forestry Archives - Page 3 of 5

Hidden Celtic Cross Emerges in Aerial Views of Eastern White Pine Forest

Posted on October 31, 2016 by Jeff Easterling

eastern white pine celtic cross forest

Six years after the death of its creator, a beautiful living work of art comprised of Eastern White Pine trees has emerged from a forest in Ireland. Airline passengers flying into the City of Derry Airport were the first to notice the dramatic display this fall, as the lighter-colored symbol emerged from its darker-hued surroundings. Measuring an amazing 330 feet long by 210 feet wide, the installation in County Donegal is located on the land of Irish forester Liam Emmery.

Before it got noticed and became international news, the cross had been entirely forgotten, with Emmery’s family saying they didn’t even realize it was there. Drone pilots got closer views of the planting, seen in the footage above. This kind of horticultural engineering lasts much longer than a lot of other kinds of land-based art, and the results will be visible for 60-70 years.

“If he was here, we’d all have heard about it because he’d be so proud,” his wife Norma told ITV. “He just loved things to be perfect, and I think the Celtic cross is perfect for him.”

Maine Timber Industry Growing Despite Paper Mill Closures

Posted on May 1, 2016 by Jeff Easterling

The forest industry remains a crucial element in Maine’s economy despite the recently announced closure of Madison Paper Industries, which will result in the loss of 215 jobs. According to the Maine Forest Products council, the forestry industry pours about $5 billion into the state’s economy each year, and sawmills are bustling day in an day out as the demand for timber continues its upswing.

Though foreign competition, wood prices and startup capital have thrown a wrench in the industry’s recovery from the 2008 economic recession, the outlook is good. At Kennebec Lumber, which produces about 60 percent of its lumber and hardwood flooring from local trees, business has grown 10 to 15 percent over the last eight years.

“Our sawmills are fairly healthy,” says Patrick Starch, executive director of the Maine Forest Products Council. “They’ve invested millions during tough economic times, so they’re all looking for housing starts to improve. The housing market has gradually been improving, but we’re ready for an upsurge, and that’s going to e reflected in people feeling better about the economy.”

Biomass facilities and pellet plants in Maine have struggled to compete with low gas and oil prices over the last mild winter, but again, the long-term outlook is good. Biomass accounts for 60 percent of Maine’s renewable energy portfolio, and without healthy markets for it, low-grade wood and sawmill residue would clog the state’s forests or landfills.

Forest Facts: Over-Harvesting No Longer a Top Threat to Forests

Posted on July 20, 2015 by Jeff Easterling

Ask the average person to identify the number one threat to forests in America, and they’ll probably say logging. In the past, over-harvesting was certainly a problem, as more trees were cut than could be replaced. But times have changed, and now that a large percentage of America’s forests are owned by families and individuals rather than timber companies, it’s actually suburbanization and converting forests to other non-forest uses that’s wiping out tracts of undeveloped woodland.

According to a new report called Vanishing Pieces of the Puzzle by the American Forest Foundation, 56 percent of the nearly 800 million wooded acres in the United States are in private hands, and two-thirds of those acres are owned by 22 million individuals. Those private owners are clearing their forests for suburban development and pastures, selling them to pay bills, and dividing them up into smaller parcels as each generation passes. Many privately-owned forests are also being devastated by wildfires and tree-killing insects and diseases.

Based on data from the U.S. Forest Service, the report goes into detail about how these threats are affecting ecosystems, water quality, and quality of life for people living in communities with diminishing forested lands. So, what can be done to save them? Make them more valuable to the owners by increasing markets for sustainable wood, for one thing.

“What most don’t realize is that harvesting can be a vital sustainable forestry practice, and helps restore and sustain important forests – like bottomland hardwoods,” says Tom Martin, AFF President and CEO. “Land owners who are active in the American Tree Farm System, harvest to keep their forests healthy, then sell to markets who want sustainable wood, which enables them to earn income to replant, restore and keep their forests as forests – protecting a vital carbon sink for all.”

Read the whole report here, or learn more about how sustainable forestry works.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Forest Facts: Cutting Down Trees Isn’t (Always) a Bad Thing

Posted on July 15, 2014 by Jeff Easterling

It can seem like a terrible shame to cut down a strong, healthy tree – and often, it is. There are certainly times when mature trees are cut down for no good reason, or without any sort of plan to properly replace them. But the perception that cutting down trees is always bad just isn’t true. In fact, when properly managed, the process of growing and harvesting trees is an important part of a sustainable future for humans, wildlife and the environment.

The most important reason for this is very simple: trees are a renewable resource, and provide essential raw material for thousands of products, including wood, paper and even lumber byproducts that can be burned for energy. The fact is, wood is simply more sustainable than many other materials, to the point that it’s experiencing a major revival in even the largest-scale architecture and construction all over the world.

Unlike other raw materials, wood is easy and efficient to reproduce, especially fast-growing species like Eastern White Pine. Avoiding the devastating deforestation often associated with logging all comes down to sustainable methods of forestry, which meet the needs of the present without harming wildlife or the environment or compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Sustainable forestry methods outline long-term plans to ensure biodiversity in forests and regeneration capacity for decades or centuries to come.

In managed forests, the trees are younger and healthier, with care taken to ensure that they don’t become infested with pests or taken over by invasive species. Many people don’t know that young trees actually capture more carbon from the atmosphere and produce more oxygen than their old growth counterparts, helping to combat climate change.

Supporting sustainably produced wood and paper products also helps keep more land forested, since it provides an economic incentive not to cut trees down to make way for agricultural, residential or commercial usage of the land.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Forest Facts: Sustainable Forestry Initiative Helps Protect Migratory Birds

Posted on June 2, 2014 by Jeff Easterling

Sustainable forestry practices help preserve the habitats of countless species of plants and wildlife, and a new program supported by the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) aims to boost that effect even more with detailed maps of breeding bird species. Bird enthusiasts and biologists are joining together to gather information that will help manage and conserve bird habitats in forests that are used for recreational, industrial and research purposes.

Bird Studies Canada and its partners have teamed up with SFI to develop a series of Breeding Bird Atlases showing where hundreds of bird species breed within particular regions of Canada. Bird lovers have taken part in the process by volunteering their time to collect data across each region over a five-year period. About 1.3 million breeding bird records have been collected.

“As wild birds are excellent indicators of environmental health, this research plays a pivotal role in how Canada’s bird populations may be affected by a variety of factors in our forests,” said Kathy Abusow, President and CEO of SFI, Inc. “For one, the results of this research will provide updated information for forest managers related to bird habitat, which can better inform forest management decisions and practices.”

Sustainable forestry protects birds and other wildlife with a multi-step process of evaluation, management and regeneration that ensures that tree removal won’t harm the ecosystem and will allow for a continued harvest in the future. Learn more about the differences between sustainable and traditional forestry.

Certified Sustainable Children’s Museum Shows Off Beauty of Eco Wood

Posted on December 9, 2013 by Jeff Easterling

The Hands-On Children’s Museum of Olympia, Washington demonstrates the starring role that sustainable wood can take in modern eco-friendly construction. A partnership between McGraw Hill Construction and Hull Architects, the new 57,000-square-foot complex on the downtown waterfront achieved LEED Silver certification and features wood siding certified by the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI.)

In addition to certified sustainable wood, the green features of the museum include reclaimed water, brownfield redevelopment, protection of restored habitat, water-efficient landscaping, low-emitting materials, lots of daylighting and a co-generation project that uses waste methane to heat and cool the museum.

Since it opened in 2011, the museum has become a model for seamlessly blending top-quality materials and functionality with environmental responsibility. A new wave of green construction in recent years demonstrates the versatility and sustainability of responsibly grown, harvested and processed wood, which is much less energy-intensive to manufacture than most other building materials.

The green building movement has driven a boom in sustainable forestry, leading many landowners to switch to earth-friendly practices not just because it’s the right thing to do, but because it makes financial sense.