Blog
RI state bill would fine illegal transport of wood to halt spread of beetle
Posted on Thursday, April 30, 2009Fear that the Asian longhorned beetle may spread to other New England states has led a Rhode Island legislator to introduce a state bill that would make it a crime to carry beetle-infested wood into the state and carry a fine of up to $25,000. Although the beetles move slowly on their own, they can hitchhike to other sites in wood carried by campers and tree companies.
Disney to plant 2.7 million trees with ticket sales from 'Earth' film
Posted on Thursday, April 30, 2009Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures will work with The Nature Conservancy to plant 2.7 million trees in Brazil's Atlantic Forest using money from ticket sales from the first film under the Disneynature label, "Earth."
Washington DNR job opportunities
Posted on Thursday, April 30, 2009The Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has three manager positions available: Division Manager Resource Protection, Division Manager Forest Practices and Region Manager Pacific Cascade Region. Visit http://www.dnr.wa.gov/AboutDNR/Employment/Pages/Home.aspx for more information.
Editorial: include GA trees in biomass definition
Posted on Wednesday, April 29, 2009Jim Stokes, president of Sustainable Solutions Georgia and former president of the Georgia Conservancy, is the author of an editorial in the Savannah Morning News calling for a broad definition of "renewable biomass." [More: read about NASF's position on renewable biomass]
PA to target gypsy moth in 25 counties
Posted on Wednesday, April 29, 2009Preparing for a spring that may bring declining gypsy moth infestations in some counties and stronger populations in others, the Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry will target 25 counties in its aerial spraying effort to suppress the woodland insect pest. "We target and select woodlands for spraying based on the number and concentration of gypsy moth egg masses found and previous defoliation, as well as ecological, historic or economic significance,"said State Forester Dan Devlin.
Iowa state forest nursery marks milestone
Posted on Wednesday, April 29, 2009A ceremonial 150-millionth seedling was planted last weekend at the Iowa Department of Natural Resources' State Forest Nursery by Gene Hertel, a former Iowa State Forester. The nursery began sending out seedlings in the 1930's as part of Iowa State University, it was transferred to the Iowa Conservation Commission in 1942. Nursery manager, Roger Jacob says 150-million seedlings is quite a lot for a state like Iowa.
Wildfires in SC force thousands to evacuate; worst WUI fire in state's history
Posted on Friday, April 24, 2009A wildfire that burned dozens of homes and forced thousands of residents in Myrtle Beach to evacuate could take days to contain and may need a tropical storm to completely extinguish. This is South Carolina's worst wildland urban interface fire in state history., according to the South Carolina Forestry Commission.
NH mulls combining natural resource agencies
Posted on Friday, April 24, 2009New Hampshire's legislature is considering a bill that would merge the Department of Fish and Game, the Department of Agriculture, the Division of Parks and Recreation, and the Division of Forestry and Lands. An editorial in the Concord Monitor says it's a bad idea.
NASF president testifies at House appropriations hearing
Posted on Friday, April 24, 2009NASF President and State Forester of Kentucky Leah W. MacSwords was in Washington, DC, this week to testify before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies. MacSwords outlined NASF's recommendations for the U.S. Forest Service appropriation for State & Private Forestry programs; the total NASF recommendation for S&PF is $335 million, representing a 26% increase over the 2009 enacted levels.
Wildfires hasten climate change, study says
Posted on Friday, April 24, 2009Wildfires and a warming climate are locked in a vicious cycle, according to research in a new report published in the journal Science this week. Climate experts have known that a warmer world would spawn more fires, but scientists now believe that forest fires influence climate change, particularly deforestation fires like those set to clear forest for pasture in tropical areas like the Amazon.
SGSF seeks development specialist
Posted on Thursday, April 23, 2009The Southern Group of State Foresters is hiring a part-time development specialist to research and acquire external grants and funds to further the mission of Southern Group of State Foresters. Screening for the contracted position will begin May 22, 2009. Please visit the SGSF website, www.southernforests.org for more information on the Southern Group of State Foresters.
AK seeks statewide forest resource program manager
Posted on Thursday, April 23, 2009Alaska Division of Forestry seeks a Statewide Forest Resource Program Manager in their Anchorage office. This Natural Resource Specialist V position will help shape forestry on the 20 million acres of state-owned land with forest resources. Apply through Workplace Alaska by May 30: http://workplace.alaska.gov
Jensen named deputy under secretary for natural resources and environment
Posted on Wednesday, April 22, 2009Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced the appointment of Jay Jensen as USDA Deputy Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment (NRE). In this position, Jensen will have responsibility for the U.S. Forest Service (FS), which manages 193 million acres of National Forest System lands and provides assistance to the more than 10 million family-forest landowners in this country.Since May 2005, Jensen has been Executive Director of the Council of Western State Foresters/Western Forestry Leadership Coalition.
Happy Earth Day from NASF
Posted on Wednesday, April 22, 2009
The members and staff of NASF wish you a happy Earth Day and remind everyone that trees and forests are a strategic national resource that provides a host of important benefits to the public: clean air and water, carbon sequestration and storage, renewable wood energy sources, and thousands of forest products. How will you celebrate Earth Day? [More: President Obama plants trees for Earth Day]
Harvard Forest looks to private owners for stewardship, conservation
Posted on Tuesday, April 21, 2009David Foster, director of the 3,500-acre experimental Harvard Forest, helped to develop a plan called Wildlands and Woodlands that suggests preserving 2.5 million acres in Massachusetts from development by conserving large, aggregated chunks of private land. According to the New York Times article this "radical" plan proposes that the land "stay in private hands, allowing it to be used for limited purposes, like logging or recreation, as a way to encourage land stewardship rather than strip malls."
USDA Secretary names Robert Bonnie Senior Advisor for Environment and Climate
Posted on Monday, April 20, 2009Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has announced the appointment of Robert Bonnie as Senior Advisor to the Secretary for Environment and Climate. Bonnie will help guide broad policy and program decisions with an emphasis on those concerning the nation's natural resources and climate issues. Bonnie currently is Vice-President for Land Conservation and Wildlife at the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF).
NASF submits response to House Ag Committee climate questionnaire
Posted on Friday, April 17, 2009NASF recently responded to a U.S. House Agriculture Committee questionnaire on potential climate legislation and related policy issues.
Sustainable Forestry Act passes in Maryland
Posted on Friday, April 17, 2009The Maryland General Assembly this week passed Senate Bill 549, the Sustainable Forestry Act of 2009. This bill makes various changes to achieve sustainability in the management of the state's forest resources, and now awaits Governor O'Malley's signature. For more details, visit http://mlis.state.md.us/2009rs/billfile/sb0549.htm
Case study: land conservation easements and forest management plans
Posted on Thursday, April 16, 2009An article from the Land Trust Alliance explores how a land conservancy dealt with a potential easement violation stemming from whether or not a scheduled cut complied with the Forest Management Plan. The land trust’s leaders believe that even the best managed land trust may be forced to take similar legal action to enforce easement terms.
WFLC releases 'True Cost of Wildfires' report
Posted on Thursday, April 16, 2009A new report from the Western Forestry Leadership Coalition reveals that the true costs of wildfire are shown to be far anywhere from 2 to 30 times greater than the supression costs usually reported to the public. The report, The True Cost of Wildfire in the Western U.S., examines the data from six large wildland fires across the west to explore beyond the costs of suppression to give a more accurate telling of the cost to communities and the environment form large wildland fires.
Warming climate play big role in tree die-offs
Posted on Tuesday, April 14, 2009Warming temperatures appear to play the dominant role in the decline of piñon pines in the southwest, according to a new University of Arizona study that predicts large-scale loss of trees from drought due to climate change. [More: listen to more coverage on this story by NPR]
Arizona governor announces Vicki Christiansen as State Forester
Posted on Tuesday, April 14, 2009Arizona Governor Jan Brewer officially announced this week the appointment of Vicki Christiansen as Arizona State Forester and Director of the Arizona Division of Forestry. She is responsible for the protection of 22 million acres of state and private lands in Arizona which includes the prevention and suppression of wildland fires as well as oversight of forest health, stewardship forestry and urban and community forestry programs in the state.
NASF summer internship opportunity
Posted on Monday, April 13, 2009The National Association of State Foresters is seeking a qualified candidate for internship opportunity in Washington, DC. Advanced undergraduate or graduate students at SAF-accredited forestry schools with strong interest in forest policy. Applications must be received by May 1, 2009. Visit http://www.stateforesters.org/summer_internship for more information.
USDA to assist in MillionTreesNYC campaign
Posted on Monday, April 13, 2009Mayor Michael Bloomberg and U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack have announced a $2 million USDA grant to create green jobs and restore urban forests in New York City. The grant will create new jobs in horticulture and forestry over the next two years for graduates of the MillionTreesNYC training program.
U.S. levies 10% softwood customs tariff on four Canadian providences
Posted on Wednesday, April 8, 2009The U.S. is imposing a 10 percent customs duty on four Canadian provinces on imports of softwood lumber products, saying Canada has failed to correct a breach of the softwood trade deal between the two countries. U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk said in a news release that the duties will remain in place until such time as the U.S. has collected $54.8 million.
Urban & community forestry grant funding opportunities
Posted on Wednesday, April 8, 2009The National Urban and Community Forestry Advisory Council is offering two new special focus grant funding opportunities. The first offers up to $50,000 for the development of a new storm event protocol that blends urban forest programs with emergency management operations. The second area of focus will fund up to $100,000 for outreach projects that provide scholarships for underserved or non-traditional participants in training opportunities within urban and community forestry. Proposals are due by June 5, 2009.
Introducing family forest owners to the carbon credit market
Posted on Monday, April 6, 2009Appalachia-based Mountain Association for Community Economic Development is lining up people with forest land and walking them through the steps needed to sell carbon credits. In a state such as Kentucky, nearly half the land is forested, but 89 percent of the forests are privately owned. As an aggregator, MACED's Forest Opportunities Initiative groups many smaller parcels together to sell credits on the Chicago Climate Exchange.
Report outlines possible effects of warming on California
Posted on Friday, April 3, 2009A compilation of research papers suggests that climate change will mean that CA will have less water, experience a loss of cropland and see soaring wildfire rates. The draft Climate Action Team Report, an update of a 2006 assessment, concludes that some climate change effects could be more serious than previously thought.
Forest Service opportunity: Staff Director for State and Private Forestry, Regions 1 and 4
Posted on Friday, April 3, 2009The U.S. Forest Service is has announced an opening for a Staff Director for State and Private Forestry for Regions 1 and 4. The incumbent functions as a full member of the Regional Leadership Teams of both Regions and fulfills responsibilities for the Regional Cooperative Forestry and Forest Health Protection programs. Click here to view the announcement online.
Southern Forest Futures Project welcomes comment on the Draft Study Plan
Posted on Thursday, April 2, 2009The Southern Forest Futures Project is welcoming comments on the Draft Study Plan. The Plan lays out how the group intends to address the issues raised through a series of public meetings last year. To ensure all comments are considered prior to beginning the analyses, comments are due by April 30.
AZ State Forester testifies on wildfire funding options
Posted on Thursday, April 2, 2009Arizona State Forester Vicki Christiansen testified on behalf of NASF before a House Appropriations subcommittee this week on options for solving the impacts of runaway fire suppression costs on the Forest Service and Department of the Interior budgets. "Addressing wildland fire is a much larger, more complex land management and societal issue that cannot be solved by one agency or piece of legislation alone," noted Christiansen. "Solving the impact of skyrocketing fire suppression costs is only one piece of the puzzle, but it is one that is within our reach."
Wood-burning plant targeted by eco-terrorism in CT
Posted on Wednesday, April 1, 2009Officials are investigating an alleged eco-terrorism threat involving the developers of a proposed wood-burning power plant in Plainfield, CT.
Marylanders plant trees -- new tree cover initiative launches
Posted on Wednesday, April 1, 2009Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley has launched a new citizen component of "Marylanders Plant Trees," a program designed to greatly increase tree cover across the state through partnerships with businesses, communities and citizens to help fund and plant new tree cover. State agencies have a goal of planting 1 million new trees by 2011, and private citizens are being asked to plant 50,000 trees by 2010.
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