In This Issue
Stewardship News
New Forest Stewardship Program Coordinators:
Landowner Spotlight
Forest Land Conservation Spotlight
Naturalist's Corner
|
|
Welcome to the Summer 2014 edition of the Forest Matters Stewardship News!
From social media to swimming pools and from Iowa to New England, this issue covers a range of topics and locales. We hope you find these and other articles useful and informative.
Mike Huneke
Forest Stewardship Program Manager
Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry
|
|
Social Media--Tus Amigos son Mis Amigos
Bob "Fitz" Fitzhenry, U.S. Forest Service, Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry
I've managed to do something in my personal life that few adults, and fewer parents, ever did before--I got called "cool" by adolescents (my kid's friends). How? All it took was Facebook. That's the short answer, even if it's wrong, though not completely wrong.
What happened to popularize me on Facebook is not different than what anyone, or any State, Coop Extension, or the Forest Service, would do. I post news about myself frequently, in a place where my friends and family (and their friends) gather to connect and converse. My dope posts get a like or share, and my lame ones go pffft. I take the good with the meh, which we all must accept when we're self-publishing self-centered news.
"It's only ever about content," I'm fond of saying when I give media training. That's why it's wrong to say Facebook made me cool. Facebook is just a platform; it's just another communications channel.
"Absolutely it's content," agrees Christine Halvorson of Halvorson New Media, LLC. "Putting good content out through social media gives people a warm fuzzy feeling about your organization. They then spread your word for you, which boosts your brand recognition, which cycles back."
Read the full article.
|
Often, success depends on picking the right words. Twenty million people have watched the YouTube video behind this sign. (Credit: Purple Feather Ltd.)
|
|
Using Swimming Pools to Look for Asian Longhorned Beetles
Karen Bennett, University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension
What do you do when you have a destructive insect like Asian longhorned beetle within 60 miles of your State's borders? Put on your Speedos and go swimming, of course!
Homeowners in Worcester, Mass., reported they saw the Asian longhorned beetle (ALB) in their swimming pools years before it was officially identified in 2008. This gave Kyle Lombard, Forest Health Specialist with the New Hampshire Division of Forests and Lands, the idea to use swimming pool skimmers and filters to survey for ALB. He broached the idea with me and I thought it would be a fun project for the public and a perfect outreach opportunity to engage them to look for the insect. The U.S. Forest Service supplied funding through a competitive grant.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Thousand Cankers Disease Detected in Chester County, PA
Agriculture Department Enacts Wood Quarantines
Manfred Mielke, U.S. Forest Service, Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry
Four additional Pennsylvania counties are quarantined effective immediately because thousand cankers disease was detected in trees in Chester County. Beetles were trapped at eight Chester County sites, several of which had multiple positive trapping results on different dates. Subsequent samples for the fungus were positive from two of the sites. Montgomery, Delaware, and Philadelphia Counties were added as buffers to Chester County and do not yet have positive detection results for either the beetle or the fungus.
Read the full article.
Exit wounds made by adult walnut twig beetles, a vector of thousand cankers disease. (Photo: Whitney Cranshaw, Colorado State University, Bugwood.org)
|
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Non-Timber Forest Products Fall 2014 Webinar Series Kicked off August 21
This eight-part Webinar series highlights the remarkable and diverse world of non-timber forest products. Webinar topics range from an overview of the abundance and diversity of NTFPs to forest farming practices focused on particular marketable products.
Non-timber forest products (NTFPs) are products other than timber that are harvested from woodlands. NTFPs include plants, plant parts, fungi, moss, lichen, herbs, vines, shrubs, tree parts, and other biological materials that we use personally or sell for their commercial value.
We eat NTFPs and use them for medicine. We use them to make decorations and create specialty products. Not only are many of them marketable, they are critical for healthy woodland ecosystems. Sustainably harvesting and cultivating NTFPs through forest farming practices can complement overall stewardship of working forests.
Fern fiddleheads are an edible non-timber forest product. (Photo: Sandy Clark, U.S. Forest Service, Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry)
|
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Without trees, 'hide and seek' would just
Missouri Department of Conservation Features John Goodman in Audio Spots
In a familiar, rumbly voice, Missouri native, actor, and comedian John Goodman shares insights with radio listeners about how trees and forests are good for us. He recorded a series of audio spots as part of the Missouri Department of Conservation's Trees Work campaign. From the observation that "Without trees, two by fours would be zero by zeroes" to "Trees work...24/7", Goodman reminds listeners about the many benefits of trees in our lives.
Trees Work 15-second Spot #2
John Goodman poses with promotional materials for Missouri's Trees Work campaign. (Photo: Missouri Department of Conservation)
Home
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Can the Forest Stewardship Program Help Landowners Adapt to Climate Change?
An innovative partnership between the Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry (NA) and the Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science (NIACS) is demonstrating how the Forest Stewardship Program can help landowners prepare for a changing climate. NA and NIACS are funding two examples of climate-informed Forest Stewardship planning and implementation in Minnesota: the Rajala Companies' Sugar Hills property south of Grand Rapids and the Nelson family property near Hinckley.
Read the full article.
|
Northern hardwood stand on the Sugar Hills property in Minnesota.
|
Home
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
New Web Site for Nature-Based Volunteering
Malin Clyde, Project Manager
The Stewardship Network: New England
The Stewardship Network: New England, based at the University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension, has a new Web site to connect volunteers with stewardship and science projects across the region.
The site, currently focused on New Hampshire, offers a wide variety of nature-based volunteer projects hosted by many different organizations every month. It also brings together volunteer training opportunities, citizen science projects, information on local collaborative stewardship hubs, stewardship stories, and other news and resources. Groups with nature-based projects that need volunteers can also use the Web site to submit an event to the online calendar.
Anyone can join the Network by signing up for weekly e-bulletins detailing upcoming on-the-ground stewardship and environmental science projects.
"We envision a new way for interested citizens, teachers, school groups, churches, and businesses to easily find ways to help the environment near where they live," says Malin Clyde, Project Manager for the Stewardship Network: New England. Contact Malin by calling (603) 862-2166 or sending an e-mail to [email protected].
Home
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Maximizing Forest Reserve Potential through Targeted Outreach in Iowa's Driftless Area
A USDA Forest Service Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry Stewardship Project
Dennis McDougall, U.S. Forest Service, Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry
Iowa Tree Farmer Bill Bennet (left) shakes hands with Richard Kittelson, Northeast Iowa RC&D Forester and Outreach Coordinator. (Photo: Lora Friest, Northeast Iowa RC&D Executive Director)
|
Despite the efforts of countless foresters, forestry agencies, and associated forestry entities, thousands of Iowa's forest landowners do not have a Forest Management Plan and are not managing their woodland resource. Further, many have never been encouraged to work with a professional forester to develop a management plan for their woodlands. The customer is simply not being reached.
This project explored the effectiveness of using mass media and direct communication methods, independently and collectively, to reach private landowners in the Driftless Area of northeastern Iowa and to encourage them to work with a forester to develop and carry out a plan for their woodlands.
Read the full article.
Read the project report.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2014 Farm Bill: Summary of Conservation, Forestry, and Energy Title Programs
Karen Sykes, U.S. Forest Service, Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry
The Farm Bill establishes the policies and government support for U.S. agriculture, nutrition programs like food stamps, rural economic development programs, agricultural research, and much more. The bill is divided into sections, called "titles," that cover specific program areas and generally last for about 5 years. The previous Farm Bill of 2008 had 15 titles that covered a range of forestry, food, and agricultural-related topics, including food stamps, rural development, trade, fruits, and vegetables.
As foresters, we are mainly interested in Title II-Conservation and Title VIII-Forestry, which have programs to assist nonindustrial private forest landowners. In this article, we'll explain the major changes in the 2014 Farm Bill that pertain to forest landowners and State and Private Forestry programs. We'll also touch on Title IX - Energy, especially regarding the Biomass Crop Assistance Program.
Read the full article.
Home
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Stewardship Mapping and Reporting Tool (SMART) V. 3 Out Soon
Matt Tansey, U.S. Forest Service, State and Private Forestry, Washington Office
We expect SMART v. 3 to be ready for public use in early September. This release will include a wide variety of fixes and enhancements that are the product of months of work from the developers, U.S. Forest Service SMART Team, and the Change Management Board. Many of the enhancements in v. 3 originated from State partner feedback; we hope you like the changes and thank you for your involvement.
Read the full article.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
New Forest Stewardship Program Coordinators:
Ohio Welcomes Cotton Randall
|
Cotton Randall.
|
For the past 5 years, Cotton Randall has been the Special Projects Administrator for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources' Division of Forestry. In that role, Cotton coordinated Ohio's F orest Legacy Program, administered various grant programs, served as a statewide forest resource planner, and supported the Division's private lands programs by coordinating the State Forest Stewardship Committee and serving as the SMART State Administrator. Cotton joined the Ohio Division of Forestry in 2005 and worked as a service forester in central Ohio before becoming Special Projects Administrator in 2009.
Prior to joining the Ohio Division of Forestry, Cotton served as a Conservation Specialist with the Franklin Soil & Water Conservation District and a Research Forester with the University of Florida. He also served in the Peace Corps in Bolivia as a Natural Resources Volunteer.
Cotton holds a Master's of Science Degree in forest resources and conservation from the University of Florida and a Bachelor's of Science Degree in wildlife science from Virginia Tech.
Rhode Island Welcomes Will Walker
Greetings, fellow Stewardship Coordinators,
My name is Will Walker. I am pleased to announce I've been offered to work for the Rhode Island Division of Forest Environment as the
Stewardship Coordinator. Many of you may know my predecessor, Tom Abbott, who has been with Rhode Island Forestry for many years.
Prior to taking this position, I earned an Associate's Degree in forest technology from the University of New Hampshire (UNH) and then went on to earn a baccalaureate in forestry at UNH as well. I spent the summer of my senior year as an intern with the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests where I learned the ins and outs of boundary line maintenance. After working for a short period as a forest technician for a logging company based out of Concord, NH, I then moved back to Rhode Island to start working as a consulting forester.
The experience gained through my previous work and education has landed me in the seat I'm in as I type this short narrative. Needless to say, I'm grateful for the opportunity to work in such a great field, learn from others, and lastly, to work alongside forestry professionals like you all. Cheers, Will Walker [email protected] |
Will Walker.
|
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Welcome Karl Honkonen, Forest Watershed Specialist
Glenn Rosenholm, U.S. Forest Service, Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry
Forest Watershed Specialist Karl Honkonen recently reported aboard at the Durham [NH] Field Office, where he is responsible for improving water quality in forestry operations in six New England States and New York. He replaces Dave Welsch who retired in 2013.
Karl provides technical direction and leadership for best management practices in nonpoint source pollution control. He also provides expertise in silviculture and natural resource management.
Read the full article.
Karl Honkonen. (Photo: Glenn Rosenholm)
Home
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Welcome Jeremy Peichel, Forest Watershed Specialist
Forest Watershed Specialist Jeremy Peichel is now working for the U.S. Forest Service in the St. Paul, MN, Field Office. His work supports restoration efforts in the Great Lakes and the Upper Mississippi River across seven States.
Read the full article.
Jeremy Peichel.
Home
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Cooperative Forest Management Group Meets in Stowe, VT
Mike Huneke, U.S. Forest Service, Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry
|
CFM Committee meeting participants gather for a group photo. (Photo: Bob Fitzhenry)
|
From May 13-19, the Northeastern Area Association of State Foresters Cooperative Forest Management Committee held its annual meeting in beautiful Stowe, VT. Representatives from all 20 of the Northeastern Area States and the U.S. Forest Service, State and Private Forestry attended.
Read the full article.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CFM Forester of the Year: Mark Lewis
Regional Forestry Group Honors Pennsylvania DCNR Employee
Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
Press Office
Accomplishments in cooperative forest management have earned a Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry employee prestigious honors from the Northeastern Area Association of State Foresters.
Mark Lewis, a service forester with the Cornplanter State Forest District based in Warren County, has been named the 2013 recipient of the association's CFM Forester of the Year Award, recognizing "outstanding dedication and professional work of the state service foresters" in a 20-state region comprising the regional organization.
"I am very honored to have been selected for the 2014 CFM Forester of the Year award, and I am proud to represent DCNR and the Bureau of Forestry," said Lewis. "The work being done by CFM foresters in Pennsylvania and throughout the Northeast states is tremendous and far-reaching. To be counted among such company is humbling. I am grateful to all those who have helped and encouraged me throughout my tenure with the bureau."
Read the full article.
CFM Forester of the Year Mark Lewis.
Home
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Balancing Timber and Birds:
Foresters for the Birds
Story written by Will Lindner, Photos by Caleb Kenna
[Reprinted with permission. The article first appeared in the Vermont Land Trust 2012-2013 Annual Report]
Reed and Christine Cass savor the bird experiences they've had on their 236-acre conserved property in Charleston, in Vermont's Northeast Kingdom.
"We had gone through a wildlife conservation program in our home state of Connecticut and learned that an even-aged forest is not the best habitat for wildlife," said Reed. They decided to keep a two-acre area, cleared by the previous owner, open for wildlife. "We go in every fall and cut anything that's taller than me, and I'm five-eight," he said. "A lot of birch, tamarack, and white pine have seeded. Two or three years ago, we'd been working in there all day, and I'll never forget it, a pileated woodpecker flew over!"
Then there was the winter day when they were trekking down a trail, on snowshoes, and came to a cornfield that they lease to a local farmer. "Suddenly there were probably fifty to a hundred snow buntings in front
of us.
"But the most thrilling thing we ever saw was the woodcock that came down into an area cleared for Christmas trees. He came down and did his dance, and he was whistling; that was really something to experience."
Read the full article.
Christine and Reed Cass are managing their forest land with birds in mind.
Home
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Engaging Private Forest Landowners in Stewardship to Promote Forest Health and Biodiversity in Connecticut
Roger Monthey, U.S. Forest Service, Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry
Bird songs permeate the forest during the spring breeding season in Connecticut. Many landowners appreciate birds and other wildlife on their woodlands (e.g., woodland retreat owners) based on woodland owner surveys conducted by Dr. Brett Butler of the U.S. Forest Service and others. Improving bird habitat for a specific species or a suite of species by applying traditional silvicultural prescriptions may be of interest to these woodland owners, and may increase appreciation and protection of Connecticut woodlands.
This U.S. Forest Service competitive grant project in Connecticut seeks to connect forest landowners who have an interest in wildlife with biologists and foresters. Partners include Audubon Connecticut, The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, and the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Division of Forestry. Additional organizations are also expressing interest in being part of the project.
Read the full article.
Large forested blocks are important to birds such as the wood thrush. (Photo: Steve Maslowski, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)
Home
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
St. Paul Field Office Welcomes Carleen Yocum as New Field Representative
The St. Paul Field Office of the U.S. Forest Service, Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry welcomes Carleen Yocum as its new Field Representative.
Carleen was born and raised in eastern Ohio. After completing her Bachelor of Science in Forestry/Natural Resources Conservation at the University of Montana, Carleen served for over 2 years as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Costa Rica.
Read the full article.
|
Carleen Yocum.
|
Home
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
New NRCS National Forester:
Eunice Padley
Dr. Eunice Padley has joined the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service as its National Forester, Ecological Sciences Division, located in Washington, DC.
|
Eunice Padley.
|
She comes from the U.S. Forest Service, where she has been the National Soils Program Leader since 2011. Prior to that, Dr. Padley was with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources as a Forest Ecology/Silviculture specialist and researcher from 2001-2011.
She has also worked in the Forest Service's regional office in Milwaukee, on two national forests in Michigan, and at Michigan Technological University.
She holds a B.S. degree in Botany and an M.S. degree in Crop and Soil Sciences from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville as well as a Ph.D. in Forestry from Michigan State University. She is a native of Wisconsin, where she grew up on a family-owned farm.
You can reach Eunice via e-mail at [email protected], or by calling 202-720-3921.
|
Larry Waukau:
A Not-So-Easy Path Through the Forest
Life in northern Wisconsin is not always easy.
Just ask Larry Waukau.
Glenn Rosenholm, U.S. Forest Service, Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry
When we last spoke, Waukau, a member of the Menominee Tribe in northern Wisconsin, said his pipes had been frozen for nearly two months, and he still had four-foot snow banks in April.
This past winter featured 67 days of below-zero weather. "Green Bay had only 54, and they set a record," Waukau said.
He was looking forward to spring, whenever that arrived, and to fly fishing, he said.
The 67-year-old, commonly spotted in blue jeans, work boots, and a flannel shirt, had been busy chopping wood to give away to needy people. Growing up poor on the Menominee Reservation had taught him the challenges of living without some of the basic necessities of life, including indoor heating.
Read the full article.
|
Larry Waukau. (Photo: Tom Lindfors)
|
Home
|
Forest Land Conservation Spotlight
|
A Primer on the Community Forest and Open Space Conservation Program
Neal Bungard, U.S. Forest Service, Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry
The U.S. Forest Service has a relatively new and exciting program for conserving forests for public benefits. It's called the Community Forest and Open Space Conservation Program, or Community Forest Program (CFP) for short. The program has been around for a few years and has had a number of accomplishments as previously noted in the past two issues of Forest Matters.
Every new program to protect forests makes new opportunities available to the public. This primer on the CFP will introduce you to the program and answer questions you may have about it.
Read the full article.
|
The author's son walks along a trail in the Barre (VT) Town Forest. (Photo: Neal Bungard, U.S. Forest Service, Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry)
|
|
Installing a Butterfly Garden at the Durham Field Office
Angie Hammond, U.S. Forest Service, Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry
We treasure many butterflies for their beauty and grace in flight. With concern over the decline in Monarch butterfly populations, butterfly enthusiasts are increasingly interested in taking steps to install butterfly gardens to provide additional feeding and resting areas.
This article briefly describes the installation of a butterfly garden in June 2014 at the Durham Field Office of the Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry unit of the U.S. Forest Service in Durham, NH.
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail butterfly. (Photo: Sandy Clark, U.S. Forest Service, Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry)
"Is that a baby hummingbird or a bumble bee on that flower?"
Angie Hammond, U.S. Forest Service, Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry
Have you ever seen what looks like a small hummingbird or a large bee darting from flower to flower, pausing only to sip nectar? If so, you have seen a hummingbird moth.
This moth, also known as the hummingbird clearwing Sphinx moth (Hemaris thysbe), looks and flies like a hummingbird. It is about 1� inches long with an olive-green or brown back with a wide, reddish-brown stripe. It has a tuft at the end of its abdomen that resembles hummingbird tail feathers, and its long proboscis resembles a hummingbird beak. The hummingbird moth's almost clear wings move so quickly that at times they are not visible. Like a hummingbird, the moth appears to hover in midair when it feeds on flowers, and its wing beats sound similar to the hum made by a hummingbird.
Read the full article. Sphinx moth on left. (Photo: Dave Gomeau) |
|
|
|