July: Hot with Late Boomers Perhaps the most memorable weather-related observations in July were at the tail-end of the month, when severe thunderstorms on July 30 and 31st rocked many locations in Vermont. Considered by many the most intense storm of the summer, damage on July 30th included downed trees and power outages, notably in
Read More...Forest Health Report || Department of Forests, Parks & Recreation || June 2019 Sweater Weather in June Like May, June featured below-normal temperatures and above normal rainfall. According to weather reporter Matt Sutkoski, the Champlain Valley ended the month near normal temper-ature-wise, but areas away from the lake were cooler. In his July 1 blog,
Read More...China Hardwood Tariffs will depress prices for now, hurt U.S. sawmills. Of the hardwood lumber produced in the U.S., 24 percent is exported to China and 22 percent is exported to other countries. The new retaliation tariff by China on incoming hardwood lumber to their country from the U.S. will eliminate much of the sales
Read More...Frank Stewart || Executive Director || W. Virginia Forestry Assoc || May 22, 2019 Retaliatory tariffs from China have been a buzzsaw through Appalachian hardwood businesses and the families that own and operate them. The hardwood industry provides an estimated $60 billion economic impact in the 12-state region, but that will change this year because
Read More...Vermont Woodlands is a supporter of forester licensing. Any person holding himself or herself out to the public as a forester must be licensed. 26 V.S.A. § 5203(a)(4). And regardless of title, any person practicing forestry must be licensed. Id. § 5203(a)(3). Read the rules governing forester licensing here. The Secretary of State’s website provides a
Read More...
Final Ruling on the Northern Long-Eared Bat Summary The northern long-eared bat population has been devastated by the White Nose Syndrome (WNS) throughout the eastern United States. This disease has caused a mortality rate of up to a 90-100% where present. As a result, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) has listed the northern
Read More...
New safety program to help loggers and reduce workers’ comp Governor Phil Scott today announced a new initiative to address the high cost of workers’ compensation insurance for logging contractors in Vermont’s forest economy. The Vermont Logger Safety and Workers’ Compensation Insurance Program—developed collaboratively by the Departments of Financial Regulation, Labor and Forests, Parks and
Read More...
For those of you with sawmills, or who hire someone to do custom sawing for you, sawing is just the first step in turning logs into quality lumber. The boards have to be stickered, dried, and stored under cover. One of the ways to increase the income from sawn lumber, especially hardwood lumber, is to
Read More...
Many of us have complained that the main obstacle to successful forest management is the lack of a market for low quality wood. Jim Birkemeier, a forester/woodland owner/wood processor in Wisconsin feels that he has the answer for himself. He has adopted what economists call vertical integration, in that he engages in every step of
Read More...
New Report Highlights Loss of Undeveloped Woodland in VT A new report by the Vermont Natural Resources Council (VNRC) highlights the increasing loss of undeveloped woodland tracts in Vermont through parcelization, the breaking up of land into smaller and smaller parcels. The phenomenon of parcelization, which usually occurs through subdivision, is gaining momentum, and subsequent
Read More...