Tag: Outreach

Children Learn about Weather and Climate

by Sarah Farmer, SRS Science Communications  • 
A partnership between the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and the U.S. Forest Service Southern Research Station has led to the development of a second educational module for Cherokee youth. The first module focused on culturally significant plants, and was completed in 2015. The most recent module introduces children to climate, weather, and climate change.…  More 

Climate Change Resource Center Delivers New Education Module

by Kailey Marcinkowski and Stephanie Worley Firley  • 
With so many challenges and options to consider, forest managers wondering, “What is the right way to respond to current and future climate change?” may need to reframe the question. “There is no single ‘right’ way to respond to climate change,” explains the narrator in a new U.S. Forest Service Climate Change Resource Center (CCRC)…  More 

Mount Ascutney Visitors Enjoy the View and Learn Something, Too

by Stephanie Worley Firley, EFETAC  • 
Over the past decade, countless visitors on southeastern Vermont’s Mount Ascutney have read the words on two interpretive panels describing ongoing research that began as a graduate student’s research project there. Through the years, the panels have faded and weathered, but now they are new again after U.S. Forest Service researchers installed updated replacements in…  More 

Grant to Clemson University Supports CAFMS Outreach

by Zoe Hoyle, SRS Science Communications  • 
Although fires have roared through the Appalachian Mountains devouring thousands of acres since October, a Clemson University professor wants people to understand not all fires are bad. Rob Baldwin, a forestry and environmental conservation professor, has received a three-year grant for $216,000 from the U.S. Forest Services to develop outreach activities for the Consortium of Appalachian Fire…  More 

Southern Pine Beetle Prevention Program

by Caroline McGough, Forest Health Protection  • 
The U.S. Forest Service has teamed up with ESRI to create an exciting new tool for the Southern Pine Beetle (SPB) Prevention Program. This web-based application is called a story map, which is designed for users to navigate through interactive maps accompanied by multimedia content and informative text. The information is provided by the Forest…  More 

Digging up Past Connections at Bent Creek

by Henry McNab, SRS Upland Ecology and Management Research  • 
A rock protruding through the grass in the lawn at the Bent Creek Experimental Forest was the beginning of a part time, amateur archaeology “dig” for Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) employee, Linda Benz. It is well known that rocks and whirling lawn mower blades are a bad combination, so when Linda noticed an exposed…  More 

Black Belt Forestry

by Zoё Hoyle, SRS Science Communications  • 
After the Civil War, former African American slaves were deeded or bought property across the South, but in subsequent years often lacked the money for — or were denied access to – the legal resources needed to establish title to the land. As a result, much of this land was passed down through following generations…  More 

Paris of the South, Beer City — and Now Climate City

by Patty Matteson, SRS Communications  • 
A recent conference titled “Measure Locally, Respond Globally” brought 35 journalists to Asheville, North Carolina, to learn more about what researchers and entrepreneurs are doing to address climate change — and may have also sparked a new nickname for the city of Asheville. The conference, held August 15 and 16, was sponsored by the National Association of…  More 

A Homeowners Guide to Dealing with Storm-Damaged Trees

by Zoe Hoyle, SRS Science Communications  • 
Whether trees are damaged by hurricanes, tornadoes, intense rainstorms, or ice storms, they need to be carefully assessed to ensure the safety of homeowners and property. It’s also important to carefully assess whether a damaged tree can be saved, and if so, what actions can be taken to ensure and maintain optimal health.The following are…  More 

Can Urban Forest Settings Influence How Well Children with Autism Manage?

by Zoё Hoyle, SRS Science Communications  • 
In late July, USDA Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the four recipients of the 2016 USDA Forest Service’s National Urban and Community Forestry Challenge grants. One of the four, the winning proposal from Georgia State University (GSU), investigates the impact of natural environments such as urban and community forests on symptom expression in children with…  More