Notes and tips for woodland stewardship in Minnesota's forests
Natural resource applications of unmanned aerial systems: Join us online August 16

Unmanned aerial systems (also referred to as UAVs or drones) have a variety of natural resources applications including forest mapping, inventory, photography, disturbance assessment, wildlife assessment, and perhaps even timber sale administration. Join us for this presentation where Bill Anderson will introduce common UAS formats, their capabilities and limitations, and the status of rapidly changing regulations and licensing requirements.

What does a pretty landscape plant have to do with sharp thorns and Lyme disease? Check out the new video on Japanese Barberry, where you will learn all about problems surrounding this invasive plant, how to report sightings, and how to take steps to remove it from your property.
Elk in Minnesota: a balanced restoration success

Elk are native mammals to Minnesota and were once common on our prairies and in the transition zones to hardwood forests. Human settlement and excessive hunting pushed elk to near extinction in our state by the early 1900s. So what is the future of this animal in Minnesota's landscape? Click here to read this post by Jodie Provost with the MN Department of Natural Resources to read about the efforts of many groups to restore elk populations in Minnesota.
Minnesota mourns the loss of a woodland advocate

"The best time to plant a tree was yesterday." Jack Rajala, a leader in logging and lumber in Minnesota, recently passed away. Jack's actions helped to plant 5 million white and red pine trees and he authored the book "Bringing Back the White Pine" on how to restore the conifer that was nearly extirpated from Minnesota by excessive logging in the late 1800s and early 1900s. He will be missed.
Minnesota family forest owners rule! Survey highlights the challenges they face

More than any other ownership, woodland owners control 34% of the forestland in Minnesota. Why do Minnesotans own woodlands? What they have done with it, and what do they intend to do with it? Click here to read more from Sarah Butler from the USDA Forest Service's Family Forest Research Center about the results more a recent national survey.
IN THE NEWS
EAB spread continues | EAB has been found in Hastings, MN, quite a distance from previous finds in Dakota county. Keep tabs on EAB on the Minnesota Department of Agriculture's Emerald Ash Borer Status page.

Raised in Itasca State Park | Betty Hagen claims that growing up in Itasca State Park was "just like growing up anywhere else." But not everyone grows up in a state park as the daughter of the forest ranger. Via Bemidji Pioneer.

That doesn't happen everyday | A new species of bat discovered in Minnesota--first time in more than a century. Via MN DNR.


 
UPCOMING EVENTS
AUG
16
Webinar: Natural resource applications of unmanned aerial vehicles
Online
AUG
29
Agroforestry Institute
Spicer, MN
SEP
16
Buffer Science and Design Symposium
St. Paul, MN