Forestry
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A recent study by scientists at the University of Illinois shows that forested areas affected by tornadoes or other wind storms not only knock down many trees but also provide an opening for the spread of invasive weeds and pests by disrupting the forest canopy. In some cases the infestation of exotic pests is so…
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Drought affects trees on many different time scales. In the Southeast, we grow a lot of trees in controlled conditions for timber. The timber is managed by planting, thinning, and harvesting. Until recently, there have been very few studies done on the impacts of management techniques like thinning on the trees’ resilience to drought and…
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In the news today (see first story below) was a story that we can put a dent in climate change by planting billions or even trillions of trees, which will absorb and store carbon dioxide. While that will help slow the increase in CO2 in the atmosphere, it really only buys some time, since the…
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If you interested in learning more about forestry and natural resources from your own office or need to add some continuing ed credits, check out this web site of archived webinars. The description of the site is below: Welcome to The Forestry Webinar Portal View Live and On-Demand: Whatever your interest – from improving wildlife…
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Fox News reported that most of the 3 million acres of forestland that was destroyed by Hurricane Michael in 2018 is literally rotting away on the ground. Only about 13 percent of it has been recovered so far. Many timber producers are seeing their life savings lost because it is not possible to salvage all…
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In this recent story from the Panama City News-Herald, continuing impacts from Hurricane Michael are discussed. They include an increased chance of bad wildfires due to all of the tree debris in the Florida panhandle, flooding from both damming of streams by large trees and the lack of trees to soak up rain water, and…
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One of the unexpected consequences of all of the trees blown down by Hurricane Michael last year in the Florida Panhandle was that flooding of creeks has increased. The downed tress are acting as dams in creeks they cross, slowing the water and backing it up into areas that are not usually flooded. Removing the…