Tag: Ouachita NF

The Southern Pine Module Goes Virtual

by Jim Guldin, Southern Research Station Silviculturist  • 
In 2019, Janet Hinchee, the USDA Forest Service Regional Silviculturist for the South invited me to coordinate the Southern Pine Module, a ten day workshop for the Forest Service National Advanced Silviculture Program. The workshop is a key element of the agency’s program for National Forest land managers, especially district silviculturists, to obtain required silvicultural…  More 

Bat Survival in Arkansas Mines

by Ivan Garcia, SRS Science Communications Intern  • 
White-nose syndrome has been spreading through U.S. bat populations since 2006 and has caused mass die-offs in various regions of the country. The syndrome is caused by Pd (Pseudogymnoascus destructans), a fungus that invades the skin of bats while they hibernate. White-nose syndrome (WNS) symptoms include dehydration and irritation. These symptoms awake the bats frequently…  More 

Green Line Meeting in Arkansas Promotes Collaboration

by Sarah Farmer, SRS Science Communications  • 
On September 10, a Green Line meeting brought USDA Forest Service researchers and managers together, along with state partners. Participants represented the Southern Research Station, the Ouachita National Forest, the Ozark National Forest, and the Arkansas Forestry Commission. Twenty-eight people attended the meeting, including leadership from SRS, the Southern Region and Arkansas state forester Joe…  More 

Forest Birds & Forest Trees

by Sarah Farmer, SRS Science Communications  • 
For every stage of forest succession, there’s a bird species that needs it. But others are flexible, thriving in many types of forests. The blue-gray gnatcatcher, eastern wood-pewee, great crested flycatcher, summer tanager, and white-breasted nuthatch are all associated with mature forests. But a recent study suggests these birds are forest generalists rather than mature…  More 

Prescribed Fire and Snags in Shortleaf Pine Woodlands

by Jennifer Moore Myers, SRS Science Communications  • 
“I’ve spent years working in these shortleaf pine woodlands and always wondered about the availability of snags, especially given their importance to bats,” says U.S. Forest Service research wildlife biologist Roger W. Perry. Perry is talking about 250,000 acres on the Ouachita National Forest in Arkansas and Oklahoma. Efforts to restore shortleaf pine woodlands have…  More 

How Much Smoke Will a Prescribed Fire Produce?

by Sarah Farmer, SRS Science Communications  • 
Prescribed fire is an important and widely used management tool, but the smoke produced can cause air quality issues and health problems. Before conducting prescribed fires, managers typically model the amount of smoke a fire will produce, which is directly related to the amount of fuel available. “Most fire-effects models were developed in the western…  More 

Shortleaf Pine: What’s in the Genes?

by Sarah Farmer, SRS Science Communications  • 
Despite shortleaf pine’s importance, relatively little is known about its genetics. “The lack of knowledge is especially apparent in this era of molecular genetics and genomics,” says U.S. Forest Service research geneticist Dana Nelson. Nelson and his colleagues recently reviewed shortleaf pine genetics, and their implications for restoration and management. The research team included Oklahoma…  More 

Alum Creek Experimental Forest

by Zoe Hoyle, SRS Science Communications  • 
The 4,660-acre Alum Creek Experimental Forest (Alum Creek) was established in the late 1950s in the upper headwaters of the Lake Winona Basin near Jessieville, Arkansas. Managed by the U.S. Forest Service Southern Research Station Southern Pine Ecology and Management unit, Alum Creek is affiliated administratively with the Ouachita National Forest. From 1960 until the…  More 

Winter Prescribed Fire and Litter-Roosting Bats

by Sarah Farmer, SRS Science Communications  • 
Rather than hibernating in caves, some bat species in the southeastern U.S. get through the coldest parts of winter by roosting under fallen leaves, twigs, and other dead plant material on the forest floor. Although this leaf litter protects bats from the cold, it could also put them at risk of being injured or killed…  More 

Little Rock Hosts International Silviculture Workshop

by Zoe Hoyle, SRS Science Communications  • 
On May 31st, over 50 researchers from the United States, China, Germany, Slovenia, Chile, Germany, Poland, Finland, the Czech Republic, Switzerland, Canada, Belgium, and the United Kingdom descended upon Little Rock, Arkansas to discuss forestry management techniques from around the world at the 10th International Workshop on Uneven-aged Silviculture. Jim Guldin, project leader for both of…  More