Reports From The States

[Ron Scott]

Idaho

Logging Profession Fading, Firewood in Short Supply

Idaho Lumberjack Clings to Family Business as Jobs Fade

Idaho Statesman.com (September 27) - How much longer will the logging profession last? Now the woods are full of machines that do much of the cutting. There's fierce competition overseas from places such as Brazil and restrictive harvest policies in federal forests. Those pressures make logging the fastest-disappearing job in the United States.

The number of US loggers will have dropped 43 percent in 10 years by 2022, the Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts. Once logging camps housed armies of the brawny if not Bunyanesque. By the latest count in 2013, there are 5,030 in the United States. Idaho, with the nation's highest concentration, has 320.

The E-Forester

[Ron Scott]

Detroit, Michigan

Trees Hauled to Detroit to Jump-Start Urban Forest

Oakland press.com (October 14) - Trees are being trucked to Detroit as part of an effort to create an instant, forest-like setting in one neighborhood.

The work aims to show what trees planted for the Hantz Woodlands project might look like a decade from now, The Detroit News reported. In May, hundreds of people planted 15,000 saplings on land bordered by burned-out homes and abandoned apartments for the larger project.

About $100,000 is being spent on the latest plantings. This week, 150 mature trees are being put in the ground on the city's east side. Oxford-based tree broker Keith Alexander located 20-foot-tall sugar maples in Michigan and New York to meet requirements for the project.

John Hantz believes agriculture and forestry can play an important role in bankrupt Detroit and figures trees are better than blighted neighborhoods. The Detroit resident's project includes cleaning up 140 acres and knocking down vacant homes in the area.

The E-Forester

[Ron Scott]

Michigan/California

Two different ways of handling their City Trees.

Ann Arbor Hiring Private Contractors for $368K to Catch Up on Tree Maintenance

Mlive.com (November 18) - The city of Ann Arbor is hiring two private contractors as it looks to catch up on tree removal, tree pruning, and stump removal needed along city streets.

The tree removal activities under both contracts focus on the highest-priority trees, those listed as priority 1 or 2 removals in the city's tree inventory. Currently, the city has a backlog of 815 priority 1 and 2 tree removals.

Renewed Call for Maintenance of City's Urban Forest after Falling Tree Injures Pedestrian

SFAppeal.com (November 14) - Citing a lack of resources for tree maintenance, for the last few years San Francisco Public Works has been in the process of transferring the maintenance responsibility for the majority of its 105,000 street trees to the care of private-property owners, despite public demand for a dedicated funding stream for the public maintenance of the city's urban forest.

In response, Public Works, in collaboration with the San Francisco Planning Department, Friends of the Urban Forest, Urban Forestry Council, and San Francisco Recreation and Parks, has crafted a San Francisco Urban Forest Plan, which identifies policies and strategies to proactively manage and grow the city's street trees population.

The E-Forester

[Ron Scott]

Vermont

Vermont Publishes New Timber Harvesting Guidelines

GMOutlook.com (January 22) - Vermont Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation Commissioner Michael Snyder has announced new harvesting guidelines that, while voluntary, will help maintain forest health and sustainability in the state for humans and wildlife.

The 62-page report, "Voluntary Harvesting Guidelines," includes important instructions on "conducting a harvest, protecting water quality, protecting soil health and productivity, biodiversity and wildlife habitat, and planning for uncertainty."

Members of the state's Act 24 Advisory Committee, working with various experts, examined current forest practice research and then drafted the guidelines for review based on widely accepted forest practices.

The guidelines are available on the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation website.

The E-Forester

[Ron Scott]

Oklahoma

Oklahoma: $220,000 Black Kettle Project to Thin Invasive Cedars

Tulsaworld.com (January 15) - Another blow will be delivered in the never-ending battle against invasive eastern red cedar trees in Oklahoma, thanks to National Wild Turkey Federation volunteers and state and federal agency cooperation.

This time the hit is significant, in the form of $220,000 aimed at the 30,000-acre Black Kettle Wildlife Management Area in western Oklahoma's Roger Mills County.

More work for Okemac  ;)

The E-Forester

[beenthere]

A story about this effort year or so ago. Wondering where the NWTF finds that kind of money?  Dues? or is this just the total and the state of OK and the USFS had the lions share ??

http://www.theoutdoorwire.com/story/138329618484b1503xnke

[Ron Scott]

Vermont

Vermont Office of Professional Regulation Recommends Forester Licensing

Sec.State.VT.US (January 9) - In response to a request from the Vermont House Committee on Government Operations, the state's Office of Professional Regulation (OPR) has issued a report recommending that professional foresters be licensed.

"OPR is recommending that any person who holds himself or herself out to the public as a professional forester or practices professional forestry be licensed. This does not mean that forestry management practices necessarily require a licensed forester. [Emphasis theirs - Ed.] Appropriate exemptions should include forestry management practices on one's own land or practice for no remuneration. Research foresters and teachers should also be considered for exemption. State foresters, including county foresters, on the other hand, should be required to be licensed."

The Society of American Foresters (SAF) supports rigorous forester credential programs as implemented through state-level forester licensing and mandatory registration requirements. To read SAF position statement on "State Programs to Credential Foresters," visit the SAF website.

[Ron Scott]

Michigan

Michigan: DNR Releases Update on Health of Its Forest Land

Michigan.gov (February 4) - The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has released its 2014 Forest Health Highlights report, an overview of Michigan's forests, the insects and diseases that have threatened them over the past year, and details about what DNR staff is doing to improve forest resources.

The report breaks down forest health threats by examining insects and diseases, forest decline, invasive plant control, and other health concerns. Accompanying photos and maps illustrate the pests and show the effects they have had on Michigan's forest system.

Among the highlights in the report are DNR's efforts to control oak wilt, a serious disease that threatens Michigan's extensive red oak resource. In cooperation with the US Forest Service, tens of thousands of feet of root graft barriers have been installed on state forestland. These barriers prevent oak wilt from moving to healthy trees through infected root systems.

The E-Forester

[Ron Scott]

Idaho

Idaho: County Commissioners Support Wilderness

Billingsgazette.com (March 25) - Commissioners in Idaho's Bonner County unanimously passed a resolution calling for the US Congress to designate the Idaho portion of the Scotchman Peaks as a wilderness.

The entire 88,000-acre wilderness area proposal straddles the Idaho-Montana border in the Kaniksu and Kootenai national forests.

The steep, rocky, mountainous area northeast of Lake Pend Oreille has been recommended for wilderness by Forest Service management plans that were debated for more than a decade and approved in January.

The E-Forester

[Ron Scott]

Connecticut

Southern Pine Beetle Found across State Is Destroying Trees

FoxCT.com (April 1) - A tiny beetle, discovered for the first time in Connecticut just two weeks ago, is causing big problems for pine trees in state.

The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station and the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection have announced that the southern pine beetle was detected in Wallingford's Wharton Brook State Park, in roughly two-dozen red pine trees, on March 17 by staff members.

The E-Forester

[Ron Scott]

Alaska

Alaska's Yellow Cedar Considered for Endangered Species Protection

Sitnews.us (April 11) - The US Fish and Wildlife Service has announced that Alaska yellow cedar trees may warrant protection under the Endangered Species Act because of ongoing threats from climate change and logging.

If listed, yellow cedar would be the first Alaska tree species, and only the second plant in the state, protected by the Endangered Species Act.

The E-Forester

[Ron Scott]

California

California: State Adopts Emergency Regulation for Removing Dead and Dying Trees

SantaCruzsentinel.com (June 23) - With a historic drought and wildfire season in full swing and eight blazes currently being battled in the state, the California Board of Forestry and Fire Protection has adopted an emergency regulation for removal of dead and dying trees.

The emergency regulation will allow individual landowners or professional foresters to apply for an exemption to cut dead and dying trees of any size without the typical timber harvest plan, submission requirements, and completion and stocking report requirements.

The E-Forester

[beenthere]

Re: CA
About time that their over-regulation comes back to bite them in the posterior, and good to hear about.

[Ron Scott]

Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania DCNR Renames Lackawanna State Forest District in Honor of Gifford Pinchot

Satprnews.com (August 11) - The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources has renamed the Lackawanna State Forest District in honor of Gifford Pinchot in a move marking the 150th anniversary of the conservation pioneer's birth and saluting his creation of forestry practices that continue to shape and benefit Pennsylvania's forests to this day.

The E-Forester

[Ron Scott]

Pennsylvania

Destructive Moth Damaging Cherry Trees in Allegheny National Forest

Readingeagle.com (August 10) - The cherry scallop shell moth, an insect pest native to Pennsylvania and the eastern United States, has defoliated cherry trees on more than 17,000 acres in the Allegheny National Forest and an additional 56,000 acres of public and private forestland in the northwestern corner of the state, according to a recent aerial survey by the Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry.

The E-Forester

[Ron Scott]

Idaho

Idaho History: The Great Forest Fire of 1910 Was Idaho's Deadliest

Idahostatesman.com (September 6) - The forest fire season of 1910 started on April 29 with a small blaze in the Blackfeet National Forest in the northwest corner of Montana. Nobody could have dreamed that it marked the beginning of the worst fire season in Idaho history, and one of the worst in the nation's history. Like most forest fires in the West, it was likely started by lightning, since, in some years, 80 percent of the fires on record started that way.

The E-Forester

[Ron Scott]

Montana

Montana: Tricon Timber Lays Off 90 in St. Regis

MTPR.org (September 28) - Ninety employees of Tricon Timber in St. Regis, one of the largest employers in western Montana's Mineral County, were laid off last week.

Tricon's only the latest casualty in what's been a long and difficult year for Montana's timber industry. Earlier this month Sun Mountain Lumber in Deer Lodge closed down the night shift in several of its operations, leaving 50 people out of work.

The E-Forester

[Ron Scott]

South Carolina

After Flooding Losses, Week Spotlights Impact of Forestry in S.C.

Thetandd.com (Orangeburg, SC - October 26) - The Forestry Commission has estimated a $65 million economic impact loss to forestry from the recent flooding across the state, an appraisal that puts a spotlight on the industry's importance to the state. South Carolina's largest manufacturing industry in terms of jobs and wages, forestry generates an $18.

The E-Forester

[Ron Scott]

Michigan's U.P.

Upper Michigan Forestry Industry Experiencing Upswing

Uppermichiganssource.com (Escanaba, MI - November 5) - Michigan's forest products industry provides more than 77,000 jobs in the state, according to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

According to the United States Department of Agriculture, Michigan has over 20 million acres of forest land. Though the Upper Peninsula accounts for only 29 percent of Michigan's area, it's home to 45 percent of the forests, making the logging industry vital to the U.P.'s economy.

The E-Forester

[Ron Scott]

Virginia

Department of Forestry Offers Discount on Seedlings to Veterans

Newsplex.com (Charlottesville, VA - November 5) - U.S. military veterans who want to order tree seedlings from the Virginia Department of Forestry can get a discount next week.

From Nov. 9 through 13, veterans can save 15 percent on their orders.

The E-Forester

[Ron Scott]

Maine

Tallest American Chestnut Tree Found in Southwestern Maine

(Lovell, ME - December 2) - The American Chestnut Foundation says the tallest known American chestnut tree in North America, which has been found in a forest in southwestern Maine, tops 115'.

The E-Forester

[Ron Scott]

Michigan

RE:  MICHIGAN BIG TREE HUNT LOOKING FOR VOLUNTEERS

[Contact Meghan Gordon – see below]

ReLeaf Michigan needs help to verify entries for the Michigan Big Tree Hunt.  We have been conducting the MI Big Tree Hunt since 1993.  It is a contest to find the biggest trees in MI in several categories:
1.   Largest Tree Overall submitted by an adult (16 years and older)
2.   Largest Tree Overall submitted by a child (15 years and younger)
3.   Largest White Pine (MI's State Tree)
4.   Largest Tree in each County
5.   Largest tree of any species that is larger than the current State Champion of that species
Applications have been accepted, and once the winning entries have been verified, there will be an awards ceremony scheduled for some time in February.

Any nominated tree that is a potential winner in any of the categories must be verified by an unbiased 3rd party before it can be named a winner.  This is where we need your help.

The verification process is very quick and simple – it essentially involves finding the tree (directions are provided), confirming or identifying the species, and measuring the trunk circumference.  In most cases there are no more than just a few trees that need to be verified in any one county.  It probably would only take an hour or two in any given county.

However, if the tree is classified under Potential State Champion (PSC) then additional measurements for tree height and canopy spread would be needed.  Andy Sawyer, who is the MI Botanical Club's Big Tree Coordinator, has also requested that if you could, record the GPS location of the PSC tree or just include an accurate location description and note if it is on public or private land.  That would help the Club in keeping better tabs on the trees.  They try to keep their list updated every few years in case trees come down in a storm, are removed, or have grown larger.  They keep track and publish a record of all the State Champion trees. 

More information on the MI Big Tree Hunt can be found at: http://releafmichigan.blogspot.com/p/big-tree-hunt.html

Please call or e-mail me if you are interested in helping.  Verifiers will be invited to the February ceremony and receive a thank you gift from ReLeaf Michigan.

I look forward to hearing from you,

Meghan Gordon

[Ron Scott]

Michigan

Michigan Tech Lands a Model Forest

(Alberta, MI - January 12) - Michigan Tech's model forest in Alberta has been recognized by the Forest Stewards Guild as exemplifying excellent forestry.

The E-Forester

[Ron Scott]

Michigan

RE:  WANTED – SENTINEL TREE VOLUNTEERS

Join the Michigan Eyes on the Forest sentinel tree network and help monitor Michigan's forest resources and help us protect against potential invasive threats.  Michigan residents can help in the identification of evidence of unusual decline, dieback, or the presence of major invasive forest pests not known to be established in Michigan.  We're especially looking for evidence of Asian long-horned beetle, hemlock woolly adelgid, and 1000 cankers disease of black walnut. 

To become a volunteer, register with the "Midwest Invasive Species Information Network" (MISIN).  Keep an eye on a tree, or two, and report once or twice each year on its condition.  Changes are particularly important.  Spread the word!

http://www.misin.msu.edu/eyes/

The network especially needs volunteers in the eastern UP and northern LP.  However, volunteers are still needed across Michigan. 

Questions?  Contact Russ Kidd at kidd@msu.edu (Yes, he did retire but . . . ). 

Other field project contacts are:
Julie Crick  crickjul@anr.msu.edu
Georgia Peterson  petersog@anr.msu.edu
Mike Schira  schira@msu.edu
Bill Cook  cookwi@msu.edu
Deb McCullough  mccullo6@mail.msu.edu

[Ron Scott]

Michigan's U.P.

"Voices from the Woods" 

http://www.secondwavemedia.com/upper-peninsula/features/loggingfeature12916.aspx

The E-Forester