Region Archives: US East

LAKE CHARLES, Louisiana — Concerns are growing statewide over a bark beetle infestation. Trees, especially pines, are vital to Louisiana’s economy. Here in Southwest Louisiana, Vernon, Beauregard and Allen parishes contain miles and miles of pine tree forests and farms important to their economy. …Experts and local arborists like Mike Nevils with Nevils Tree Service said last year’s drought is a big reason why Louisiana’s pines are being infected at an alarming rate. …The Emergency Beetle Committee is planning to have an emergency at the State Capitol Tuesday to discuss plans on how to control the infestation. The committee will meet with experts in the legal, forestry and agricultural fields to work on a solution, and a potential emergency declaration. The committee also plans to discuss emergency funding for those who cannot afford tree work. Nevins said there’s not much that can be done once a tree is infected.

An ancient tree from India is thriving where citrus trees once flourished in Florida, and could help provide the nation with renewable energy. As large parts of the citrus industry have been hit by two fatal diseases, greening and citrus canker, some farmers are turning to the pongamia tree, a climate-resilient tree with the potential to produce plant-based proteins and a sustainable biofuel. Pongamia produces legumes that are so bitter wild hogs won’t even eat them. …Pongamia trees don’t need fertilizer or pesticides. They flourish in drought or rainy conditions. … A machine simply shakes the tiny beans from the branches when they’re ready to harvest. …The legume is now being used to produce Panova table oil, Kona protein bars, protein flour. …The legumes also produce oil that can be used as a biofuel, largely for aviation, which leaves a very low carbon footprint.

MARYLAND — Independent auditors recently reviewed the Pocomoke State Forest and Chesapeake Forest Lands, two state forests on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, and recertified them as sustainable, meeting international standards for forest management. Twenty-one years ago, the Chesapeake Forest Lands became the state’s first certified forests, a recognition now shared by 214,000 acres of state forest land in Maryland. …“We like to think that we’re managing our forests well, but this is a third party of industry professionals confirming that we are,” said Rob Feldt, the Maryland Forest Service forest resources planning supervisor. “That’s part of the value we get out of certification.” Maryland’s certified forests are recognized by the Forest Stewardship Council and the Sustainable Forestry Initiative, two organizations that promote standards for forest management based on the Montreal Process international agreement.

MANHATTAN, Kansas – Officials with the Kansas Forest Service are calling three grants totaling $340,200 from the U.S. Forest Service “a significant milestone in wildfire prevention efforts across the state.” The funds, available through the USFS Community Wildfire Defense Grants program, were awarded to Chase, Butler and Leavenworth counties. According to information from KFS, the funds “will be a big boost to helping build the state’s defense against wildfires, particularly in urban areas of the state.” CWDG grants are available to forest service units across the country and part of the government’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. According to KFS, the allocation of these grants follows extensive educational work aimed at raising awareness of the wildfire risk within Kansas communities over the past two years. Through collaboration with national partners, the Kansas Forest Service has successfully highlighted the urgent need for proactive measures to address the wildfire urban interface risk.

MAINE — A $7 million grant from the National Science Foundation will fund a four-year statewide collaborative project led by the University of Maine to foster resilient forest communities in Maine. Maine-FOREST, or Forest-based Opportunities for Resilient Economy, Sustainability and Technology, will expand the state’s research and educational capacity to connect human and ecosystem focused innovations and services. The project takes an integrated thematic approach to fuel the state’s forest-based economy and the rural communities it supports. Key foci of the project include artificial intelligence and informatics; wood-derived alternatives to plastic, concrete and more called cellulosic nanofiber bioproducts (CNF); rural and Wabanaki resilience; and economically diverse rural development. Maine-FOREST will ultimately nurture adaptive community resilience and strengthen the capacity of rural communities and the Wabanaki Nations to respond to current and future socio-ecological threats and opportunities.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has announced that 81 communities will be receiving a collective $16 million through the ReLeaf Community Forestry Grants and the Shade Tree Bonding Grants, marking a significant investment in community forestry. These grants underscore Minnesota’s commitment to addressing emerald ash borer and other invasive pests while fostering climate-resilient communities. …These projects will have a positive impact on community forest health, environmental equity, and overall well-being. They will help replace, diversify, and strengthen Minnesota’s urban tree canopy, increase the urban canopy’s resiliency, and help with climate mitigation through carbon storage and the cooling benefits of shade trees. The $16 million awarded is a significant increase over the past grant cycles, and illustrates the Minnesota Legislature’s and Walz-Flanagan Administration’s commitment to preserving and improving community forests now and into the future.

NORTH CAROLINA — Longleaf pine can survive natural disasters, but it has barely survived us humans. Writer and naturalist Janisse Ray visits a longleaf champion who wants to bring back this forest of heart-stopping beauty – one match at a time. The night a massive winter storm hit the pine barrens of the Carolinas, Jesse Wimberly lay awake listening to limbs popping in the forest surrounding his cabin. He had planted every one of the longleaf pines by hand. Nobody wants to lose longleaf. Too much has been lost already. When Reed Noss surveyed endangered U.S. ecosystems in 1995, only 3 percent of the historic, iconic forest remained. Noss called the landscape “critically endangered.” Longleaf pine once covered 92 million acres of the upland South. Although it survives disturbances like hurricanes and fires, it could not survive the greatest disturbance of all, us humans.

North Carolina — The U.S. Forest Service has announced it will not harvest timber from a 15-acre patch of North Carolina mountain forest that is the subject of a federal lawsuit. The Forest Service said in a June 21 statement that it would remove the acreage from its Southside Project within the Nantahala National Forest in Jackson County. District Ranger M. Troy Waskey decided not to build a temporary road and harvest timber from stand 41-53, according to the statement. Rangers are responsible for project decisions in their districts. … “Rather than continue a lengthy legal process, the Forest Service will now focus on the successful implementation of the remainder of this important project. This change only impacts a small 15-acre stand within the Southside Project, and proposed activities outside of the stand will continue,” said Forest Supervisor for the National Forests in North Carolina, James Melonas in the statement.

Michigan State University Department of Forestry Professor David MacFarlane has been selected for the Fulbright Global Scholar Award for 2024-2025. The prestigious Fulbright Global Scholar Award encourages international connections and fosters understanding and cooperation across nations. MacFarlane will spend a portion of his sabbatical leave in the 2024-2025 academic year collaborating with scholars at institutions in Mexico and Italy. MacFarlane intends to advance an emerging concept called “Climate-Smart Forestry,” which emphasizes connections between forests, society and climate. Climate-smart forestry focuses on enhancing human health and community resilience through adaptive forest management, increasing carbon storage in forests to mitigate climate change, and using forest resources sustainably to substitute for non-renewable energy and materials.

Exhibit space sales for the 38^th Forest Products Machinery & Equipment Exposition (Forest Products EXPO 2025), presented by the Southern Forest Products Association, are now open! The three-day biannual tradeshow, to be held August 6-8, 2025, will return to the Music City Center in Nashville and provide attendees with solutions for nearly every stage of manufacturing. From raw material handling to crane operations; metal detection and scanning technologies; log optimization, drying, grading, sorting, packaging, and distribution, customers new and old will be waiting to explore these solutions with you face to face.

The state of Massachusetts has released a plan to protect and manage forest lands, prioritizing the natural resource for its carbon sequestration capabilities. More than 55 percent of the Bay State is forested, covering roughly 3 million acres. The Forests as Climate Solutions Initiative includes recommendations from a state-formed committee and public input, covering topics such as forest management, siting of renewable energy infrastructure and timber harvesting. To understand the plan, WAMC’s Jim Levulis spoke with two members of the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs: Kurt Gaertner, the Assistant Secretary for Environmental Policy, and Stephanie Cooper, the Undersecretary for the Environment.

New opportunities to participate in creative financing programs with the Vermont Economic Development Authority (VEDA) are now available to those working in the state’s forest economy. The Forestry Loan Program was unveiled June 4. Through this new program, $3 million in financing can be provided in loans, each up to $500,000, with subsidized interest rates. Loggers, foresters, log haulers, biomass producers, sawmills, firewood producers and wood product manufacturers may be eligible for funding to support working capital, equipment and refinancing. The Vermont Forest Futures Strategic Roadmap, the forest based economy in the Green Mountain State accounts for about $2.1 billion annually and over 13,800 jobs. And VEDA, now in its 50th year, is tasked with furthering the state’s workforce, business development and public policy goals — something it continues to do through financing programs that help small business owners grow and create even more jobs. 

MAINE — The health of the iconic evergreen trees that define the Pine Tree State is at risk from climate change. Researchers across the state have begun planting tree species from mid-Atlantic states to replace these trees as temperatures rise, extreme weather intensifies and pests spread. They believe this practice, called assisted migration, will keep Maine’s forests functioning amid climate change. The migration would happen over time without human planting, but moving trees now will prevent ecosystems from collapsing if weather conditions get more extreme, researchers said. Pine, spruce, cedar, ash and beech are some of the softwood tree species expected to decline here in coming decades. Hardwoods such as poplar, maple and oak are poised to take their places. How Maine people adopt these new species on their land — if they do — will make a big difference for the country’s most forested state, researchers said.

Last week, Quinton Hayward, Chief Forester, (Paper Excellence); Luke Dillinger Sr Director Fibre Procurement (Domtar); Sam Bourque, Forestry and Certification coordinator (Resolute); and Kevin Gallagher, Forest Analyst (Resolute) attended the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) annual conference in Atlanta, Georgia. This year’s conference focused on several critical topics related to sustainable forest management and conservation: Protection of Endangered Species; Mass Timber; EUDR Compliance; and Indigenous Relations Collaboration. …SFI’s goal is identifying and advancing nature and community grown solutions to conserve, sustainably manage, and restore ecosystems in ways that effectively address societal and environmental challenges to benefit both people and the planet.

STORRS, Connecticut — Around 40% of forested land in the United States is privately owned, and for agencies tasked with preserving the nation’s natural resources, collaborations with private landowners are not just a vast opportunity, but a necessity. To facilitate these collaborations and enhance the effectiveness of natural resource management, UConn researchers are taking a humanities approach to understand what influences private landowners to make conservation and stewardship plans. Ava Smith, Chadwick Rittenhouse, Eleanor Shoreman-Ouimet, and Thomas Worthley are working to understand these influences and motivations. Their findings are published in the Journal of Environmental Planning and Management. The first step in understanding why landowners do or don’t undertake land management planning steps was to establish what has already been studied and identify themes and knowledge gaps. …The researchers also identified potential leverage points for future research or strategies to encourage management plan efforts.

A tree farm near Brownville is gaining attention for being managed entirely by women. Williamsburg Forest, a 180-acre educational forest maintained by the Piscataquis County Soil and Water Conservation District, features over two miles of interconnected trails and remarkable property highlights, including legacy white pine trees, vernal pools, and old homesteads. This spring, it was the location of the final installment of Maine’s Forest Climate Change Initiative’s webinar and field tour series. …With an all-female management team, Williamsburg Forest provided a unique opportunity to highlight the impact of inclusion and representation in a generally male-dominated field. According to Molly London, the property’s licensed forester, this opportunity happened organically, “We are a group of professionals who all happen to be women, but we ran with it.” 

Sara Simons

Sara Lee Simons passed away at McLeod Hospice House on June 5, 2024. Sara was born in her family home on February 28, 1927. Sara attended the University of Georgia, graduated in 1949 with a BS in Secondary Education including a certification in natural sciences. She was awarded Education Conservationist of the Year and South Caroline Biology Teacher of the Year. She was a charter member of The South Carolina Association of Naturalists founded in 1976 by Rudy Mancke. She published SCAN: The First Ten Years in memory of Walter. Sara was the first woman appointed by Governor Carroll Campbell to the South Carolina Forestry Commission (SCFC). She was reappointed by Governor David Beasley. She helped launch Project Learning Tree, an award winning international environmental education program.