not putting out the 2020 Beachie Creek Fire before it turned into a raging inferno. Freres Lumber, based in the Santiam Canyon, contends the Willamette National Forest’s “negligent failure to follow its own mandated fire attack plan” led to one of the largest and deadliest wildfires in state history. …The Beachie Creek Fire burned 193,000 acres, killed five people and destroyed hundreds of homes. Company President Rob Freres said the fire burned one-third of the company’s private timberland — or about 5,800 acres. …The thrust of the lawsuit is that the Forest Service decided the Beachie Creek Fire was a “full suppression fire,” but did not commit its resources to putting out the blaze. …Legal experts say Freres will have a difficult time successfully suing the federal government for how it managed a wildfire and that similar cases have been unsuccessful.

PROVIDENCE, RI – The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) is announcing that it’s Forest Fire Program is again offering in late spring an intensive, introductory course designed to train new firefighters in the tools, tactics, and strategies used to suppress uncontrolled wildland fires. …DEM will hold the no-cost, five-day, and classroom and field-based training S-130-S-190 course – with the curriculum designed by the National Wildfire Coordinating Group – at its George Washington Management Area office in Chepachet from June 3rd – 7th at 8AM – 5PM daily. It will qualify students to a higher FFT2 skill designation level recognized by the NWCG and expand the state’s capacity to respond to wildfires

Longtime Montanans who are concerned about the direction in which our much-loved state is headed got a blunt reason from our governor last week when he said: “Montana is an easy product to sell.” …One only need look at what’s been going on at the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation where apparently the “conservation” part of the agency’s title has been sidelined for maximizing revenue from “natural resources.”…Despite the fact that northwest Montana had so little precipitation last year, apparently the very real effects of the climate crisis mean nothing when it comes to “getting out the cut.” In fact, in spite of last year’s landmark court ruling that Montana has to take climate change into account when issuing permits, Gianforte and the Republican-dominated Legislature ignored that when calculating the “annual sustainable yield” from state forests.

The Southern Forest Products Association has announced the 38^th Forest Products Machinery & Equipment Exposition will return to the Music City Center in Nashville from August 6-8, 2025. “The move to Nashville in August 2023 exceeded all expectations, and we heard it over and over on the show floor and for weeks after the event from exhibitors and attendees alike,” said Eric Gee, SFPA’s executive director. “We’ve already had booth space requests, so we can’t wait to return to the Music City Center for our 38th edition.” Since 1950, Forest Products EXPO has provided a place for both hardwood and softwood sawmillers to gather, celebrate new technology, network, and learn about the industry’s latest machinery and equipment. The three-day tradeshow provides attendees with solutions for nearly every stage of wood product manufacturing.

CHARLESTON — A very active 2023 fall fire season that featured 323 wildfires across the state came to a close on Dec. 31, the West Virginia Division of Forestry announced. This past fall, the top three causes of wildfires were debris burning, arson and equipment and vehicle use, according to a press release. “Debris-burning fires accounted for 34 percent of the total fires, consuming over 4,400 acres due to windy conditions, inadequate precautions, and being left unattended,” said Jeremy Jones, director/state forester. …Besides these top three causes, other common causes of fires include downed power lines, electric fences, structures that were on fire that spread to the forest, campfires, mining (underground coal fires), fires set by minors and fireworks. The public is always encouraged to be vigilant when burning at all times.

BLOOMINGTON, Minnesota — The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service is tightening requirements imposed on the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources when the state wants to cut trees in wildlife management areas. The federal agency is essentially asking the state to prove that any logging on WMAs has wildlife management as its primary purpose at each logging site and not simply cutting trees for the state’s timber industry. The feds say they will withhold money for each proposed project until the state proves the wildlife purpose. The new requirements are just the latest twist in an ongoing saga over how much, where and why timber should be cut on the state’s 1,440 public wildlife management areas, at least those that have trees. …The debate impacts a relatively small amount of the state’s share of timber. 

The American chestnut was affected by a fungus introduced to the United States from East Asia in the 1900s known now as chestnut blight. …Researchers from various institutions have sought to introduce a blight-tolerant version of the tree, including the SUNY College of Environmental Science (ESF). In 2015, after decades of research, the college began developing the transgenic Darling line, named after early supporter Herb Darling. …According to The American Chestnut Foundation the goal of the Darling line of trees “was to confer blight tolerance by inserting a gene from wheat called oxalate oxidase.” …But in December, The American Chestnut Foundation announced it would no longer support the transgenic line developed by SUNY ESF because of performance issues and the risk of skewing public perception against biotechnology. …But a labeling error made in 2016 is partly to blame for the foundation withdrawing its support for the project. 

MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) encourages property owners to watch for woodpecker damage to their ash trees this winter. …Woodpecker damage, often called “flecking,” happens when birds peck away some of a tree’s bark to access the larvae underneath. Flecking is a common early sign that an ash tree might be infested with emerald ash borer (EAB), an invasive insect. EAB is the most damaging threat to Wisconsin trees, killing more than 99% of the untreated ash trees it infests. …Landowners who spot woodpecker damage in their woodlot ash trees are encouraged to consult a DNR or consulting forester for management advice. Property owners who detect an EAB infestation in its early stages … can take steps to protect their high-value ash trees by treating them with insecticide between mid-April and mid-May. Insecticide treatments are seldom practical or economical for woodlot ash trees.

Greenville, S.C. –  Two separate tracts, jointly known as the Little River Thickety Creek tract, encompassing over 440 acres of bottomland hardwood forest situated along the Little River and Uwharrie National Forest in Montgomery County, North Carolina, have been permanently protected, thanks in part to a grant provided by the Enviva Forest Conservation Fund (EFCF), which  enabled Three Rivers Land Trust to acquire a conservation easement on the property and safeguard these tracts, including a variety of habitats. …Currently, the site hosts habitat for two threatened species: the Carolina redhorse, and Villosa delumbis, a mussel species also known as the Eastern Creekshell. This stretch of the Little River is classified as the Yadkin/Upper Little River Aquatic Habitat natural area with a very high rating as determined by the North Carolina Natural Heritage Program.