Author: Site Owner

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Have you ever been interested in who it is working behind the scenes to advance conservation and restoration with American Forests? We’d like to share with you what Earth Day means to some of us here at American Forests, and why we think this important day needs to be recognized. We asked our staff a number of questions — about the environment, about their childhood memories of nature, and of Earth Day itself, and this is what they had to say.

Scott Steen, President & CEO

Scott is fascinated by the origins of Earth Day. “I loved learning about the history of how Earth Day came into being,” he shares. “The first Earth Day in 1970 brought together Republicans and Democrats, young and old, urban and rural, and rich and poor in a rare moment of common understanding of what was being lost and how quickly we were losing it. At that moment in our history as a nation, the desire to create a safe and healthy environment for our children transcended ideology. People saw protecting wilderness and wildlife habitat as a part of both preserving our heritage and providing a legacy for future generations. As a result, the movement that grew out of that first Earth Day had a significant impact on the creation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of the Clean Air, Clean Water and Endangered Species Acts.”

Ellie Parrish, Manager of Development

Ellie’s plans are to do a big hike somewhere she’s never been on Earth Day, hopefully on the Appalachian Trail, but for her Earth Day really calls to mind all the work she’s done planting trees. “I planted trees at people’s homes for a living,” she says. “I love looking at the before and after photos. Trees are such a radically positive change everywhere they are planted, particularly in urban landscapes!”

Lea Sloan, Vice President of Communications

Lea is known at American Forests for having a deep appreciation for the natural history imbued in our surroundings, and also for the incomparable value to be found in our wildernesses. “It’s easy to take our most vital resource for granted,” she begins, “when we’re able to breathe clean air, drink clean water and access nourishing food grown in healthy soil. Earth day is a celebration of those essentials but also a reminder that we need to defend it — from being overrun by human population, unchecked development and industrialization that collectively all threaten to choke the integrity of the elements that all life depends on.”

Forest restoration is something Lea truly breathes 24/7, day in and day out. “I have planted many trees, including a dozen or so in our own backyard that I have had the opportunity to witness grow. It makes me feel good to set those roots into the ground — I feel renewed afterwards, like I’ve been meditating or swimming in a wild or beautiful place. It also is a bit like extending one’s own mortality by giving life to something that could outlive you by 100 — or 500 years…”

Maverick Ryan, Policy Intern

Our intern Maverick really takes the time to think about the meaning of this special day. “To me, it represents a day for the unification of every aspect of respecting our Earth,” he begins. “For a single day we can all agree that the one thing tying all of our perceptions and resources together is their presence on Earth. Additionally it’s just a cool moment to identify and respect all of the mutually reliant relationships that exist within our ecosystems. It’s kind of humbling once you realize as a human how much people rely on the landscape, even though they don’t think about it.”

He dreams about really getting out into the wilderness, this Earth Day. “I’d love to situate a 10-15 day hike across the Olympic National Park in Washington State so that Earth Day falls right in the middle. That way I could really contemplate my relationship with our Earth in a place symbolic of what the Earth was like before humankind carved it up.”

Lindsey Huerter, Director of Corporate Giving

Earth Day brings up childhood memories for Lindsey, who told us about a particularly charming one involving her mother. “One of my favorite memories of planting began early in my childhood,” she says. “My mom had shown me a picture of what the lilac bush we were putting in the ground would look like in the future. I was sorely disappointed when what she brought home to plant appeared nothing like the image I had seen. She explained to me how this plant would need my love and nurturing to blossom. Over the next few years I went through the motions of caring for the plant, impatiently waiting for the purple flowers I was promised. The moment the plant bloomed was that much more special because of the attention I had given it. I think this is a lesson we can all remind ourselves of during Earth Month. The more we care for the earth, the more we will appreciate its beauty.”

Doyle Irvin, Communications Intern

Doyle is generally confused, when it comes to Earth Day. “My parents are born one year and one day apart,” he begins. “And for the longest time, growing up, I couldn’t remember if it was April 21 and 22 or April 22 and 23. 1957 and 1958, or ’58 and ’59? All I could keep together was that one of them was on Earth Day and that I was a neglectful son and should pay more attention. On top of that, because they live in two different places, that weekend would always be a logistical mess. Neither of them are at all easy to find gifts for, either. Then, to add even more complexity into the mix for a kid to deal with, my own birthday was a week later. Talk about divided loyalties and attention. So, for me — and it’s kind of awful — Earth Day really reminds me of how difficult it is to get it right, how each generation is tied to the next and responsible for it, how we have to be mindful and put our own immediate satisfaction on the backburner. When you think about all of the different ways that we as humans negatively impact the environment, and all of the different problems around the world, it can be really difficult to know where to start.”

Ian Leahy, Director of Urban Forests

Ian is pretty hardcore, when it comes to Earth Day. “I have mixed feelings about Earth Day,” he begins. “Whenever we designate a time to celebrate some entity, it’s often a sign something has gone horribly wrong at some point. I’ve been to Earth Day celebrations where paper plates were strewn across the field afterwards, bottled water was distributed with abandon and the most people were encouraged to do was wear green. So, clearly there’s still a lot of work left to do! I look forward to living the cliché, ‘every day is Earth Day!’”

It’s not all grim for Ian, though. A few years back, while directing a Community ReLeaf planting, the local volunteers nicknamed him “John Henry” from all the hammering he did, staking the ground to support the young saplings being planted. “On a recent trip, I revisited the site,” Ian says. “I saw kids walking home from school, having fun, playing in the green space alongside the trail (and trying to recover a basketball they’d accidentally thrown into the adjacent canal). It felt good to see. A successful urban forest melds seamlessly into the everyday lives of the residents.”

Christopher Horn, Director of Communications

For Christopher, Earth Day is a time to reflect. “I know for many people, Earth Day is a time to get involved in environmental activism or volunteer in your community — I like to plant a tree or do a river clean-up, myself! For me, though, Earth Day presents an opportunity to re-center myself with nature and reflect on why I do what I do. Being grounded in the Earth helps me stay focused when challenges arise. Ever since childhood, I’ve considered my Earth Day wilderness excursions to be little retreats for my tree-hugging soul!”

Lindsey Miller-Voss, Social Media Manager

For Lindsey, Earth Day is all about community. “Earth Day is a great opportunity to get everyone really excited about what they can do for the planet,” she says. “It’s wonderful to have a special day set aside to really reflect on the status of our ecosystems, wildlife, and environment as a whole. I really enjoy celebrating Earth Day with my daughter. As she’s gotten older our projects have gotten more involved, from planting seeds and park visits, to planning our summer gardens and hikes in the woods. I’d love to attend one of the larger Earth Day festivals around the country, like the Earth Day Roanoke Festival in Roanoke, Virginia or EarthFest in Knoxville, Tennessee. EarthFest typically has over 5,000 people attend and is such an impressive gathering for the planet — they only produce an average of 10 pounds of trash, total!”

And here’s a photo of Justin Hynicka, Forest Conservation Manager, for good measure:

Find out the latest in forest news in this week’s Forest Digest!

Landscape near Rio Branco, Acre, Brazil.
Photo by Kate Evans/CIFOR

• Status of forests is ‘dire’ as world marks 2017 Earth Day — Los Angeles Times
  According to the World Bank development indicators from 2016, the world has lost 1,000 football fields of forests every hour since 1990. That’s 1.3 million square kilometers of forest, which is an area larger than South Africa. Especially with Earth Day coming up tomorrow, we should emphasize the message that forest protection is more critical than ever.
• Denver Trees Are Turning Green, But Also Blue — CBS Denver
  Volunteers are in the process of painting trees in downtown Denver blue (of course, using environmentally safe colorant). The art project, Blue Trees, aims to inspire a community conversation about deforestation. Over the next six weeks, the volunteers will color 150 trees in Denver’s theater district.
• California Democrats prepare to battle GOP over Endangered Species Act — The Mercury News
  House Republicans recently held a hearing to make the case that the Endangered Species Act needed serious improvements and hindering efforts to repair dams, roadways and bridges. At the same time, lawmakers in California have been working to strengthen their state’s protections for endangered species, should they lose federal protection. The California Democrats are currently moving the California Environmental, Public Health, and Workers Defense Act of 2017 through the Legislature. This act would toughen environmental regulations signed by Nixon in the 70s.
• Prescribed forest fire frequency should be based on land management goals — Science Daily
  In a 68-year study, researchers at the University of Missouri studied forests subjected to different frequencies of fire to determine the effects that fire can have on oak forests over long period of time. They found that the frequency of prescribed forest fires should be determined based on the long-term goals of land managers.
• The trees that make Southern California shady and green are dying. Fast. — Los Angeles Times
  The trees that shade, cool and feed Southern Californians are dying so fast that within a few years, the region may look nothing like it does now. Greg McPherson, a supervisory research forester with the U.S. Forest Service, estimates that even just one type of insect, the polyphagous shot hole borer beetle, could kill up to 27 million trees in the area. That’s roughly 38% of the 71 million trees in the 4,244 square mile urban region with a population of about 20 million people.

By Austin Bosworth, American Forests

With Earth Day just a few days away, you might be wondering how you can get involved in helping our environment and conserving forests. Likewise, the shifting of the winds in politics today may also make you unsure of how to respond to the legislative measures that could impact our environment and the people and wildlife that depend on it.

Whether you plan to attend an upcoming climate march in your city or state, our Action Center is another way to let your voice be heard! Credit: Garry Knight

Calling your elected officials and reaching out to them at town hall events are good ways to voice your opinion, and our Action Center is another way to do it!

Keeping up-to-date with everything happening on the Hill is crucial to playing an active role in shaping the policy that affects all of our lives, and alerts in the Action Center will help you achieve that. In addition, our Action Alerts can be sent right to your email so you know exactly when your voice is needed. Through our revamped Action Center, you will learn the latest plans our government has for our forests and voice your opinion to your congressional representatives, the administration, and others with only a few clicks of your mouse!

It has become abundantly clear from these first few months that the new presidential administration is intent on changing the nature of public lands, environmental regulations, and the energy industry at an increasingly rapid pace. This not only decreases the volume of analysis and review that can be accomplished before a new law passes or fails, it also means we have a smaller amount of time to make our collective voice heard on the issue. Our Action Center and alerts offers you a way to keep up with this faster pace by summarizing a new action in Congress, the administration, or state and local events for you, describing its expected effect on forests, and calling on you to advocate through a personalized letter sent to lawmakers and policy decision-makers. We hope this streamlines the process for each of you by combining the information you need and the chance to let the lawmakers know your position. Come see our newest initiatives, and help us make sure things like the Endangered Species Act are defended for our generation and those that will come after us!

Theodore Roosevelt lived his life by the mantra, “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.” With his words in mind, the Action Center is where you’ll find what you can do in response to what’s going on in government. As one of the founding fathers of modern conservation, Roosevelt managed to convince an entire country that forests are worth fighting for and that government agencies can lead that fight. Now, a new administration needs to hear that we stand with those who came before us and are committed to the programs, organizations, and projects that protect and restore our forests.

By Justin Hynicka, Manager of Forest Conservation

I try not to let the weather dictate my camping plans. Even so, the bleak weather forecast had me hedging on a trip to Dolly Sods Wilderness in West Virginia’s Monongahela National Forest three weeks ago. It is one of the closest wilderness areas to our nation’s capital and because it is such a spectacular place, I was ultimately convinced to stick to the original plan. Three hours later (sans traffic) and… the access road is still closed for the season. Down here it’s overcast and drizzling but not too cold, so we joined the other half-dozen or so cars on the side of the road, donned our backpacks and took to the road on foot.

At the top of Dolly Sods on this day, it is downright unpleasant. It’s cold, windy and raining, and because of the rain there is about 3 inches of standing water everywhere. Fifteen-foot-tall red spruce growing closely together along the swollen stream are the only windbreak in sight in this otherwise rocky and blueberry-laden landscape, so we scavenge among the spruce for a flat spot with as little standing water as possible and pitch our tent.

Although still spectacular in its current state, it’s hard to fathom that just over 100 years ago Dolly Sods was part of an extensive 500,000-acre, old-growth red spruce forest capping the highlands of Appalachia. To start, the ground would have been much softer with up to 9 feet of leaves and other organic matter blanketing the ground as both the weather and spruce leaf chemistry lead to slow rates of decomposition. Now largely gone, this thick layer of organic matter made a lasting impression on the landscape that is easily visible today by bleaching lower soil layers white with natural organic acids and giving streams in this region their characteristic amber color as spruce and hemlock leaves were broken down into soluble tannins. For this reason, restoring red spruce is one of our strongest carbon-sequestration projects.

Both old trees and organic-rich soils are important for West Virginia northern flying squirrel habitat. The typical red spruce can grow 60 to 90 feet tall with a trunk 2 to 4 feet in diameter. In winter, groups of squirrels share nests in tree cavities previously constructed by woodpeckers, while in summer they are more likely to nest in branches at the tops of spruce trees that they glide to and fro on flaps of extra skin between their front and back legs. Fungi are abundant in the organic rich soils and are eaten by the squirrels, which in-turn help disperse fungal spores throughout the forest.

Due to habitat loss, the West Virginia northern flying squirrel was listed under the Endangered Species Act in 1985, but was subsequently and controversially de-listed in 2013 despite limited population data.

Along with more than 9 million acres of other virgin forest in West Virginia, red spruce forests were felled in an abrupt 40-year span between 1880 and 1920 in a perfect storm of forest technology innovation. The Shay geared locomotive provided access in and out of the rugged terrain, while the ban saw provided the firepower to efficiently cut the felled trees up. Band saw mills could process trees from up to 17 acres of virgin forest DAILY! At the peak of the timber industry, 83 band saw mills were in operation along with over 1,400 other facilities (Logging of West Virginia Forests).

Only 5 percent of old-growth red spruce forests remain today but there are multiple efforts underway to help recover this diverse forest ecosystem. To date, American Forests has helped to restore 941 acres of red spruce forest by planting 157,465 trees. In 2017, we will plant an additional 200 acres with 75,000 red spruce and other native plants on abandoned mine land where, without restoration, trees cannot grow. This work is part of a collective 10-year effort including American Forests and other groups from the Central Appalachian Spruce Restoration Initiative (CASRI) to remake an entire mountain by de-compacting former mine lands, planting new trees, creating wetlands and thinning over-stocked red spruce forests to improve forest health.

In two weeks, American Forests staff will be on an overnight adventure to plant red spruce trees in Monongahela National Forest. My fingers are crossed for good weather.

Vote for the Central Appalachians

Do you live in or near the Central Appalachians, or really like the West Virginia northern flying squirrel? Then vote today or by 10:00 a.m. EDT on April 26, and the winning region will receive an additional $10,000 project investment in 2018!

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