The Hardwood Forestry Fund seeks applications for 2009 tree planting and hardwood management. The Fund supports sustainable forestry by funding selective tree planting, direct seeding, natural regeneration, management, and hardwood research requests.

The U.S. Forest Service is considering a sustainable certification program for national forestlands using  standards set by two certification programs, the Forest Stewardship Council and the Sustainable Forestry Initiative, for private and state-owned forests in the U.S.  In a study commissioned by the agency, the Pinchot Institute for Conservation evaluated the management of five national forest units over two years and found that many of the agency's forest management practices were already in line with sustainable certification requirements, but the backlog of forest health management and road maintenance projects would pose challenges. Click here to read the study's Executive Summary.

The expected doubling of Florida's population by 2060 will consume an estimated 7 million acres of wildlife habitat, according to an analysis by state wildlife officials. The report, based on estimates that Florida's population will grow from 18 million to 36 million in the next 50 years, raises concerns that wildlife habitat in the state could not only diminish but could also become fragmented and lead to a loss of diversity and recreational opportunities.

A group of researchers led by Purdue University has begun to sample data for a planned 100-year study designed to develop better forest management methods and measure how such practices affect resident plant and animal species. Results will inform a decision support tool to help people like forest managers and landowners predict the likely effects of specific management decisions. More information is available online at http://www.HEEForestStudy.org

The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) recently released the UNECE/FAO Forest Products Annual Market Review, 2007-2008. Its 12 chapters cover all forest products market sectors as well as interlinked policy developments in the UNECE region of Europe, North America and the CIS. The study's main findings address the decline in th U.S. housing construction industry, the impacts of green building systems, and the decline in North American forest product markets vs. a rise in other markets.