In 2001, I was the USDA author of the report entitled, “Managing the Impacts of Wildfires on Communities and the Environment” — the National Fire Plan. [Read more…]
Eastern national forests also need our care, attention
I saw your new site, Treesource.org, and read the article on the new PBS-TV documentary featuring Chuck Leavell. I have been working with (producer) Bruce Ward for several years on these issues. One thing I hope you will consider is using more information and stories from the eastern area of the country. Most information about forestry always seems to talk about the West and, of course, the USFS and national forests. I write myself, but don’t have an ability to impact the issue! This is a national crisis – not just a Western problem.
Cheers,
Bob Williams CF
Pine Creek Forestry, Laurel, N.J.
The Montana Triangle: Trees, trout and an epic friendship
For pure, unabashed fun and a bit of adventure, you won’t want to miss this travelogue by writer Nate Schweber and photographer Lido Vizzutti on the week they spent getting lost in the “Montana Triangle.”
The corners of their journey? Glacier National Park, theAmerican Prairie Reserve and Yellowstone National Park.
You’ll find plenty of trees along the way, but also an amazing story of history, change, and the power of great landscapes and a lifelong friendship. So grab a cup of coffee; you’ll want to spend some time with this new installment in our Travel through Trees series. [Read more…]
National Forest Foundation grant: Sierra Institute to build 3MW heat, power plant
The National Forest Foundation on Wednesday announced the winner of the 2016/2017 Barrett Foundation Business Concept Challenge. This unique competition provides awards for the best entrepreneurial approaches that help to solve one or more of the challenges facing America’s 193-million-acre national forest system.
Sponsor Dr. Craig R. Barrett, former chairman and CEO of Intel and current chairman of the NFF’s Board of Directors, described the purpose of this competition as, “stimulating new ideas and cultivating the next generation of entrepreneurial natural resource and business leaders.”
This year’s winner, the Sierra Institute for Community and Environment, submitted an innovative proposal that meets Barrett’s vision of the Challenge.
Restoration renaissance: A new paradigm in John Day
The remote rural community of John Day, Oregon, is enjoying a restoration renaissance. The only mill left in the county, Malheur Lumber Co., is humming along with 104 employees working extended hours processing a steady supply of logs from federal forest restoration projects. Restoration work has become an economic engine for the community: Careful thinning of smaller trees increases forest resilience while providing additional material for local industry. And the results are real: Local school enrollment has grown from 570 to 615 students, the highest it’s been in fifteen years. Unemployment has fallen from a high of 14 percent in 2012 to 8.9 percent in 2015. Community leaders hope that more jobs will give the younger generation a reason to stay in, or come back to, the community.