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Forestry


Cultivating Native Leaders in Conservation

July 14, 2015 Leslie Wheelock, Director, Office of Tribal Relations

Recently, ninety Alaska Native, American Indian, and Native Hawaiian high school students came together at the National Conservation Training Center in Shepherdstown, West Virginia for a week of intensive education and peer-to-peer training about the impact of climate change on tribal communities...

Conservation Forestry

Restoring Fire to Oklahoma's Priority Forest Landscapes

July 10, 2015 Paul Ross, Office of Communications, U.S. Forest Service

(This post was written by George Geissler, State Forester of Oklahoma Forestry Services) Forest Action Plans represent the first-ever comprehensive assessment of America’s forest resources across all lands—public, private, rural, and urban—and offer proactive strategies that state forestry agencies...

Forestry

Drones can be Deadly for Wildland Firefighters

July 06, 2015 Robert Westover, Office of Communication, U.S. Forest Service

Imagine if a hostile country sent an Unmanned Aircraft System or UAS, otherwise known as a drone, to disturb the efforts of firefighters during a catastrophic wildfire. The confusion that might ensue could cause loss of life and property as flames jump fire lines simply because resources have been...

Forestry

Genetic Studies Reveal a Tree's History to Ensure its Future

July 02, 2015 Stephanie Worley Firley, U.S. Forest Service Eastern Forest Environmental Threat Assessment Center

It can reach heights of 200 feet and live 500 years, and occupies landscapes across the western United States. Some say its bark has an unforgettable smell resembling vanilla or even cinnamon, and this tree is one tough cookie. It grows in a variety of soils and climates and survives fires that...

Forestry

In Oregon, Finding the Lost River Whychus

June 30, 2015 Maret Pajutee, District Ecologist, Sisters Ranger District, Deschutes National Forest

Sisters is a dreamy mountain town in Central Oregon with almost everything you might want in a scenic hideaway. With snowy peaks and expansive forests, it is an ideal location for biking, hiking, or simply contemplating wide expanses of blue sky. But for many years Sisters was missing one crucial...

Forestry

Supporting Local Rural Economies while Improving Forest Health

June 22, 2015 Carita Chan, Research & Development, U.S. Forest Service

This blog post was written with support from Amie Anderton (Intermountain Region), Lindsay Buchanan (Washington Office), and Teresa McClung (Pacific Southwest Region). Calaveras County, nestled in the Gold Country and High Sierra regions of California, has a long and storied past. It is the setting...

Forestry

In Recently Burned Forests, a Woodpecker's Work is Never Done

June 18, 2015 Stephanie Worley Firley, U.S. Forest Service Eastern Forest Environmental Threat Assessment Center

Following a wildfire, some might see dead trees. Woodpeckers see possibilities. The black-backed woodpecker is one such bird—a burned forest specialist—who readily chooses fire-killed trees (snags) in which to drill cavities for nesting and roosting. When the woodpecker moves on, its cavity turns...

Forestry

And the Winner of the Smokey Bear Poster Contest is...

June 17, 2015 Tiffany Holloway, Office of Communication, U.S. Forest Service

For 54 years, the U.S. Forest Service and the National Garden Clubs Inc., have worked together to sponsor the National Smokey Bear and Woodsy Owl poster contest that reaches elementary children throughout the U.S. This year’s grand prize winner is Audrey Morga, an 11-year old, and a fifth grader at...

Forestry

Conserving Monarch Butterflies and their Habitats

June 16, 2015 Carita Chan, U.S. Forest Service Research & Development

With more than 80 percent of the world’s flowering plants relying on pollinators, their importance to natural ecosystems and agriculture cannot be overstated. However, populations of pollinators, including bird, bat, butterfly, beetle and bee species, have been declining around the world...

Forestry

Working Trees for Islands Showcases Power of Agroforestry

June 12, 2015 Kate MacFarland, USDA, National Agroforestry Center

Do you grow fruits and vegetables in your backyard or community garden? Do some of them come from trees? Breadfruit, or ‘ulu, is an easy-to-grow, productive, nutritious, and starchy staple crop grown in many Pacific Islands, including Hawaii. It can be roasted, baked, boiled, fried or pounded into...

Forestry
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