USDA and partners committed $20 million in 21st Century Conservation Service Corps partnership agreements to provide 4,000 work opportunities for youth, young adults and veterans up to 35 years old, a move that will help the U.S. Forest Service accomplish mission-critical infrastructure and landscape restoration projects on the ground. The U.S. Forest Service is one of seventeen USDA Agencies. The …
Conservation and Forestry Subcommittee Highlights Importance of Watershed Maintenance in Rural America
The House Agriculture Subcommittee on Conservation and Forestry held a hearing to examine efforts to address small watershed infrastructure. Subcommittee Chairman Frank Lucas (OK-3) and members heard from two panels of witnesses who underscored the importance of technical and financial assistance to maintain these watershed structures. “For nearly 70 years, rural communities have benefited from federal investments in watershed projects …
Secretaries Perdue and Zinke Stress Inter-Departmental Collaboration as Wildfire Season Approaches
Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue and Interior Secretary Ryan K. Zinke joined forces in Boise, Idaho at the National Incident Fire Command Center (NIFC) for a tour and briefing on the upcoming wildfire season. Following the events, the secretaries sent a memorandum to wildland fire leadership highlighting the importance of inter-departmental collaboration in protecting communities and managing public lands. In the …
Southeast Landowners Reminded about Longleaf Pine Initiative
Landowners across the Southeast are being reminded about the Longleaf Pine Initiative (LLPI) through USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service. The program, which started back in 2010, helps agricultural producers and conservation partners restore longleaf forests. NRCS Acting Chief, Leonard Jordan, explains why restoration efforts of longleaf pine forests are so important. Sponsored ContentWhat Sets Provysol® Fungicide ApartJuly 8, 2025CIR Agriculture …
UF Scientists Prepare for Devastating Pest in China Before it Makes its Way to U.S.
A previously unrecognized pest is making a name for itself devastating American sweetgum trees in China. Now, University of Florida researchers fear the insect will make its way to the United States and devastate its sweetgum trees. The bug was so obscure it recently had no scientific name until researchers realized it was responsible for the death of thousands of …
Florida is Burning Up: Learn What Forest Landowners are Doing About It
The drought has been making news in Florida, fueling more than 2,100 wildfires burning 170,000 acres since the start of the year according to The Florida Forest Service. And with up to a 12-inch rain deficit throughout the state and temperatures predicted to continue above normal, relief may not be in sight, even if the rainy season starts soon, according …
Growing Communities through Forestry in Alabama
USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service in Alabama is partnering with the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities and the Alabama Forestry Commission to improve access to funding that assists minority forest landowners. The success of this endeavor relies on the local influence of community groups, The Limited Resource Landowner Education and Assistance Network (LRLEAN) and the Federation of Southern …
Two Florida NRCS Sign-up Deadlines This Week
USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Florida wants to remind landowners interested in restoring a longleaf pine forest and build habitat for northern bobwhite quail habitat, you have until this Friday, May 19, to apply for financial assistance. Funding is available through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). Contact your local USDA service center for more information. Plus, agricultural …
South Carolina Sending Firefighters, Equipment to Help Florida Battle Wildfires
Commissioner of Agriculture Adam Putnam and the Florida Forest Service announced that South Carolina is sending firefighters and equipment to help battle Florida wildfires. The support crews are expected to arrive in Central Florida Saturday evening. There more than 135 active wildfires in Florida and more than 2,000 wildfires have burned over 150,000 acres in Florida this year. Current conditions …
UF study: Cloning insect-fungus duo kills 500 million trees
by Ellison Langford, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Laurel wilt disease has killed as many as half-a-billion trees. And,a new study by a researcher with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences suggests it may have been spread by a single insect cloning itself. “In biology, there is no evidence of a single strain …