The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service’s (APHIS) Hungry Pests campaign has partnered with the Nature Conservancy’s Don’t Move Firewood campaign for the first-ever Firewood Awareness Month. The goal of Firewood Awareness Month is to raise public awareness about firewood movement as a forest pest and disease pathway using [read more]
The National Association of State Foresters (NASF) unveiled the 2015-16 NASF annual report today at its meeting in Savannah, Georgia. From city streets to remote mountainsides, trees connect a forested ecosystem that connects with people in countless ways. This is the essence of NASF's work, and the association is pleased to share recent accomplishments through this publication. Trees [read more]
By Emily Bazydlo This week, eight Members of the House Committee on Agriculture and 16 personal and Committee staff attended a forest health briefing organized by the National Association of State Foresters (NASF) and sponsored by Conservation and Forestry Subcommittee Chairman Representative Glenn Thompson (R-PA). The meeting began with a warm welcome by the Chairman. Rep. [read more]
By Greg Pilchak On Wednesday August 10th, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources Forest Service hosted an NASF State and Private Forestry program tour for key congressional staff. The goal of the tour was to highlight the value of the USDA Forest Service State and Private programs by showing how states leverage resources and implement the [read more]
The U.S. Forest Service announced that it has identified an additional 26 million trees dead in California since October 2015. These trees are located in six counties across 760,000 acres in the southern Sierra Nevada region of the state, and are in addition to the 40 million trees that died statewide from 2010 to October [read more]
Nanocellulose was in the spotlight during a recent Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing. U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) highlighted work done at the University of Maine to support the forest economy and biobased industries, and emphasized the need for research and development institutions across the country to work together in support of American manufacturing [read more]
By: Jessica Hernandez On Wednesday April 20th, Congressman Bruce Westerman (R-Arkansas) and a bipartisan group of members of Congress launched the Working Forests Caucus. The caucus, which is co-chaired by Rep. Westerman and charter members Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-Washington), Sanford Bishop (D-Georgia), and Collin Peterson (D-Minnesota) was created to promote the benefits of America’s working [read more]
Texas A&M Forest Service is accepting applications for the 2016 Southern Pine Beetle Prevention Program. Through this cost-share program eligible forest landowners can receive financial and technical assistance related to reducing the threat of future SPB infestations and outbreaks. Funds provided by USDA Forest Service-Region 8 and Forest Health Protection can assist landowners with conducting [read more]
America’s federally owned forestlands face serious threats. Entire landscapes are experiencing deteriorating health problems and uncharacteristic ecological change as a result of insect and disease epidemics, catastrophic wildfire and other forest health stressors. Increasing the pace and scale of forest management projects is necessary to improve the resilience of federal forest lands. There are 750 [read more]
Laurie Schoonhoven is assuming the role as the new National Forest Stewardship Program manager in USDA Forest Service Washington Office-Cooperative Forestry after previously serving as the Sustainability Specialist for two years. Over the course of Laurie's 20 years of collaborative and conservation leadership experience she has managed Federal grants; convened and coordinated diverse project teams; worked to integrate efforts with [read more]
