Forest Science and Health

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]

National recognition was given to Texas A&M Forest Service District Forester Russell Lykins for his work in and service to Texas landowners in Cass and Marion counties. Lykins was presented the award at the National Forest Stewardship Conference hosted by the USDA Forest Service in Vancouver, WA. Oct. 20. The award is the first-of-its-kind given nationally [read more]

The National Association of State Foresters (NASF) recently honored Karl Dalla Rosa of the USDA Forest Service (USFS) with the Jim Sledge Current Achievement Award for Forest Management. The award recognized Dalla Rosa’s work on spatial data analysis in his role as manager of the agency’s Forest Stewardship Program. “Karl was instrumental in bringing spatial [read more]

By Christopher Martin, Connecticut State Forester and Chair of the Forest Science & Health Committee In 2014, wildfires consumed 3,595,613 US acres at a taxpayer cost of $1,522,149,000. Heat, fuel and oxygen make up the basic recipe to a fire start. Combine record breaking heat and historic drought with millions of acres of beetle-killed standing trees [read more]

With support from the USDA Forest Service Cooperative Forestry, California is achieving goals outlined in its Forest Action Plan. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) works on-the-ground with several partners to achieve stewardship goals. CAL FIRE is utilizing the California Cooperative Forest Management Plan template which will satisfy multiple program requirements [read more]

With support from the USDA Forest Service, the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) is achieving goals outlined in its Forest Action Plan. Wildfire knows no boundaries, a reality that long has united wildland firefighters across jurisdictions. Oregon has turned the threat of wildfire into a chance for new collaboration with partners and opportunities for restoration [read more]

The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) was awarded the 2015 Public Awareness of Trees Award at the annual Arbor Day Awards ceremony in Nebraska City, Neb. State Forester Lisa Allen accepted the award on behalf of the Trees Work campaign. The awards, which recognize leaders in tree planting, conservation, and environmental stewardship, are part of the annual Arbor Day [read more]

Nicole Leinders is the National Association of State Foresters’ Foundation intern. There is something magical about walking through an avenue of trees in the fall, branches reaching up and surrounding you in a tunnel of color as gold and brown leaves swirl through the air. There’s that smell of fresh earth mixed with a bite [read more]

On Tuesday, December 2, 2014, NASF will be a part of a celebration. You've heard of Black Friday and you've maybe surfed the web on Cyber Monday. Designated Giving Tuesday, 12/2 is a day dedicated to giving back. #GivingTuesday is a special call to action and creates a national day of giving around the annual [read more]

Students often have bright ideas for the future, and sometimes that takes the form of preserving our wooded past. On the south west edge of Fayetteville, Arkansas rests Mount Kessler, a favored spot for hiking and mountain bikers. Filled with rocky formations reminiscent of Gettysburg’s Devil’s Den and covered in a woody hillside, the hillside can [read more]