All Articles Page 4

Forest Service Technical Engineer of the Year

by Teresa Jackson, SRS Public Affairs  • 
It is easy to understand why Pikeville, Tennessee native Jason Anderson was nominated for and awarded the USDA Forest Service’s 2017 Technical Engineer of the Year. Anderson is the Southern Research Station’s assistant station engineer. He received the award for his accomplishments in implementing new engineering technologies and his development of long-term research infrastructure for invasive…  More 

Where to Grow Woody Bioenergy Crops?

by Sarah Farmer, SRS Science Communications  • 
Demand for bioenergy is expected to grow – as much as 10 times larger than present. Woody crops such as poplar or loblolly pine have the potential to fuel this growth. But where should such crops be planted? How to minimize transportation costs? Where are the opportunity zones? Where are the risks? USDA Forest Service…  More 

Forests Supply Water to Puerto Rico

by Jennifer Moore Myers, SRS Science Communications  • 
Puerto Rico’s forests are still recovering from Hurricane Maria. Local scientists estimate that one out of five trees in the El Yunque National Forest were lost during or after the storm. Widespread forest restoration and monitoring efforts are underway. But that work isn’t focused on just the trees in those forests — water supply is an important ecosystem…  More 

Coweeta Technicians Travel to Puerto Rico

by Katie Bower, Coweeta LTER Research Technician  • 
Electric blue squares dotted the urban landscape. From the descending plane, USDA Forest Service visitors thought they might be swimming pools. Alas, they were tarps covering the roofs of homes and keeping leaks at bay on rainy days. These tarps were the first sign of lingering damage from Hurricanes Irma and Maria. Broken roads, twisted…  More 

Projections of Future Climate and Annual Runoff

by Jennifer Moore Myers, SRS Science Communications  • 
Hydrologists have traditionally relied on historic precipitation data to estimate broad-scale runoff. “Rainfall was always number one,” says USDA Forest Service scientist Ge Sun. “But things are changing and getting more complicated.” Sun co-authored a recent modeling study that investigated how other climate factors might influence future changes in runoff. The researchers were intrigued by…  More 

Southern Roots in New York

by John Schelhas, research forester  • 
Urban-rural connections are quite important for land and forest management in the South. From the early 1900s to about 1970, many African Americans migrated from southern farms to industrializing northern cities, and since then many have returned to their homelands. As a USDA Forest Service researcher, I’ve studied African American forest landownership since 1999. I…  More 

Reptiles and Amphibians Unharmed by Prescribed Fires in Early Growing Season

by Jennifer Moore Myers, SRS Science Communications  • 
Amphibians and reptiles tend to be most active during the spring and summer, when it’s warmer. A recent USDA Forest Service study compared how herpetofauna respond to prescribed fires conducted during the growing season – when vegetation is actively growing – versus those in dormant season months. “Historically, prescribed burning has been limited to the…  More 

SRS Supports Annual Minority Conference

by Teresa Jackson, SRS Public Affairs  • 
Your mother always told you that manners were important. Students attending this year’s Minorities in Agriculture Natural Resources and Related Sciences (MANRRS) conference connected with the USDA Forest Service and explored job opportunities. MANRRS is a non-profit organization that promotes academic advancement for students through professional development programs, partnerships, competitions, and career opportunities. The MANRRS…  More 

Innovations in Forest Operations Technology

by Jennifer Moore Myers, SRS Science Communications  • 
Cut and haul costs. Elemental time study. Machine production hour. Ask USDA Forest Service scientist Dana Mitchell about any of these forest engineering terms, and you’re in for a treat. As a research forest engineer, Mitchell’s work focuses on improving the technology and business of forest operations – with a broader goal of improving forest…  More 

Arkansas Research Forester Receives International and Regional Honors

by Teresa Jackson, SRS Public Affairs  • 
Silvicultural histories are recognized by forestry professionals from the United Kingdom to Arkansas. The Editorial Board of Forestry, an international journal of forest research, recently awarded USDA Forest Service research forester Don Bragg the 2017 Percy Stubbs, John Bolton King and Edward Garfitt Prize for Silviculture for advancing silviculture research. Bragg received this prestigious award…  More