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 State & Private Forestry
News
April 2016
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Cold Stream Forest Added to Public Reserve Lands
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(Photo: Neal Bungard)
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THE FORKS, Maine--The Trust for Public Land and Trout Unlimited have purchased over 8,000 acres of the Cold Stream forest, for public access and deer and wild brook trout habitat. The organizations bought the land from Weyerhauser and transferred it to the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry, Bureau of Parks and Lands. Funds for the purchase came from the U.S. Forest Service's Forest Legacy Program and the Land for Maine's Future Program. The forest will become part of the State's Public Reserve Lands.
Read the news release on the Trust for Public Land's Web site.
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Documentary on DC Green Jobs Airs Nationwide, April 19
NEW YORK--The documentary film "City of Trees" is based on a Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry American Recovery and Reinvestment Act grant to Washington Parks and People. The grant provided training and employment in green jobs to 150 residents from Southeast DC. Produced by Meridian Hill Pictures, the film has been receiving critical acclaim at film festivals. "
City of Trees" will be broadcast nationally on public television on Tuesday, April 19, at 8 p.m. on
America Reframed, which offers an unfiltered look at people rarely given a voice on national television. Told from the perspective of the people employed as well as the nonprofit that coordinated the project, the film offers interesting perspectives. After the broadcast (
check local listings), the film will be available to stream for free for 90 days on
www.worldchannel.org.
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Meeting Riparian Buffer Goals in the Chesapeake Watershed
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(Photo: ChesapeakeBay.net)
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ANNAPOLIS, Md.--The Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry's Chesapeake Watershed Forestry office teamed with partners to hold a 2-day Riparian Forest Buffer Forum in Buckeystown, MD. The forum brought together approximately 100 Federal, State, and local stakeholders from the six-state region, to share strategies on how to attain the steep goals for riparian buffers in the Chesapeake watershed. Topics included how buffers help meet other Chesapeake goals, buffer initiatives, partnering for outreach and implementation, and Farm Bill programs and policy.
Learn about forest buffers at the Chesapeake Bay Program Web site and at the blog:
http://www.chesapeakebay.net/blog/keyword/forest_buffers
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Transportation Announces
$500 Million in TIGER Discretionary Grants
WASHINGTON--The U.S. Department of Transportation recently announced that the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) Discretionary Grant program has up to $500 million available for capital projects related to highways, bridges, public transportation, rail, ports, and intermodal projects. A primary selection criterion specifically mentions addressing environmental sustainability including avoiding adverse environmental impacts to water quality, providing environmental benefits such as ground water recharge in areas of water scarcity, and stormwater mitigation, including green infrastructure. Applicants are encouraged to provide quantitative information, including baseline information that demonstrates how the project will reduce stormwater runoff. Eligible applicants are State, local, and tribal governments, transit agencies, port authorities, metropolitan planning organizations, other political subdivisions of State or local governments, and multi-State or multijurisdictional groups applying through a lead applicant. TIGER applications are due no later than April 29, 2016, at 8 p.m. EDT.
See details and webinars at the Department of Transportation Web site.
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Celebrate the Earth This Month
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Vilsack Proclaims April National Garden Month
WASHINGTON--USDA Secretary Thomas Vilsack has issued a
proclamation of National Garden Month, recognizing the importance of gardens in fostering a healthy and sustainable environment for people, pollinators, and other living things. Vilsack started The People's Garden Initiative in 2009. School and community gardens registered as People's Gardens provide numerous benefits including increasing access to fresh fruits and vegetables in low-income communities, providing habitat and food for wildlife, helping conserve water and restore soil health, beautifying vacant lots and neighborhoods, acting as living laboratories for science and other subjects, and offering hands-on training and valuable job skills across the United States. To learn more visit the new
People's Garden Web site. National Garden Month also celebrates the work of pollinators including honey bees, monarch butterflies, and bats. The
Plant a Window Box for Pollinators interactive online tool is available at the Pollinator Partnership Web site.
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Monitoring Urban Trees After Giveaway Programs
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(Photo: Lara Roman)
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WASHINGTON--A recent UrbanForest Connections webinar presented the results of follow-up monitoring after shade tree giveaways: Lara Roman presented key findings on the crucial role of homeowner stability and maintenance, and techniques for studying urban tree mortality; Yekang Ko described a unique, long-term tree monitoring study in Sacramento that evaluated survival, growth, and energy savings; Pete Smith discussed the Arbor Day Foundation's Energy-Saving Trees program and a reality check for tree survival and program success.
Listen to the webinar recording.
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Degree Day Accumulation Maps for New Hampshire
CONCORD, N.H.--The Northeastern Area, New Hampshire Department of Agriculture and the New Hampshire State Climate Office have developed a guide to help people working in the pest management field achieve better results by fine-tuning their degree day estimations. Correctly timing activities, such as pesticide applications or scouting for specific insect pests, can be challenging because of variation in the weather year to year.
Access the guide on the New Hampshire Department of Agriculture, Markets, and Food Web page.
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International Migratory Bird Day is May 14th
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(Source: http://resources.migratorbirdday.org/)
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The day will focus on how birds have inspired many of the most significant environmental conservation actions in the Americas. The centennial year of the Migratory Bird Treaty is also incorporated into this year's theme--Spread Your Wings for Bird Conservation. Learn more at
www.Migratorybirdday.org.
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Online Woodland Options for Landowners Course, May 2 - July 22, 2016
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