By Ethan Tapper Scientists from the University of Illinois recently studied the effects of removing bats from a forest, finding that a forest without bats had three times as many insects and five times as much defoliation as a forest with bats. The researchers postulated that this increased defoliation would increase forest vulnerability — making
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Over the last few centuries, Vermont’s forests have been on a transformative journey. Prior to European colonization, Vermont was about 90-95% forested. Following the massive clearing of the early-mid 1800’s, Vermont rebounded from a low of about 20% forested around 1850 to 80% forested by the end of the twentieth century. In the last several
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On December 26, 2021, Edward O. Wilson, known by most as E.O. Wilson, passed away. A two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize, as well as an array of other awards and honors, Wilson is the author of more than twenty books, a professor and a bright light in the conservation movement. His work has been
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The Biden administration’s US Commerce Dept. on Nov. 24 followed through with expected anti-dumping and countervailing duties on Canadian softwood lumber producers, placing tariffs of 17.99% on their imports, more than twice the rate of 8.99% during the Trump administration. “These unjustified duties harm Canadian communities, businesses, and workers,” said Mary Ng, Canada’s minister of international
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Buildings are a big contributor to global warming, not just in their ongoing operations but in the materials used in their construction. Truss structures — those crisscross arrays of diagonal struts used throughout modern construction, in everything from antenna towers to support beams for large buildings — are typically made of steel or wood or
Read More...By Christine McGowan, Forest Products Program Director at Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund It’s often said in business that “bigger is better,” but for Josh Seidman, steward of Rugged Ridge Forest, “better” is making the highest-quality maple syrup sustainably. A 2010 University of Vermont graduate, Seidman became interested in forestry after taking a small woodlot management class
Read More...Please share with your landowners that May 14, 2021, is the deadline to apply for CAP 106 Forest Management Plans (FMPs) through NRCS in Vermont. This will be the ONLY sign-up prior to the UVA (Use Value Appraisal) April 1 deadline for plan updates in 2022. Please note that NRCS will not issue early start waivers for forest management plans. There are
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Elisabeth McLane, who goes by “Tii,” operates a small consulting business out of Strafford, VT. Tii provides consulting forestry services, as well as contract work in wildlife habitat, botany, and natural community mapping. Tii first became interested in forestry when in high school, and after graduating she worked for the Forest Service in California. She
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Vermont Agency of Natural Resources staff scientists were alerted last week that an aquarium plant sold within Vermont and throughout the country may contain an invasive aquatic animal species, zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha). The aquarium plant commonly known as moss balls, may be sold under names including “Beta Buddy Marimo Balls,” “Mini Marimo Moss Balls,” and
Read More...By Christine McGowan, Forest Products Program Director at Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund When the water pump on Allard Lumber’s boiler went a few years back, Trevor Allard finally had the excuse he needed to begin building the Combined Heat and Power (CHP) system that he had been considering for years. “I couldn’t justify throwing out
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