International Year of Forests

The National Association of State Foresters (NASF), the USDA Forest Service, and the American Forest Foundation (AFF) partnered to establish a campaign designed to raise U.S. awareness of the value of forests through the International Year of Forests celebration.  With Forest Service support, NASF created and manages this website to serve all members of the U.S. forestry community.  The website provides free toolkit materials anyone can use to celebrate forests in their own community; it is also a central forum for sharing ideas and events. 

The American Forest Foundation (AFF), NASF, and the Forest Service are co-hosting a reception in Washington, DC on March 30 to launch the U.S. celebration.  Forest Exchange Boxes developed by AFF’s Project Learning Tree® will portray unique forestry values from each state.  Forest conservation leaders will share their work with key administration, Congressional, and media representatives.  The reception will follow a Congressional briefing hosted by AFF where Tree Farmers from across the country will share their challenges in providing public values from owning and managing private forests.  

As the year progresses look for more opportunities to celebrate forests.  Mark your calendars for a “National Walk in the Woods Day” on May 21!  From November 2-6, the 92nd National Convention of the Society of American Foresters (SAF) will serve as a finale to the year-long celebration as the nation’s largest gathering of forestry professionals convenes to discuss the Year of Forests, forestry challenges, and cutting-edge scientific solutions.  For more information on AFF, NASF, the Forest Service, SAF, and other organizations celebrating America’s forests please see the links on the External Resources pages.

With camping season starting, remember to buy your firewood at your destination and remember to burn it all before you leave.

Invasive Species and Citizen Support

Refuge System Battles Invasive Species; Citizen Support is Key
May 01 , 2008 from EV Living

Invasive plants and animals—introduced to the lands and waters of the United States from foreign shores—continue to plague national wildlife refuges. Some efforts to stem this threat are already in place and beginning to take hold. But there are other steps people can take to help by slightly altering their routines.

About 2.4 million acres of the 98-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System are currently infested with invasive plants, according to the 2007 Refuge Annual Performance Plan. Additionally, 4,423 invasive animal populations occupy refuge lands—from the brown treesnake overrunning Guam National Wildlife Refuge to the more common nutria, a species that has spread to many states that was brought from South America when its fur was highly marketable.

National wildlife refuges spent more than $11 million last fiscal year in fighting this problem, which has become pervasive. During each of the past four years, the Refuge System has treated an average of 14 percent of the acres infested with invasive plants.

Five Invasive Species Strike Teams have been mobilized to respond rapidly to the detection of new and threatening infestations. They are working in Arizona, New Mexico, the Upper Missouri/Yellowstone/Upper Columbia River basins, south Florida, North Dakota, and Hawaii and the Pacific Islands.

In the near future, a team led by biologists from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will be gearing up to rid Rat Island, part of Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge, of its namesake invader. More than 200 years ago, Norway rats came ashore to Rat Island when a Japanese ship ran aground. The rat spill changed the island from a predator-free sanctuary for ground-nesting seabirds into a death trap. There are virtually no seabirds left.

The team will hit every potential rat territory on the island, including all vegetated offshore rocks and islets. And areas that can’t be reached by helicopter, such as overhanging cliffs and coastal areas, will be visited by biologists on foot.

On the Eastern Shore of Maryland, Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge became a beacon of success in 2004, when it eradicated nutria. But the battle is never-ending, and the refuge’s nutria-free status now depends largely on neighboring landowners to control nutria on their lands. Today, an intensive trapping and detection program is maintained on 130,000 acres of coastal marsh surrounding and including Blackwater Refuge.

Citizen support is key in the battle against invasive species. The Refuge System has worked for the past three years with the National Wildlife Refuge Association, The Nature Conservancy and the National Institute of Invasive Species Science on a program that has enabled about 2,750 volunteers to inventory, treat and restore more than 211,000 acres of Refuge System land.

Many of these refuge volunteers are called upon to wage hand-to-hand combat with invasives. At Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge, the New England Invasive Plant Group—a network of agencies and organizations working with the refuge—fought the water chestnut. The aquatic invasive floats on the water’s surface and displaces native plants. The infestation at Log Pond Cove was first detected in 1997, not long after the refuge was established. Once the plant is well established, eradication is next to impossible.

Silvio O. Conte Refuge began to show progress in controlling the problem only after it enlisted the help of hundreds of volunteers to hand-pull the weed, year after year. Machine pulling was not doing the job.

How Citizens Can Help
Learn How to Fight: In collaboration with the Center for Invasive Plant Management, the National Wildlife Refuge System has designed an online training course for volunteers and others interested in joining the army to help fight invasive plant species—one of the single greatest threats to the Refuge System. The new Web-based training course, includes video, text and photos that provide information about the science and management of invasive plants.

In Fishing Season:
• Don’t dump any bait, especially minnows or crayfish, into streams or lakes after fishing.

• Be sure to inspect and thoroughly clean your fishing gear, including boats, trailers and waders. Invasive plants and animals, like hydrilla and zebra mussels, can quickly spread to uninfested waters by hitchhiking on gear used by anglers.

In the Garden:
• When looking for ornamental plants or groundcover for your home or garden, use native plants. Many areas now have nurseries specializing in local native plants, or search online for your local native plant society that can make recommendations for you.

• If you do use a non-native plant, ask your local nursery if it is an invasive species in your area.

• When buying a potted plant, check for unwanted weeds growing in the pot and make sure to pull them out before planting.

• When you pull unwanted weeds out of your lawn or garden, make sure to remove the entire plant and carefully bag it for disposal. Seeds from a dying plant can spread into uninfested areas.

The mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working with others to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. We are both a leader and trusted partner in fish and wildlife conservation, known for our scientific excellence, stewardship of lands and natural resources, dedicated professionals and commitment to public service. For more information on our work and the people who make it happen, visit www.fws.gov.

Meijer Partnering with Nature Conservancy to battle Invasives

On April 26th, Nature Conservancy reps will be at all Meijer stores to promote invasive species awareness and to present an educational program to shoppers. They intend to help prospective gardeners choose "safe" plants for their projects. Pots and bags will even be marked with a special "noninvasive" identification tag.

For more information visit The Nature Conservancy and Meijer Relaunch Garden Center Partnership With Earth Day 'Open House'.

Emerald Ash Borer Awareness Week

SPRINGFIELD – Governor Rod R. Blagojevich today proclaimed May 20-26 as Emerald Ash
Borer Awareness Week in Illinois to help make sure people know how to prevent the spread of
the tree-killing beetle. The Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) is only capable of flying short distances
on its own, so limiting the movement of firewood and other potentially-infested wood products is the single most important step individuals can take to prevent the spread of this destructive pest and save our ash trees.

“Trees enhance our state’s landscape and contribute to the quality of life in communities all over
Illinois. The emerald ash borer has already killed more than 20 million ash trees since it arrived
in North America just five years ago and now is threatening to destroy millions of ash trees here
in Illinois. It’s important for people who live here and who may travel here to know what they
can do to help stop the destruction,” Gov. Blagojevich said. The emerald ash borer is a small, metallic-green insect from Asia that was first discovered in the United States near Detroit, MI, in 2002. It likely was transported here in wooden shipping pallets or packing materials. The first beetle detection in Illinois occurred last June in a rural Kane County subdivision west of St. Charles. Subsequent finds were made in the northern Cook County communities of Wilmette, Evanston, Winnetka and, most recently, Skokie.

The Illinois Management and Science Advisory Panel, a team of experts appointed by the
governor that includes representatives from the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection
Service, USDA Forest Service, City of Chicago Bureau of Forestry, Illinois Department of
Natural Resources, University of Illinois Cooperative Extension and Morton Arboretum, is
coordinating the state’s response to the beetle.

“Our strategy to eradicate this pest has three components,” Agriculture Director Chuck Hartke
said. “The first component is a quarantine to stop the movement of ash wood and ash nursery
products out of infested areas. The second involves the removal of infested trees to reduce the
population of the ash borer and minimize its potential spread while the third, a comprehensive
survey of ash trees in northeastern Illinois to determine the exact extent of the infestation, is
completed.”

Areas under quarantine include all of Kane County and parts of northern Cook, western DuPage,
northern Kendall and eastern DeKalb counties. More than 400 infested trees were removed this
spring at no expense to homeowners as part of the population reduction strategy. An additional
1,000 trees in the region have been surveyed.
“Memorial Day is the traditional start of the travel and tourism season,” Sam Flood, acting
director of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, said. “As campers and picnickers
prepare for their family outings, we’d like them to remember that it’s okay to pack food and
equipment, but not firewood. All firewood should be purchased locally from vendors at your
destination and then burned before you leave to prevent new infestations of emerald ash borer.”

The emerald ash borer is difficult to detect, especially in newly-infested trees. Citizens should
watch for metallic-green beetles about half the diameter of a penny on or near ash trees that are showing signs of disease or stress. Other signs of infestation in ash trees include D-shaped holes in the bark of the trunk or branches and shoots growing from its base. Anyone who suspects a tree has been infested is urged to contact their county Extension office. For more information, visit www.IllinoisEAB.com on the internet.

The full text of the Governor’s proclamation follows:

Emerald Ash Borer Awareness Week
May 20 – 26, 2007

WHEREAS, more than 130 million ash trees exist in the great state of Illinois enhancing our state’s air quality, natural landscapes, recreational destinations, wildlife habitats, manufacturing, commerce, and property and land values; and

WHEREAS, increasing public awareness and understanding of the emerald ash borer (EAB), a destructive exotic beetle, benefits the state of Illinois by limiting the artificial spread of the beetle through the movement of firewood; and

WHEREAS, through the joint efforts of the states of Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin, as well as private, local and federal partnerships, we strive to protect the billions of ash trees in the United States; and

WHEREAS, employing a cooperative spirit and encouraging environmental stewardship throughout the states ultimately reduces the risk to the nation’s ash resources; and

WHEREAS, spring marks the beginning of the travel and tourism season in Illinois; and

WHEREAS, Emerald Ash Borer Awareness Week is an opportunity for the government
to join forces with business, industry, environmental groups, community organizations, tourists and citizens to take action against the introduction and spread of EAB:

THEREFORE, I, Rod R. Blagojevich, Governor of the State of Illinois, do hereby proclaim May
20 – 26, 2007 as EMERALD ASH BORER AWARENESS WEEK in Illinois, and encourage
all citizens to increase their understanding and awareness of EAB and its environmental,
ecological, and economic impact on the state of Illinois and the nation.