Lake Tahoe’s famously clear waters continue to warm, and the surrounding forests face dire threats due to drought, disease and insects, according to the annual Tahoe State of the Lake report by researchers at UC Davis. The second deepest lake in the United States after Crater Lake, Lake Tahoe has warmed by half a degree Fahrenheit each [read more]
By Dr. David Coyle, Forest Health and Invasive Species Program at Southern Regional Extension Forestry Tree-munching insects, marauding fungi, and non-native plants are threatening the health of forests in the Southern United States. To combat these menaces, accurate, up-to-date information on pest and invasive species management and control is key. The Forest Health and [read more]
Trees and forests built America and are essential for the nation’s growth and success. State forestry agencies are poised to support the new presidential administration. The National Association of State Foresters (NASF) is pleased to provide the Donald Trump Administration and Congress with recommendations for capitalizing on the benefits of trees and forests. Trees and [read more]
According to the USDA Forest Service study 2013–2027 National Insect and Disease Forest Risk Assessment, 81 million acres of forested land have hazardous conditions for disease and insects. To learn more about the National Forest Health Monitoring Program, please join the following webinar on Wednesday, November 30, 2016 at 11 am EST: Research Contributions to Forest Health Monitoring Dr. Frank Koch [read more]
By Emily Bazydlo Looking for a fun an innovative way to teach youth to identify plant pests and diseases in their communities? Check out Plant Heroes, an educational campaign by the American Public Gardens Association with support from the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Serivce and Forest Service, offers free downloadable educational materials with fun characters [read more]
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]
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]
Members of the National Association of State Foresters’ executive committee held Congressional briefings on May 4 to introduce decision makers to state Forest Action Plans and convey the importance of consulting these important documents when making forest management decisions. In attendance were key staff members from the House and Senate Agriculture Committees and member offices, USDA Forest [read more]
