All Articles Page 4

Top ten of 2021

by Sarah Farmer and Jennifer Moore Myers  • 
We hope you enjoy this collection of the most popular CompassLive stories of 2021. Each article highlights the people, partnerships, and natural wonders of the South. For the past century, USDA Forest Service research has contributed to healthier, more sustainable southern forests.   ______________________ One acorn, two acorns, three acorns, four… How to evaluate acorn crops  Every year, state wildlife…  More 

Research spans the South: Cross-site studies of the Experimental Forest Network

by Sarah Farmer, SRS Communications  • 
A small team of USDA Forest Service employees are making huge contributions to the SRS Experimental Forest Network. Chuck Burdine and Bryan Mudder are key members of this team. For the past two years, they have been on temporary assignments as western and eastern regional coordinators, respectively. “When I took on the regional coordinator role,…  More 

New story map for the Experimental Forest Network

by Sarah Farmer, SRS Science Communications  • 
Long-term research is conducted across the USDA Forest Service Experimental Forest Network. A new story map provides detailed information for each site in the SRS Experimental Forest Network. The story map: Discusses current and past research and highlights online resources, including a growing collection of digital datasets; Shows the ecoregion and type of forest community…  More 

Catchin’ bugs in the Lari-Leuco container

by Sarah Farmer, SRS Science Communications  • 
New containers make it easier to monitor Laricobius beetles and Leucopis silver flies, two important predators of hemlock woolly adelgids. USDA Forest Service managers and partners have released these predators throughout the range of eastern hemlock to help control the invasive adelgids. After two years, the sites are monitored to see if the predators have become…  More 

Defining the U.S. land base in support of the Resources Planning Act Assessment

by Stephanie Siegel, USDA Forest Service Contract Science Writer  • 
By analyzing non-Federal land use trends, USDA Forest Service researchers, including Mark Nelson of the Northern Research Station, Kurt Riitters of SRS, and others from across the agency, found that developed land use in the South nearly doubled over the past 30 years, from 25.3 million acres in 1982 to 45.6 million acres in 2012. Their…  More 

Future water supply depends on forested lands

by Stephanie Siegel, USDA Forest Service Contract Science Writer  • 
Forests provide cleaner water than any other land cover type. Around 60 million people in the U.S. get more than half of their surface drinking water from forested lands. In Environmental Research Letters, USDA Forest Service ORISE hydrology fellow Ning Liu and colleagues break down the contributions of U.S. forests to surface drinking water supplies.…  More 

Linking tree water use and soil moisture

by Sarah Farmer, SRS Science Communications  • 
When more water is available, some tree species use much more of it. Loblolly pines growing near a stream used 65 percent more water than loblolly pines growing near the top of a hill, reports a new study led by USDA Forest Service researcher Johnny Boggs.  White oaks near a stream only had 12 percent…  More 

Handbook for 30-year-old bottomland oak stands

by Stephanie Siegel, USDA Forest Service Contract Science Writer  • 
Southern floodplain forest landowners can benefit from a new USDA Forest Service handbook of silvicultural practices for oaks planted on former croplands. The practical volume outlines the methods – and supporting science – for managing stands to produce high-quality oak sawtimber, improve wildlife habitat through acorn production, or an integrated approach for both timber and…  More 

Longleaf pines & fire in the growing season

by Stephanie Siegel, USDA Forest Service Contract Science Writer  • 
Prescribed fire every two years had no impact on the growth or survival of mature longleaf pines – even when prescribed fire was conducted in the growing season, finds long-term experiment. USDA Forest Service scientist John Willis led a study comparing stands of Pinus palustris burned in winter, spring, and summer. Summer lightning often ignites…  More 

Novel forestry outreach shows success

by Stephanie Siegel, USDA Forest Service Contract Science Writer  • 
In 2012, the USDA Forest Service and Natural Resources Conservation Service partnered with a number of nonprofit organizations to create an award-winning program to help landowners address heirs’ property, land retention, and natural resource justice issues. The Sustainable Forestry and African American Land Retention Program (SFLR) has become a model for addressing issues faced by…  More