Blog
Joint Fire Science Program requests research, synthesis and new science proposals
Posted on Wednesday, September 30, 2009The Joint Fire Science Program (JFSP) has released three announcements requesting grant proposals on Wildland Fire Research, Synthesis of Existing Knowledge, and New Science Initiative focused on Social Science. Full details and instructions on preparing proposals are available at http://www.firescience.gov. The JFSP provides funding for scientific studies to address problems associated with managing wildland fuels, fires, and fire-impacted ecosystems.
Forestry coalition pushes for domestic easements in Senate climate bill
Posted on Tuesday, September 29, 2009NASF joined a broad coalition of forest land owners, environmental groups, carbon market experts and land trusts to urge lawmakers to dedicate funding in federal climate legislation for permanent conservation easements on private U.S. forest, farm and ranch land. Nearly 50 groups joined to write a letter to Senate Committee leaders Baucus, Boxer and Lincoln asking them to slow the conversion of domestic lands.
State Foresters praise Interior bill that sets up FLAME Fund
Posted on Monday, September 28, 2009Senate leaders unanimously approved the creation of a separate source of funding for federal agencies to suppress large-scale wildfires via an amendment to the Interior Appropriations bill last week. The Federal Land Assistance Management and Enhancement Fund ("FLAME" fund) is designed to alleviate funding problems caused by emergency wildland fire costs and is supported by NASF and more than 100 other industry, environmental, outdoor recreation, and forestry organizations.
"NASF applauds the overwhelming support the FLAME fund has received in the House and the unanimous support demonstrated in the Senate," said Steven W. Koehn, NASF President and State Forester of Maryland. "As the Interior bill moves through the legislative process, we strongly urge House and Senate conferees to uphold the intent of the FLAME amendment to ensure its ability to solve one of the nation's most pressing forest conservation problems."
FSC and SFI rivalry heats up in spotlight of "green" consumerism
Posted on Friday, September 18, 2009The nonprofit Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) has faced a stiff challenge in the marketplace from rival certification system the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI). This week lawyers for ForestEthics filed administrative complaints with the Federal Trade Commission and the Internal Revenue Service challenging the credibility of the SFI label.
Groups seek billions in climate bill for resource adaptation
Posted on Wednesday, September 16, 2009A coalition of conservation, outdoor and recreation groups is calling on the Senate to dedicate billions of dollars in a climate change bill to wildlife and natural resources threatened by global warming. NASF signed on with more than 40 national groups to a letter asking for legislation that reduces greenhouse gas emissions and dedicates 5 percent of the total allowance value to federal, state and tribal agencies to take actions needed to conserve natural resources.
EPA publishes primer on bioenergy for state decision makers
Posted on Wednesday, September 16, 2009The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released a new State Bioenergy Primer: Information and Resources for States on Issues, Opportunities, and Options for Advancing Bioenergy (PDF). The primer provides basic information and resources for all biomass fuel and technology types in a concise format useful for state decision makers-covering biopower, bioheat, biofuels, and bioproducts. It includes a stepwise framework, resources, and tools for determining the availability of feedstocks, assessing potential markets for biomass, and identifying opportunities for action at the state level. For information about other state clean energy strategy options, click here.
Ag secretary Vilsack op-ed on new vision for America's forests
Posted on Wednesday, September 16, 2009USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack continues to promote his "new vision for America's forests" in an editorial in the Denver Post this week. "Although the U.S. Forest Service manages 193 million acres of land nationwide, the majority of our country's forests are not within the National Forest System. And so, our new vision for forest restoration seeks to take an all-lands approach and increase the cooperation between public and private forest stakeholders."
USDA National Needs Fellowship: Univ. of Missouri Dept. of Forestry
Posted on Tuesday, September 15, 2009The Department of Forestry at the University of Missouri has been awarded funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to initiate a National Needs Fellowship graduate program that integrates disciplinary diversity in graduate training to support forest resource management decisions. Research areas include disturbance ecology, forest economics and policy, silviculture and watershed hydrology. Fellows will form an interdisciplinary Forestry Research Group focusing on providing fundamental research needs for forest ecosystem management. The call for applications is available online; deadline for applications is March 15, 2010.
Perspectives of State Foresters and others on woody biomass in SAF journal
Posted on Tuesday, September 15, 2009In the Society of American Foresters' Journal of Forestry, State Foresters, state energy biomass contacts, and members of the National Council of Forestry Association Executives were surveyed to gather perceptions on items that should be included in a definition of woody biomass. Ninety-seven responses from 43 different states and the District of Columbia suggest that a definition of biomass should not differentiate between naturally regenerated forest stands and plantations or private and public forestlands.
Harris Sherman expected to be nominated as USDA under secretary for NRE
Posted on Friday, September 11, 2009President Barack Obama has announced his intent to nominate Harris Sherman as Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment, the mission area at the U.S. Department of Agriculture that oversees the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the U.S. Forest Service. Sherman is the Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Natural Resources and a member of Governor Ritter's Cabinet.
NASF staff participate in National Day of Service and Remembrance
Posted on Thursday, September 10, 2009Members of the NASF staff headed out into Washington, DC, today for a community service project focused on urban forestry. Volunteers removed invasive species, maintained trees, and cleaned up along a stream in Marvin Gaye Park in the Watts Branch stream valley. The effort was part of the National Day of Service and Remembrance that mobilized 50 non-profits and more than 4,000 volunteers in Washington, DC to participate with a community service activity.
Thousand cankers of walnut national conference Nov. 3-4 in St. Louis, MO
Posted on Thursday, September 10, 2009A national conference is being planned by the Missouri Department of Agriculture and the Missouri Department of Conservation for November 3-4, 2009 in St. Louis, Missouri tobegin a national dialogue on thousand cankers disease and help protect black walnuts, a valuable economic and ecological resource to many states. For more information or to register for the conference, visit http://mda.mo.gov/plants/pests/thousandcankers.php. Registration deadline is October 23 and hotel deadline for group rate is October 13.
Biochar project in MO pursues cleaner alternative to coal
Posted on Thursday, September 10, 2009The James River Power Station in Springfield, MO, has been working with torrefied wood as a cleaner energy alternative to burning coal. Torrefaction, also known as biochar, is a process of roasting wood chips in a large furnace, but not to the point of becoming charcoal. "We have a lot of hardwoods. We have a lot of trees that need to be cleaned up, wood chips that need to be cleaned up initially," says Steve Myers, director of the James River facility. Torrefaction has been gaining momentum in Europe, and now American companies are experimenting with the process.
Don't move firewood: not just in the northeast
Posted on Thursday, September 10, 2009Federal forest officials are asking San Diego County residents to avoid moving oak wood as part of their efforts to slow the spread of the gold-spotted oak borer. The tree-killing bug is a recently detected pest that invades California black oaks, coast live oaks and canyon live oaks in Southern California. It's believed to be responsible for the deaths of 17,000 trees in the county.
Drought adds to wildfire threat and damage in CA
Posted on Thursday, September 10, 2009Though this year's fire season in California hasn't yet reached the level of destruction of the past two years, that could change soon. A prolonged drought, which is drying up vegetation and fueling a seemingly endless fire that has burned more than 250 square miles of Los Angeles County, could be the start of a fall siege in Southern California. "You can have a fire go through the same area, and the damage to a forest is always more significant in drought years," says Del Walters, CA State Forester and director of CalFire.
Arkansas' Lincoln is new head of Senate ag committee
Posted on Thursday, September 10, 2009Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-AR), an outspoken critic of cap-and-trade legislation, is the new head of the Agriculture Committee, one of the panels with jurisdiction over the climate and energy bill working its way through Congress. Lincoln, the first woman to chair the committee, brings a markedly different voice on climate and farmland conservation than the previous chairman, Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA). Harkin stepped down from the committee's top spot yesterday to take over the late Edward Kennedy's Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.
Roundtable on Sustainable Forests meeting: Stakeholder Action Strategy for the future
Posted on Thursday, September 10, 2009The Roundtable on Sustainable Forests (RSF) is pleased to invite you to register for the National RSF Meeting: Stakeholder Action Strategy for the future, in the Washington, DC area on October 14 and 15, 2009. The primary purpose of the meeting is to discuss, shape, and make plans for implementing a stakeholder Sustainable Forests Action Strategy (word doc), the first draft of which was developed in July 2009 by a diverse group of RSF participants as a companion document to the draft 2010 National Report on Sustainable Forests. Participants will also have the opportunity to discuss and suggest ways to best accomplish Fiscal Year 2010 RSF activities including work on the Regional Indicator Initiative and RSF engagement in preparation for the International Year of Forests in 2011. Contact Shawn Walker (202-354-6441; shawnwalker@merid.org) for registration information. Deadline is September 16, 2009.
Weldon to lead Forest Service's northern region
Posted on Wednesday, September 9, 2009U.S. Forest Service Chief Thomas Tidwell has announced the appointment of Leslie Weldon as Regional Forester of the Northern Region of the Forest Service. When she begins her new position later this fall, Weldon will oversee 15 national forests and 4 national grasslands within the states of Montana, Idaho and North Dakota. She is currently the External Affairs Officer for the US Forest Service in Washington, D.C. Weldon will fill the position that Tidwell occupied when he was named Chief.
InciWeb resources make fire information easy to find
Posted on Friday, September 4, 2009InciWeb (http://www.inciweb.org/), an interagency all-risk incident information management system, was picked as website of the week by Government Video for its data, maps, news and photographs. The site's resources on fire incidents are updated often, easy to use, and offer many links to local agencies.
States send firefighting resources to aid in several wildfires
Posted on Friday, September 4, 2009Several states are sending crews to assist the raging wildfires in California and Texas:
- State Forester Vicki Christiansen is interviewed on the AZ firefighters headed west to help out (video)
- Idaho has sent a hot shot crew to California and others to Utah
- Forty Kentucky forest rangers just returned from firefighting in California (video)
- The Alabama Forestry Commission has sent another 14 firefighters to Texas to help fight wildfires
Editorial on fire suppression funding reform
Posted on Thursday, September 3, 2009An editorial in the San Diego Union-Tribune points to NASF's advocacy on federal wildfire suppression funding reform as a "blueprint" for a solution.
California forest carbon standard goes national
Posted on Thursday, September 3, 2009A new standard for the verification of forest carbon projects has been adopted by the board of the California-based Climate Action Reserve (CAR), extending the applicability of the standard nationally from its original state focus. The Forest Project Protocol offers forest project developers independent verification of carbon sequestration in their projects and covers activities targeting avoided conversion of forest land to other uses, improved forest management and reforestation of previously-cleared land.
MORE: American Forests is coordinating the first public lands reforestation project to seek approval under the protocol.
Wildfires: should property owners and the private sector have a bigger role?
Posted on Thursday, September 3, 2009A point-counter point discussion in the Los Angeles Times looks at the role of the private sector and the responsibility of property owners in wildfire protection in a cash-strapped state like California.
Climate bill delayed again; global climate talks loom December
Posted on Thursday, September 3, 2009Senate Democrats announced this week a new delay on climate change legislation, which could complicate U.S. participation at the United Nations global summit in Copenhagenthis December where world leaders will discuss next steps on controlling greenhouse gas emissions. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chairman Barbara Boxer and Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry said they would not be able to unveil their legislation until "later in September."
Gypsy moth defoliation decreases nearly 75% in VA
Posted on Wednesday, September 2, 2009Officials with the Virginia Department of Forestry say that the gypsy moth declined significantly this year. The insect defoliated 29,048 acres in the Commonwealth, a substantial decrease from the 112,340 acres damaged in 2008. Unlike last year, a majority of the defoliation was classified as “light.”
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