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Winter 2014
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Forest Stewardship Success Stories from the States



Landowner Spotlight

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Welcome to the Winter 2014 edition of the Forest Matters Stewardship News! This issue includes efforts to improve stream habitat for cold water fish species in Maine, discovery of a mutated white pine blister rust fungus, 2013 tax tips for woodland owners, a new magazine for those who care about their woods, and more!

We hope you find these and other articles useful and informative. 
forest stewardship theme art
Mike Huneke
Forest Stewardship Program Manager
Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry
coldwaterfisheriesOpportunities for Enhancing Cold Water Fisheries Habitat in Maine 
 
Keith Kanoti, Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry
 
Brook trout in a native stream. 
Photo: Eric Engbretson, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

The Maine Forest Service recently wrapped up a U.S. Forest Service competitive grant called "Protecting and Enhancing Brook Trout Habitat though Forest Management." One product of this grant was a forest manager's guide, "Opportunities for Cold Water Fisheries Habitat Enhancement Associated with Forestry Operations in Maine - Placing Large Wood in Streams." This guide helps forest managers and others carry out habitat enhancement projects in Maine for cold water fish species. The following brief summary includes excerpts from the guide.

Stewardship News
Mutated Fungus Troubles Forestry Officials    

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

White pine blister rust on white pine. Photo: Andrej Kunca, National Forest Centre - Slovakia, Bugwood.org  

 

DURHAM, N.H.--Northeastern United States and Canadian forest health managers are concerned that a long-time and recently mutated forest pathogen now poses an increased risk to eastern white pine health. White pine blister rust (WPBR) requires host plants of Ribes (gooseberries and currants) to complete its life cycle. Some Ribes plants are naturally immune to blister rust infection. Researchers have discovered that previously immune currant plants are now infected with blister rust.

Read more.

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taxtips20132013 Tax Tips for Forest Landowners

This annual bulletin provides Federal income tax reporting tips to help forest landowners and their advisors when filing 2013 income tax returns. This information is current as of September 15, 2013.
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alblikesredmapleDeadly Asian Longhorned Beetle More Likely to Succeed in Red Maple
Asian longhorned beetle adult. Photo: Jennifer Forman-Orth, Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources

DURHAM, N.H.--Federal officials have taken a step forward in the battle against Asian longhorned beetle (ALB). A recent U.S. Forest Service study revealed the tree-killing ALB to be more than four times as likely to successfully develop into an adult when feeding on red maple versus other species of maple in Massachusetts forests.

 

The study, published in the scientific journal Insects, could help prioritize ALB survey strategies in other states.

 

"In these forests, ALB attacked red maple at high rates and adult beetles emerged far more often from these trees than other maple species present," said Forest Service entomologist Kevin Dodds, the lead author of the study. "Unfortunately, red maple is geographically widespread and found in many environments, providing ALB a pathway into new areas."

 

According to Northeastern Area Forest Stewardship Program Manager Mike Huneke, "The implications for forest management in the region are also significant.  While it is often a less desirable species when compared to other hardwoods, red maple is one of the most abundant tree species in New England and the Mid-Atlantic."

Read more.

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woodlandmagNew Forest Magazine Launched!

Looking for more information and inspiration about forests? The American Forest Foundation--a national nonprofit organization devoted to the stewardship of private forest land--is excited to announce the availability of its new flagship publication, Woodland. This full-color, quarterly magazine is packed with engaging stories, beautiful photos, and practical tips for getting the most out of your woodland.

 

The first issues have included articles about how to create a trail network on your land, tips for aiding nesting birds, advice on protecting your family and your property from wildfires, a primer on combating tree pests and disease, and much more. In addition to pieces filled with practical advice, each issue of Woodland also features compelling profiles of woodland owners across the country and stunning photos of forests--including images submitted by readers.

 

For a limited time, the American Forest Foundation is offering a special introductory price of just $15.95 for a yearlong subscription to the magazine. Go to www.woodlandmagazine.org/subscribe to sign up!

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icestormsIce Storm Hits Northern Vermont

Ginger Anderson, Vermont Department of Forests, Parks & Recreation
 
Photo: Keith Thompson, Chittenden County Forester, Vermont
Vermont experienced a severe snow and ice storm December 22 and December 23, 2013, in five northern counties: Chittenden, Franklin, Lamoille , Orleans, and Washington. The ice lingered on the trees due to a cold snap that quickly followed the storm.


The ice accumulation caused considerable damage to maple sugarbushes and to the tubing and other equipment used in sugaring just as sugarmakers were beginning to install it for the upcoming season. 

  

The Farm Service Agency (FSA) in Vermont swung into action and made assistance to maple producers available through its Emergency Conservation Program (ECP). Vermont Forests, Parks and Recreation (FPR) offered the assistance of county foresters to assess the extent of the damage in these areas in hopes of helping keep the 2014 maple sugaring season on track for the affected counties.


As of January 10, 2014, FSA reported that they had received applications from 127 maple producers for damage or blockages to over 189,000 taps. At this point, FSA has not decided if it will also offer the Emergency Forest Restoration Program in  the affected counties for non-maple woodlots.

 
Vermont FPR recently reviewed and updated its Web site of resources for dealing with ice-damaged trees. You can also check out their 2-page leaflet that gives advice for landowners and foresters on recovery of hardwood stands damaged by ice storms.
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woodstoveWood Burners: Change Is In the Air

Al Steele, U.S. Forest Service, Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry
 

Oldies But Goodies

On a back road in Maine, not far from where I grew up, is Bryant Stove Works. Owned by Joe and Bea Bryant, the company's name belies its quirkier side. Yes, they do have lots of stoves. They buy, repair, and sell classic old wood stoves--the kind you remember warming your feet on at your grandparents' farm when you were a kid. When a unique one comes into the shop, they might keep it, adding to a collection described by the Antique Stove Association in a 2011 newspaper article as the largest in the United States. Joe is one of those guys that you find sprinkled across rural America--folks that are smart enough to work for NASA but would rather stay close to family, friends, and their childhood deer hunting hot spots. 

Read more.

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naforeststewnumbersareinNortheastern Area Forest Stewardship Program Accomplishments in Fiscal Year 2013: 

The Numbers are In!

 

Michael Huneke, U.S. Forest Service, Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry

 

In November 2013, all 20 Northeastern Area States reported their Forest Stewardship Program annual accomplishments for Fiscal Year (FY) 2013 using the Stewardship Mapping and Reporting Tool (SMART) application. This was the first time that States submitted their program accomplishments this way, so congratulations go to all States for working through this program change.

 

The 20 States reported that 47,638 forest landowners received technical assistance through the Forest Stewardship Program, and 64,879 forest landowners attended some type of educational workshop or event. States also prepared 13,314 new or revised Forest Stewardship Plans for 907,717 acres in the Northeastern Area during FY 2013, which is a 32 percent increase over FY 2012.

 

In the Northeastern Area, current Forest Stewardship Plans exist on 9.9 million acres of nonindustrial private forest land, and nearly half of these acres (4.9 million) exist in state-defined important forest resource areas. Forest Stewardship Plan monitoring confirms that more than 90 percent of the acreage of important forest resource areas covered by Forest Stewardship Plans is being managed sustainably, which is consistent with Forest Stewardship Plan recommendations.

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NAlandownersrecwithtreefarmNortheastern Area Landowners Recognized by the American Forest Foundation

mainetreefarmerMaine:  
Hidden Valley Nature Center Named Maine's Outstanding Tree Farmer of the Year

Andy McEvoy, Hidden Valley Nature Center Director

 

The 2014 State [of Maine] Outstanding Tree Farmer of the Year award was presented to Hidden Valley Nature Center (HVNC) co-founders Tracy Moskovitz and Bambi Jones, in conjunction with HVNC and Hidden Valley Farm.  The American Tree Farm System presented the award at a ceremony on January 8, 2014, during the Maine Agricultural Trade Show in Augusta. 




wisconsintreefarmer
Wisconsin:
Joe Arington - 2013 National Outstanding Tree Farmer of the Year

Dennis McDougall, U.S. Forest Service, Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry

  


Joe Arington. Photo courtesy of Scott Morgan, American Forest Foundation 

 

Does your family forest have its own Web site? Have you turned the management of a portion of your forest over to the local school children? Is your Forest Stewardship Plan available as a photo-filled PowerPoint� presentation? Does your family forest have its own blog?

 

Few landowners could answer "yes" to all those questions, but at least one Wisconsin woodland owner can. His name is Joe Arington, owner of the Arington Tree Farm in Dane County, Wisconsin, and winner of the American Tree Farm System's award for National Outstanding Tree Farmer of the Year for 2013. Joe and his family received the American Tree Farm System's highest honor at the National Tree Farmer Convention in Minneapolis, MN, in July 2013.
michiganstewfinalState of Michigan Fills Stewardship Coordinator Position

Dennis McDougall, U.S. Forest Service, Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry

After a 6-month vacancy, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources has a new Forest Stewardship Coordinator onboard. Let me introduce you to Mike Smalligan, who started his new position in January 2014. Mike is no stranger to either Michigan or the Forest Stewardship Program having worked for the past 6 years as a consulting forester in Michigan where he had the opportunity to write quite a number of Forest Stewardship plans for private landowners. Mike holds a BS in Crop and Soils Science and an MS in Forestry from Michigan State University (MSU). Mike previously worked as a research assistant in both the Department of Forestry at MSU and the Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station. An avid outdoorsman, he enjoys the many recreational opportunities that Michigan has to offer including canoeing, camping, and hunting. Hopefully we will all get a chance to meet Mike at the CFM Meeting in Vermont this May. Mike will live and work in Lansing and can be reached at 517-284-5884 or by e-mail at smalliganm@michigan.gov. Welcome, Mike!

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rachelreynaRachel Reyna Receives Young Forester Leadership Award

 

Reproduced from the Allegheny News (Fall 2013) with permission from the Society of American Foresters

Rachel Reyna
 
During the 2013 Society of American Foresters (SAF) National Convention in Charleston, SC, Allegheny SAF Chair Rachel Reyna was recognized with this award for her outstanding leadership. Rachel is currently Chief of the Rural and Community Forestry Section of the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Bureau of Forestry. In this position, she directs a variety of private and urban programs. She works hard to locate the resources--from training opportunities to funding--for field personnel and partners to continue to do their excellent work.

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sidemerydemoforestSid Emery Demonstration Forest, Lyman, Maine

 

Melissa Brandt, Supervisor, York County Soil & Water Conservation District, and Roger Monthey, U.S. Forest Service, Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry

Following the devastating 1947 wildfires in southwestern Maine, Sid Emery of the Soil Conservation Service joined forces with Alden Gile, then Supervisor of the York County Soil & Water Conservation District (YCSWCD), to acquire and manage a partially burned over property of approximately 140 acres in Lyman, ME. The fire had consumed an old peach orchard and farm land on the property. As a result of their joint initiative and the efforts of YCSWCD supervisors since then, this property is now a demonstration forest that shows other landowners how to reforest their land and manage it for wildlife.

 
View a video of how this demonstration forest was created.
Sid Emery Demo Forest
Sid Emery Demo Forest

 
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barbtretiringSt. Paul Field Representative Barb Tormoehlen Retires after 37 Years with the Forest Service 

   

Barb Tormoehlen

Dennis McDougall, U.S. Forest Service, Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry 

 

It is with mixed emotions that the staff of the St. Paul Field Office bids goodbye to Field Representative Barb Tormoehlen 37 years to the day after she started with the U.S. Forest Service. "I arrived at my first job with the Forest Service during a snowstorm in 1977, and it was in similar conditions that I returned to St. Paul for my final days with the Forest Service in 2014 as well," recounted Barb. 

Read more.

 

 

 

 

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lloydcaseyLloyd R. Casey, Jr. (1941-2014) 
 
Adapted from The Daily Local on January 10, 2014
 
Lloyd Casey
Lloyd Casey, 72, died January 6, 2014, at his home after a battle with lung cancer. Born on November 27, 1941, in Princeton, IL, he was the first child of the late Lloyd and Verna Casey. He grew up in Sterling, IL, and graduated from Sterling High School, faithfully attending 5-year reunions. His lifetime loves were forestry and corny jokes.

  

Following his retirement after a career working for the State of Illinois, the U.S. Navy, and the U.S. Forest Service, Lloyd was principal forester for Casey's Concepts Consulting Forestry until shortly before his death. As a Forest Service employee, Lloyd served as the Forest Stewardship Program Manager for the  Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry. 

 

Mark Buccowich, Assistant Director of Forest Management in the Forest Service, noted that "among the many ways Lloyd demonstrated his generous spirit was his mentoring of many young foresters. In that work, and in others, his legacy is strong and enduring." Retired Forest Service colleague Arlyn Perkey commented, "Lloyd was a strong, persistent advocate for whatever cause or person he supported. His corny jokes were expected as part of his hallmark presence. A Northeastern Area meeting wouldn't pass without a Lloyd Casey joke and the audience groaning in unison."

Read more.

Forest Stewardship Success Stories 
from the States
CTSS2Connecticut:
New Nature Education Center Opens its Doors

Douglas Emmerthal, Division of Forestry, Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
Inside view of Nature's Porch. Photo: Douglas Emmerthal

Winding Trails, Inc., an independent, nonprofit organization located in Farmington, CT, opened Nature's Porch, its new nature education center, in July 2013. The nature center is located along the banks of the recently restored Walton Pond. The building will function as a hands-on classroom with the primary purpose of educating folks about nature in their own backyard.

Home

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MOwoodsMissouri:
There's an App for that in Missouri: MO Woods

MO Woods is an app that provides basic guidance into the potential of your Missouri woods. You can enter information about your woods through a short series of user-friendly screens: How dense is your woods? What kinds of trees do you have? What percentage of your woods does each kind of tree make up? What is each tree species' size and quality?

 

Once you have entered these details, MO Woods gives you a forest potential rating for forest health, wildlife value, and timber sale potential. The app provides detailed descriptions of each rating with basic guidance for improving your woods and relevant links to Web sites for more information. If you have ash and black walnut, the app also notes that these species may be affected by invasive pests and diseases such as the emerald ash borer and thousand cankers disease, respectively.

 

You can voluntarily send your woods assessment to the Missouri Forestkeepers Network with a request for additional information or followup consultation by a forester.

 

MO Woods is available through both Google Play and Apple iTunes.

 

Give MO Woods a try, and start exploring your forest's potential!

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PASSPennsylvania:

Pennsylvania Holds First Ever Woodland Owner's Conference

 

Karen Sykes, U.S. Forest Service, Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry

 

Nearly 500 forest landowners joined many natural resource professionals to attend Pennsylvania's first ever statewide private forest landowner conference in Altoona, PA, in May 2013. This event, the Private Forest Landowner Conference: The Future of Penn's Woods, was organized by the Penn State Center for Private Forests, PA DCNR Bureau of Forestry, Penn State Extension, PA Forest Stewards Peer Learning Group, and many other individuals and organizations.

 

The intent of the conference was to gather a cross section of landowners from across Pennsylvania who care about their woodlands and provide a forum for them to share experiences, concerns, interests, and commitments to Pennsylvania's private forests.

Read more. 

 

Landowner Spotlight
landownerspotlightOut of the Big Woods, Into the Driftless
Woodland Owner Doug Duren Works to Restore Wisconsin's Driftless Area 

 

Kathy Westra, Woodland Magazine (Spring 2013)

Reproduced with permission from the American Forest Foundation

 

When Doug Duren was growing up on his family's farm near Cazenovia (pop. 330) in southwestern Wisconsin, the "Big Woods" figured prominently in his life. Today, as manager of that land for his family, and as a volunteer advisor and mentor to other landowners in the area, the Big Woods still inspire Duren. "I've walked, worked and hunted in those woods most of my life. I don't think majestic is too strong a word. Those are majestic trees, " says Duren.

Read more.

 

 

 Copyright Doug Duren 

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Forest Legacy Spotlight
barretownforest2Barre Town Forest: Using the Community Forest Program to Protect Drinking Water and a Mountain Biking Mecca on Historic Quarry Lands

 Adapted from "A Milestone for Millstone Hill" by Josh Brown, Spring/Summer 2012 issue of Land & People, the magazine of The Trust for Public Land

 

Granite quarry on Millstone Hill. Photo courtesy of Vermont Granite Museum

 

A century ago, on Millstone Hill in Barre Town, Vermont, workers cut blocks of granite in dozens of small, independent quarries. The quarrying supplied stone for public buildings and grave markers, made the nearby city of Barre prosperous, and left behind dramatic pits, chiseled gray cliffs, and unearthly mounds of waste rock. Old photos show not a single tree in sight. 


By the 1940s, the granite industry had consolidated and declined, and the small quarries on Millstone Hill were abandoned and reclaimed by nature. Today this landscape is dense with stands of sugar maple atop 30-foot-high granite-block walls and birch groves growing out of sloping rubble fields. The quarries are now shaded pools filled with fish. The hill has come to life with birds, moose, bears, and other wildlife--and also with cross-country skiers, kids with fishing poles, snowmobilers, and, especially, mountain bikers bewitched by the vertiginous cliff-edge views and gnarly single track.  

Read more.

Naturalist's Corner
switchgrassSwitchgrass in the Northeast

 

Roger Monthey, U.S. Forest Service, Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry

 

switchgrassSwitchgrass. Photo: Roger Monthey, U.S. Forest Service


Native switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) is a perennial, warm-season bunch grass that grew in the Northeast during European settlement and still grows today. Its habitat, as described in the second edition of the Manual of Vascular Plants of Northeastern United States and Adjacent Canada by Henry Gleason and Arthur Cronquist, includes open woods, prairies, dunes, shores, and brackish marshes. This grass is known for its well-formed, pyramid-shaped flower clusters; abundant small seeds; and tall growth habit that persists throughout the winter.

Read more.