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In This Issue
Stewardship News
Landowner Spotlight
Conserving Private Forests
New Publications
Naturalist's Corner
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Welcome to the Summer 2013 edition of the Forest Matters Stewardship News! States are grappling with destruction of both rural and urban forests in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, the emerald ash borer has surfaced in New Hampshire, and there's a new online community for landowners to pursue stewardship at a landscape scale.
We hope you find these and other articles useful and informative.
Mike Huneke
Forest Stewardship Program Manager
Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry
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 Hurricane Sandy: The Storm, Response, Recovery, and Forest Restoration
Mike Huneke, U.S. Forest Service, Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry
Photo: New Jersey Forest Service
The Storm
Hurricane Sandy was the deadliest and most destructive storm of the 2012 Atlantic hurricane season and the second-costliest hurricane in United States history, according to Wikipedia. It swept ashore near Atlantic City, NJ, in the early morning hours of October 29 with hurricane force winds in excess of 90 miles per hour.
Hurricane Sandy caused extensive damage from New Hampshire to West Virginia--estimated in excess of $68 billion, second only to Hurricane Katrina. Media coverage captured images of destroyed coastal homes, boardwalks, and electric lines.
There was also considerable damage to rural forests and urban trees throughout the multistate area damaged by the storm. Thousands of urban trees were lost or severely damaged, and thousands of acres of forest land were damaged and destroyed. The storm produced more than 4 feet of heavy wet snow in the higher elevations of West Virginia, which brought down hardwood trees that still had leaves. Other trees were uprooted or sheared off by the severe winds and flooding as far north as New Hampshire and Maine.
Read more.
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Easternmost Infestation of Emerald Ash Borer Recently Detected in Concord, NH
Nathan Siegert, U.S. Forest Service, Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry
In late March 2013, New Hampshire State officials responded to a report
of an ash tree in the city of Concord (Merrimack County) with signs of heavy woodpecker activity on the trunk and larger branches in the lower canopy. Closer examination revealed characteristic serpentine larval galleries and D-shaped exit holes.
APHIS Plant Protection and Quarantine program personnel collected specimens and officially confirmed them as emerald ash borer (EAB) in early April.
 Emerald ash borer adult. (Photo: Nathan Siegert, U.S. Forest Service)
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New Web Site Aimed at Bringing Landowners Together for the Big Picture
R. "Fitz" Fitzhenry, U.S. Forest Service, Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry
A new online community for forest owners,
"Landowners are the guardians of our water, fish, and wildlife, our timber and our air," said Mike Huneke, a U.S. Forest Service stewardship forester. "For decades we've been reaching out one-on-one and it hasn't been enough to realize the program's full potential. We need the power of a community to make a difference."
The landowner community has the potential to manage its woodlands in common ways to achieve landscape-level goals like improving habitat for game species or reducing the threat of invasive insects. What sort of potential? Consider that across the 20 States where privately owned woodlands dominate the map, 5 million families and individuals own 170 million acres of forest.
"The numbers are huge," said Chuck Reger, U.S. Forest Service group leader and co-manager of the Web site. Reger is also a forest owner and knows, "There are more than enough of us willing to make a difference."
www.landscapestewardship.org is a Federal and State effort by the U.S. Forest Service Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry and the Northeastern Area Association of State Foresters.
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"Foresters for the Birds" Project Earns National Recognition
Roger Monthey, U.S. Forest Service, Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry
The scarlet tanager is one of 12 bird species in Vermont whose habitat is targeted for improvement through the Foresters for the Birds project. (Photo: Harrol Blevins)
"Foresters for the Birds: Helping Landowners Integrate Timber and Forest Birds" is an innovative project that was initiated in Vermont with a 2-year grant from the Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry (NA S&PF). This successful, ongoing partnership between Audubon Vermont and the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation recently received a U.S. Forest Service Wings Across the Americas Habitat Management and Partnership Award. This project provides tools and training that foresters and other forest professionals need to help private landowners manage their forests with birds in mind.
"It's the strong partnership between foresters, biologists, and woodland owners that makes this project unique," said NA S&PF Forest Stewardship Representative Roger Monthey at the March 27 award ceremony during the 78th North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference in Arlington, VA.
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Woodland Welcome Wagon in West Virginia
Karen Sykes, U.S. Forest Service, Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry
The West Virginia Division of Forestry, with assistance from the West Virginia University Extension Service, is using a Welcome Wagon approach to contact new forest landowners in an effort that began as a project during the 2010 Redesign funding process. This approach has been successfully tested and adopted by several collaborating agencies in Ohio.
The ongoing West Virginia Woodland Welcome Wagon project identifies and contacts new woodland owners and makes relevant information available to help them make decisions they will encounter as new woodland stewards.
WVU graduate student Megan McCuen coordinated and led a Woodland Welcome Wagon effort in West Virginia. (Photo: Dave McGill)
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ARRA Grant Helps Forests while Saving Millions for Schools and Communities
R. "Fitz" Fitzhenry, U.S. Forest Service, Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry
An $11.4 million American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) grant to the Maine Forest Service funded the State's 3-year Fuels for Public Buildings grant program. The program provided technical and financial support for conversion from oil-fueled heating plants to biomass boilers at 24 sites across the State.
The projects displaced 0.9 million gallons of oil with less expensive, local wood chips and pellets. The collective oil-to-wood savings total $2 million per year.
"These projects make a $3 million oil bill vanish," said Rob Clark, U.S. Forest Service forester and administrator for the grant. "We still need heat in winter, but the $1 million bill for wood chips and pellets stays local. It goes into logging, processing, and delivery--across areas of Maine that need forest jobs and community savings desperately."
 Maine School Administrative District #74 Superintendent Ken Coville (right) tells U.S. and Maine Forest Service representatives about the energy and financial savings three new Recovery Act-funded biomass heating units will provide Carrebec High School. (Photo: R. Fitzhenry, U.S. Forest Service) Read more. Home ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ NAASF Cooperative Forest Management Committee Meets in the Hawkeye State Michael Huneke, U.S. Forest Service, Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry Council Bluffs, IA, was where the Northeastern Area Association of State Foresters (NAASF) Cooperative Forest Management (CFM) Committee convened its annual meeting on May 14-16, 2013. Participants focused on measures and metrics associated with the Forest Stewardship Program, accomplishment reporting, and moving forward with the Stewardship Mapping and Reporting Tool (SMART).  Cooperative Forest Management Committee meeting members gather for a group photo in Iowa. (Photo: Dennis McDougall, U.S. Forest Service) Read more. Home ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ohio Service Forester Named 2013 CFM Forester of the Year
Michael Huneke, U.S. Forest Service, Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry Congratulations to Jeremy Scherf, this year's recipient of the 2013 Cooperative Forest Management (CFM) Forester of the Year award. Jeremy is a service forester with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Forestry. He delivers Environmental Quality Incentives Program and Forest Stewardship planning assistance to private forest landowners in a five-county project area in eastern Ohio. Jeremy is well known throughout his project area for his passion for doing his job and his willingness to help landowners with their forestry needs. Jeremy consistently puts up big numbers in Forest Stewardship Planning, tree planting, forest improvement practices, and educational programs each year. He actively participates in the Ohio Tree Farm program and has served as a Tree Farm Inspector throughout his career. Missouri State Forester Lisa Allen (below, right) presented this award to Jeremy during the NAASF Cooperative Forest Management Committee Meeting in Council Bluffs, IA, on May 14. Congratulations Jeremy!
Photo: Dennis McDougall, U.S. Forest Service ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Video Series: Profiles of Woodland Stewardship
Andrew Shultz, Landowner Outreach Forester, Maine Forest Service
The Maine Forest Service (MFS) has launched Profiles of Woodland Stewardship, a video documentary series. These short videos portray true stories of Maine's woodlands and the people who care for them.
The landowners profiled here are model stewards; their woodlands are visible demonstrations of woodland conservation applied on the ground. Each story shows the interaction of actively managed woodlands with resource professionals, recreational users, and the local community. The stories illustrate the concept of the "Stewardship Storyline" where stewardship is seen as a series of steps. For more info
on the Stewardship Storyline, click here.
Read more.
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Importance of Land Trusts in Conserving and Proactively Stewarding New England Forests
Roger Monthey, U.S. Forest Service; Jay Braunscheidel,
formerly Forester and Vice President, Integrated Forest Management; and Neal Bungard, U.S. Forest Service
Many land trusts are working to conserve forest lands throughout New England. They are a vital component of local and regional forest conservation efforts in this region. Land trusts are becoming increasingly proactive stewards of their conserved lands, and foresters are working closely with them to develop and carry out those forest management plans.
In this short article, we would like to highlight the work of Integrated Forest Management (IFM), a company based in Turner, ME, that has worked closely with several Maine land trusts. These land trusts include Chebeague and Cumberland (1 plan covering over 200 acres), Androscoggin (18 plans covering 1,800 acres), and Loon Echo (4 plans covering approximately 3,000 acres).
Read more.
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Buccowich Named New Assistant Director for Forest Management
Mark Buccowich became the Assistant Director for Forest Management at the Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry's headquarters office in Newtown Square, PA, as of Monday April 22, 2013.
He was previously Assistant Director for Forest Health and Economics. Jim Steinman served as the interim Acting Assistant Director until July 1, 2013, when Dr. Crawford took the helm.
Mark Buccowich. (Photo: Judy Antipin, U.S. Forest Service)
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Landowner Spotlight: Ed Keyser
Dennis McDougall, U.S. Forest Service, Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry When Ed Keyser purchased 89 acres of mixed-hardwood forest near his home in Kirksville, MO, in 1969, his motivation was to provide a place for him and his family to hunt deer and turkey, recreate, and perhaps grow some timber to sell. Little did he know that he was about to embark on a journey that would span 44 years and counting. Along with the growth of his trees in that timespan, both his family and his appreciation for the many opportunities to enjoy his property have grown, too. Read more. 
Ed Keyser (right). Photo: Dennis McDougall, U.S. Forest Service Home |
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Conserving Private Forests
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Private Forest Conservation in the U.S. Forest Service State and Private Forestry
Neal Bungard, U.S. Forest Service, Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry
Changes in forest ownership patterns in Northern New England in the late 1980s provided an impetus for the creation of the U.S. Forest Service Forest Legacy Program. Forest industries that had owned the same lands for many decades were selling off all or portions of their land holdings. This threatened the traditional uses that the public had enjoyed on many of these lands for generations, including recreation and employment in the timber industry.
The purpose of the Forest Legacy Program is to protect environmentally important forest areas that are threatened by conversion to nonforest uses. Through this entirely voluntary program, the State or other unit of government can acquire the land outright through a fee purchase or, more commonly, purchase a conservation easement on the property so that the land remains in private ownership.
Read more.
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Conservation Easement Monitoring Matters
Miranda Hutten, U.S. Forest Service, Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry
Have you heard about conservation easement monitoring and ever wondered, "What does it look like on the ground?"
It is important for conservation easement monitors to refer to the conservation easement, Forest Stewardship Plan, past monitoring reports, baseline documentation, and any other records when conducting a monitoring visit on FLP tracts. (Photo: Neal Bungard, U.S. Forest Service)
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Lincoln Community Forest: the Very First Community Forest and Open Space Conservation Project in the Country
Neal Bungard, U.S. Forest Service, Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry
The Community Forest and Open Space Conservation Program (more commonly referred to as the Community Forest Program (CFP)) helps local governments, Indian tribes, or qualified nonprofit organizations acquire private forests to create community forests that are managed by the community and provide multiple community benefits. Up to 50 percent of the funds used to acquire these forests can come from Federal sources. Ten projects across the country were selected to receive the first round of funds from the program in 2012.
The first project acquired using CFP funds is a 396-acre forest in the Town of Lincoln near Mason, WI. This property has a wild and scenic forest surrounding 2 miles of the Marengo River, a 10-acre wetland and lake complex, and 3½ miles of logging trails that will be used as recreation trails. Read more.
 Individuals involved with the establishment and ongoing management of the Lincoln Community Forest give a tour of some of the recreation trails on the property to Neal Bungard, Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry CFP Program Manager. (Photo: Grandon Harris)
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Children's Picture Book Released
In April 2013, the U.S. Forest Service, Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry (NA S&PF) released Why Would Anyone Cut a Tree Down?, a beautifully illustrated, nonfiction children's picture book that discusses why trees are sometimes cut down.
Some children and adults are unaware that in order to reduce tree hazards, protect other trees, or to get wood, it is necessary to cut some trees. This 41-page book raises awareness of the issue and even features tips for planting a new tree.
"While trees are valuable in many ways, there are valid reasons why trees are sometimes cut down," said NA S&PF Director Tony Ferguson. "Trees are living things that grow old and die," he added. "Cutting down sick, damaged, or dangerous trees can actually be good for the environment and public safety, and it can benefit remaining trees."
The book was written by Roberta Burzynski and features 28 full-color, hand-painted illustrations by Juliette Watts, both of whom are NA S&PF employees. It is intended primarily for 1st to 3rd graders as well as parents and educators. To find out more about the book, read it online, or purchase a print copy through the Government Printing Office, click here.
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Updated Tax Publications
Neal Bungard, U.S. Forest Service, Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry
The U.S. Forest Service has published a significantly updated fourth edition of a publication about Federal income tax on timber. The newest edition, now titled "Federal Income Tax on Timber: A Quick Guide for Woodland Owners," was released in October 2012. This 26-page document provides a quick reference on timber tax laws that are important to woodland owners. It presents concise and easy-to-understand explanations of issues related to owning woodland.
The U.S. Forest Service also has an ongoing effort to keep landowners up to date on the latest income tax laws and how they may impact their timber sales. The latest effort is a publication that was first published in 1953 and has been revised for 2013. It is now titled the "Forest Landowners' Guide to the Federal Income Tax" and provides a more detailed explanation of and technical information about timber-related income than the Quick Guide for Woodland Owners mentioned above. This 152-page publication's primary purpose is to foster good management of family-owned forest land by explaining the provisions and incentives related to forest ownership and management under Federal income tax law.
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Shrubs in Northeast Woodlots
Roger Monthey, U.S. Forest Service, Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry
Human and wildlife food, wildlife habitat, erosion control, mycorrhizal associations, aesthetics--shrubs in woodlands offer these and other important values. Human cultures, including early Native Americans, have collected nuts and berries in New England for centuries up to the present. In 1973, George Symonds described nut-bearing and berry-bearing shrubs in the eastern half of the United States and Canada in "The Shrub Identification Book." Some of the nuts and berries humans have consumed include acorns, butternuts, hazelnuts, walnuts, hickories, blueberries, elderberries, raspberries and blackberries (brambles), serviceberries, cranberries, and others.
 Serviceberry. (Photo: Roger Monthey, U.S. Forest Service)
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