Blog
Wildfire spending puts the squeeze on budgets
Posted on Wednesday, August 27, 2008As the number and size of wildfires grows and fire seasons get longer, state and federal firefighting budgets are feeling the squeeze. From the Christian-Science Monitor:
Phil Bryce appointed president of Fountains America
Posted on Wednesday, August 27, 2008Phil Bryce will become president of Fountains America, a forest management, land brokerage, and GIS services company based in Pittsfield, New Hampshire, effective September 15. Phil Bryce is currently Director of the Division of Forests and Lands for the State of New Hampshire, a position he has held for more than 11 years.
Forest Service diverts money to pay for wildfires
Posted on Tuesday, August 26, 2008From the Associated Press: "The cost of fighting large fires in California and elsewhere is forcing the U.S. Forest Service to divert hundreds of millions of dollars set aside for work including roads, trails, recreational improvements — even fire prevention." More media coverage of the USFS transfers:
Wagner appointed USFS Regional Forester for the Pacific Northwest (Region 6)
Posted on Monday, August 25, 2008U.S. Forest Service Chief Abigail R. Kimbell has appointed Mary Wagner as Regional Forester of the Pacific Northwest Region of the Forest Service. Wagner will oversee 17 national forests and one national grassland within the states of Oregon and Washington; she succeeds Linda Goodman who recently retired.
Woody biomass in the Energy Bill, redux
Posted on Friday, August 22, 2008Senator John Thune (R-SD), chairman of the Senate agriculture committee’s energy subcommittee, held a public hearing this week in Rapid City, SD, on the potential of woody biomass in national forests for cellulosic ethanol projects and why it’s not currently included in the definition of “woody biomass” as written in the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007.
Farris appointed State Forester and Director of the GA Forestry Commission
Posted on Friday, August 22, 2008On August 4, Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue announced Robert Farris as the Director of the Georgia Forestry Commission. Farris has served as Interim Director of the Georgia Forestry Commission since December 2006.
Trees kill odors and other poultry farm emissions, study says
Posted on Thursday, August 21, 2008 Planting rows of trees around poultry farms can cut emissions of dust, ammonia, and odors from poultry houses and aid in reducing neighbor complaints, according to scientists from the University of Delaware. Planting vegetation could reduce ammonia and particulates that may degrade surrounding air and water quality, as well as provide farms with the added benefit of reducing energy consumption.
WY & MT see fewer wildfires this summer, say State Foresters
Posted on Wednesday, August 20, 2008Wyoming and Montana are seeing fewer and less intense wildfires this summer although there is still about a month and a half left in the fire season, state foresters in both states said last week. Wyoming State Forester Bill Crapser and Montana State Forester Bob Harrington both cited a cool start to the summer and fewer dry lightning storms as reasons for the relatively calm fire season.
Asian longhorned beetle appearance in Illinois & Mass.
Posted on Tuesday, August 19, 2008Foresters were chagrined to discover Asian longhorned beetles making a resurgence in Illinois and Massachusetts this month.
Agpaoa appointed USFS Regional Forester for the Southern Region (Region 8)
Posted on Tuesday, August 19, 2008U.S. Forest Service Chief Abigail R. Kimbell has appointed Elizabeth (Liz) Agpaoa as Southern Regional Forester (Region 8). Agpaoa will oversee 14 national forests in 13 southern states and Puerto Rico. She currently is the Acting Regional Forester for the Pacific Northwest Region. Agpaoa succeeds Chuck Myers who recently became Associate Deputy Chief of the National Forest System in Washington, D.C.
UNECE/FAO Forest Products Annual Market Review highlights decline in U.S. construction, consumption
Posted on Tuesday, August 19, 2008 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.
Wildland fire courses now available online
Posted on Monday, August 18, 2008The classroom portions of the two basic fire training courses needed for qualification as a wildland firefighter can now be taken online. According to Dan Smith, Fire Director for the National Association of State Foresters, making these widely-used courses available online can be important to helping meet the training needs of local fire department personnel--and accomplishing that in a way that works well for departments with scarce funds and availability of time.
NASF Washington Weekly Report on hiatus
Posted on Monday, August 4, 2008Friday's email will be on hiatus for the next two weeks. A new edition will be published again August 22, 2008.
Obey, Dicks ask White House for emergency firefighting money
Posted on Friday, August 1, 2008According to an article from E&E News (subscription req.), Appropriations Chairman David Obey (D-WI) and Interior Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Norm Dicks (D-WA) sent a letter to President Bush yesterday urging him to submit a FY08 supplemental request for additional funding for federal wildfire accounts that have already been "pushed to their breaking points."
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