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In This Issue
Forest Service Funds Clean Water Projects in Five States
Study Shows Citizen Scientists Learn Comparably by Smartphones
Forest Service Exceeds Yearly Forest Restoration Goals
Destructive Southern Pine Beetles Marching North
Tree Inventory and Management Software Resource List Revised
Pest Detection Program Benefits Anacostia River
Identifying and Managing Beetle Damage in Wood Products
Smith Island Watershed Forestry Training Held for 10th Year
Forest Service and Maine Team Up for i-Tree Training
Forest Legacy Accomplishments for Fiscal Year Ending September 30
Award-Winning Video, "Avoiding Wildlife-Vehicle Collisions," Available
Reminder: Use Local Firewood
Apryl Pierce new to NA
"Next Generation" Request for Proposals Is Open

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HomeState & Private Forestry News
November 26, 2014

Forest Service Funds Clean Water Projects in Five States

 

map of Great Lakes
Photo: U.S. Geological
Survey Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, www.umesc.usgs.gov/
glri.html/

NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa.--Water quality in the Great Lakes will benefit from more than $1.75M in grants from the U.S. Forest Service. The funds will support local environmental restoration projects across five states.

 

"There's no better way to protect clean water than through abundant tree cover," said Forest Service Northeastern Area Director Tony Ferguson. "We're supporting plantings in communities and cities, and reclaiming barren industrial lands." 

 

The grants are part of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, a cooperative effort between federal, tribal, state and local partners. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency funding administered by the Forest Service backs local efforts to improve the collection, storage, infiltration, and evaporation of rainfall and storm water.

 

Read the news release on the Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry Web site.

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Study Shows Citizen Scientists Learn Comparably by Smartphones

 

DURHAM, N.H.-A study funded by the Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry, and published in the Public Library of Science revealed that smartphone-based training was as effective as in-person training in helping citizen scientists to recognize invasive plants. Traditional in-person training, while effective, can become prohibitively expensive over broad geographic areas.

 

University of Massachusetts analysts studied three training models: in-person; app-based video; and app-based text/images in the context of invasive plant identification in Massachusetts. The study found that, while smartphone-based training provided comparable results to in-person delivery methods, text-based training was less effective.

 

The study noted the results have exciting implications for the field of citizen science.


"Over a broad landscape, smartphone-based training provides a potential cost-effective alternative to traditional methods," said Durham Field Office Forest Health Group Leader Mike Bohne. Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry funded the $200,000 project.
Read the study on the Public Library of Science Web site. 

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Forest Service Exceeds Yearly Forest Restoration Goals 

 

WASHINGTON--The U.S. Forest Service announced that it exceeded its forest restoration goals for Fiscal Year 2014, highlighting the Agency's continued commitment to improving the health of the America's national forests, reducing the threat of catastrophic wildfire, and protecting watersheds. Read the news release on the Forest Service Web site. 

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Destructive Southern Pine Beetles Marching North

pine beetle
Southern pine beetles seem to be partial to pitch pine, which is found on Long Island's South Shore. (Photo: USDA Forest Service - Region 8 - Southern Archive, www.forestryimages.org)

NEW YORK--It happens all over the South, and started in New Jersey more than a decade ago: the needles fading from green to yellow to red until the tree dies. It is the work of southern pine beetles, which invade the bark, lay eggs that hatch into larvae and hijack the tree's circulatory system, stealing its nutrients.

 

The beetles made their first appearance in New York in late September, when they were found on Long Island, evidence of their unceasing northward march and a result, scientists say, of increasingly balmy winters. Read the full article in the New York Times.

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Tree Inventory and Management Software Resource List Revised

 

ST. PAUL, Minn.--Commercial software programs were identified through Web searches and added to an existing list. Get the revised list at the Web site of the Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry. Any omissions from this list are unintentional. Please contact Jill Johnson to be added to the list.

 

Many urban forestry consultants have developed their own programs that are available as part of an inventory service contract but not independently. If you will be contracting for inventory data collection, check with potential consultants to learn about their software.

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Pest Detection Program Benefits Anacostia River 


MORGANTOWN, W.Va.--Entomologist Rick Turcotte, working with the District of Columbia Urban Forestry Administration and the nonprofit Earth Conservation Corp, has established a pest detection project for insects that reside beneath the bark. The project uses parts of declining trees that are cut or trimmed, placing them in rearing tubes. Students monitor them for emerging potential pest problems that may otherwise go undetected.

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Identifying and Managing Beetle Damage in Wood Products

Deathwatch beetles caused this damage to a dresser foot. (Photo: John F. Kyhl)

 

ST. PAUL, Minn.--John Kyhl, forest entomologist and pesticide use coordinator for the Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry, recently gave a presentation on beetles that damage wood and wood products through their feeding activities. One group of beetles, known as powderpost beetles, causes the most concern because they can reinfest wood and cause significant damage. In most cases, the beetles and their damage are mysteries, because they can evade detection for years (see photo). The presentation gave suggestions pest management professionals can use to assess damage, determine what species could be causing it, and whether they will reinfest. The talk also provided tips on how to manage infestations through changing environmental conditions and other techniques. Kyhl spoke at PestWorld--the annual meeting of the National Pest Management Association (NPMA).   

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Smith Island Watershed Forestry Training Held for 10th Year

 

NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa.--The popular and unique Smith Island Watershed Forestry Training, sponsored by the Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry, sent field foresters to the island for 3 days of hands-on work. Downstream of the Chesapeake's 64,000 square mile watershed, Smith Island is a place where impacts of water quality and sea level rise are tangible. Through this training, the important role of watershed forests is conveyed in a vanishing community of Chesapeake watermen. For more information contact the presenters Julie Mawhorter, Mike Huneke, or Phillip Rodbell.

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Forest Service and Maine Team Up for i-Tree Training

 

ATHENS, Ga.--The Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry and the Forest Service's Southern Region teamed up with the Maine Forest Service for a 2-day i-Tree training workshop in South Portland, ME.  Available from the Forest Service, i-Tree is a state-of-the-art, peer-reviewed software suite that provides urban forestry inventory, analysis, and benefits assessment tools. The training focused on use of the Streets and Eco software and the utility Pest Detection Protocol that can be used with them. Eric Kuehler from the Southern Region led the training, supported by Donna Foster and John Parry from the Northeastern Area.

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Forest Legacy Accomplishments for Fiscal Year Ending September 30 

 

DURHAM, N.H.-Acquisition of more than 300 acres in northern New Jersey will help to preserve water quality of the Highlands aquifer and Lake Hopatcong. Acquisition of over 31,000 acres in northern New Hampshire provides for recreational opportunities, wildlife habitat, and commercial timber production. Learn more about these Fiscal Year 2014 accomplishments on the Northeastern Area's Forest Legacy Program Web page.

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Award-Winning Video, "Avoiding Wildlife-Vehicle Collisions," Available

Deer crossing sign


MISSOULA, Mont.--October and November are peak road-kill months, and the U.S. Forest Service's safety video on Avoiding Wildlife-Vehicle Collisions just won a Telly Award. The video was selected for excellence in the nature/wildlife and safety categories, from nearly 12,000 entries from all 50 states and five continents.

 

The video has four parts: how deer sense the world, risk factors for collisions, when a collision is imminent, and after an accident. The 22-minute, close-captioned video targets Forest Service employees, who tend to drive every day on the most dangerous roads for wildlife-vehicle collisions. The principles to reduce the probability of a collision with a large animal, especially deer, however, are nearly universal; the video would be useful in rural drivers training courses.


Watch the video on YouTube, or order the free DVD from USDA Forest Service, Missoula Technology and Development Center, 5785 Highway 10 West, Missoula MT 59808-9361. 
 

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Reminder: Use Local Firewood

(Photo: University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension)

 

As you gather wood for your fireplace or campsite, keep in mind that pests and diseases of trees are commonly moved in firewood. To avoid moving pests, such as emerald ash borer and gypsy moth, collect firewood near where you will burn it.

To learn more about options for burning wood for heating, see the Sustainable Operations Tip in this issue.

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Apryl Pierce new to NA

 

Apryl Pierce is the newest member of the Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry's Business and Grants Management Staff in Newtown Square. In August she transferred across the hall from the Northern Research Station where she has worked as a procurement technician on the Acquisition Management Staff since 2009. Read more.

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"Next Generation" Request for Proposals Is Open


WASHINGTON--Developing the Next Generation of Conservationists Request for Proposals is now open and accepting proposals through December 16, 2014. The initiative connects youth to the outdoors by providing financial support for conservation employment programs.  Learn more at the Web site of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation 

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Editor's Note

Send items for inclusion in "State and Private Forestry News" to rburzynski@fs.fed.us. Include a related photo as either a jpg or tiff file with a resolution of 150 dpi or higher. As part of the text include a full-sentence caption for the photo and photo credit. If the photo is from a published or copyrighted source, also send the permission.