By Josh Knoll This week, members of the NASF Urban and Community Forestry Committee traveled to historic Richmond, Virginia, for the chance to share ideas, plan for the future, and tour successful green infrastructure programs in the area. Several state foresters, state forestry agency UCF coordinators, and private and government-employed arborists came from near and [read more]
By Faith Berry Wildfire Community Preparedness Day is celebrated the first Saturday in May, and this year, it lands on Saturday, May 4th! Wildfire Community Preparedness Day is a national campaign focused on getting individuals to take action to avoid wildfire damage to their homes and community spaces. Preparedness Day projects vary in size, shape, [read more]
By Josh Knoll As cities plan for the future, many are asking how best to manage their urban landscapes. The Vibrant Cities Laboratory (VCL) has set out to empower municipal leaders, planners, and managers with a one-stop-shop for resources on urban forests and how to maximize their many benefits. The VCL's urban forestry resource toolkit—designed by the USDA [read more]
Hurricane Michael left millions of acres of timber uprooted, broken, and prime for burning. In Florida, 72 million tons of timber – that's 2.5 million log trucks worth of wood – were damaged across 11 Panhandle counties. In Georgia, 20.5 million tons of pine and 17.2 million tons of hardwood – totaling 37.7 million tons [read more]
By Keith Wood and Josh Knoll Earlier this month, the Sustainable Urban Forests Coalition (SUFC) held its 14th Annual Meeting in Arlington, Virginia, at The Nature Conservancy’s headquarters. It was a chance for a wide array of community forestry stakeholders—including city planners, educators, landscape architects, non-profit leaders, scientists, arborists, foresters, and nurserymen and women—to come [read more]
March is a great time to prune trees. While pruning can be done at any time during the year, new growth is maximized, wound closure is fastest, and pest risks are lowest if pruning takes place before spring growth. Correctly pruning a tree lengthens its life and increases its value, however poor pruning—especially "topping"—can lead [read more]
The time has come to welcome the association’s newest James Hubbard Intern for Policy and Communications. Help us welcome Joshua Knoll! Joshua will be assisting NASF staff in their work to inform forest policy and disseminate high-quality communications. He is looking forward to meeting and interacting with policy makers, industry specialists, and other professionals in [read more]
Guest blog by Kelsey Ocampo, Two Way Direct Sometimes all it takes is a cigarette, careless campfire, or stray firework. Then, if conditions are right, a fire can grow to massive proportions, engulfing 3,000+ acres in under 24 hours. Firefighters and first responders of all kinds need to be ready. When the call goes out, this [read more]
The association’s newest James Hubbard Intern for Policy and Communications is here! Join us in welcoming Ashley Harrington to the NASF team. Ashley will be assisting NASF staff in their work to inform forest policy and disseminate high-quality communications. She is looking forward to expanding her knowledge in the communication and policy arenas, as well [read more]
By Kiersten Ahrns | This blog is cross-posted on Women Owning Woodlands. For many families, land can be the glue holding the family together. In Virginia, the vast majority of woodland owners want to pass their woodlands forward to the next generation, but less than 2% have a written succession or estate plan. Unfortunately, these statistics are not [read more]
