Region Archives: US East

Ellen Shulzabarger & Randy Moore

HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania — The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) Bureau of Forestry and the United States Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service (USDA) signed an Agreement to Advance Shared Stewardship, strengthening their commitment to collaborative land management efforts throughout Pennsylvania. …The agreement establishes a framework that advances the state and the Forest Service to work collaboratively on forest management, accomplishing mutual goals, furthering common interests, and effectively responding to the increasing suite of challenges facing the communities, landscapes and natural resources in Pennsylvania. …The federal, state, and private land managers in Pennsylvania face a range of urgent challenges, among them are invasive insect and disease outbreaks, non-native invasive plant invasion and increased risk of wildfire and floods. To read the agreement, visit the Forest Service Shared Stewardship website.

Thunderstorms that produce lightning cause weak electrical discharges called corona to occur on tree leaves, and a new study has found it could impact air quality. The team from Penn State discovered coronas generate large amounts of the hydroxyl radical (OH) and the hydro-peroxyl radical (HO2). OH initiates chemical reactions that clean the air of greenhouse gases but also produce ozone and aerosol pollution. Scientists say corona-generated OH may increase around trees by 100 to 1,000 times during a thunderstorm. “The hydroxyl radical contributes to the total atmospheric oxidation of many atmospheric pollutants, including the greenhouse gas methane, improving air quality, and slowing climate change. However, these reactions can also lead to the formation of ozone and small aerosol particles, negatively affecting air quality and climate,” Willian Brune, distinguished professor of meteorology at Penn State, said in a statement.

GOLD CREEK, Missoula — A new take on disposing of small trees and branches cut down during forest-thinning projects aims to turn the material into “biochar” that locks carbon into the ground and enhances dirt. It all depends on a massive “Carbonator,” an incinerator resembling an industrial garbage bin on tank tracks. It’s unclear if the method will make any money or save any soil at scale. Nevertheless, a variety of land management agencies, stewardship groups, scientists and landowners believe it shows promise. …Before the method can be put into wide use in forests, local land managers, stakeholder groups, ranchers and scientists involved in this demonstration project must first figure out whether it’s even viable. According to proponents, using a Carbonator to create biochar produces significantly less smoke than the typical burning of slash piles. That could greatly reduce pollution in nearby airsheds and expand the burn window.

A 60-year-old man reportedly admitted to setting more than 20 roadside fires in Maine, according to Maine Forest Service. The forest rangers and state fire marshal’s office investigators said the months-long investigation into the fires, each with similar characteristics, concluded Friday. Following an analysis of a small roadside fire on Murch Road in Baldwin on Friday, investigators interviewed a suspect who admitted to starting the fires. …He is suspected of setting more than 20 fires. More charges are likely. So far, in 2022, forest rangers have investigated 60 woodland arson fires that have burned 12.5 acres. “If these fires were lit during periods of high fire danger, they could have caused larger, more destructive wildfires that could threaten structures, property, and lives,” forest rangers said.

Forest owners in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and eastern Alabama breathed a sigh of relief on October 11, when the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ruled that the eastern population segment of the gopher tortoise did not warrant listing as Threatened or Endangered under the Federal Endangered Species Act. Had a listing occurred, forest owners would have likely been subject to regulations that impact forest management and harvest. The decision not to list was no coincidence. It was due in large part to collaborations that clarified the number and distribution of tortoises in the eastern population and that took a leadership role in implementing conservation practices to benefit tortoises and their habitats. …Forest owners were essential members of many of these collaborations. …We think the decision not to list the eastern population of gopher tortoises is a win. …continued diligence and conservation is needed to address the many challenges that tortoise’s face

A comprehensive, open access book on smoke from wildland fires across the U.S. is now available. Wildland Fire Smoke in the United States: A Scientific Assessment synthesizes the physical, chemical, biological, social, and policy issues critical to mitigating the impacts of smoke from wildland fires. Seventy researchers, land managers, and other experts co-authored the book. More than 20 USDA Forest Service scientists are co-authors, along with collaborators from federal agencies, non-governmental organizations, states, and universities. “Wildland fires are a major source of gases and aerosols, and a thorough understanding of fire emissions is essential for addressing the societal and climatic consequences of fire and smoke,” says Dr. Toral Patel-Weynand, Southern Research Station Director and one of the book’s editors. “This knowledge is increasingly important, as a warmer climate is contributing to more fires and more smoke exposure.”

MANISTIQUE, Michigan — Bluesource Sustainable Forests has purchased 29,019 acres of forestland in the Upper Peninsula from The Lyme Timber Company. …This property will be part of over 90 North American forest carbon projects covering over four million acres that Anew Climate, LLC currently manages in partnership with landowners. Eleven of these locations are also located in Michigan. Anew said that acquired properties will be managed under sustainable working forest practices that prioritize carbon sequestration and long-term forest health while maintaining a level of commercial harvest that supports the local economy and the climate. When BSFC is ready, they plan to initiate a selective logging operation below annual growth levels. This will allow the forests to continue to be working forestlands to support the local economy and produce high value forest products, while also developing carbon credits.

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Prescribed fire — a tool increasingly used by forest managers and landowners to combat invasive species, improve wildlife habitat and restore ecosystem health — also could play a role in reducing the abundance of ticks and the transmission of disease pathogens they carry, according to a team of scientists. …. They concluded that prescribed burning can help restore forest habitats to a state less favorable to several species of disease-carrying ticks and could be an effective management tactic for reducing their populations. The era of fire suppression, which began roughly in the early 1900s and has continued for more than a century, changed the species composition of Eastern forests, creating habitats and microclimates that favored the survival and spread of ticks. …The number of tick-borne disease cases in the United States has trended higher in recent decades, ranging to as high as 60,000 annually and accounting for more than 75% of vector-borne disease cases…

Karin Tilberg

…Because the intensity of recent storms is determined largely by the temperature of the ocean waters, a warmer climate causes the storms to be stronger and to travel farther north, in our case along the Atlantic coast. …Maine’s North Woods, extending for nearly 12 million acres, are the largest intact forests east of the Mississippi River. Maine’s forests cover more than 90% of the state, and they take in a massive amount of carbon… Scientists at the University of Maine estimate that Maine’s forests sequester nearly 70% of the carbon dioxide emitted in Maine every year. …If emissions are reduced sufficiently, Maine’s forests could sequester the equivalent of all the greenhouse-gas emissions generated in Maine. This is true only if we ensure that the forests in our state remain intact, healthy and productive. For this reason, the Climate Council endorsed a goal of conserving 30% of Maine lands by 2030 in its Maine Won’t Wait climate plan.

It’s hard to believe a year has passed since we officially celebrated #FloridaForests during our annual Florida Forests Week. This year October 23-29 marks the official celebration for 2022. The #FloridaForests social media campaign begun last year by the Florida Forestry Association and Florida Forest Service is still running strong… which showcases the many people that comprise this community we call Forestry in Florida.  Speaking of communities, forestry in Florida is in many ways the lifeblood of North Florida’s rural communities… valued at over $25-billion in contributions to Florida’s GDP annually. Certainly, the job opportunities in manufacturing, logging, silvicultural activities, forestry consulting, wood procurement, equipment sales, fuel distribution, and the various roles of the Florida Forest Service should not be taken for granted. However, the word lifeblood encompasses far more than an occupation.

The forests of East Texas are thriving, thanks to modern forestry practices and a strong forest-products economy. “Over the last 20 to 30 years, there’s been a lot of focus on growing higher-quality trees,” said Dr. Aaron Stottlemyer, Texas A&M Forest Service Forest Analytics Department Head. “Every year, we’re producing better and better trees that are growing faster.” That, in turn, translates to a robust forest with benefits for the Texas economy. Forests are healthy, providing jobs and environmental benefits,” said Bill Oates, Texas A&M Forest Service Associate Director. In 2021, the state’s forest sector had a total economic impact of $41.6 billion while supporting over 170,000 jobs. The forest-based industry was one of the top 10 manufacturing sectors in the state, and timber ranked seventh among Texas’ agricultural commodities. The health of the forests and an abundance of harvest-ready trees suggest room for growth in terms of investments in forest products.

RALEIGH –The North Carolina Forestry Association (NCFA) and the N.C Forest Service will recognize the economic contributions of the state’s forest products industry during National Forest Products Week. “In 2020, the forest sector in North Carolina contributed $32.8 billion in industry output to the North Carolina economy,” said NCFA Executive Director John Hatcher. “We celebrate Forest Products Week because of the economic impact, but also because forests are a sustainable, renewable, and recyclable resource.” According to economic contribution data from N.C. State University, the forest products industry in North Carolina was the second largest employer among manufacturing sectors in the state, supporting more than 138,100 jobs in 2020. This included forestry and logging operations, sawmills, furniture mills, and pulp and paper industries. The N.C. Forest Service protects, manages and promotes forest resources for the citizens of North Carolina.