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HomeState & Private Forestry News
June 2017
Prescribed Fire Sparks New Life on Old Farm
Four firefighters in protective gear in front of a burning slope.
(Courtesy photo NRCS)
Within weeks of a prescribed burn, a more diverse mix of native plants began greening up this reforested old Massachusetts farm, reclaiming it from scrub brush.

USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service recently featured an article by Diane Petit on the regenerative efforts of reclaiming abandoned farmland near Ware, MA, to productive forest use. It was done via a prescribed, controlled burn last June. Almost immediately, new life began springing up through the ashes. Read the article on the American Agriculturist Web site.

Mobilizing Volunteers for Stewardship Projects
Container plants and shovels with people in background.
(Courtesy photo The Stewardship Network:New England/Emily Lord)
DURHAM, N.H. --- The Stewardship Network: New England is an initiative of the University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension. It launched the program in 2013 to increase the capacity of conservation organizations, agencies, and researchers to engage with volunteers in the care and study of ecosystems, lands, and waters. The network provides avenues for people to connect and engage with stewardship type projects. They have also mapped conservation easement trails so people can find local trails to hike on. Funding for the network includes a Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry grant. Learn more at the New England Stewardship Network Web site.

Did you know?
The Forest Service is committed to providing sustainable outdoor opportunities while minimizing the impacts of use on the land.

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Wheels to Woods

DURHAM, N.H. --- The Wheels to Woods Program provides funds for bus trips to the woods for school-aged students. Through Northeastern Area Youth Engagement funds, Michigan has been able to send thousands of students on field trips to learn about forests in 2016 and 2017. Learn more and apply to the program at the Wheels to Woods page of the Tree Farm System Web site. 
Study Shows Appreciation for Nature, Barriers to Connection

MISHAWAKA, Ind. --- A study of Americans' relationship to nature by D.J. Case and Associates found an alarming disconnection but also opportunities for reconnecting. "The Nature of Americans National Report: Disconnection and Recommendations for Reconnection," studied nearly 12,000 adults, and children and parents.

Richard Louv, author of "Last Child in the Woods" and chairman emeritus of the Children and Nature Network said this about the study:

"The extraordinarily insightful Nature of Americans study illuminates both the longing for and barriers to the natural world, and offers new documentation that will help those who connect children, families and communities to the natural world ..."

Read a press release about the study at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife's Conserving the Nature of America Web page. Watch a presentation of the study results by Dave Case at the North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference on YouTube. Get study findings at the Nature of Americans Web site.
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Web Site Advertises National Wildland Fire Training

NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. --- A Web site has been developed to help advertise wildland fire training opportunities across the country. This "one-stop shopping" approach was created to reduce confusion and duplication.

Wildland fire training is available to National Wildfire Coordinating Group member agencies. Students attending these courses first must be affiliated with one of the following: USDA Forest Service, U.S. Department of the Interior agencies, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency, U.S. Fire Administration, Intertribal Timber Council, National Association of State Foresters, or International Association of Fire Chiefs. 

The Web site is managed by the Training Information Communications System Committee, which is comprised of the Training Specialist/Geographic Area Training Representative (GATR) from each Geographic Area. The committee's mission is to simplify the training communication system with improving service to the customer and reducing duplication in training administrative services. The Geographic Area Training Representative for the Eastern Area is Matthew (Matt) Dillon.
  View the training opportunities on the National Wildland Fire Training Web site. 
Root Rot in Conifers: Information and Identification

ST. PAUL, Minn. --- Heterobasidion is an invasive fungal root disease that threatens red and white pines and other conifers. This disease was discovered in Minnesota in late 2014. It has been present in Wisconsin for some time and has spread quickly. Identification is complicated by the delayed appearance of its fruiting bodies. Learn more about the disease and how to identify this pathogen from a 2-minute video by the University of Minnesota, Department of Plant Pathology, on YouTube.
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Healthy Pools, Healthy Swimming
(Source: Clip Art ALL Web page)

ATLANTA --- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have outlined steps to take before and while using public pools and hot tubs, to protect against germs and injury. Learn what you should do at their Healthy Swimming Web page.
 
Upcoming Meetings

Urban Planning and Children --- The First Child in the City International Seminar, Urban Planning and Children, will be held June 19-20, 2017, in Rotterdam, The Netherlands.   View the seminar brochure and register at the Child in the City Web site.

Agroforestry for a Vibrant Future --- The 15th North American Agroforestry Conference, Agroforestry for a Vibrant Future: Connecting People, Creating Livelihoods, Sustaining Places, will be held June 26-29, 2017, in Blacksburg, VA. This conference is for agroforestry producers, researchers, educators, and those involved with related work in the fields of permaculture and agroecology. Register at RegOnline.
 

Editor's Note

Send items for inclusion in "State and Private Forestry News"to rburzynski@fs.fed.us by the first of the month in which you want the item to appear. 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.