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In This Issue
Forest Service Renews Its Commitment to Protect Hemlock
NA S&PF Employees Win Forest Service Chief's Award
Lighting the Capitol Christmas Tree
Look for Signs of Ash Borer in Woods
Are You Prepared for Winter Driving?
Please Welcome New Employee Amanda Egan
How Old Is Your Smoke Alarm?
Presenter Deadline Extended--National Wilderness Conference
Call for Presentations--Project Wet Foundation
Exhibit Delves into Relationship Between People and Northern Forest


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HomeState & Private Forestry News
December 19, 2013
Forest Service Renews Its Commitment to Protect Hemlock
HWA signing
(Photo: Rose Sook, Northern Research Station)
NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa.--On December 12 Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry Director Tony Ferguson (right) and Northern Research Station Director Michael Rains (left) added their signatures to a new 5-year strategic plan for the USDA Forest Service's national Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (HWA) Initiative.  The other signers were the Southern Region's Regional Forester Liz Agpaoa, and the Southern Research Station's Director Robert Doudrick. To date the initiative has increased knowledge of HWA and improved short-term control measures. The focus for 2014-2018 is to develop long-term management strategies, such as through biological control, host resistance, and insecticidal management. NA S&PF Assistant Director for Forest Health and Economics Ralph Crawford (center) serves on the steering committee for the initiative. Noel Schneeberger serves as the NA S&PF program coordinator. The initiative was formed in 2003 at the request of the National Association of State Foresters and the National Plant Board.  The nonnative adelgid remains the single greatest threat to the health and sustainability of eastern and carolina hemlock in the eastern United States. 

 

NA S&PF Employees Win Forest Service Chief's Award

WASHINGTON--Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry employees Peter Bedker, Tom Luther, and Barbara Tormoehlen, along with Jack Purdue of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, were part of the team selected to receive the Chief's award for "Leading in the Business Environment" for the Stewardship Mapping and Reporting Tool (SMART).  The award recognized Karl R. Dalla Rosa (Forest Stewardship Program Manager) along with 15 people from the U.S. Forest Service, state forestry agencies, and the Timmons Group, for their significant contributions to this project. Congratulations to all of the winners!

Lighting the Capitol Christmas Tree

WASHINGTON--After a 5,000-mile trip from the Colville National Forest in Washington State, the tree is now in place at the U.S. Capitol in Washington DC.  Watch video.
Look for Signs of Ash Borer in Woods

DURHAM, N.H.--Northeast Forest health managers are asking hunters and other people taking walks in the woods to stay alert for unique signs of the tree-killing emerald ash borer.

 

"A lot of people will go in the woods this holiday," said Colleen Teerling, a Maine Forest Service entomologist. "We're asking them to keep their eyes open for any signs of emerald ash borer, in particular any woodpecker activity on ash trees." Read more.

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Are You Prepared for Winter Driving?

Watch a 60-second video on defensive winter driving.

 

The Weather Channel provided this safety advice:

The best advice for driving in bad winter weather is not to drive at all, if you can avoid it.

 

Don't go out until the snow plows and sanding trucks have had a chance to do their work, and allow yourself extra time to reach your destination.

 

If you must drive in snowy conditions, make sure your car is prepared (tips) and that you know how to handle road conditions.

 

It's helpful to practice winter driving techniques in a snowy, open parking lot, so you're familiar with how your car handles. Consult your owner's manual for tips specific to your vehicle. Read more. 
Please Welcome New Employee Amanda Egan 
Natural Resources Specialist and Chief's Scholar 
Amanda EganAmanda Egan joined the Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry staff in November, from the Federal Office of Personnel Management's Recent Graduates Program, as a Chief's Scholar. Overall, her studies have focused on community-based forestry and international carbon mitigation activities.  Read more.

How Old Is Your Smoke Alarm? 

PUEBLO, Colo.--When you change your smoke detector's battery, also check the manufacturer's recommended date for replacing the detector itself.  Detectors that have passed their expiration date may fail to work even with new batteries. Don't find out the hard way.

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Presenter Deadline Extended--National Wilderness Conference
The online application deadline for speakers, panelists, and poster presenters at the October 15-19, 2014, National Wilderness Conference in Albuquerque, NM, has been extended until January 10, 2014. More information. 

Call for Presentations--Project Wet Foundation

SACRAMENTO, Calif.--The Project WET Foundation invites you to share your water education expertise at Sustaining the Blue Planet, scheduled for June 24-27, 2014 at Montana's Big Sky Resort. Choose an oral presentation, topic table discussion or poster presentation in one of five conference strands:

  1. Incorporating Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) into Water Education
  2. Innovative Approaches for Targeted Audiences
  3. Creating Behavior Change through Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Education
  4. Emerging Topics in Water Education
  5. Building Water Education Capacity Through Project WET
Presentation proposals are due by January 10, 2014.
Exhibit Delves into Relationship Between People and Northern Forest
Gorham, N.H.--The White Mountain National Forest, Androscoggin Ranger District is hosting a special exhibition this winter that delves into the history of the Northern Forest of New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont and New York. The district visitors' center will display exhibits from the Northern Forest Center's mobile forest heritage museum, Ways of the Woods: People and the Land in the Northern Forest, beginning Nov. 26. The exhibit is free and open to the public. Read more.

Editor's Note

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