Financial Assistance Available to West Alabama Landowners Interested in Forestry Initiative

USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Alabama State Conservationist Ben Malone announced a collaborative effort to reach forestry landowners will continue in West Alabama. NRCS Alabama will partner with the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities, Federation of Southern Cooperatives (FSC), the Limited Resource Landowners Educational and Assistance Network (LRLEAN), and the Alabama Forestry Commission (AFC) to provide assistance to …

Capitol Christmas Tree Arrives

A nearly 80-foot tall Christmas tree arrived Monday at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. The Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service provides a tree each year from a different state for the Capitol. This year’s tree, an Engelmann Spruce, is 79 feet tall and comes from northwest Montana. The 15,000 lbs., the 76-year-old tree made a two-week, 3,400-mile journey to …

UF Researcher: Controlled Fires Don’t Eliminate Invasive Tree

Researchers have, in the past, reintroduced fire to restore a forest without considering its effect on exotic species that have become invasive. But a recent study by a University of Florida researcher shows that fire actually increases the proliferation of species that harm the environment, which could cause millions of dollars in damage. “Invasive species, be they plants, insects or …

Perdue Statement on House Passage of Resilient Federal Forests Act

Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue applauded the U.S. House of Representatives for passing the Resilient Federal Forests Act of 2017 (H.R. 2936) as an important step toward better management of national forests. The legislation, sponsored by Rep. Bruce Westerman (AR-04), seeks to implement proactive management standards for forests and paves the way for a solution to the problem of U.S. …

Putnam Recognizes Florida’s 17 Million Acres of Forests During Working Forests Week

Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam and the Florida Forest Service are celebrating the benefits of Florida’s more than 17 million acres of forests during Florida’s third annual Working Forests Week, which is Oct. 15 through Oct. 21. A working forest includes publicly or privately owned lands where sustainable production of timber is balanced with promoting healthy populations of …

UF Study: Disease-Carrying Mosquitoes Abound in Deforested Lands

Most disease-transmitting mosquito species live in deforested areas, a finding that may influence decisions on where and when to cut down trees, a new University of Florida study shows. Deforestation occurs when people remove trees to make way for neighborhoods, farms, shopping centers, and other land uses, said Nathan Burkett-Cadena, a UF/IFAS entomologist and lead author of the study. For …

Perdue Urges State Foresters to Call on Congress to Fix Fire Funding Problem

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue urged State Foresters to join in calling on Congress to address the way the U.S. Forest Service is funded. Currently, the agency has to borrow money from prevention programs to combat ongoing wildfires. Secretary Perdue believes Congress should treat major fires the same as other disasters and be covered by emergency funds so prevention …

Forest Service Wildland Fire Suppression Costs Exceed $2 Billion

Secretary Perdue Renews Call for Congress to Fix “Fire Borrowing” Problem U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced that wildland fire suppression costs for the fiscal year have exceeded $2 billion, making 2017 the most expensive year on record.  Wildfires have ravaged states in the west, Pacific Northwest, and Northern Rockies regions of the United States this summer.  As the …