| Forest Service Forecasts Natural Resource Trends and Challenges
WASHINGTON--A comprehensive U.S. Forest Service  report released in December examines the ways expanding populations, increased urbanization, and changing land-use patterns could profoundly impact natural resources, including water supplies, nationwide during the next 50 years.
Significantly, the study shows the potential for significant loss of privately owned forests to development and fragmentation, which could substantially reduce benefits from forests that the public now enjoys including clean water, wildlife habitat, forest products and others.
"We should all be concerned by the projected decline in our nation's forests and the corresponding loss of the many critical services they provide such as clean drinking water, wildlife habitat, carbon sequestration, wood products and outdoor recreation," said Agriculture Under Secretary Harris Sherman. "Today's report offers a sobering perspective on what is at stake and the need to maintain our commitment to conserve these critical assets." Read more.
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Forest Service Creates Thousands of American Jobs
WASHINGTON--A Forest Service restoration program created and maintained more than 4,500 jobs in Fiscal Year 2012 and improved the fire-resiliency of 380,000 acres of forestland near communities from 2010-2012, according to a new report.
The Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration program was created in 2009 to restore priority forested landscapes, promote job stability, create a reliable wood supply, improve forest health and reduce emergency wildfire costs across the United States.
All of the projects managed under this program are on track to meet their 10-year goals, which cumulatively include treating more than 4 million acres of forest to make them more resilient to wildfire and producing 670 million cubic feet of timber. The projects will also restore 1.6 million acres of wildlife habitat and 3,000 miles of streams. Read more.
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Lands Protected Through Forest Legacy in 2012
NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa.--From October 1, 2011 through September 30, 2012, the Forest Legacy Program of the Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry worked with States and private landowners to permanently protect almost 25,000 acres of environmentally important land from development, in 12 states. See the breakdown by State. For a description of the most recent activity read The Tract Record for the Fourth Quarter of 2012.
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Updated Income Tax Tips for Forest Landowners
Tax Tips for Forest Landowners for the 2012 Tax Year is just one of the resources that woodland owners and their advisors can access at the National Timber Tax Web site.
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Landscape Scale Conservation
in the Eastern Region
The latest Landscape Scale Conservation News published by the Forest Service's Region 9 features a model project that is restoring essential red spruce habitat on the Monongahela National Forest, as part of the Central Appalachian Spruce Restoration Initiative. Read the newsletter.
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Fee-Free Days on Public Lands
WASHINGTON--The U.S. Forest Service joins other Federal agencies in offering fee-free days o
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The Snowmobile Loop trail on the Allegheny National Forest in northwest Pennsylvania is over 300 miles of groomed trail.
(Photo: Forest Service)
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n public lands in 2013, beginning Jan. 21 in conjunction with Martin Luther King Jr. Day. That day marks the first of four fee-free days the Forest Service is offering the public in 2013.
"Your national forests and grasslands are a bargain any day of the year, but even more so on fee-free days," said U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell. "Whether you stay for a few hours or a few days, your public lands are some of the best travel bargains in the nation." Read more.
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Web Site Offers Interactive Management Tools to Landowners
WASHINGTON--According to the American Forest Foundation (AFF), the lack of management plans puts treasured woodland properties owned by individuals and families at ever-increasing risk of fires, invasive species, pathogens, and other problems. To help woodland owners better understand and protect their properties, the AFF has launched a new Web site that can help family forest owners map, protect, and enjoy their woods for years to come. The free Web site sponsored by the U.S. Forest Service "helps you discover the possible threats to your land," says Tom Martin, president and CEO of AFF. "If you own a plot of land, it helps you ask the right questions based on your goals for your land and refers you to the right sources." The new site fits into the broader mission of the forest foundation, which also performs on-the-ground conservation work, education, and other sustainable forestry initiatives. The management tools are available at MyLandPlan.org.
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Behind the Forest Service Shield
Helen Wassick--Providing Superior Customer Service for Over 20 Years
At the age when most people consider retirement, Helen Wassick started a career with the Forest Service. "Miss Helen," as everyone calls her, began working for the Forest Service in 1988 under the Senior Community Service Employment Program. Two years later her position was converted to a permanent position. 
Customer service has been her focus since day one. In 1996 Wassick's excellence in customer service earned her a spot in a national training film on customer service.
"I just try to treat people the way I would want to be treated," said Wassick. Read More.
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Sandy Hook School Memorial
Tree Fund
NEWTOWN, Conn.--The Newtown Forest Association has established the Sandy Hook School Memorial Tree Fund to support the creation of a living memorial with plantings in memory of the Sandy Hook Elementary School victims. All donations to the fund will be restricted to the preparation, planting, and maintenance of a living memorial to honor the victims with a quiet, peaceful place for meditation among native trees and flowering shrubs. To make a tax-deductible donation, please send checks made out to "Newtown Forest Association, Inc.," along with a note/memo that such funds are to be used for the "Sandy Hook School Memorial Tree Fund," to P.O. Box 213, Newtown, CT 06470. Contributions can also be made with a credit card by visiting www.newtownforestassociation.org. The Newtown Forest Association is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. Home |
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Upcoming Events
Webinar: Conservation Planning Tools for Land Use Planners and Natural Resource Professionals--
Wednesday, January 30, 2:00 - 3:30 pm, Eastern Time. This Webinar in the series on Planning Growth and Open Space Conservation, sponsored by the National Open Space Conservation Group of the U.S. Forest Service and Clemson University, is open to anyone who would like to attend. Get more information and past presentations.
Webinar: Utilization of Infested Urban Wood--A free Webinar based on the recently published manual: Wood Utilization Options for Urban Trees Infested by Invasive Species, will be offered on Thursday, January 31, 2013, 10:00 - 11:15 a.m. CST. Get more information and register.
International Conference on Protected Areas and Placemaking--The International Union of Forestry Research Organizations will hold a Protected Areas and Place Making Conference in Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil, April 21 to 26, 2013. One of the objectives of this meeting is to convene researchers who are working with Social Aspects of Forests and Forestry, to discuss and share their work. Get details, conference agenda, and registration information. For more information, contact Teresa Magro.
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Payton New Deputy Chief of Rhode Island Forestry
CHEPACHET, R.I.--Chief Catherine Sparks has announced the selection of Bruce Payton as the new Deputy Chief of Rhode Island's Division of Forest Environment, Department of Environmental Management. Payton brings years of experience to this new role having held positions of responsibility for a broad range of forestry programs during his years with the division. Additionally, he has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to the forestry profession and to the protection and management of Rhode Island's forest resources.
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Do Tree Stems Freeze in Winter?
Michael Snyder, Northern Woodlands Magazine--Trees are about half water, maybe a little less in winter. And if the temperature drops low enough, the water in even the most cold-hardy tree will freeze. Since ice crystals can shred cell membranes, a hard freeze can be devastating to living tree cells, leading to dead leaves, branches, and even whole trees. But most trees actually live through the winter, bearing up somehow despite prolonged exposure to brutally cold air and wind and snow. Read more.
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