Author: Site Owner

We’re shaking up our Forest Digest! Each Sunday morning, enjoy your cup of Joe with latest in forest news and updates from American Forests staff and programs!

Forest News

• China is building an incredibly cool “forest city” that will combat pollution – Mic
  China is setting the standard for urban environmentalism. Liuzhou Forest City is now under construction, and over 1 million pollution-reducing plants will cover every building. With transportation provided by electric cars and air conditioning relying entirely on geothermal energy, the project is projected to absorb approximately 10,000 tons of carbon dioxide per year.
• Lightning-Caused Fires on the Rise in the World’s Largest Forest – National Geographic
  A new NASA study reports that due to “an increase in volatile thunderstorm weather”, the number of wildfires caused by lightning has increased between two and five percent since 1975. The boreal forest in particular, home to 30 percent of the Earth’s forest cover, is being quickly transformed by fire and climate-related changes.
• Seven trees photographed over two years – The Telegraph UK
  Photographer Rob Fraser and writer Harriet Fraser have spent the last two years cultivating their project, The Long View, which visually catalogues the same seven trees located in The Lake District National Park. The park has potential to become a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the two have dedicated their time and energy toward “making a stand for the protection of its trees and woodlands.”
• These wondrous sea wolves swim for miles and live off the watery wilds – Treehugger.com
  Wait – sea wolves? Yes, you read that right. This particularly unique population of wolves makes its home in a remote stretch of rainforest on the Pacific coast of Canada, where they are said to swim up to eight miles between mainland and island and feed on barnacles, herring roe, seals and even dead whales.
• Climate change in drones’ sights with ambitious plan to remotely plant nearly 100,000 trees a day – ABC News (Australia)
  With deforestation accounting for a larger percent of the world’s carbon emissions than the entire transportation sector, Dr. Susan Graham knew something had to be done. She has helped to construct a drone system that can fire germinated seeds into the soil after identifying ideal land for planting. She hopes that they will plant 1 billion trees every year to help fight climate change.
• What Does It Take to Move a 10-Story Tree a Couple of City Blocks? – NPR
  When St. Luke’s Health System, a hospital in Boise, Idaho, was looking to expand, the city was tasked with a $300,000 problem: How were they going to move the giant sequoia in the way? The sequoia, planted in 1912, towers some 10 stories tall and weighs more than 800,000 pounds.

What’s New at American Forests?

• As wildfires rage out west, D.C. lawmakers fight over forest policy – The Sacramento Bee
  Funding for wildfire management is becoming a rather heated debate. This article features our senior director of programs and policy, Rebecca Turner, and her shared expertise regarding the proposed “Resilient Federal Forests Act of 2017.”

Independent Stave Company and American Forests Partner to Restore Native Oak Forests

Washington, D.C. (June 29, 2017) — American Forests and Independent Stave Company are launching a first-of-its-kind Oak Restoration Fund to invest in key projects that ensure the sustainability of oak forests.

American Forests is partnering with Independent Stave Company, a family-owned cooperage company crafting whiskey and wine barrels, to establish an Oak Restoration Fund that will be used to implement a suite of restoration projects that sustain the environmental, economic and social benefits provided by oak forests. Projects will include tree planting, former mine land restoration, forest health treatments, and promotion of natural regeneration.

Across the United States, oak trees provide a multitude of natural benefits to society every day, including clean air and water, habitat and food for wildlife and long-term storage of carbon pollution. For example, oaks trees host 534 species of butterflies and moths — more than any other plant genus. Over the past 100 years, the proportion of oaks in eastern forests has grown steadily and are the most prominent trees by volume. However, their prominence in the future is uncertain. The numbers of oak seedlings and small oak trees have declined due a variety of factors including too many deer, lack of natural, low-intensity wildfires, and repeated pest invasions.

Among the diversity of oak trees, white oak is the “king” as the tree provides superior wildlife habitat and excellent timber. White oak is king in the American whiskey industry as well. Both bourbon and other whiskeys must be aged in oak barrels. White oak creates superior barrels due to its grain structure and desirable organoleptic properties.

“At Independent Stave Company, white oak is a way of life, truly the foundation of our craft. We are passionate about sustainable forest management that is effective, reactive and proactive to ensure this renowned resource is available for generations to come. It is important to us to continue finding ways to translate this passion into action, and also encourage other companies to join us as we work to protect and care for white oak forest.” Garret Nowell, Log Procurement Manager – Independent Stave Company

To kick-start the Oak Restoration Fund in 2017, Independent Stave Company is offering up to $50,000 to match like contributions from distilleries and wineries. Initial projects will be implemented on the Daniel Boone National Forest in Kentucky and state conservation lands in Missouri. Future projects can be implemented on private, state and federal lands throughout oak country including Virginia, West Virginia and Tennessee.

“Sustaining natural benefits like wildlife habitat and clean water while supporting local jobs and good whiskey is the best kind of win-win. American Forests is committed to restoring native forest ecosystems like our oak forests across the country.” Eric Sprague, Director of Forest Conservation

 Visit American Forests online for more information on our forest restoration efforts.

 ABOUT AMERICAN FORESTS

American Forests inspires and advances the conservation of forests. We do this by restoring threatened forest ecosystems, promoting and expanding urban forests, and increasing understanding of the importance of forests. Founded in 1875, American Forests is the oldest national nonprofit conservation organization in the country and has served as a catalyst for many key milestones in the conservation movement, including the founding of the U.S. Forest Service, the national forest and thousands of forest ecosystem restoration projects and public education efforts. Since 1990, American Forests has planted more than 50 million trees in all 50 states and nearly 50 countries, resulting in cleaner air and drinking water, restored habitat for wildlife and fish, and the removal of millions of tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Learn more at americanforests.org.

 ABOUT INDEPENDENT STAVE COMPANY

Independent Stave Company is a dynamic, family-owned cooperage company reaching customers in more than 40 countries. Founded by the Boswell family in 1912, Independent Stave Company has a long heritage in the wine and spirits industry and continues to perfect the cooperage craft through quality and innovation. Independent Stave Company is vertically integrated to oversee every step in a barrel’s journey, from log procurement to barrel crafting. By utilizing nearly one hundred percent of each log for barrel staves, oak alternatives and mulch, ISC operates as one of the most sustainable, environmentally-conscious cooperage companies in the world. For more information, please visit www.independentstavecompany.com.

MEDIA CONTACT

Christopher Horn | Director of Communications | 202.370.4517 (direct) | chorn@americanforests.org

Independent Stave Company and American Forests Partner to Restore Native Oak Forests

Washington, D.C. (June 29, 2017) — American Forests and Independent Stave Company are launching a first-of-its-kind Oak Restoration Fund to invest in key projects that ensure the sustainability of oak forests.

American Forests is partnering with Independent Stave Company, a family-owned cooperage company crafting whiskey and wine barrels, to establish an Oak Restoration Fund that will be used to implement a suite of restoration projects that sustain the environmental, economic and social benefits provided by oak forests. Projects will include tree planting, former mine land restoration, forest health treatments, and promotion of natural regeneration.

Across the United States, oak trees provide a multitude of natural benefits to society every day, including clean air and water, habitat and food for wildlife and long-term storage of carbon pollution. For example, oaks trees host 534 species of butterflies and moths — more than any other plant genus. Over the past 100 years, the proportion of oaks in eastern forests has grown steadily and are the most prominent trees by volume. However, their prominence in the future is uncertain. The numbers of oak seedlings and small oak trees have declined due a variety of factors including too many deer, lack of natural, low-intensity wildfires, and repeated pest invasions.

Among the diversity of oak trees, white oak is the “king” as the tree provides superior wildlife habitat and excellent timber. White oak is king in the American whiskey industry as well. Both bourbon and other whiskeys must be aged in oak barrels. White oak creates superior barrels due to its grain structure and desirable organoleptic properties.

“At Independent Stave Company, white oak is a way of life, truly the foundation of our craft. We are passionate about sustainable forest management that is effective, reactive and proactive to ensure this renowned resource is available for generations to come. It is important to us to continue finding ways to translate this passion into action, and also encourage other companies to join us as we work to protect and care for white oak forest.” Garret Nowell, Log Procurement Manager – Independent Stave Company

To kick-start the Oak Restoration Fund in 2017, Independent Stave Company is offering up to $50,000 to match like contributions from distilleries and wineries. Initial projects will be implemented on the Daniel Boone National Forest in Kentucky and state conservation lands in Missouri. Future projects can be implemented on private, state and federal lands throughout oak country including Virginia, West Virginia and Tennessee.

“Sustaining natural benefits like wildlife habitat and clean water while supporting local jobs and good whiskey is the best kind of win-win. American Forests is committed to restoring native forest ecosystems like our oak forests across the country.” Eric Sprague, Director of Forest Conservation

 Visit American Forests online for more information on our forest restoration efforts.

 ABOUT AMERICAN FORESTS

American Forests inspires and advances the conservation of forests. We do this by restoring threatened forest ecosystems, promoting and expanding urban forests, and increasing understanding of the importance of forests. Founded in 1875, American Forests is the oldest national nonprofit conservation organization in the country and has served as a catalyst for many key milestones in the conservation movement, including the founding of the U.S. Forest Service, the national forest and thousands of forest ecosystem restoration projects and public education efforts. Since 1990, American Forests has planted more than 50 million trees in all 50 states and nearly 50 countries, resulting in cleaner air and drinking water, restored habitat for wildlife and fish, and the removal of millions of tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Learn more at americanforests.org.

 ABOUT INDEPENDENT STAVE COMPANY

Independent Stave Company is a dynamic, family-owned cooperage company reaching customers in more than 40 countries. Founded by the Boswell family in 1912, Independent Stave Company has a long heritage in the wine and spirits industry and continues to perfect the cooperage craft through quality and innovation. Independent Stave Company is vertically integrated to oversee every step in a barrel’s journey, from log procurement to barrel crafting. By utilizing nearly one hundred percent of each log for barrel staves, oak alternatives and mulch, ISC operates as one of the most sustainable, environmentally-conscious cooperage companies in the world. For more information, please visit www.independentstavecompany.com.

MEDIA CONTACT

Christopher Horn | Director of Communications | 202.370.4517 (direct) | chorn@americanforests.org

By Allie Wisniewski, American Forests

Let’s face it: We’re smack dab in the middle of the digital age, and there’s no turning back now. While some might argue that technology has made people more reluctant to disconnect from their phones and reconnect to nature, there remains those special tech-savvy outdoor enthusiasts who facilitate the perfect marriage of cyberspace and actual space. Introducing: 7 free iPhone apps — did we mention they’re free? — that will add a unique new dimension to your outdoor experiences and enhance your adventures in nature.

1. Leafsnap

Picture this: You’re out hiking and come across an unfamiliar plant or tree, wishing there was a way you could find out its name. Assuming Leafsnap is installed on your phone — problem solved! Developed by researchers from Columbia University, this app uses visual recognition software to identify plants based on photographs of their leaves. All you have to do is upload a photo of the mystery species, and Leafsnap does the rest! Can Siri do that?

2. TrailLink

Love hiking? Biking? A combination of the two? With a database of more than 30,000 miles of trails, this app is made specifically for outdoor enthusiasts eager to discover new adventures. TrailLink provides detailed trail descriptions, reviews, photos and maps of the best trails near you. When you’re immersed in the wilderness, in-app purchases allow you to download trail maps to your phone for offline navigation.

3. iNaturalist

If you’re an avid nature explorer and love to connect with other naturalists, iNaturalist just might be your new best friend. This app allows you to record your findings (what you find and where you find it) while out in nature and share them online, essentially creating a living and constantly evolving record of the species that have been spotted near you. Engage with other contributors and exchange knowledge with the naturalist community!

4. Nature Melody

Especially for city dwellers, getting to sleep at night can be difficult with the excess noise of an outside world that never seems to rest. Bring the outdoors in with Nature Melody, which offers 32 high-quality nature sounds that will help you to relax and get the most out of your slumber. This app even boasts an alarm clock feature, allowing you to wake up to the soothing crackle of a campfire or the steady rushing of a rainforest waterfall.

5. WildLab Bird

This app is the ultimate handbook for avid birders everywhere. Including photos, audio recordings, and range maps for over 200 species of birds in a variety of habitats, WildLab Bird is an essential tool when it comes to identifying an unknown species. Once you’ve cracked the case, save your sighting with the location, habitat and additional notes for future reference.

6. Yonder

Ready to plan your next adventure? I know I always am. Let Yonder help you out — this unique app allows users to browse a world map of geo-located photos and videos taken by other outdoor enthusiasts, featuring 25 activities from hiking and biking to skiing and rock climbing. A social media platform of sorts, you can follow other users, like and comment on their adventures, and, of course, post your own. Search more than 20,000 destinations and save your favorites for future excursion planning!

7. What’s Invasive

You’re probably aware that invasive species are living up to their name at an increasingly high rate. As a major threat to native plant and animal species, it’s important for environmental activists like us to take action and do our part to maintain ecological harmony and balance. Thankfully, What’s Invasive can help. This app displays lists of the top invasive species in your area, including photos and short descriptions. If you happen to come across one of the culprits, simply select the name of the species you spotted, and your GPS location will be sent to experts who can help.

By Melanie Friedel, American Forests

This is one of an 11-part blog series detailing the extensive work we are doing with the Alcoa Foundation. You can find out more here.

This year, American Forests and the Alcoa Foundation are teaming up with the Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association (NSEA) and their community partners in the Whatcom County Stream Stewards Project. We have been working with the goal of restoring riparian habitat in Bellingham, Wash., since 1999! We intend to locate and restore threatened ecosystems and watersheds, and in the next year our joint efforts with Alcoa and the NSEA will plant over 6,000 trees for this project. This includes a variety of coniferous and deciduous species across 10 acres of land.

Why are we doing this? Well, stream banks are degrading, and these streams are home to the salmon essential to this ecosystem, as well as the health, culture and economy of Whatcom County. It’s not just a theory: The salmon population is decreasing rapidly — the Chinook and steelhead species are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.

The reasons behind this tragedy range from climate change and increasing temperatures to industrial, agricultural and urban development. Warmer weather means warmer water, and warm water holds less dissolved oxygen, which fish need to breathe. When water is low on dissolved oxygen, not only can fish not breathe, but their metabolism speeds up, causing them to run out of energy and preventing them from completing their migration journeys upstream. On top of all this, warm water is a breeding ground for pathogens that can infect and kill fish.

But it doesn’t stop there. Many of the streams they call home are dammed, creating physical barriers that block fish migrations, while also depriving downstream habitats from the sediment and nutrients they need. Overexploitation by the fishing industry, plant loss and habitat destruction from land development and reformed waterways are just a few of the disturbances to wildlife in this riparian habitat.

We have a personal investment in headwaters of the streams this project focuses on, and we’ve worked there before, planting trees at small and remote streams, striving to restore water quality and to stabilize the habitat.

There is considerable proof that riparian buffers provide the necessary habitat for keystone species. Trees help filter sediment and trap pollutants from nearby industry and agriculture. Root systems allow for speedy groundwater recharge and lower the risk of runoff and flooding. The trunks and canopies of trees provide breeding grounds, shelter and food for wildlife, as well as cooling the water through the shade they provide, preventing the overheating that increases mortality.

By working with our partners and planting native trees, we will provide all these benefits to these threatened ecosystems. One of the special things about the NSEA is its huge volunteer base and widespread support for its mission. Throughout the year, the NSEA will hold 15 work parties with help from a total of 2,000 volunteers, planting an annual total of 6,000 native trees and shrubs.

You can help by supporting our mission and our work with the Alcoa Foundation and the NSEA to save salmon and so much more. We have already planted over a million trees with Alcoa, and between October and April (when the weather conditions are favorable for new trees) we will be planting even more with this project. Check back in the fall for more details on work parties and hands-on participation, but in the meantime, join us in our efforts to restore forests.

By Mel Friedel, American Forests

When we think of a forest, we typically think of everything we can see: trees, mountains, animals, creeks, lakes, and so on. But we tend to ignore what’s underneath all that, and it might just be the most important part. The earth beneath the forest is the foundation of everything it holds — the history of how it came to be. Hundreds of millions of years ago, our favorite forests were being born through plate tectonics and rock formations. These geological forces shaped the land we see today and the forests we adore. Here are the stories of three of our most beautiful national forests and how they came to be.

Cherokee National Forest

The rolling hills of the Cherokee National Forest. Credit: J.P. Liu

Cherokee National Forest sits near the border of Tennessee and North Carolina. It is home to the Ocoee Whitewater Center, where the world’s first Olympic whitewater event on a natural river was held. This land didn’t became a national forest until June 14, 1920, but it existed long before then.

It all started 750 million years ago when streams carried sediments to an ancient ocean floor, and they hardened to form a rock layer 4 miles deep. This happened about 60 miles east of where the forest is now, because the rock layers were eventually pushed west by the collision between the North American and African plates around 300 million years ago. During the collision, the rock was under a lot of pressure, causing it to buckle, fold and compress into different shapes than when it was originally deposited. This pressure gave the forest’s mountains a ripple pattern as the rock layers pressed up vertically against one another in the accordion-like shape we see today.

Coconino National Forest

Hidden pools in the sandstone depths of the Coconino. Credit: Dane Nilsson

Further west, in northern Arizona, we find Coconino National Forest. Coconino has one of the largest ranges of biodiversity and landscape diversity of all of our national forests. Its landscape ranges from red rocks to pine forests, and contains Humphrey’s Peak: the highest point in all of Arizona at 12,633 feet. Coconino was deemed a national forest in 1908 when parts of the Tonto, Black Mesa and Grand Canyon National Forests were combined with the San Francisco Mountains National Forest. But way before this, the Coconino Sandstone rock formation was created. This formation lies beneath all of these regions and is responsible for the geological features of the forest.

Back in the Permian period, some 260 million years ago, the region was covered by desert. Eroding sand dunes were carried onto the land from the north. As this sand was deposited, it consolidated to form the large expanse of sedimentary rock now known as the Coconino Sandstone. However, there is much debate over how the sand was carried — some think it was a great flood that caused all the sediment transport in Earth’s early history, and others believe it was a slower erosion process through which wind carried sand down over time.

Today within the Coconino Sandstone we can see the tannish white, fine-grained layers separated by intermittent slivers of quartz sandstone. Sandstone is easily weathered (broken down) and eroded (carried away) because the grains are so fine. These qualities explain why there are so many ripple marks and cliff formations in Coconino National Forest, and observations like these allow us to try to make assumptions about how the formation occurred.

Sierra National Forest

A frigid lake among the granite peaks above the treeline in the Sierra National Forest. Credit: Bruce Lemons

If we travel even further west, we have Sierra National Forest. When it was named a national forest in 1893, it was the second national forest in California and the largest one at the time. Located on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range, the land is full of thickly forested rolling hills, while some regions feature a tundra landscape. Lying within the Sierra Nevada range, the forest and the mountains share a geological history that began roughly 40 million years ago. (While this may sound like a long time ago, the formation is actually relatively young compared to the 4.5 billion years that Earth has been around!)

The mountains were formed from granitic rocks, which is a type of volcanic rock that develops when molten lava from the Earth’s mantle travels through the crust and is released at the surface — think volcanoes! The lava cools and hardens soon after being exposed to the Earth’s surface, whether it be the air or the bottom of an ocean. The solidified lava rock forms a hill shape, getting bigger and taller as more lava breaks through, travels to the top of the hill, pours down the edges and hardens on top of them. Eventually, these lava rock hills become mountains, and some become volcanoes that are still here millions of years later.

How did these old (or not-so-old) rocks become forests, though? This is where soil comes into the picture. The soil of each forest is unique; it forms from the parent rock, or the bedrock, which is buried deep into the earth and has weathered and made its way up to the surface as small grains. The bedrock is weathered by chemical reactions, biological processes (involving creatures working their way through the ground) and physical influences such as wind and sun. As it breaks up into smaller grain sizes, it makes its way up to the surface where it becomes moist from rain and fertile from the minerals and nutrients it’s exposed to. The many layers of soil are constantly changing, and the forests they support allow for the organic matter that they need to stay dynamic and fertile.

These fascinating tales only scratch the surface of our forests’ formations and the dense histories of the lands beneath them. The many kinds of rocks, orientations of rock formations, and hundreds of millions of years during which all these rocks were changing provide a biography of everything we see on Earth’s surface today. Understanding how your favorite forest came to be and everything it went through to exist can make it even more valuable to you, so don’t let your knowledge of forest formations end here. Keep searching for the hidden histories of all the forests and natural areas you love.

Credit: Kyle Burton / Wikimedia Commons

Forest News

• Scientists fear new EU rules may ‘hide’ forest carbon loss – BBC News
  Researchers are fighting back against proposed changes to the way carbon contained in trees is accounted for in Europe. Several countries, including Austria, Finland, Poland and Sweden, have made clear their plans for increased deforestation in the near future, and are suggesting that the heightened loss of carbon as a result of this should not count toward each country’s overall emissions.
• This new disease could devastate our wildlife – The Guardian
  A new disease with origins in South America, called Xyella fastidiosa, is now spreading across Europe, threatening oak, elm, ash, cherry, sycamore and plane trees. Urban trees appear to be particularly susceptible to infection. Many vineyards and fruit farms in the Americas have also been affected, and thus far, there is no known cure.
• To Fight Climate Change, Fitchburg Resident Will Pay City $50K to Preserve Trees – WBUR.org
  Environmental scientist and resident of Fitchburg, Massachusetts, Ralph Baker, offered to pay the city a whopping $50,000 in exchange for the council’s promise to “leave 205 acres of city-owned forested land untouched for the next 30 years.” This bold and brilliant decision is one that Baker says will ultimately help fight climate change.”
• Environmentalists win in court over gas drilling in forests – TRIB Live
  Environmentalists in Pennsylvania, rejoice! A new Pennsylvania court decision regarding the use of public natural resources “could make it more difficult to lease state forests for oil and gas drilling, and could force governments to be more careful about allowing development that would damage public lands, wildlife, groundwater, rivers and air quality.”