forestry

Sometimes reaching a height of more than 100 feet tall with trunk diameters often well over 10 feet, the American chestnut was the giant of the eastern U.S. forests. There were once billions of them and their range stretched from Georgia and Alabama to Michigan, but the majestic tree was gone before forest science existed to document its role in the ecosystem.

The word “agriculture” does not usually come to mind when one thinks of forests, but perhaps it’s time that it should.

“The forest products industry employs nearly 1 million people and contributes $254 billion to America’s economy through sales and payroll,” said Eric Norland, a national program leader at USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA).

The United States forest products industry accounts for approximately four percent of the nation’s total manufacturing GDP, producing over $200 billion in products every year. To keep tabs on the condition and status of America’s forest resources over time, the USDA Forest Service Forest Inventory and Analysis Program compiles the official estimates for all public and private forest lands in the country. This long-term trend information is used to inform economic, policy, and management decisions at a range of scales.

“Resilience” is the ability to recover from change, or when you think about landscapes, the ability to recover from disturbances like wildfires. A new model takes the idea of resilience and applies it to the natural environment, specifically, to sagebrush. This resilience model is one of the core elements of the new Science Framework for Conservation and Restoration of the Sagebrush Biome (Part 2).

This week, the U.S. Forest Service commemorates International Day of Forests and its 2019 theme Forests and Education with the 75^th birthday of the iconic forest educator, Smokey Bear. While Smokey Bear’s influence in the United States is remarkable, he is also an inspiration to forest mascots around the world.

Enrichment is essential for all animals. For animals housed in zoos, aquariums, and wildlife sanctuaries, enrichment helps stimulate an animal’s senses by mimicking what they would experience in the wild. Hose2Habitat, a nonprofit based in Maryland, found an innovative way provide enrichment to animals and the USDA Forest Service is helping out in a big way.

For years, catastrophic wildfires have threatened forests throughout the country. Wildfires have increased in both size and severity, and with them the risks to communities, natural resources, and firefighter safety.

With some news stories suggesting that a majority of invasive species across the United States have been greatly reduced in numbers because of rare frigid temperature this winter it is understandable that some folks might think the battle of the invasive is close to being won. That assumption would be incorrect, mainly because the survivability of certain invasive bugs like the tenaciously destructive Emerald Ash Borer, or EAB.

Americans hit the slopes about 57 million times a year, and when they go, they spend billions of dollars.

There are icons and then there is Smokey Bear. Iconic mascots and images come and go but Smokey and his one clear message “Only you can prevent wildfires” has stood the test of time—75 years to be exact.