All Articles Page 7

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 

Helping families keep & sustain land

by Sarah Farmer, SRS Science Communications  • 
Children often inherit their parents’ homes and land. But what if there is no will or estate plan? In such cases, state laws determine how real estate and other assets are divided. In most cases, property is passed to heirs in split shares. “Without a will, property is typically passed to heirs with a clouded…  More 

New Sapwood Challenges “Perfect Storm” of Pine Fungal Infection

by Stephanie Siegel, USDA Forest Service Contract Science Writer  • 
Loblolly pine trees may tolerate some fungal infection if they can form new sapwood. USDA Forest Service plant physiologist Mary Anne Sword Sayer, on a team with Ph.D. candidate John K. Mensah of Auburn University’s Forest Health Cooperative, conducted two studies in Alabama, one of young trees and one of mature trees. Loblolly pine (Pinus…  More 

Shortleaf Pine Plantings from 1980s Can Guide Restoration

by Sarah Farmer, SRS Science Communications  • 
About forty years ago, 155 plots of shortleaf pine (Pinus echinata) were planted in national forests across the USDA Forest Service Southern Region. The original purpose was progeny testing, but as decades passed, the study was largely abandoned. However, many of the stands remained and kept growing. In 2018, researchers evaluated 15 of the surviving…  More