A crayfish (Procambarus simulans) native to southern and central U.S. has been documented for the first time in Montana. The source of introduction and ecosystem impacts are unknown, but the population is established and further study is needed. 

A survey of 200-pound alligator snapping turtles focused on habitat preferences and eDNA as a safer, more efficient method for sampling populations of these rare, potentially endangered turtles. 

A recent review discusses forest pollinators - their importance to ecosystems and economies, and conservation and restoration efforts.

SRS technician Glenn Johnson rediscovered the dusky gopher frog. Partners have since raised generations of the endangered frogs on the Harrison EF to release on the De Soto NF, Mississippi.

Two fire-adapted earthworm species were discovered during a study on the effects of the 2016 wildfires in the Southern Appalachians.

Dense forests are at higher risk of damage from insects and diseases, according to a broad-scale analysis. The study suggests that tree basal area could serve as a regional indicator of forest health.

The 2021 Forest Health Monitoring report covers wildfire, drought, insect and disease effects, tree mortality, and satellite-detected canopy disturbance. This volume marks 21 years of national, annual forest health check-ups (SRS-GTR-266).

Two species of predatory flies could help control the invasive hemlock woolly adelgid. New research documents their overwintering and potential for survival across a range of environmental and climatic conditions.

Laurel wilt disease was reported, for the first time, on spicebush in Kentucky and Tennessee. Since 2002, the nonnative beetle-fungus duo that causes the disease has killed millions of trees in the laurel family.

By 2070, U.S. forests could be exposed to three times more drought as today - or even more, suggests a new study that can help prioritize areas at greatest risk.

A study on longleaf pine cone and seed production could help forest managers predict greater production years.

SCIENCEx webinars are available on demand. Topics include fire, forest planning, silviculture, and much more. 

Leaf litter is a major driver of fire spread. Researchers developed a new way to predict litter distribution with airborne laser scanning data. Their model predicted the amount of litter in southern forests with a high degree of accuracy.

The From the Forest podcast features Virginia McDaniel talking all things prescribed fire in the Interior Highlands: fuel consumption research, ecological and tree mortality effects, and more.

New research quantified the effects of various COVID-19 policies on timber prices in the South and found that, overall, prices of all timber products decreased after lockdowns began. 

Southern pulpwood and roundwood production and wood residue use have increased, according to a 2021 FIA bulletin (SRS-RB-237).

A new database of inter-basin transfers accounts for surface water that originates in national forests and other forested lands and then is delivered to public water systems for drinking water.

The human tendency to gravitate toward or away from specific numbers can be a source of error in forest inventory, according to FIA research on number preference.