Category Archives: Forestry

Forestry

Canada’s plans to plant two billion trees best accomplished by looking close to home

By Ivan Semeniuk
The Globe and Mail
January 14, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada

In the 19th century, the forests that surrounded some of Canada’s oldest and most populated cities were key to the economics of European settlement and helped lay the foundation for a new country. Now, those same places could become essential to Canada’s future – not through further clearing and development, but by encouraging the trees to grow back. That’s the takeaway from a comprehensive analysis that seeks to optimize the country’s 2 Billion Trees effort… “It’s asking where in Canada are we going to achieve the highest growth rate of trees at the least cost,” said Ronnie Drever, senior conservation scientist with Nature United who led the study… The findings show that the best return on investment are not to be found in the remote boreal wilderness but in diverse pockets of land that are relatively close to the cities and towns that most Canadians call home. [A subscription required to read this article]

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Australian forestry professionals join Canada, UK and New Zealand as part of international exchange program

Forestry Australia
January 15, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, International

A pilot international exchange program between Canada, the UK, New Zealand and Australia has been developed to offer participants an opportunity to gain diverse perspectives as well as foster personal and professional growth. Forestry Australia CEO, Jacquie Martin, said Australia is delighted to be part of a pilot international exchange program with the Canadian Institute of Forestry, the Institute of Chartered Foresters, United Kingdom and the New Zealand Institute of Forestry. “The pilot international exchange program offers a unique opportunity for emerging leaders in forestry and forest management to participate in a 3-month paid international work placement,” Ms Martin said. “It allows participants to build global networks, exchange knowledge and gain hands on experience. “Participants will be able to immerse themselves in a new environment, assisting them develop adaptability, broadening expertise, and collaborating on shared opportunities and challenges.”

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New expert advisory board takes action at intersection of climate, nature, and technology

By Canada’s Forest Trust Corporation
Cision Newswire
January 14, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada

OTTAWA, ON – Canada’s Forest Trust Corporation (CFTC) announced the launch of its National Advisory Board, bringing together experts and leaders to accelerate nature-based solutions in Canada. Advisors will provide guidance to the social enterprise, furthering the commitment to plant and protect forests that are measurable through cutting-edge digital dashboards. CFTC and its National Advisory Board will work together to help organizations like businesses and national youth groups reach their sustainability goals, while advancing climate and biodiversity action in Canada. …Collectively, advisors bring expertise in biodiversity, forestry, education, youth engagement, Indigenous partnerships, data, business, and climate adaptation, as well as experience in various industries from insurance to retail to the auto sector. …”CFTC is growing quickly, with expectations of supporting the growth of millions of trees in healthy ecosystems over the next five years alone,” said JP Gladu, Principal of Mokwateh and advisor on the CFTC National Advisory Board.

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Maple Ridge cedar mill receives $1.3 million from province

The Maple Ridge-Pitt meadows News
January 16, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

A Maple Ridge company was one of the beneficiaries of the provincial government’s recent announcement of support for forest sector manufacturers. Cedarland Forest Products, based on 256th Street, will receive as much as $1.3 million to buy and install new high-temperature kilns and a moulder, allowing the company to diversify its wood fibre sources to include underutilized species, and reduce its reliance on old-growth cedar. Cedarland produces lumber and profiled cedar products including siding, decking and panelling. The new initiative will enable Cedarland to produce new thermally modified wood products, access new markets, and create 23 new forestry jobs. “Support from the BC Manufacturing Jobs Fund will help Cedarland install new advanced equipment, keeping us on the leading edge of re-manufacturing,” said Jeremy Hamm, general manager. “We will now be able to produce high-end finished products from a variety of B.C. species, while adding value every step of the way.”

Other recipients of recent funding: 
Kelowna company receiving government funding as part of forestry project boost

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Lil’wat Nation to update Land Use Plan

By Luke Faulks
Pique News Magazine
January 16, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Lil’wat Lands and Resources is set to undertake a top-to-bottom update on its land-use plan—and it’s looking for help from Nation members. Since its passage in 2006, the Lil’wat Land Use Plan (LLUP) has provided a high-level vision for the Nation’s traditional territory that respects and recognizes Lil’wat principles. The policy addresses water security, fishing grounds, wildlife protection (for food and culture), diversity of vegetation and heritage preservation. The forestry section of the LLUP was updated in 2024 with funding from the province to address old-growth forest management. The addendum was spurred by a shift in management over Lil’wat Forests; Lil’wat Forestry now oversees a majority (76 per cent) of forested space in the traditional territory.

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Curtailments in forestry, economic challenges highlighted during BC Natural Resources Forum

By Zachary Barrowcliff
MY PG NOW
January 16, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

PRINCE GEORGE, BC — The BC Natural Resources Forum had various government representatives, First Nations, as well as industry and business leaders discuss challenges and futures pertaining to natural resources. The three-day event concluded Thursday in Prince George. C3 Alliance CEO, Sarah Weber said those include economic challenges, curtailments in forestry, and cumulative impacts on the land. …Weber says the forum is also another way for the north and southern parts of the province to have better understandings on issues and challenges presented. …“There’s so many things going on between forestry, mining, energy, and the conversations around those.” The BC Natural Resources Forum will return to Prince George for its 23rd annual event next year from January 20th to the 22nd.

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Coastal Silviculture Committee: Using Silviculture to Manage for a Range of Resource Values

Coastal Silviculture Committee
January 17, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

The Coast Silviculture Committee is an ad hoc organization of forest professionals whose prime objective is to disseminate current technical forest management and silvicultural information to all forest practitioners and the public in coastal British Columbia. Its membership includes corporate, government, and self-employed professional foresters and forest technologist, forestry educators, forest land owners, researchers, and tenure managers. Every year the CSC holds two meetings; a short, one or two day, information meeting in winter, and a slightly longer field based technical workshop in early to mid- June; summer meetings are held in a different part of the coast each year. All of the surplus funds from workshops go towards supporting development of silvicultural expertise in students at the post-secondary level through providing of awards. The Winter 2025 workshop is scheduled for February 19 at Vancouver Island University. 

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Indigenous owned Cariboo wood business ‘on the verge of success’

By Andie Mollins
Williams Lake Tribune
January 15, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Terris Billyboy

If anyone can get things done, it’s Terris Billyboy.  As the new general manager of Yunesit’in’s Leading Edge Wood Products, Billyboy’s vision is to ramp up production and get the business name circulating.  Based out of Horsefly, just east of Williams Lake, Leading Edge provides high quality wood productsfrom flooring and siding to glulam beams and rough-cut lumber. The business also offers lumber drying services and custom timber preparation and promotes a sustainable approach to the industry. “When I started it was so overwhelming,” Billyboy told the Tribune. She stepped into the role in May of 2024 after working as a labourer with West Fraser for eight years. Her career was essentially set at the plywood plant in Williams Lake; she was among the third generation of her family to work for West Fraser and was in her second year of a millwright apprenticeship.

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First courses in TRU’s Wildfire Studies program to begin in September

By Aaron Schulze
CFJC Today
January 15, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Details of a Wildfire Studies Diploma program at Thompson Rivers University have been unveiled. Following a 30-day public feedback process, TRU says the university’s Senate and Board of Governors approved five certificates and one diploma program at the Centre for Wildfire Research, Education, Training and Innovation (TRU Wildfire). In a news release issued Tuesday (Jan. 14), TRU says three of the certificates that are expected to start in September 2025 are each a semester in length and equal to nine credits. They include Wildfire Science (Faculty of Science), Sociocultural Dynamics of Wildfire (Faculty of Adventure, Culinary Arts and Tourism) and Wildfire Communications and Media (Faculty of Arts)… While training is expected to begin in existing facilities, a state-of-the-art training facility and building on the TRU campus is also in the works.

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Elkford to bill Canfor for unattended burn piles

By R McCormack
MyEastKootenayNow
January 15, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

The District of Elkford will send Canfor the bill after the District’s fire department responded to some unattended burn piles north of the community. “We understand that Canfor has registered these piles with the BC Wildfire Service as required,” said Elkford officials. “However, these piles are being lit and burned without consultation or advisement to the District of Elkford.” Director of Elkford’s Fire and Emergency Services Enzo Calla says the company also broke Category 3 Open Burn regulations with the November fires. “This was in contravention to the burning index that was issued for that time. We had a cold front inversion,” said Calla. “It kept the smoke at a low level within the municipal district for several days.”

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Range investigation finds need for stronger government enforcement

BC Forest Practices Board
January 14, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

VICTORIA – The Forest Practices Board is identifying opportunities for government to enhance how it manages and enforces range activities. This is following a complaint investigation about cattle grazing practices near Grand Forks. The board investigated concerns raised by the Southern Interior Land Trust (SILT) that two range agreement holders were not following their grazing schedules or maintaining fences as required by law, and that government actions taken in response to their concerns were inadequate. From 2021 until 2023, SILT observed cattle grazing on its private land it had purchased to conserve wildlife habitat. SILT contacted the Ministry of Forests’ range staff to request corrective action, sharing proof of the cattle grazing gathered using game cameras. …“It’s crucial that government record results when it conducts inspections,” said Keith Atkinson, chair, Forest Practices Board. “Documentation helps evaluate the accuracy of complaints, the effectiveness of enforcement efforts and can support corrective measures, if necessary.”

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An unforgettable summer internship in Finland

By Benedict Roeser, 3rd yr student
University of British Columbia, Faculty of Forestry
January 14, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Benedict Roeser

This summer, I had the privilege of interning with Metsähallitus in Finland, which offered an amazing opportunity to gain experience in forestry and reconnect with the country after 12 years away. Returning to Finland was both a personal and professional highlight. …One of the most insightful aspects of the internship was learning about the differences in forestry practices between Finland and British Columbia. The level of efficiency and precision in Finnish forestry was impressive, especially in their approaches to silviculture. Observing how Finland implements sustainable practices in a way that balances ecological integrity with productivity has given me a new perspective on the possibilities within forest management. A standout experience was participating in a prescribed burn, an invaluable introduction to fire ecology. Seeing firsthand the positive effects that controlled burns have on soil health and biodiversity helped me realize the positive effects fire can have in forest management.

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First courses in Thompson Rivers University’s Wildfire Studies program to begin in September

By Aaron Schulze
CFJC Today Kamloops
January 14, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

KAMLOOPS — Details of a Wildfire Studies Diploma program at Thompson Rivers University have been unveiled. Following a 30-day public feedback process, TRU says the university’s Senate and Board of Governors approved five certificates and one diploma program at the Centre for Wildfire Research, Education, Training and Innovation (TRU Wildfire). In a news release issued Jan. 14, TRU says three of the certificates that are expected to start in September 2025 are each a semester in length and equal to nine credits. They include Wildfire Science (Faculty of Science), Sociocultural Dynamics of Wildfire (Faculty of Adventure, Culinary Arts and Tourism) and Wildfire Communications and Media (Faculty of Arts). Two other approved certificates — Wildfire Leadership and Emergency Communications — are expected to start in 2026, along with the diploma in wildfire studies. 

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Lake Babine company signs log supply deal with Smithers mill

By Thom Barker
The Interior News
January 13, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

The Lake Babine Nation’s forestry company has signed a long-term log supply and forest management agreement West Fraser, which owns the Pacific Inland Resources sawmill in Smithers. Lake Babine Nation Forestry Limited Partnership (LBN Forestry) will supply the mill through its new First Nations Woodland Licence (FNWL) and provides for West Fraser to work with LBN Forestry in the sustainable long-term management of the licence, consistent with Lake Babine Nation’s traditional values. “This agreement is a significant milestone marking the implementation of the Lake Babine Nation Foundation Agreement that was signed with the Province on September 18, 2020,” said Chief Wilf Adam… Adam noted the new FNWL also provides increased governance over the Nation’s resources, which supports improved fibre security to forest sector businesses in the region.

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Parks Canada working to reduce wildfire risk in Jasper, Banff national parks

By Peter Shokeir
Western Wheel
January 13, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Parks Canada assures it is actively preparing for the upcoming wildfire season through risk reduction work in Jasper and Banff national parks this winter. Natalie Fay, external relations manager for Banff National Park, said in a media briefing Parks Canada uses a variety of tools and strategies such as prescribed fires, mechanical logging and tree thinning as well as the creation of community fireguards to help reduce the impacts of wildfire and climate change. “While we can never completely eliminate the risk of wildfire, Parks Canada is taking important steps to reduce that risk across the mountain national parks using safe and effective fire management,” Fay said. “Our agency is taking action to create healthy fire-resilient landscapes and communities.”

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Wildfire Resiliency and Training Summit

British Columbia FireSmart
January 14, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

On April 12-16, more than 700 firefighting professionals, FireSmart experts and Indigenous, municipal and community leaders will gather in Penticton for the 2025 Wildfire Resiliency and Training Summit. There, they’ll share lessons learned from 2024, along with the latest research, technologies, best practices and other information to help regions and communities prepare for the upcoming wildfire season. You’ll want to register fast before this conference sells out! The theme for this year’s Summit is Living with Fire: Building resilience by bringing fire back to the land, strengthening relationships, and investing in collective well-being. The Summit will kick off with two days of training for firefighting professionals, followed by a three-day conference featuring keynote addresses, expert panels, and networking opportunities. Whether you’re a firefighter, community leader, or industry professional, this event is your chance to connect with like-minded individuals, learn from experts, and contribute to a safer, more resilient future for British Columbia. 

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Integrity Reforestation and Agoke Development LP Launch Major Initiative to Restore Wildfire-Impacted Land and Caribou Habitat in Ontario’s Ogoki Forest

By Integrity Reforestation Inc.
Business Wire
January 15, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada East

TORONTO — We are proud to announce the launch of a major reforestation project to plant 3 million trees in the Ogoki Forest, a region 400 km northeast of Thunder Bay, Ontario devastated by catastrophic wildfires of 2023. This initiative marks a pivotal step in restoring a landscape critical to both ecological health and the cultural heritage of local First Nations communities. In 2023, two massive wildfires ravaged 40,188 hectares of the Ogoki Forest, leaving behind widespread ecological damage. The Ogoki Wildfire Reforestation Project aims to heal these scars by focusing reforestation efforts on the most severely affected areas. …A cornerstone of this initiative is the restoration of critical caribou habitat. The Ogoki Forest is home to two vital caribou ranges, the Nipigon and the Ozhiski, that were heavily impacted by the wildfires. …This project is driven by the support of Forests Canada, Tree Canada, and the Arbor Day Foundation, Chilly Moose Ltd., and Orca Intelligence Inc. 

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Government of Canada Invests in the Reforestation of Wildfire-Affected Areas in Northern Ontario

By Natural Resources Canada
Government of Canada
January 15, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada East

OTTAWA, ON – Today, the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Canada’s Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, announced an investment of more than $900,000 to Integrity Reforestation for a major reforestation project that will help to restore wildfire-impacted land and caribou habitat in Ontario’s Ogoki Forest. With this funding, Integrity Reforestation will: plant 800,000 trees, covering 450 hectares of the Ogoki Forest; rehabilitate ecosystems destroyed by wildfires using native species to restore the habitats of woodland caribou, moose and black bears; and create over 40 tree-planting jobs in the region. With this agreement, Canada and Integrity Reforestation are leveraging their shared commitment to habitat restoration and climate action. Canada will continue to work with provinces, territories, local communities, organizations and Indigenous Peoples to create a greener, healthier and more resilient Canada while reinforcing our country’s ability to respond to wildfires, especially in the face of changing climate.

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Forest Service adopts law enforcement rule amid state jurisdictional concerns

By Dennis Webb
The Daily Sentinel
January 16, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States

The Forest Service has adopted a new law enforcement rule designed to enhance its ability to address issues such as substance abuse and wildfire prevention on national forests. While intended to improve consistency with state law enforcement, the rule has raised some state sovereignty and jurisdictional concerns, including for Mesa County commissioners and Mesa Sheriff Todd Rowell, who contended in a letter to the Forest Service that the rule isn’t authorized by federal law. The Forest Service said in a Federal Register notice in 2023 that agency law enforcement personnel “continue to encounter a significant volume of violations for simple possession of controlled substances and drug paraphernalia,” and routinely deal with underage alcohol possession in national forests. Such violations threaten the safety of forest visitors and personnel, it says.

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In the National Parks, Fire Crews Do More Than Fight Fires

By Cameron Walker
The Atlas Obscura
January 13, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States

In September 2020, as crews outside Yosemite National Park worked to contain the oncoming Creek Fire and evacuate those in its path, archaeologist Jennie Leonard was racing to protect something that couldn’t leave: the giant sequoias in the Mariposa Grove. Leonard and her fellow resource advisors—who protect species, cultural items, and other resources from wildfire and fire-suppression activities—covered the bases of the ancient trees with structure wrap, a fire-resistant aluminum fabric. Each tree, Leonard recalled, “looked like a baked potato.” Advisors offer suggestions, not commands, but they learn to quickly identify how to protect resources in a variety of circumstances. On one fire, they might help position a fire crew campsite so that firefighters won’t haul gear through invasive weeds and accidentally spread seeds. On another, they might indicate where a bulldozer can safely construct a fireline to prevent erosion into a salmon-rich stream.

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New National Tree Canopy Assessment Tool Now Live

Accesswire Press Release
January 13, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States

A national tree canopy assessment tool is now available for the first time, making it possible for cities to view the status of their local and regional tree canopy and how it’s changed over time… The national tree canopy assessment will help community leaders to assess tree loss and prioritize tree planting projects in areas of need, utilizing high-resolution aerial imagery. Users can view land cover statistics, development patterns, and individual tree canopies, all summarized down to the census block group. This interactive resource is available at TreesAtWork.org. More resources, data and information will be added to the website in 2025, including a downloadable National Baseline Canopy Assessment Report detailing the state of tree canopy in urban areas across the country and in-depth reporting on the impact of strategic investments in trees in cities nationwide.

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More than 30 whitebark pines up to 5,900 years old discovered in Wyoming

By River Stingray
Buckrail
January 16, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

On Dec. 20, 2024, new research was published that reveals scientists discovered more than 30 dead whitebark pine trees that were entombed in ice for millennia on the Beartooth Plateau in northwest Wyoming. The groundbreaking discovery was published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and can be found here. According to the research, the whitebark pines were lying down with “extraordinary quality of wood preservation.” The authors of the peer-reviewed paper write that recent warming has decreased snow and ice cover of most subalpine treelines around the world, so that the whitebark pine trees have become visible after up to 5,900 years. This discovery provides insights into past climate change and ecosystem dynamics in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE).

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New Washington lands commissioner orders pause on logging sales for some older forests

By Bill Lucia
Washington State Standard
January 16, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

On his first day in office, Dave Upthegrove, the state’s new public lands commissioner, said he would pause logging sales in some older state-managed forests for about six months. In doing so, he’s taking a step toward fulfilling a campaign promise to set aside nearly 80,000 acres of older, but not necessarily old-growth, trees. How much acreage the pause would cover was not immediately clear, but a Department of Natural Resources spokesperson said Wednesday it would involve slightly more than 20 timber sales… The state’s previous lands commissioner, Hilary Franz, during an interview last fall, pointed to hundreds of thousands of acres the department has already set aside for conservation and highlighted the environmental benefits of using wood from trees grown in-state, rather than importing it from other places that might have less stringent logging regulations.

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One Way to See the Future of Alaska’s Unparalleled Forests: Look at Their Past

By Ben Gaglioti
Park Science Magazine
January 15, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

Glacier Bay National Park in Alaska would seem as temperate as coastal Washington is now. Glaciers would retreat, fires may become common, and new wildlife would arrive. How would long-lived, stationary organisms like trees cope with these shifts? Scientists try to answer that question in a number of ways. Most of them have logistical drawbacks, like the high maintenance costs for lengthy experiments… results show that when faced with large temperature swings, forests stayed unexpectedly stable. This suggests that vegetation replacement, forest dieback, or changes in tree composition are less likely to occur in response to radical climate change than most land managers might predict… About 27 percent of Glacier Bay National Park is covered by more than 1,000 glaciers. Many of these are alongside old-growth, temperate rainforests. This type of rainforest also clings to the damp, coastal mountains of Canada, Chile, and New Zealand. It’s considered critical for global diversity and carbon storage.

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Oregon nonprofit addresses fire risk at the forest’s edge

By Ian McCluskey
Oregon Public Broadcasting
January 15, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

Last year, wildfires burned 1.9 million acres in Oregon, setting a new record. Since 2020, major river drainages of the Cascades, including the McKenzie, Santiam, and Clackamas rivers, have been devastated by fires. Many fear that it could be a matter of time before a catastrophic wildfire burns along the Highway 26 corridor on the west slope of Mount Hood. Bracing for this potential, a small nonprofit organization based in Sandy, Oregon, is cutting trees and clearing brush. Launched with funding from state and federal sources, AntFarm’s Community Wildfire Defense Program aims to address the growing threat of wildfires in rural Oregon communities, especially on Mount Hood, where the pockets of neighborhoods and businesses are hemmed along the edge of the 1.1 million acre Mt. Hood National Forest. The program helps at-risk communities along the Highway 26 corridor create plans for wildfire defense, offers fire-risk assessments to property owners, and performs “boots on the ground” mitigation, such as fuel reduction.

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Four-legged influencers in Alaska take the Internet by storm

By Riley Stadt
USDA Forest Service
January 14, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

The Tongass National Forest’s annual Anan Bear Awards showcased the now viral black and brown bears’ range of talents from a brown bear’s expert fishing skills winning “Fishing in Style,” to a black bear’s lack thereof being awarded “Slippery Paws.” One of the four-legged influencers, a cub that was not quite ready to claim expert hunting abilities, received 2.1 million views after winning the “Nope” award! The idea for the Anan Bear Awards originated on a whiteboard in 2022, after staff at the observatory were inspired by the National Park Service’s Fat Bear Week. Enter Forest Service Forestry Technician Jennifer Kardiak, who wanted to celebrate all aspects of the Anan bears, not just their figures.

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The Nez Perce Clearwater National Forest plan cuts wildland protections

By Laura Lundquist
The Missoula Current
January 15, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

The Nez Perce Clearwater National Forest has published a multi-decade forest plan that favors logging and motorized and mechanized recreation. Last week, the acting Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest supervisor, Heath Perrine, signed off on a final version of the forest plan that will guide projects on the national forest for at least the next 20 years. The previous forest plans for the Nez Perce and Clearwater Forests were separately written in the late-1980s. After decades went by and the two forests were combined in 2013 due to budget cuts … a new management plan was needed for a forest that now covers 4 million acres and seven counties in Idaho. However, the process the Nez Perce-Clearwater Forest used to produce the plan has been somewhat unorthodox, from having an acting supervisor, who was in the job for six months, make the decision to choose an alternative that wasn’t originally defined in the draft environmental study. 

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In the wake of L.A.-area fires, Congress will consider new measures. Here are some of them

By Faith Pinho
The Los Angeles Times
January 16, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

WASHINGTON — a first wave of bills has been put forward by Republicans and Democrats alike in response to the devastation in Los Angeles. The measures come as President Biden has pledged 100% federal backing for disaster assistance for the next six months, though with President-elect Donald Trump taking office in less than a week, the future of the funding is not completely secured. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), meanwhile, has said … he is discussing  whether to link aid to the deeply political debate over increasing the debt ceiling. 

  • The Fix Our Forests Act would streamline environmental regulations to make forest management happen faster
  • Rep. Darrell Issa introduced legislation he called Direct Hire to Fight Fire
  • The Preventing Our Next Natural Disaster Act calls for changes to how FEMA prepares for disasters
  • Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-Rocklin) plans to introduce legislation to rein in California’s Coastal Commission. 

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Missoula County, partners seek reboot of regional timber industry

By Martin Kidston
The Missoula Current
January 14, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

MONTANA — The recent collapse of western Montana’s timber industry did more than eliminate jobs, it also left Missoula County and various management agencies with one less tool to manage area forests. But county commissioners on Monday joined officials with the Bureau of Land Management and the Blackfoot Challenge to explore ways to revitalize the region’s timber industry. If the industry is going to reemerge, it will need to do so under a new model, they said. “There’s an acknowledgment that industry is a partner when you look at the millions of acres of federal land, as well as the private forested land and state land,” said Erin Carey, with the BLM. “When you look at the restoration needs across millions of acres in western Montana, we cannot accomplish those restoration outcomes without industry.” ….Forest restoration could be an industry in itself, along with the creation of new products like cross-laminated timber.

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Small airborne embers play a big role in the spread of wildfires

By Holly Ramer
Associated Press
January 14, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

While authorities still don’t know what sparked the deadly fires in the Los Angeles area, they do know one clear way the flames have spread: embers. …The flames have been fueled by strong winds, which not only aid combustion by increasing the oxygen supply but carry embers to unburned areas. Contrary to popular belief, experts say most homes destroyed by wildfires aren’t overcome by a racing wall of flames, but rather burn after being ignited by airborne embers. Here’s a look at what embers are and the role they play in wildfires. …the embers involved in wildfires are drastically different from campfires, said Anne Cope, chief engineer at the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety. “Those embers can travel for miles, and it’s often the neighborhoods that are closer to the wildlands that get inundated with just loads and loads — just showered with embers,” she said.

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Researchers Awarded National Science Foundation Grant for Next-Generation Forest Mapping and Monitoring

By Kimberly Mann Bruch
University of California, San Diego
January 14, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

Researchers at the University of California San Diego, University of Florida and Arizona State University have been awarded $3.28 million from the U.S. National Science Foundation to build OpenForest4D – a web-based cyberinfrastructure platform for next-generation 4D forest mapping and monitoring. The project’s goal is to advance the mapping and monitoring of global forest ecosystems by fusing the most up-to-date, multi-source remote sensing data and novel artificial intelligence models to generate research-grade estimates of forest structure and above-ground biomass across a range of timescales. …Previously these sorts of calculations were limited to research professionals with advanced expertise. By providing these cyberinfrastructure services via an easily accessible and user-friendly science gateway, users of all expertise levels can now access advanced forestry analysis tools regardless of their technical skill level, democratizing scientific computing and enabling on-demand generation of forestry-related products. 

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Fire officials stress climate’s role over forest management in preventing California blazes

By Jeannie Nguyen
ABC News 10
January 14, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

Adrienne Freeman

CALIFORNIA, USA — Firefighters in Los Angeles, are fighting misinformation as people claim these fires could have been prevented with forest management. However, experts say there’s much more to minimizing fire risks than just prescribed burns. In an effort to curb wildfires, California aims to treat a million acres of land in the state each year. …ABC10 asked if anything could have been done to prevent the spread of the Southern California fires. “There’s nothing. The conditions that we saw in Southern California last Tuesday were in above the 99.99th percentile of severity,” Adrienne Freeman, with USFS said. …”Even a large scale fire break probably wouldn’t have been effective in keeping the wildfire out of the communities. And once the communities are burning, the spread is from home to home, and it doesn’t really have anything to do with the forest management,” said Chris Field, with Stanford’s Woods Institute for the Environment.

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Why it matters that Oregon just lost its chief forester

By April Ehrlich
Oregon Public Broadcasting
January 14, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

Calvin Mukumoto

The resignation of Oregon’s top forestry executive last week comes at a pivotal moment for environmental policies in the state. Lawmakers are a week away from convening a legislative session that’s expected to tackle Oregon’s critical wildfire funding issues. And forestry officials are scrambling to finalize two major overhauls to endangered species protections on public and private lands… The state forester has long been a highly political role, juggling policy input from Oregon’s robust timber industry, timber-dependent counties and environmental advocates. “There’s nothing about the job that is easy,” said Board of Forestry chair Jim Kelly… But for many, state forester Cal Mukumoto’s resignation didn’t come as a surprise, even for Mukumoto himself. “Without the confidence of the Legislature and the governor’s office, I think it didn’t leave me many options but to resign,” Mukumoto said.

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Firefighting planes are dumping ocean water on the Los Angeles fires − why using saltwater is typically a last resort

By Patrick Megonigal
The Conversation
January 13, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

Firefighters battling the deadly wildfires that raced through the Los Angeles area in January 2025 have been hampered by a limited supply of freshwater. So, when the winds are calm enough, skilled pilots flying planes aptly named Super Scoopers are skimming off 1,500 gallons of seawater at a time and dumping it with high precision on the fires. Using seawater to fight fires can sound like a simple solution – but seawater also has downsides… A novel experiment called TEMPEST was designed to understand how and why historically salt-free coastal forests react to their first exposures to salty water… Our research group is still trying to understand all the factors that limit the forest’s tolerance to salty water, and how our results apply to other ecosystems such as those in the Los Angeles area. Tree leaves turning from green to brown well before fall was a surprise, but there were other surprises hidden in the soil below our feet.

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Study examines how climate change has shaped coastal forests over the last decade

By Joey Pitchford
Phys.Org
January 16, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US East

A new study finds that climate change may have a range of contrasting effects on coastal forests, both slowing and enabling growth in areas where sea levels are rising and storms are more common. Researchers compared a decade of forest growth data from two types of environments across the mid-Atlantic, southeastern, and Gulf coasts of the United States: coastal areas less than five meters (20 feet) above sea level and inland areas between 30 and 50 meters (more than 100 feet) in elevation. They found that while forests have expanded in both environments in the last 10 years, some coastal areas have seen significantly lower tree growth and higher mortality than areas of higher elevation… Researchers were also surprised to find a positive correlation between forest growth and increased coastal storms… The work is published in the journal PLOS Climate.

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U.S. Department of Commerce Invests $6.2 Million to Support Forestry in Kansas

By the US Economic Development Administration
The US Department of Commerce
January 16, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US East

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo announced the Department’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is investing $6.2 million in the state of Kansas to support forestry and construction industry workforce development. The EDA forestry investments announced today are: Kansas State University in Manhattan will receive a $3.2 million grant to bolster natural resource and wildfire risk management workforce development through construction of a modernized training facility. This EDA investment will be matched with $815,794 in local funds. …“The Biden-Harris Administration’s Investing in America agenda is growing jobs, building a sustainable workforce, and creating opportunities for workers across the country,” said Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. “These EDA investments in Manhattan and Beloit will provide expanded forestry and construction workforce training programs so local workers get the skills they need for in-demand jobs, and the local economy grows.”

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National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Announces $2.2 Million to Benefit Wildlife and Restore Habitat in Central Appalachia

National Fish and Wildlife Foundation
January 16, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US East

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) and partners today announced $2.2 million in grants to reforest legacy mine lands, improve forest habitat management for birds, implement riparian buffers on agricultural lands and restore aquatic connectivity in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia. The grants will generate $1.9 million in matching contributions for a total conservation impact of $4.1 million. The grants were awarded through the Central Appalachia Habitat Stewardship Program…. Central Appalachia boasts some of the most biologically diverse forests and aquatic systems in the United States. The projects announced today will plant more than 164,000 native trees, restore 16 miles of streamside forest, remove nine barriers to fish passage, and propagate and release more than 97,000 freshwater mussels into their historic habitat. This work will also benefit declining populations of forest birds, including the golden-winged warbler, wood thrush and cerulean warbler.

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Helene did nearly $200 million in damage to South Carolina forests, report says

By Shaun Chornobroff
South Carolina Daily Gazette
January 15, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US East

Helene, the state’s deadliest storm, caused roughly $200 million in estimated damage to the state’s forest industry, the South Carolina Forestry Commission said in a report presented to the House Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environmental Affairs Committee. The report estimated $83 million in timber damage and $60 million in damage to forests in and near cities. But that damage could be much higher, said Russell Hubright, the commission’s forest management chief. The report also estimated a $51 million hit to businesses that rely on the state’s forests, including logging and paper mills, which contribute $23 billion to the state economy, according to the commission. …There are 12.8 million acres of forestland in South Carolina, with more than 11 million of those privately owned, according to the State Forestry Commission. …The report estimated that nearly 234,000 acres of land incurred timber damage of some kind with more than 70,000 suffering moderate, severe or catastrophic timber damage. 

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National Trust project to plant almost half a million trees this winter

By Steven Morris
The Guardian
January 17, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: International

Almost half a million trees are being planted in England this winter in a partnership between the National Trust and a UK-government funded project, creating woodlands, wood pasture, hedgerows and orchards. Some of the schemes are relatively modest, such as orchards planted with heritage varieties of fruit and nut trees, while others are much grander, thousands of trees linking up existing patches of woodland to create nature-rich forests. One of the most eye-catching schemes is at Buckland Abbey near Plymouth in Devon, where more than 30,000 trees are being planted. Broadleaved trees such as sessile oak, elm, blackthorn, birch, rowan and wild cherry are being planted close to ancient woodlands across the estate, and the hope is that as well as benefiting insects, mammals and birds, it will improve conditions for rare lichens, liverworts and mosses to flourish.

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Timbeter Revolutionizes Timber Measurement in Poland with Innovative AI Technology

Timbeter
January 16, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: International

Timbeter, AI-powered digital timber measurement solution provider, starts collaboration with Polish State Forest (PGL LP) to support the forestry operations. A project that is transforming the whole timber industry in Poland is being carried out in Regional Directorates in Piła and Poznań. Launched under General director’s order No. 92/2024 issued on July 24, 2024, by the Director General of State Forests, the initiative aims to integrate Timbeter’s digital measurement solutions into everyday forestry operations. The project’s goals include reducing the workload of foresters, simplifying timber measurement processes, and enhancing objectivity of results. This transition will also provide additional insights for stakeholders, from contractors to timber purchasers, enabling better decision-making and operational efficiency.

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