“From the Woods” Blog
“From the Woods” Blog
ARS scientists seek answers from Spotted Lanternfly dispersal
WASHINGTON — The black spots and beautiful colors can be deceiving. At first glance, the Spotted Lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula) is a beautiful insect whose colors mimic the beloved ladybug with its polka-dotted outer wings and red hind wing. But this is not…
Secret weapon to stop invasive honeysuckle: Satellites
One common invasive species is so widespread that you can see it from space. The University of Cincinnati found that satellite imagery can identify nonnative and invasive Amur honeysuckle, an ornamental shrub introduced from Asia that has spread in forests across much…
Vermont’s Lafoe Logging Named Northeast Region “Outstanding Logger”
By Christine McGowan, Forest Products Program Director at Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund In every industry, there are individuals who set the bar. In Vermont’s forest products industry, two of those individuals are Brian Lafoe and his son-in-law, Stan Parker, owners of…
Can Vermont’s Forests Help Save the Planet?
The Cold Hollow Carbon project in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom is the first co-op model in the country to successfully enter a voluntary carbon market. By Christine McGowan, Forest Products Program Director at Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund Long valued for timber, recreation,…
TRIBUTE TO PUTNAM “PUT” BLODGETT; Congressional Record Vol. 166, No. 139 (Senate – August 05, 2020)
Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, Putnam ”Put” Blodgett’s lifetime of service to the Vermont forest industry deserves special recognition. Put personified the essence, values, and traditions of what makes Vermont special. Put’s family moved to a Bradford, VT, dairy farm during the height…
Guided Wildlife Walks
Come celebrate 100 years of habitat conservation and wildlife-based recreation through the department’s Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) by joining one of the department’s FREE guided wildlife walks on select state WMAs and elsewhere around Vermont. The walks are led by biologists and…
In a warming world, New England’s trees are storing more carbon
by Clarisse Hart, The Harvard Gazette Climate change has increased the productivity of forests, according to a new study that synthesizes hundreds of thousands of carbon observations collected over the last quarter century at the Harvard Forest Long-Term Ecological Research site, one…
Delineating tree crowns using unmanned aerial imagery
Finding is important for precision forestry, natural resource management DURHAM, N.H. — In a new study, University of New Hampshire researchers have concluded that when assessing forest imagery collected by unmanned aerial systems, an alternative method of delineating individual forest tree crowns…
Pine wood fiber shows promise as growing material
UNH plant research holds promise for NH’s $32.9 million floriculture industry DURHAM, N.H. — Increasing transportation costs, concerns over the environmental sustainability of peat harvesting processes, and occasional shortages of peat and perlite have increased the need for alternative growing materials, which…
Town Forests Bring Vermonters Together, Even While Social Distancing
By Christine McGowan, Forest Program Director, Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund In the era of COVID-19, Vermonters are particularly fortunate to live in a rural state where access to the outdoors is abundant. Even people living in Vermont’s largest city and the epicenter…
Making the most of a tree epidemic
Emerald ash borer larvae is removed from an ash tree in Saugerties, N.Y. AP Photo/Mike Groll Sasa Zivkovic, Cornell University and Leslie Lok, Cornell University A large portion of North America’s 8.7 billion ash trees are now infested by a beetle called…
Blazing their own trail: Maverick Farm in Sharon
Reprinted with permission of Vermont Land Trust When Arthur Berndt and his late wife, Anne, bought nearly 575 acres in Sharon in 1988, they named the property Maverick Farm after Arthur’s great-great-grandfather, Samuel Augustus Maverick. The elder Maverick, a Texas surveyor in…
USDA Declares August Tree Check Month
Urges Public to Look For Invasive Asian Longhorned Beetle and Not Move Firewood WASHINGTON, July 23, 2020 —August is the peak time of year to spot the Asian longhorned beetle (ALB) as adults emerge from trees. That’s why the U.S. Department of…
Forest Management at the Hinesburg Town Forest: Partnership and Participation
Forest Management Project Engages Hundreds Hinesburg, VT – After two winters of work, an innovative forest management project at the Hinesburg Town Forest (HTF) has been completed. This project not only promoted forest health and the local economy, but has also provided hundreds…
4th of July
This will not be a typical July 4th weekend with large family BBQs, parades, and outdoor fireworks gatherings. We do, however, hope you will find time to relax and enjoy what promises to be a beautiful weekend with sunshine and moderate temperatures….