Northeastern Area Represented at World Forestry Congress
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(Photo: Jon Midura, U.S. Forest Service International Programs)
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DURBAN, South Africa--The U.S. delegation that recently attended the World Forestry Congress in South Africa included Northeastern Area Urban Forestry Specialist Phil Rodbell. He convened and moderated a session on urbanization, and reported on the contributions of urban trees and forests to community resilience and sustainability, including best practices for climate change adaptation and mitigation. While interacting with forestry leaders from around the world, he learned there is interest in iTree for economic valuation of urban forests and related drivers for investment, as well as in our experience with community involvement and citizen participation
Phillip Rodbell is shown here with a rubber tree (
Ficus elastica) in Cape Town's central garden adjacent to the South African Parliament building.
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Emerald Ash Borer Now in Eleven Minnesota Counties
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Emerald ash borer on a purple sticky trap. (Photo: Jeff Hahn, University of Minnesota Extension)
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ST. PAUL, Minn.-The Minnesota Department of Agriculture confirmed an emerald ash borer (EAB) infestation on private property in the City of Prior Lake, after a call to the "Arrest the Pest phone line. Scott County will join Anoka, Chisago, Dakota, Fillmore, Hennepin, Houston, Olmsted, Ramsey, and Winona counties in a State and Federal quarantine. The quarantine is in place to help prevent EAB from spreading by limiting the movement of items that may be infested, including ash trees, limbs, and hardwood firewood. The greatest risk of spreading EAB comes from people moving firewood or other ash products that are harboring larvae. EAB was also discovered in a survey trap in Washington County and was sent to USDA for confirmation. Minnesota has approximately 1 billion ash trees--more than any other State in the nation.
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New Stewardship Series Engages Menominee Students and Faculty
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(Photo: Dale Kakkak, College of Menominee Nation)
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KESHENA, Wis.--The Forest Service and its partners at the
College of Menominee Nation, the Sustainable Development Institute, and the Center for First Americans Forestlands recently held the first in an ongoing series of student-faculty engagement sessions. The series is designed to encourage students to think about protection of cultural and natural resources as future stewards in the Tribal and global community. Students have the opportunity to discuss personal and professional stewardship ethics across major areas of study. The second event was scheduled for October 23, 2015, at the college.
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Chesapeake Forest Champions Protect Urban Trees
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Planted riparian buffer (Photo: Courtesy Chesapeake Bay Program)
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ANNAPOLIS, Md.--At its annual Chesapeake Watershed Forum, with support from the U.S. Forest Service, the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay recognized four Chesapeake Forest Champions. The examples set by the champions are reminders that the region's resources can be restored by local actions: protecting urban trees, promoting forest buffers, managing a stewardship-certified forest, and practicing sustainable forest management.
Learn more at
http://allianceforthebay.org/.
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Northeastern Area Staffs at Work Behind the National Scene
NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa.--In the event of a national tragedy, natural catastrophe, or major public event like the Pope's recent visit, Northeastern Area Fire and Aviation staff and Emergency Support Function (ESF-4) personnel from other organizations are involved. They play a functional support role within the National Response Framework--a systematic organization of trained personnel, by going on emergency-standby and being prepared to support Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) operations if needed. Staff members have served this support function at other events such as the Olympic Games, Super Bowl, World Series, Political Conventions, and Diplomatic Summits. When called into action, such as after Hurricanes Sandy, Katrina, Gustav, Hanna, and Ike, staff members work with Federal, State, and local governments, and volunteers to bring aid to victims. Three other Northeastern Area staffs also have members trained as ESF-4 personnel.
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Northeast Fire Compact at Work
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(Photo: Trevor F. Augustino, Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation)
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The Northeast Fire Compact hosted a conference of Fire Compacts from across the United States and Canada in Bar Harbor, ME. The fire compacts are comprised primarily of State agencies that work cooperatively with support from the U.S. Forest Service, State and Private Forestry, to assist one another during periods of high fire activity. Compact members shared issues encountered during this past fire season, learned about legislative progress affecting compacts, and discussed methods to share resources for incidents and mutual training.
The Northeast Fire Compact responded to the call for assistance from the State of Idaho through the Northwest Compact. An Incident Management Team of State, Federal, and Canadian overhead personnel worked with local private, State of Idaho, and U.S. Forest Service units to manage the Last Inch Fire, located 12 miles east of Clarkia, ID. The team received an outstanding evaluation from local agency administrators. The Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry supports these efforts with technical and State Fire Assistance grant funding.
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Northeastern Area Takes Part in "Mystic River Canoemobile"
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SOMERVILLE, Mass.--Northeastern Area Watershed Forester Karl Honkonen conducted the Project Learning Tree "Tree Factory" activity for nearly 100 students, when Urban Waters Federal Partnership staff joined an outreach program on the Mystic River. (Photo, Courtesy of Karl Honkonen)
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Oak Tree Dedicated to Memory of Kurt Gottschalk
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Forest Service employees gather around Kurt Gottschalk's family to dedicate an oak tree in his memory. (Photo: Donna Foster)
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MORGANTOWN, W.Va.--Current and former Forest Service employees from the Northern Research Station and Northeastern Area gathered with Kurt Gottschalk's family to dedicate an oak tree in his memory. He had devoted his career to the study of oaks. According to Research Scientist Gary Miller, one of Gottschalk's favorite sayings was that today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that refused to budge. Gottschalk, project leader and research forester with the Station passed away suddenly in August.
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Disability Awareness--Disability Etiquette to Use All Year
ELKINS PARK, Pa.--Should you ...pet a service dog? ...shake a prosthetic hand? ...jump aside for a power wheelchair? ...use special greetings for someone with impaired vision?
Watch a series of 1-minute videos that explain the behaviors that respect the person with the disability, at MossRehab.com.
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You Can Weigh In--Forest Service Digital Strategy
WASHINGTON--The Federal Government is identifying how it will interact and use digital technology in the future. As part of that effort, the Forest Service is starting to develop a strategy to meet our digital technology needs and is using a survey to gather information. The 20-minute survey includes sections on business requirements; Web services; accurate, complete, and shareable data; social media; and mobile technology. Responses are needed by November 6.
Take the survey.
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Society of American Foresters National Convention in November
BETHESDA, Md.--The 2015 SAF National Convention will be held in Baton Rouge, LA, November 3-7. The convention will also host the USDA Forest Service National Silviculture Workshop, the American Tree Farm System Inspectors' Training, and other professional development opportunities. Learn more and register at
http://www.xcdsystem.com/saf/site14/.
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Climate of Change Environmental Education Conference, New England
DEVENS, Mass.--The 2015 conference of the New England Environmental Education alliance will be held this year in Waterville Valley, N.H., November 8 - 10, 2015. Registration deadline is November 1.
View conference information at neeea.org.
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Annual Smokey Bear and Woodsy Owl Poster Contest
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What to Do With All Those Leaves?
MERRIFIELD, Va.--The National Wildlife Foundation offers a number of ideas for keeping leaves out of landfills.
Find out at nwf.org.
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Soils and the Products We Use
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Turning Water Data to Art and Music
DURHAM, N.H.--Data from a small watershed at the Forest Service's Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest are captured using an array of sensors. The data are used to drive artistic visualizations and sonifications of hydrologic processes.
Look and listen at waterviz.org.
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Make your best guess, then
get the answer from Naturevideo on You Tube.
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