Region Archives: US East

This device corkscrews itself into the ground like a seed, and could just change the face of our planet! They are a newly created autonomous aerial seed that have some really cool and weird implications.

From the research paper: Aerial seeding can quickly cover large and physically inaccessible areas to improve soil quality and scavenge residual nitrogen in agriculture, and for postfire reforestation and wildland restoration. However, it suffers from low germination rates… Inspired by Erodium seeds, we designed and fabricated self-drilling seed carriers, turning wood veneer into highly stiff and hygromorphic bending or coiling actuators with an extremely large bending curvature, 45 times larger than the values in the literature. Our three-tailed carrier has an 80% drilling success rate on flat land… Our carriers can carry biofertilizers and plant seeds as large as those of whitebark pine. 

MAINE — The larvae of long, green beetles are winding their way under the bark of Maine’s brown ash trees in northern and southern pockets of the state. Known as emerald ash borers, the insects have decimated ash trees in the Great Lakes already. They likely will do the same here one day, local researchers said. But for 20 years, Maine has been preparing with a focus on protecting Wabanaki traditions and including Indigenous knowledge, an approach setting it apart from other states. Maine has also had more time to prepare: emerald ash borers were found in Michigan in 2002 and spread steadily eastward. They weren’t found here until 2018. …Joining together as the Ash Protection Collaboration Across Wabanakik, university researchers, state and federal forestry agencies, conservation groups, tribes and basketmakers planned their approach. They join Western and Indigenous approaches to science, research and decision-making.

Jeremy Turner and Laura French

…Jeremy Turner and his wife, Laura French, are professional foresters. They live on 330 acres in southwestern New Hampshire, land that long ago was cleared for a hilltop farm, and then abandoned. …Since they moved here 15 years ago, they have tried to harvest trees in a way that encourages the ecological diversity and complexity one might find in a much older forest. This includes not just trees but all forms of life, including plants and animals above the ground and below. …This approach is part of a growing trend in American forestry. Like Mr. Turner and Ms. French, more and more landowners, foresters, and overseers of public lands are trying to manage forests with the aim of promoting the values of ecology, a branch of biology that’s the study of the vital connections among plants and animals in a given place, and not simply the economics of harvesting timber.

MEMPHIS, Tennessee — International Paper (IP) reaffirms its dedication to conserving forest ecosystems, nature and biodiversity with a $15.3 million investment to renew strategic alliances with key conservation partners, including the American Forest Foundation (AFF), National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and World Wildlife Fund (WWF). These collaborations are pivotal to IP’s business strategy and Vision 2030 goal to conserve and restore 1 million acres of ecologically significant forestland. …Sophie Beckham, VP and chief sustainability officer, International Paper, “Renewing these strategic partnerships underscores our commitment to positively impact nature while delivering low-carbon, sustainable, fiber-based products to our customers.” Among these partnerships, IP’s collaboration with AFF has been key through the Family Forest Carbon Program (FFCP). Developed by AFF and TNC, this program facilitates family forest owners’ access to climate finance from carbon markets. 

NASHVILLE — Tennessee’s state forests are undergoing a comprehensive inventory aimed at promoting sustainable forest management. The Tennessee Department of Agriculture Division of Forestry (TDF) engaged Steigerwaldt Land Services to conduct an in-depth inventory of the state’s 15 state forests. …State Forester Heather Slayton said the inventory will provide better data about current forest composition, from young, regenerating trees to mature timber. This will allow TDF’s state forest management team to develop growth and yield projections with greater accuracy and will enable the team to plan and manage based on current and future forest volume rather than area. …Re-inventorying the state forest system supports TDF’s compliance with the sustainable forest management standards set forth by the internationally recognized Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI). TDF is SFI-certified and submits to extensive annual third-party audits to ensure compliance with rigorous sustainable management standards.

Cutting trees to make more trees may sound a bit counterintuitive, but that’s exactly what the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission is doing, and according to the results of a recent audit, it’s just the right medicine for forests under the AGFC’s care. The audit was completed by Bureau Veritas Certification’s lead auditor. Henry Gray Hurricane Lake Wildlife Management Area, Mike Freeze Wattensaw WMA and George H. Dunklin Jr. Bayou Meto WMA were visited to inspect site conditions to ensure the AGFC’s forestry practices stayed within the updated Sustainable Forestry Initiative standards set in 2022, to which the AGFC had previously met or exceeded since 2021. Not only did all conditions continue to meet or exceed the new standards in the 2024 audit, but the AGFC’s work in greentree reservoir management and improving the health of the forest associated with GTRs earned the issuance of a notable practice indicator during the audit.

Hamdi Zurqani

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — A new dataset is providing a bird’s-eye view of Arkansas’ forests 1 meter at a time. An Arkansas researcher has developed the first high-resolution forest canopy cover dataset for an entire state, providing valuable insights for forest management and conservation to a major economic sector in Arkansas. “No data of this kind existed before for an entire state. Usually, people only create similar data for site-specific projects,” said Hamdi Zurqani, assistant professor for the College of Forestry, Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Arkansas at Monticello. The 1-meter measurements are unique. Until now, the most common forest measurements and datasets have come from satellite imagery at 30-meter spatial resolution, said Zurqani, who conducts research as part of the Arkansas Forest Resources Center. The experiment station is the research arm of the Division of Agriculture.

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — The Cuban tree frog is an invasive species — they’re aggressive and they’re eating their way through Florida’s native wildlife. “Cuban tree frogs will compete with native tree frogs and in some cases, large Cuban tree frogs have been seen eating our native tree frogs,” said Dr. Zack Jud, a scientist with the Florida Oceanographic Society. …The pesky amphibians have been known to invade toilets, clog drains, and have even crawled into electric boxes—knocking out power for entire communities. …”They have a coating of slime that can cause an allergic reaction,” said Jeannine Tilford, of the Toad Buster. However, it’s not the frogs’ slimy casing that causes her clients to call – it’s their incessant, screeching croak that keeps her in business. …”Like many invasive species, Cuban tree frogs tend to do well in more developed, more disturbed areas,” said Jud.

Michael Blazier & Peggy Doss

MONTICELLO — Plans are underway at the University of Arkansas at Monticello for the construction of the Arkansas Forest Health Research Center, which will be housed within the College of Forestry, Agriculture and Natural Resources at the university. In February 2024, the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration received approval to allocate $16.8 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds to UAM for the construction of the center. …UAM plans to host a groundbreaking ceremony on Oct. 1, and construction will be completed by the summer of 2026. Forests in Arkansas support $16 billion of the state’s economy annually through wood products, tourism and hunting. However, increased threats to forest health from invasive pests, changing disease behaviors and climate stressors such as flooding and droughts pose risks to this important economic asset. Currently, Arkansas has no in-state facilities for testing forest diseases and insects.

They are the ancient giants of America – that started to sprout in some cases before the age of the Roman empire, with the few survivors of a frenzy of settler logging now appreciated as crucial allies in an era of climate and biodiversity crises. Joe Biden has vowed to protect these “cherished” remnants of old growth forest, as well as the next generation of mature forests, directing his government to draw up new plans to conserve the ecological powerhouses that enable US forests to soak up about 10% of the country’s carbon emissions. Yet, the US Forest Service has not included mature trees in this new plan, which also includes loopholes conservationists say allow ongoing felling of trees that are hundreds of years old. The Forest Service has also largely declined to conduct required reviews of multiple logging projects amid a stampede of tree cutting. …The Forest Service has rejected the suggestion, pointing to reduced cutting rates compared with previous decades.

MAINE — Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack visit to Maine last week came at a critical time for the future of our forests, our climate and our local bioeconomy. Looking to build markets and supply chains for climate-friendly forest products, the Biden administration just announced $418,420 for Maine’s Timber HP GO Lab to produce sustainable wood insulation. And the USDA’s Partnership for Climate Smart Commodities is aiming even higher, working with the New England Forestry Foundation to help the first commercial landowners pilot climate-smart forestry management on their working lands. Six landowners – Robbins Lumber Company, Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands, The Baskahegan Company, Fallen Timber, Clayton Lake Woodlands and Seven Islands Land Company – will receive incentives that support a range of climate-smart forestry practices designed to increase carbon in the forest and in resulting wood products.

Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff is working to strengthen Georgia’s forestry industry. Today, Sen. Ossoff launched a push to pass bipartisan legislation that would help Georgia’s forestry industry implement their State Forest Action Plan (SFAP) to ensure Georgia’s trees and forests remain healthy in the future. The bipartisan Branch Out Implementation Act would extend the bipartisan infrastructure law’s provision that makes $40 million available annually for states to implement their SFAPs. In 2020, the Georgia Forestry Commission’s Statewide Forest Resources Strategy cited forest health as one of the most pressing challenges facing Georgia’s forests.

Many dead or fallen trees in Philadelphia face an unglamorous fate as wood chips or mulch. But now, the city has bigger plans for some of its wood waste: Mill it into building material — and rake in some of the profits to support Philadelphia’s urban forestry plans. Here’s how Philadelphia’s recently launched “reforestation hub” works, according to Marisa Repka, co-founder of Cambium, Philadelphia’s partner in the project: Waste logs and branches from across the city are brought to an existing organics recycling center. Suitable logs are processed at an on-site sawmill operated by Cambium. The company finds buyers interested in sustainable wood products, from furniture manufacturers to architects, and gives 15% of the profits to TreePhilly, the city’s urban forestry program.