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In This Issue
Getting Back Up to Speed After Furlough Ends
Grey Towers Celebrates 50-Year Anniversary
Chesapeake Forest Champions Recognized for Conserving Critical Habitat
Deputy Director Barresi Begins Washington Office Detail
American Forests Releases Fall Register of Big Trees
Yarn Art Project Marks Year of the Tree
Partners in Community Forestry National Conference
Behind the Forest Service Shield...Jim Steinman


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HomeState & Private Forestry News
October 29, 2013
Getting Back Up to Speed After Furlough Ends
NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa.--Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry (NA S&PF) employees are back on the job, but catching up and getting back up to speed may take some time. The goal is to ease the transition for employees and partners. With that in mind, a couple of important deadlines have been extended.  The submission deadline for Fiscal Year 2014 Competitive Allocation Request for Proposals has been changed; proposals will now be accepted until close of business Monday November 4, 2013. Also, the initial deadline for submitting new Forest Legacy project proposals for Fiscal Year 2015 was extended to October 30, 2013, and comments on the project briefs will be shared with States after November 14; the national deadline of November 29, 2013, remains the same. If you are experiencing any impacts of the Government shutdown, please call the local NA S&PF Field Office Representative or Newtown Square Office for assistance. Thank you for your patience and understanding during this time. 

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Grey Towers Celebrates 50-Year Anniversary 

 

 
WASHINGTON--On September 19-22, Natural Resources and Environment Under Secretary Robert Bonnie, Chief Tom Tidwell, and approximately 2,000 attendees took part in the golden anniversary celebrationWatch news story. On September 24 back in 1963, President John F. Kennedy had dedicated the Grey Towers National Historic Site and the Pinchot Institute for Conservation Studies, as a "living memorial" to America's first forester and Chief Gifford Pinchot.

Chesapeake Forest Champions Recognized for Conserving Critical Habitat

 

Sally Claggett and Al Todd (far right), with champions (pictured left to right) Eddie Harrah of Newport News Waterworks, Bern Sweeney of Stroud Water Research Center, and Roy Brubaker of the Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry. (Not pictured-middle school teacher John Smucker) (Photo: Steve Droter, Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay) 

 

ANNAPOLIS, Md.--At the Chesapeake Watershed Forum held September 27 in Shepherdstown, WV, the U.S. Forest Service and Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay recognized outstanding efforts to conserve, restore, and celebrate forests throughout the bay watershed. Four awards were given for 2013.

 

"Exemplary Forest Steward" went to Newport News Waterworks, which serves 400,000 Virginia residents and manages 12,000 acres of land, more than half of which is a certified American Tree Farm.  Management has reforested farm fields; improved timber stands; and controlled insects, diseases, and invasive plants.

 

"Greatest on-the-Ground Impact" went to John Smucker, a Maryland middle school teacher, volunteer organizer, and environmental educator, who grows trees and shrubs from seed, then plants them with the help of volunteers. He also waters trees in summer, mows tall grasses, and replants dead trees.

 

"Most Effective at Engaging the Public" went to Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources District Forester Roy Brubaker, who manages 85,000 acres of land and water at Michaux State Forest, where he engages stakeholders to resolve issues related to public use. Brubaker is also involved in sustainable agriculture and promotes forest management to farmers.

 

"Lifetime Achievement Award" went to Stroud Water Research Center Director Bern Sweeney, who researches and writes about the environmental impact of streamside forests. For more than two decades he has worked to show the link between healthy forests and streams.

 

"The need for local champions of trees and forests has never been greater," said Forest Service Chesapeake Bay liaison Sally Claggett.

 

Across the Bay watershed, forests are disappearing at a rate of about 100 acres a day, which means less habitat for wildlife and more pollution of rivers and streams. The examples set by these Forest Champions are a "reminder of the positive local action and careful land stewardship that is taking place to restore our treasured natural resources," said Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay Executive Director Al Todd.

 

Get more information.
Deputy Director Barresi Begins Washington Office Detail

NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa.--NA S&PF Deputy Jim Barresi is acting as Director of Cooperative Forestry in the Forest Service's national office, beginning October 22, 2013, for an indefinite period. He is temporarily filling in behind Paul Ries, who was named Associate Deputy Chief for State and Private Forestry for the Forest Service earlier this year.

American Forests Releases Fall Register of Big Trees

This champion black willow in Grand Traverse, MI, is 67 feet tall with a crown spread of 83 feet and a circumference of almost 34 feet. (Photo: Ted Reuschel, tree nominator)

 

WASHINGTON--The National Register of Big Trees is updated twice each year, in fall and spring. To view the Fall 2013 register and to learn more about the National Big Tree Program, visit the American Forests' Web site

Yarn Art Project Marks Year of the Tree

 

A West Virginia University art student attaches the yarn art to the tree. (Photo: Devin J. Wanner)

 

MORGANTOWN, W.Va.--To commemorate Morgantown's Year of the Tree, West Virginia University Creative Art Center worked with internationally known Artist Carol Hummel on a tree decoration project. A tree at the corner of Jerry West Boulevard and Patterson Avenue was selected to symbolize the unity that exists between the community and the university, according to assistant professor Dylan Collins. Senior residents at Heritage Village helped to create geometric patterns in yarn, which students then connected along the tree trunk and branches.

 

"The yarn that we are using is made of a durable synthetic and is expected to resist fading and weathering for quite a while. We anticipate that we should be able to leave this project in place for a year or better before taking it down," concluded Collins. The project used 200 skeins of yarn.

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Partners in Community Forestry National Conference

NEBRASKA CITY, Neb.--The 2013 Partners in Community Forestry National Conference, to be held November 6-7 in Pittsburgh, PA, offers a platform for sharing best practices in urban forest partnerships, planning and management, in addition to offering models of sustainability and innovation across all groups who serve community trees. Learn more.

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Behind the Forest Service Shield

Jim Steinman--Making the Most of Working Relationships

 

Jim Steinman's interest in forestry goes back to his teenage years in Ohio.  His passion was sparked by outdoor experiences he had with his family and as an Eagle Scout.  He earned B.S. and M.S. degrees in Forest Biology at The Ohio State University, and he went on to earn a Ph.D. in Forest Ecology at the University of Maine. 

 

His doctoral studies focused on the spruce-fir ecosystem. Simultaneously he worked with the Canadian Forest Service on the effects of spruce budworm in the Maritime Provinces.  From this experience, he developed an interest in other forest health issues that he pursued in a post-doctoral position with the State University of New York.  That work led to his employment with the U.S. Forest Service in 1996.


Steinman worked for the Northeastern (now Northern) Research Station and the Southern Research Station, before coming to the Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry (NA S&PF) in 2002.  He fills a number of roles for the NA S&PF Forest Health Protection Program.  Read more

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