All Articles Page 4

Timber Tax Tips can help forest owners realize potential tax benefits

by Kathryn Sosbe, Office of Communication  • 
Family forests provide many valuable goods and services that extend beyond their boundaries, including clean air and water, wildlife habitat, and carbon sequestration. Although owners of forested land usually don’t get paid directly for those benefits, there are tax incentives that can be associated with management activities. Landowners often do not know that reforestation, timber…  More 

Mind the gap? Pines love it!

by Virginia McDaniel, Science Writer  • 
  The bigger the gap the more pines grow Especially when site treatment keeps hardwood growth slow But if a mixedwood stand Is the forest we desire Advanced hardwood regen Should be allowed to grow higher. USDA Forest Service scientist Don Bragg collaborated on a study recently published in Forest Ecology and Management that considered…  More 

Northern red oak: a contender or a member?

by Virginia McDaniel, Forestry Technician  • 
Northern red oak in the Appalachians Grows to be stately at high elevations But is there regen? And what makes it thrive? Harvest makes light to keep it alive But fire suppression helps mesophytes reign A little control may help red oak sustain Site treatment with fire and some herbicide May help each species to…  More 

Conserving trees for endangered bats

by Stephanie Siegel, USDA Forest Service Contract Science Writer  • 
Tricolored bats (Perimyotis subflavus) in South Carolina are threatened by habitat loss and white-nose syndrome. New research shows where they roost during winter, and where they and northern yellow bats (Lasiurus intermedius) roost in summer. Northern yellow bats are considered a species a special concern in South Carolina. USDA Forest Service scientist Susan Loeb contributed…  More 

Bat foraging in winter vs summer

by Stephanie Siegel, USDA Forest Service Contract Science Writer  • 
Unlike bats in cold northern regions, bats in the South can be active year-round. However, most studies of bat habitat use have been conducted during the summer, Little is known about winter bat habitat. In summer and winter 2018 and 2019, USDA Forest Service scientist Susan Loeb, Clemson University graduate student Kyle Shute, and his…  More 

Trapping hogs one sounder at a time

by Sarah Farmer, SRS Science Communications  • 
Wild pigs are the largest invasive species in the U.S., and cost billions of dollars in damage to ecosystems and farms each year. New insights from the Savannah River Site are leading to better ways of managing them: whole sounder trapping, baiting strategies, and timing trapping efforts so that pigs are absent during critical portions…  More 

Awards 2021: Chief’s Award, Southern Region Awards, Director’s Awards

by Sarah Farmer, SRS Science Communications  • 
In 2021, SRS employees and their collaborators were recognized for outstanding accomplishments. USDA Forest Service Chief’s Award Zanethia Barnett and Craig Roghair received a Chief’s Award for their role in bringing people of color to the Ocala, George Washington & Jefferson, Monongahela, and Cherokee National Forests for snorkeling and other activities. 185 participants joined the adventure,…  More 

Burrowing crayfish prefer burning to boiling

by Virginia McDaniel, Forestry Technician  • 
Crayfish burrow amongst the prairie roots But are they affected by the woody shoots? Turns out as the woody stems get tall The number of crayfish burrow openings begins to fall. We know many species benefit from fire, but burrowing crayfish? USDA Forest Service scientist Susan Adams led a study that found the number of…  More 

New book on fire ecology and management across the U.S.

by Sarah Farmer, SRS Science Communications  • 
A comprehensive book on fire ecology and management in U.S. forests is now available. More than 70 experts wrote the book together, including researchers, land managers, and other experts from the USDA Forest Service. Other authors represented universities, non-governmental organizations and state and federal agencies. Forest Service scientist Katie Greenberg and Western Carolina University professor…  More 

Fires change forests

by Stephanie Siegel, USDA Forest Service Contract Science Writer  • 
A study spanning four continents and 67 years suggests that frequent fire is causing grasslands to replace savannas. The effects of changing fire frequencies may take several decades to become substantial, reports the study led by Stanford University researcher Adam Pellegrini, with contributions from USDA Forest Service research plant physiologist Mary Anne Sword Sayer and…  More