As our world seeks to transition to a low-carbon economy, the demand for land and renewable forest products is on the rise. We believe these resources will play a key role in addressing the impacts of climate change and the excess carbon in the atmosphere.

Many strategies to enhance and sustain the health of our planet will come from the proper use of land. As a landowner responsible for millions of acres of forests, New England Forestry is eager to deliver the land-based solutions our assets can provide.

These land uses address some of the key environmental needs of the world. We believe it’s our responsibility to lead, innovate and collaborate with others to ensure a healthy and sustainable future. We are working closely with community and business leaders to leverage our forestlands to make the greatest positive impact.

New England Forestry views land-based solutions through the following broad categories:

• Positioning land for alternative and additional uses
• Elevating the role our forests play in capturing carbon
• Producing the wood fiber needed to fuel bioenergy and biofuel systems of the future
• Embracing environmental and biodiversity conservation

Positioning land for alternative and additional uses

Alternative uses include solar and wind farms, which produce clean energy, powering homes and businesses while drastically reducing the amount of carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions required to produce that energy.

“Renewables produce energy with a lot less carbon emissions than other traditional forms of power production, such as coal and gas,” explains our Vice President of Energy Resources Rob Fancher.

Renewable energy producers support a healthier environment by reducing air pollution, mitigating climate change, conserving water compared to fossil fuel plants and minimizing noise pollution. They also provide local jobs, increase tax revenue and make communities more attractive to new businesses.

“Many businesses are interested in lowering their carbon footprint and they’re looking to relocate their facilities to areas that have options for renewable energy,” Rob explains.

Leasing land for wind and solar farms

Sites with strong solar and wind potential are plentiful across New England Forestry’s ownership, which is attractive to solar companies because of our large land base and proximity to power substations.

Thanks to advancements in technology, solar power has become one of the most affordable energy sources, with the levelized cost of electricity declining more than 80% from 2008 to 2022, according to this Berkeley Lab study.

Solar makes up more than half of new energy

Due to its relative affordability and positive impact on climate, solar is now making up more than half of all new energy being introduced into the grid, as reported here by the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

In 2023, the first solar farm on New England Forestry land came online in Polk County, Texas. Longroad Energy’s 150 megawatt project produces enough clean energy to power 30,000 homes, avoiding an estimated 250,000 metric tons of CO₂ emissions annually.

“When we’re looking for solar developers to pursue a project, we really want a reputable, trustworthy company that shares our core values and our long-term commitment to environmental stewardship,” says Business Development Manager Zan Frederick. He says his team was pleased with the steps Longroad Energy took to protect the environment around the project site.

The solar farm, which includes about 600 acres of New England Forestry land, implements water quality protection measures such as reservoirs and forest buffers. It also was built around wetlands to protect the ecosystems within its boundaries, with solar panels on only 1,300 acres of the approximately 2,500-acre site.

The first wind farm lease on New England Forestry land became operational in 2019 in Pushmataha County, Oklahoma. Established on a high ridge that overlapped our property at the time and a neighboring landowner, the wind farm delivers enough clean energy to power 40,000 homes while the trees continue to grow around it. Our team carefully monitored the construction process to ensure waterways were protected at the same high standard our foresters adhere to when managing our timberlands.

Providing pore space for carbon capture and storage opportunities

In addition to green energy sites, New England Forestry owns land that is well-situated to provide carbon emitters, such as factories and power plants, access to pore space for carbon capture and storage—or, CCS—for their emissions. 

CCS begins with the CO₂ producer, who captures the CO₂ from the atmosphere or the point source of the emissions and pipes them into an underground pipe system. This system transports the emissions to our land in liquid form. The CO₂ is then sent deep underground—a half mile or more—and injected into a rock formation that is intended to store it permanently.

With more than half of the world’s 2,000 largest companies committed to net zero emissions, CCS is expected to be a major contributor to decarbonization. CCS demand is projected to grow rapidly, with an expected compound annual growth rate of 6.2 percent annually from 2023 to 2030, reaching more than 300 Mtpa (million tonnes per annum), according to the World Economic Forum.

Our southern land base includes large tracts of land with geologic capacity for CCS. Many of these properties are within close proximity to high-purity emissions sources as well as existing pipelines and rights-of-way.

As of 2024, New England Forestry has granted 75,000 acres of underground pore space lease agreements. These leases allow emitters to use our land for CCS. By making land available for CCS, we are facilitating a critical solution for reducing carbon emissions, while still preserving the primary use of our land for timber operations.

“By providing CCS pore space while continuing to sustainably manage the forests above, we’re able to deliver even more environmental benefits through our land resources,” said New England Forestry Executive Vice President and Chief Resource Officer Doug Long. “We’re committed to advancing these types of land-based solutions to combat climate change.”

Elevating the role our forests play in capturing carbon

Trees capture and store carbon not only while they’re growing, but also store carbon in the products they become, such as lumber and plywood for housing construction.

Beyond these direct product uses, we are able to leverage our foresters’ expertise and change how our forests are managed to maximize the carbon captured. These management changes produce carbon credits to be sold in offset markets.

In New Zealand, we participate in the nation’s regulated carbon offset market, known as the New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme. Through this market, registered forests generate credits known as New Zealand Units (NZUs). Companies looking to offset their emissions purchase the NZUs and “retire” them once they claim that credit. In 2023, New England Forestry generated $23 million in NZU sales.

Across our U.S. lands, where carbon markets are voluntary, we are exploring opportunities to elevate the carbon sequestered within the forests we manage.

Improved Forest Management (IFM) projects currently under consideration could maximize our carbon sequestration using science-driven forestry techniques. This might include extending how long timberlands grow before they’re harvested, establishing alternative native species, or managing the land in a different manner. 

Carbon credits can also be generated from afforestation activity, in which land that has been used for different purposes, such as cattle grazing, is converted into forests.

New England Forestry is currently working on both IFM and afforestation carbon credit projects in the U.S.

Producing the wood fiber needed to fuel bioenergy and biofuel systems of the future

There is a rising need for the wood fiber we grow as manufacturing facilities seek to become more environmentally positive. Wood-based biofuels for airplanes, ships and vehicles as well as electricity generated through wood-based bioenergy reduce carbon emissions. Using these products in place of traditional fuels can significantly reduce the carbon intensity of the energy the world needs.

One specific area of opportunity is bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) facilities. BECCS is a growing area of interest to address manufacturers’ emissions, especially in the U.S. South, where a large portion of our timberlands are concentrated. BECCS facilities burn woody biomass for energy production and then capture and store the emitted carbon—aiming to create a carbon-negative cycle.

The demand for Sustainable Aviation Fuel, known as SAF, is also on the rise. Air travel is currently responsible for 12% of all transportation-related CO₂ emissions, according to this article by the U.S. Department of Energy. Existing aircraft can use a blend of SAF and jet fuel to reduce emissions. 

Members of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), representing more than 80 percent of global air traffic, have committed to achieving net-zero carbon emissions from their operations by 2050.  IATA’s Fly Net Zero strategy relies on SAF for 65% of the emission reductions, which will lead to significant increasing demand for SAF in the future.

Embracing environmental and biodiversity conservation

We are committed to sustainable land management practices that balance various uses while ensuring the protection of critical natural habitats. This includes implementing conservation strategies, maintaining or enhancing biodiversity and adhering to environmental regulations to conserve the ecological integrity of significant areas under our stewardship.

We’re actively involved in conservation easement solutions that permanently preclude certain activities such as high-density development or mining from taking place on those properties. These solutions make larger conservation efforts possible in areas near our ownership.

Through biodiversity enhancement efforts, such as the afforestation of lands from other uses to forests, we can prioritize habitat for vulnerable wildlife species, as well as help create continuity of wildlife corridors and sensitive areas, all in an effort to contribute to environmental conservation.

Proud to be Part of the Solution

At New England Forestry, we’re proud to continuously seek more ways to be part of the solution. Through the land-based solutions we work with stakeholders to deliver, as well as our timber business’s climate-smart forest management, we can play an important role in advancing the transition to a low-carbon economy and addressing the risks posed by climate change.

The post What are Land-Based Solutions? appeared first on New England Forestry Stories.

New England Forestry has been in the sustainable forestry business for almost 100 years—that’s a lot of time that our foresters, scientists and business leaders have been working with the land, monitoring the weather and managing the planting and harvesting of trees.

We’ve witnessed a lot of changes in the past century, not least of which has been the shifts in our global climate.

We know that the Earth’s surface temperature is changing, influenced by greenhouse gas emissions caused by human activity, and we know this will have an impact on regional and global weather patterns.

Knowing that climate change will continue to impact our world, we have to be more informed than ever.

Protecting Our Forests for the Future in a Changing Climate

When we see the forecast for heavy rainfall or drought or see yet another headline of record-breaking temperatures, we are looking through the eyes of a land manager.

We think: are we prepared? What can we do to make our forests more resilient if these trends continue?

As forest managers, we believe that we can adapt to these changes to ensure that our company—and our forests—will thrive in the next 100 years.

Our in-house scientists and foresters have looked at data from organizations like the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to help us define climate smart forestry practices.

In this article, we will explore the concept of climate smart forestry and the strategies we will use to protect the long-term health of our forests given the climactic conditions that will exist in the future.

• What is Climate Smart Forestry?
• Climate Smart Forestry Principles to Guide New England Forestry’s Decision-making
• What is Carbon Capture and Storage in Sustainable Forest Management?
• The Role of Working Forests in Carbon Capture
• Climate Smart Forestry Beyond Carbon Capture
• The Importance of Climate Smart Forestry
• Benefits of Climate Smart Forestry Practices
• Resilient Forests Will Help Us Adapt to Climate Change

What is Climate Smart Forestry?

Climate smart forestry refers to the sustainable management of forests with a focus on mitigating, reducing and adapting to the impacts of climate change. 

Using a climate smart forestry approach allows us to implement strategies that increase forest resilience and productivity, enhance carbon sequestration, and ensure the health of forest ecosystems.

In many cases, climate smart forestry practices will enhance our forests’ ability to capture (or “sequester”) and store carbon, a critical part of addressing global climate change.

Climate smart forestry practices also employ techniques to prevent the loss of carbon sinks, such as wildfire prevention techniques.

Climate Smart Forestry Principles to Guide New England Forestry’s Decision-making

Our in-house teams have defined four key principles to help us grow healthy, productive forests in the coming decades:

• Flexible planning
• Sustainable forest management
• Strategic portfolio management
• Environmental contribution

Here are a few examples of how we are putting these Climate Smart Forestry principles into action:

Flexible Planning: Using modeling to plan for changes

In a rapidly changing climate, it will be important that we stay flexible in our planning.

Our foresters already use modeling, a forecasting tool to predict our trees’ growth over time. We use these models in many areas of our planning, including our harvest schedules.

By incorporating climate change data into our calculations, we can update these models as new information is available. This will help us respond to the needs of our forests and support healthy tree growth.

Sustainable Forest Management: Considering climate data when making planting decisions

As part of sustainable forest management, in the U.S. we already use our in-house genetic research team’s findings to select the best native tree families and species to plant on a particular forest site.

Going forward, we also will look at climate data to make sure we’re planting what’s best suited to the changes expected in that location.

For example, if an area will see droughts over the long term, we will plant drought-resistant trees there, and our research scientists will guide us in making these decisions.

Strategic portfolio management: Considering climate change impact in new timberland acquisitions

While climate change is a global phenomenon, its effects are likely to be felt more in some regions of the world than others.

Fortunately, New England Forestry forests are located in regions expected to be less impacted by climate change. Temperature variations predicted for the U.S. South, U.S. Pacific Northwest and New Zealand, where we’re located, are less extreme than variations predicted in other parts of the world, such as much of Europe, as reported here by the IPCC.

We will employ strategic portfolio management when considering new timberland acquisitions—looking at the likely impact of climate change in a region before deciding to expand there.

Environmental contribution: Continually improving our own impact to reduce emissions even further

We know that to reduce carbon in the atmosphere, we must enhance our environmental contribution by reducing New England Forestry’s carbon footprint.

Because our forests capture carbon as part of the growing process and store it in trees, we are already carbon negative. That is, we emit less carbon than we store. But we also plan to reduce our emissions as new technology is developed.

What is Carbon Capture and Storage in Sustainable Forest Management?

Forests act as natural carbon sinks, absorbing atmospheric carbon dioxide through photosynthesis and storing it in trees, soils, and other organic matter. This process is known as carbon capture and storage (CCS) in forestry.

Climate smart forestry emphasizes the importance of sustainable practices that maximize the carbon capture and storage potential of our working forests.

The Role of Working Forests in Carbon Capture

Working forests are critical to this mission because of their ability to capture and store carbon from the atmosphere.

As forests grow, they capture carbon via photosynthesis and store that carbon. Forests planted for timber are managed to grow quickly, maximizing their photosynthesis and thus their carbon capture.

Once they have matured and the growing process slows, they’re harvested—and the carbon remains stored in the products they become, such as lumber and furniture.

At the same time, the land where they grew is replanted with the next generation of trees, starting the fast-growing trees’ carbon capture process all over again. 

Today, forests capture about 24 percent of the carbon emitted each year in the U.S. and about three-fourths of that carbon is sequestered by working forests, as shown in this report by NCASI.

Climate Smart Forestry Beyond Carbon Capture

Beyond the capture of carbon, climate smart forestry aims to reduce the loss of carbon.

For example, in the case of drought and wildfire, the best forest management plan is to reduce the number of trees. This allows the remaining trees to be more hydrated and reduces the amount of dry fuel on the ground.

These practices drastically reduce the likelihood of loss from a natural disturbance caused or intensified by climate change.

Working forests also play a role in providing the wood fiber needed for other efforts to reduce carbon emissions. Nature Based Solutions, a collective term for natural features and processes used to tackle socio-environmental issues, will generate increasing demands for timber.

For example, Sustainable Aviation Fuel, made from renewable biomass, has the potential to replace petroleum-based jet fuel with a fraction of the carbon emissions.  

The Importance of Climate Smart Forestry

To curb the worst effects of climate change, the U.S. needs to reach its goal of net zero emissions by 2050. This means that, as a nation, we need to emit less carbon than we capture and store.

Climate smart forestry is an important tool in the global quest to address climate change.

One tangible example: the recent increase in catastrophic wildfires has weakened forests and limited their ability to sequester carbon. As part of our climate smart forestry plan, our foresters will use firebreaks, thinning, and understory vegetation control to limit wildfire threats.

When we implement these and other climate smart forestry practices, we will maximize our forests’ capacity to capture and store carbon from the atmosphere, contributing to the goal of reaching net zero emissions by 2050.

Benefits of Climate Smart Forestry Practices

Implementing climate smart forestry practices brings numerous benefits, including:

• Climate Change Mitigation: By capturing and storing carbon dioxide, our working forests contribute to mitigating climate change, helping to reduce the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
• Biodiversity Conservation: Sustainable forest management practices promote biodiversity conservation by preserving and enhancing the habitats of various plant and animal species. Learn more about the importance of forest biodiversity.
• Ecosystem Services: Forests provide a range of valuable ecosystem services, such as clean air and water, soil conservation and recreational opportunities. By practicing climate smart forestry, we ensure the preservation of these essential services for present and future generations.
• Sustainable Livelihoods: New England Forestry’s commitment to climate smart forestry creates sustainable livelihoods for local communities. By managing our forests responsibly, we support jobs in the timber industry while protecting the environment.

Resilient Forests Will Help Us Adapt to Climate Change

As forest managers, we believe in the resilience and adaptability of our forests and we know the value of working with—rather than against—nature.

As we learn more about the coming changes in regional and global weather patterns, we will do our part to prepare our forests and keep them healthy and productive over the long term.

To learn more about our climate smart forestry plans and how we are continually adapting as new science emerges, you can view New England Forestry’s in-depth Climate Change report here.

The post Climate Smart Forestry: Is Forest Management a Climate and Carbon Solution? appeared first on New England Forestry Stories.

LAKE CITY, Florida—When asked whether sustainable forestry certification makes a difference, Richard Boitnott can recall more than 20 years of providing feedback through audits that resulted in companies throughout the U.S. better-demonstrating their sustainability.

As a third-party auditor with Bureau Veritas, Richard Boitnott determines whether forestry companies are meeting the requirements of the Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (or SFI). He has scrutinized hundreds of forests.

On rare occasions, there are perfect audits. More often, they are excellent, but there are opportunities to improve—and that’s what certified companies are looking for. Rather than reaching one level of sustainability and staying there forever, certified companies want to continuously improve and strengthen their efforts to protect and sustain the forest ecosystem.

“Those are really the best audits: the ones where you have a finding that you know you’re helping them improve their system, and they recognize it, and they recognize the fact that you helped them improve their system,” Richard says.

There are also times when a company seeking sustainable forest certification may need a lot of guidance before they are initially certified. Richard takes pride in the impact that kind of guidance can have on the way the land is managed.

“If there was not forest certification, a lot of land would be managed without that push to reach higher sustainability standards,” says Richard, who has been an auditor for 22 years. “Forest certification is what forces a change.”

In this article, we will explore various aspects of sustainable forestry certifications, including the certification process, objectives, audits, and the importance of continually raising the bar for environmental and social sustainability in the forestry industry.

• What is a sustainable forestry certification?
• What are the SFI sustainable forestry certification objectives?
• How do timber companies become certified for sustainable forestry?
• What happens when a sustainable forestry certification entity audits a forest owner?
• What happens when a sustainable forestry certification audit identifies something that went wrong?
• What happens when a company does exceptionally well, reaching far beyond the minimum SFI standard?
• How to know if a company is certified for sustainable forestry?

What is a sustainable forestry certification?

Sustainable forestry certifications such as SFI, the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) are standards used to ensure the highest environmental standards in the forestry industry.

There are standards that address forest management all the way from preparing the land for planting to the way the trees are harvested. There are also standards for mills that process logs and the companies that make forest products you buy in the store. You can look for sustainable forestry certification labels when you buy forest products such as wooden, paper, and cardboard items to ensure they come from a sustainably-managed source.

In forest management, the standards ensure the entire forest ecosystem will thrive.

The SFI guidelines verify that forest owners are only harvesting a small percentage of their overall land base. With well over 90 percent of the company’s forests in some stage of growth, this practice ensures a continuous wood supply as well as a plentiful array of forest ecosystems in different stages of the forest life cycle. The standards also enforce methods to protect waterways from sedimentation and chemicals.

Protecting vulnerable habitats

Forest certification standards also ensure that the habitats of vulnerable species are carefully protected. For example, foresters set up and protect a large boundary area around bald eagles’ nests as long as the nest exists. To learn more about that, watch our video, How Foresters Protect Bald Eagles.

There are also species you may have never even heard of that foresters are trained to recognize and protect. In the Red Hills region of Alabama, New England Forestry foresters protect the extremely rare Red Hills Salamander, which was only discovered in the 1960s. You can learn more about this unique creature and the work we do to protect it in our video story, Foresters Protect Rare Salamander Found Only in Alabama.

Standards evolve

Newer standards under SFI are aimed at climate smart forestry, which are forest practices that will help prepare forests to better withstand future changes in climate; fire resilience and awareness, which ensures the use of practices to protect forests from wildfire and educating the public about it; social measures, such as having a diversity, equity and inclusion policy; and collaboration with indigenous peoples.

For companies like ours, we were implementing best practices long before we became certified, but the certification proves from an outside perspective that we are sustainably managing our forests. New England Forestry has been certified by the SFI standard in the U.S. since 2001 and the FSC and PEFC standards in New Zealand since 2004.

What are the SFI sustainable forestry certification objectives?

SFI has more than 40 performance measures and 130 sustainable forestry indicators in the forest management certification standard, which are categorized under the 17 objectives below:

1. Forest management planning
2. Forest health and productivity
3. Protection and maintenance of water resources
4. Conservation of biological diversity
5. Management of visual quality and recreational benefits
6. Protection of special sites
7. Efficient use of fiber resources
8. Recognize and respect Indigenous Peoples’ rights
9. Climate smart forestry
10. Fire resilience and awareness
11. Legal and regulatory compliance
12. Forestry research, science and technology
13. Training and education
14. Community involvement and landowner outreach
15. Public land management responsibilities
16. Communications and public reporting
17. Management review and continual improvement

To view the entire SFI standard, visit forests.org/standards.

How do timber companies become certified for sustainable forestry?

If a company wants to be certified for sustainable forestry, it must apply to the certification body, pay an annual fee based on acres managed and net sales and show that it meets certain requirements.

Once the application is accepted, the company must incorporate all of the certification body’s standards into the way it does business.

Once the standards are implemented, the company will then undergo third party audits of its documents and forests to ensure it measures up to the standards.

When the company is officially certified, the external audit reviews will continue annually.

The goal of each audit is to verify that the company is doing a good job protecting its forests, but it is also a way to uncover ways to do even better. Every certified company is looking to constantly improve and fine-tune its practices to ensure it is doing the best it can possibly do with its forests.

Companies also conduct internal audits more frequently. Additionally, many state forest divisions periodically audit the companies’ forests for Best Management Practices (BMPs) compliance. BMPs are guidelines established by the state to ensure waterways are protected. Reports from each of these audits are also a part of the annual third party audit.

What happens when a sustainable forestry certification entity audits a forest owner?

During a sustainable forestry certification audit, there are two segments: auditing documents and auditing forests.

What happens during the document portion of an SFI forest audit?

On a recent annual audit at New England Forestry’s Headquarters in Wildlight, Florida, Richard spent the entire day in a conference room reviewing about 500 documents with New England Forestry employees. He screened the documents for compliance with more than 130 different SFI indicators.

The requirements include everything from the technical way forests are planted, managed and harvested to social standards such as indigenous relations and DEI policies. The employees were expected to be able to quickly locate the documents and expound on any details Richard asked about.

What happens during the field portion of an SFI forest audit?

The second portion of the audit included several days in the forest. Each day, Richard would select specific sites he wanted to see in person. An auditor often examines documents to find an example of something that didn’t go as planned, such as a weather event or a miscommunication with a contractor.

The auditor will then go to the location to observe what happened and question the responsible foresters about the decisions made relating to that incident. The auditor will also ask general questions to test the expertise of the forester.

During the 2023 New England Forestry audit, Richard went into a Lake City, Florida, forest with several New England Forestry foresters. He quizzed them about what they would do to protect an eagle’s nest if they were to find one. He asked them about soil types and their methodology for choosing which tree species to plant on each plot. He checked to see if an herbicide aerial application had ceased where the forester had designated.

Protecting properties of special importance

The SFI standard also calls for forestry companies to protect properties with special importance. Forester Joe Geisel, a Resource Land Manager at New England Forestry, explained that one location within that forest had been the site of a tragic accident. Two wildland firefighters had been killed while battling the Blue Ribbon Wildfire of 2011.

Joe showed the auditor two memorials that had been established honoring the men where they had passed. He maintains the site in their honor. The memorial is included in an annual staff ride in which the Florida Forest Service honors the memory of the firefighters and teaches staff what can be learned from the accident. You can learn more about the staff ride in this article by the National Wildfire Coordinating Group.

Foresters also protect sites believed to have historical significance, sites where there is habitat for threatened or endangered species, special trees, water features, cemeteries and other geologically or culturally important sites.

An example of a protected site on New England Forestry land is Brooks Sink, Florida’s largest sinkhole. New England Forestry partnered with the Suwannee River Water Management District to divert more water into the sinkhole, which replenishes the Floridan aquifer. Read more about the project and watch a video in our article, Working Forests Protect Water Quality Across the U.S.

Research is a component of good forest management

The SFI forest management standard also requires certified organizations to be active in research efforts. At New England Forestry, we have an in-house research team and also participate in cooperative research with other forestry organizations and universities.

One recent cooperative effort between New England Forestry, the University of Florida and the Suwannee River Water Management District is seeking ways to improve water flow in streams by changing how we manage the forest. New England Forestry is also working internally and with partners to delve deeper into ways forest managers can identify climate risks and mitigation efforts, which aligns with SFI’s 2022 additions to the Forest Management Standard.

You can learn more about some of the work our research team does in our video and article, New England Forestry Scientists Bring Deep Knowledge to Forest Management.

What happens when a sustainable forestry certification audit identifies something that went wrong?

While every company hopes to perform well in an audit, there is usually room for improvement because the audits are intentionally rigorous.

“All you want is honest feedback,” says Ben Cazell, New England Forestry’s Senior Manager of Sustainable Forestry. “Folks have a passion and self-ownership of the ground they manage and make decisions on. They want to ensure that they’re doing things correctly. So, perfection, it’s not always going to happen. It’s nice to hear, ‘Good job. Well done.’ But it’s also good to hear, ‘You could do a little better in this aspect of one thing or another.’”

For example, SFI has new standards around climate smart forestry that have helped companies develop new ways to address and anticipate climate change.

When something is seriously out of alignment with the SFI standards, an auditor deems it to be either a minor or major “nonconformance.”

“A minor nonconformance means the system is bent. A major nonconformance means the system is broken,” Richard explains. “Now, most people have been in this business long enough where they don’t get majors. They know what to do to avoid a major. A minor is more common.”

The difference between a minor and major nonconformance in an SFI audit

An example of a minor nonconformance might be one mishap in which sediment went into a stream, Richard explains. A major nonconformance would be 3 or more instances of sediment seeping into waterways.

There is also a milder level of feedback called an ”opportunity for improvement.” Richard explains:

“Not everything we do in this business is black and white. There are lots of shades of gray. And I only call something if it’s clearly a nonconformance. If it’s not, and I think, ‘Well, you ought to pay attention to this,’ that’s an opportunity for improvement.”

Richard says, for him, the best audits are when his findings bring about a positive change in a company.

“When I get to the end and they tell me, ‘You’re right. We could’ve done that a little bit better. We will do better.’ I like to hear that, because that means they accepted it, they agreed with what I found, and they’re going to work to get better. Those are really the best audits.”

What happens when a company does exceptionally well, reaching far beyond the minimum SFI standard?

On rare occasions, a company will receive recognition for a practice that goes well beyond the SFI standard and sets an example for peers to follow.

This recognition, called a “notable practice,” is a special honor to those who receive it.

Ben recalls one example in which New England Forestry was recognized for using winch-assisted logging on steep slopes in the Pacific Northwest. The winch machine anchors into the ground on a stable, flat landing area and using a powerful cable to support heavy equipment on the steep ground below. The machinery improves safety for the logging crew. It also decreases the impact on the environment, often replacing the need to build a road on the slope.

The notable practice we received was for the reduction of road construction by using this newer technology. You can read more about winch-assisted logging and watch our video of a winch assist machine in action here.

How to know if a company is certified for sustainable forestry

Forestry companies share their sustainability certification information on their websites and often in their reports and investor documents.

You can also verify their membership on the website of the certification body, itself. For example, SFI has a database of its member companies at sfidatabase.org, PEFC has a database at pefc.org/find-certified and FSC has a database at search.fsc.org/en/. Each website publicly posts members’ third-party audit reports.

The post How Forestry Companies Prove They’re Sustainable appeared first on New England Forestry Stories.

Ebony Presha recently spent a week at Alabama A&M University talking about forestry with students at the historically Black school. 

Many of the bright students the New England Forestry Human Resources Specialist met were working on biology or environmental science degrees but didn’t know about corporate forestry as a career path. Most of them hadn’t even heard of New England Forestry. 

But after talking to Ebony, several applied for the company’s forestry internships and scholarships. Those face-to-face conversations made all the difference.

A Focus on Inclusion and Diversity in Forestry

Ebony’s role at New England Forestry is focused on creating greater awareness of forestry career opportunities and expanding diversity within the industry. This is a much-needed change in the industry, she says, because the vast majority of corporate forestry’s employees are white males. 

“I’m passionate about attracting underrepresented candidates to forestry,” says Ebony. “As the company becomes more culturally diverse, it becomes more marketable in all areas. And it opens the doors for different ideas and new relationships.”

Ebony has worked in HR for almost 20 years, the last six of which she spent running her own staffing business. She recruited for companies around the U.S., often targeting candidates from underrepresented groups to create more diverse company cultures. 

She understands the barriers companies face in expanding diversity. 

Raising Awareness About Career Paths Outside the Mainstream

“Students from underrepresented groups–a lot of times their story is more focused on survival,” says Ebony. “You know, ‘Let’s just get the basic education and possibly learn a trade,’ and then that’s it. A lot of it is a lack of information. They don’t have the knowledge of careers outside of the mainstream. Their parents and teachers don’t have the knowledge of these types of careers to present to the students.”

Some students she met on the Alabama A&M trip knew about forestry, but the only career path they’d been exposed to was to work for a government-based forest entity. They didn’t know about the rewarding careers offered in corporate forestry. 

Other students wondered how they would pay for graduate school and were excited to hear about scholarship opportunities. 

Ebony is happy that students from underrepresented groups seem eager to learn about forestry. But she says it’s also important to create an inclusive environment, one that welcomes people from diverse backgrounds. 

An Inclusive Work Environment is Critical for Diversity in Forestry

In her time as a staffing consultant, Ebony saw many companies lose new hires due to less inclusive work cultures. 

She says this is an issue the forestry industry needs to continue working on too. Some of the young candidates she’s reached out to have decided not to pursue corporate forestry careers because of negative experiences in internships and entry-level positions.

“One young African-American woman I spoke with was second-guessed, overlooked and even faced comments about her hair,” Ebony says. “She vowed she would never go back into corporate forestry after that.” 

Ebony also met a young African-American man who worked in an entry-level position. While working by himself in the woods, he was intimidated by people driving by and yelling racial slurs at him. 

While she hasn’t been subject to this kind of work environment, Ebony says she has had to reassure family members that she is safe. 

Ebony’s grandmother was worried about her when Ebony toured a New England Forestry forest. Her grandmother grew up in the South where she was afraid to be alone in the woods due to racially-motivated violence. 

“I told her ‘It’s 2023,'” Ebony says. “But her fear from when she was younger, it still exists today. I didn’t have any fear in the woods–except for snakes. I felt hope in those woods. It’s not the same woods my grandmother knew.”

Hopes for an Industry-Wide Change

Ebony’s hope for the future is that forestry becomes more inclusive for all employees.

“I feel that New England Forestry is a leader in diversity and inclusion in forestry,” Ebony says. “I haven’t seen this effort elsewhere. I’m hopeful that in time–because this does take time–that we will see change industry-wide. I hope to be able to say, ‘Wow, there’s so much opportunity for younger, underrepresented communities to come into forestry, learn and make it even better.'” 

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There’s no doubt that forests are one of the most important resources on earth. But can working forests–where trees are planted and later harvested for their timber–provide the same environmental benefits as a wild forest? And can an operation that includes the removal of trees from the land be considered sustainable?

Thanks to sustainable forest management practices, working forests play an extremely important role in protecting and preserving the environment. These practices are designed to maintain and protect forests for generations to come.

In this article, we’re going to look at what it means to sustainably manage a forest, why it’s important and how it impacts the environment.

• What does sustainable forestry mean?
• What are sustainable forestry management practices?
• How do clearcuts and harvests fit into a sustainable forest management plan?
• Why is sustainable forestry important?
• How does sustainable forestry impact the environment?
• How can people support sustainable forestry?

First things first: What does “Sustainable Forestry” mean?

When something is sustainable, it can be maintained or continued into the future. Forestry is the science as well as the art of managing forests. When you put them together, sustainable forestry is the perpetual cycle of caring for and managing forests through generation after generation of the forest lifecycle.

Simply put, in sustainable forestry we plant trees, allow them to grow, harvest them and replant, all while protecting the ecosystems they are a part of. 

“When you think about it from a business standpoint, of course we want [to replant] to have a sustainable business,” says New England Forestry Public Affairs Manager Shawn DeRome. “But also from a conservation aspect, we want to make sure that we’re being good stewards of the environment and maintaining a healthy ecosystem.”

What are sustainable forestry management practices?

Forestry companies like New England Forestry take careful steps to ensure our forests will thrive for generations to come. With a stand of trees growing for at least 20 years in some parts of our ownership and more than 40 or 50 years in others, we always have our forests’ long-term sustainability in mind.

Foresters follow guides called Best Management Practices, which ensure they’re protecting the environment while they work. Also known as BMPs, these practices include setting up protected areas for vulnerable species; creating protected boundaries around waterways; and carefully monitoring the use of any chemicals in the forest.

We also voluntarily adhere to the highest sustainability standards in our industry, which include the sustainable forestry initiative in the U.S. and the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) in New Zealand. Each of these programs has a rigorous set of guidelines and regularly audits its members’ documentation, foresters and forests to ensure they are meeting the standards.

Here are some of the specific forest management principles that ensure our forests are sustainable:

• Creating a balance of forest ages
• Ensuring a mosaic of different habitat types
• Setting up Wildlife Corridors around waterways and wetlands
• Protecting vulnerable and endangered species

Creating a balance of forest ages

In sustainable forestry, we follow a carefully-managed process of ensuring the right balance of tree ages across our land base. There should be baby trees, young trees, mature trees and trees ready for harvest in each region where we own land. Whenever one stand of trees is harvested, a new generation of trees is typically planted in its place within one to two years, ensuring that balance of ages will continue.

The average sustainable forestry company only harvests a very small percentage of its trees each year. Over the past five years, New England Forestry cleared less than 4 percent of its forests per-year.

This balance of ages ensures there is a plentiful supply of different habitats for wildlife on our land. It also ensures we will have a “sustainable yield” year after year, which is a harvest rate in balance with the growth rate of the forest. In other words, if we continue to harvest and replant at this rate, we won’t run out of trees—ever.

Our forests serve as living examples of the sustainable process: some have been planted and replanted for more than 150 years! Pope Resources, a forestry company New England Forestry purchased in 2020, owned more than 250,000 acres of forests in Washington’s Olympic Peninsula by the 1870s. Today, we continue to manage many of those same forests.

Ensuring a mosaic of different habitat types

The balance of forest ages coupled with a mix of other forest types, such as wetlands and hardwood forests, creates what foresters call a mosaic of habitats. Viewed from above, the forest looks like a patchwork quilt. This rich variety of habitats supports a myriad of wildlife and plant species.

As we explain in detail on our forest biodiversity website, which immerses viewers in a wide range of habitat types within our forests, different plants and animals need different types of forests. While some graze on the plants that thrive in open, sunny areas, others need the protection of a more mature forest. Many need both!

“Something that’s important in biodiversity is edge effect,” explains Ben Cazell, New England Forestry’s Senior Manager of Sustainable Forestry, referring to the border between an older forest of tall trees and a young, open forest. “Different species can be on the edge. They can go into the older forest for cover, they can come out into the open forest and feed, and they can go back into the older forest for cover. That’s very important.”

Even protected species like the Northern Spotted Owl, which lives in old growth forests, also need younger, open forests for visibility when hunting for food.

Setting up Wildlife Corridors around waterways and wetlands

Have you ever noticed there are many more small creatures in the forest than there are large ones? For example, there may be countless bees buzzing around, but only one or two bald eagles. You may come across dozens of squirrels during a forest hike, but you may only see one or two deer.

The reason for this is that larger animals have a larger range. They need that larger area to get the food they require. All species—but especially these larger species—benefit from a large wildlife corridor.

In sustainable forestry, these corridors are provided along the streams and waterways within the forest. Foresters set up boundaries around these waterways called streamside management zones or riparian management zones. We choose to protect these areas and do not actively manage them the way we would manage a commercial timber forest. This ensures that sediment and chemicals stay far from the water, as explained in our article, “Working Forests Protect Water Quality Across the U.S.” It also creates a protected area where animals can safely move from place to place.

“About 30% of our land is this kind of setting,” says Ben Cazell. “Think of it like your blood vessels. They’re all over the land base. They provide good food resources and protection from predators.”

He said the corridors also strengthen the health of the forest animals by allowing exposure to other populations.

“If we have a deer population in the south and we have a deer population in the north, if they’re separated by something and they don’t have these corridors, they can’t really mix and create a stronger herd,” Ben explains.

Protecting vulnerable and endangered species

There are special guidelines within our Best Management Practices to protect vulnerable, threatened and endangered plant and animal species. Foresters are trained to recognize the signs of these species’ habitats and protect them.

For example, when a forester finds a bald eagle’s nest, a 330-foot range around the nest will immediately and permanently be protected as long as the nest exists. During nesting season, that area becomes even larger—-660 feet—to ensure the eagles are not disturbed. You can learn more about how we protect eagles’ nests and watch a video of a baby eagle in a nest in one of our forests here.

Other species we protect include the extremely rare Red Hills Salamander, found only in a small region in Alabama; the hairy rattleweed, a plant once believed to be extinct that continues to grow in our forests; and gopher tortoises, a keystone species more than 300 other forest species depend on.

How do clearcuts and harvests fit into a sustainable forest management plan?

Believe it or not, even clearcuts play an important role in protecting the health of the forest.

How can harvesting trees be good for the environment?

A harvest that clears an area of trees all at once mimics something nature has done on its own throughout history. It’s an important part of sustainablle forest management because it encourages new growth, provides sunlight for plants many forest insects and animals need, and gives predators in the air and ground an open place to hunt.

This practice is one of the only activities in our modern world that replicates what used to happen naturally with fire. Long ago, forest fires naturally occurred after lightning strikes, clearing large areas and allowing a rebirth of the forest. Today, those fires are quickly extinguished to protect the human population.

“In the past, wildfire played a key role in the renewal of forest resources,” explains New England Forestry’s Alabama Director of Operations Phillip Smith. “Since we’ve controlled that, we’ve taken away that tool or that opportunity to do that. Harvest actually mimics that. It allows an opportunity to create openings within the landscape, which we go back and promptly replant and create a new forest.”

The openings in the forest created by a harvest allow sunlight to reach the forest floor. Soon, berry bushes, flowers and other plants appear, providing a rich food source for pollinators and foragers. Small animals come to forage among the plants, such as mice, rabbits and deer. Soon, larger birds and animals arrive to hunt for small prey, such as owls, who take advantage of the high visibility in the open area.

In addition to the forest edge, which is an excellent place for birds to perch and view the open area, foresters also leave what they call “perch trees.” These tall trees left in the forest ensure there is a place for birds to land as they travel across the open area.

The open forest will eventually fill in with a new generation of trees, but with our approach to forest management, another area nearby will open as harvesting, replanting and other stages of the forest lifecycle continue.

“A stand of timber is very dynamic,” explains Timber Marketing Manager Casey LaCasse. “It grows and basically evolves. And the habitat underneath? It does as well. There are numerous wildlife species that benefit from that change over the long term. What you see today isn’t what you’re going to see two years from now.”

Why is sustainable forestry important?

What if we no longer managed forests sustainably? So much would be at risk. 

“Sustainable forestry is very critical,” explains Casey, “because if we were to harvest without replanting and nurturing the next generation of trees, we risk destroying not just the wood supply, but entire ecosystems—all the plants and animals that depend on these trees. 

“Sustainable forestry is a key that provides a continuous supply of wood, but at the same time maintains harmony within ecosystems.” Working forests make up a large portion of the world’s forests. In the U.S., 67 percent of the nation’s forests are working forests, according to ForestCarbonDataViz.org, a website that takes a deep dive into the data on working forests’ impact on our world. Imagine how the world would be impacted if these forests were not managed sustainably!

How does sustainable forestry impact the environment?

So what role does sustainable forestry play in protecting the environment? In a word, its impact is massive.

Sustainable forestry impacts the environment by rapidly capturing carbon, protecting habitats for a variety of fauna and flora, providing recyclable raw material for thousands of products and ensuring the lifecycle of forests continues for generations. 

Thanks in large part to companies that manage their forests sustainably, there are as many trees in the U.S. today as there were 100 years ago.

“To grow, a tree uses a process called photosynthesis, which is taking the carbon dioxide out of the air, storing the carbon as wood, and releasing oxygen for us all to breathe,” explains Forest Estate Manager Acacia Farmery from our New Zealand team. “Just by being there, a tree is actually helping to fight climate change and reduce the carbon dioxide in the air.”

Rapidly capturing CO2

Because timber forests are optimized to grow trees quickly, they sequester carbon dioxide (CO2) quickly too. In fact, according to ForestCarbonDataViz.org, private working forests like New England Forestry’s account for nearly 75 percent of the carbon sequestered in the U.S. each year. Likewise in New Zealand, the carbon sequestration of working forests is significant, with an estimated 25 million tonnes of CO2 removed from the atmosphere annually according to the nation’s Forest Owners Association.

But what happens to that carbon when after a harvest? It actually stays in the trees for the lifetime of the product they become. For example, if a tree becomes lumber and that lumber is used to build a house, the carbon will continue to be stored in the wood. Forest products are also one of the most commonly recycled materials on earth: when a tree is used to make paper or cardboard, chances are that material will be used several times over.

Sustainably managed forests have also provided a haven for many different plant and animal species to thrive. Without our vast array of habitats, certain species would struggle to find an appropriate habitat. But our process naturally provides for many different plants’ and animals’ unique needs. Rare and endangered aquatic populations are also protected through our best management practices. For example, the leopard darter, a small freshwater fish, is carefully protected in the streams that cross our Oklahoma forests.

And it’s not just the wildlife that needs the forest, explains Research Biometrician Stephanie Patton:

“Our forests provide a lot of social benefits to society,” she says. “For example, you can come out here and recreate, going on hikes, hunting, birdwatching, looking for insects, looking for wildlife, collecting sheds in the forest from the deer that are all around. It’s also an opportunity to educate folks on just natural resources in general. We’ve got this great resource that’s available for people to come out and learn about different plant species or different ways that we manage forestry. That’s what we want to utilize the forest for, to share that education as well.”

How can people support sustainable forestry?

We all know trees are in wood and paper products, but they’re also in thousands of other everyday products: medicines and bath products; toothpaste and toothbrushes; makeups and paints; helmets and hard hats. Even touchscreens rely on wood fibers. Diapers, the frames on eyeglasses and the casings on sausages all contain materials produced from trees too. In other words, you use forest products every day. 

You can learn more about the products made from trees and the reason trees are a good resource for so many products in our article series, #ItStartsWithTrees.

Choose products from sustainably managed forests

So how can you ensure the products you use come from sustainably managed forests?

Look at the labels. Products sourced from sustainable forests will include a designation such as the SFI, FSC or PEFC label. In order to have that label, the forest products used to make the item have to be sustainably sourced—not just in the way they were produced at the mill, but even all the way back to the way the forester planted the tree that made that product decades ago.

To see examples of these labels, visit the organizations’ websites: 

• SFI: https://forests.org/labelsandclaims
• FSC: https://fsc.org/en/what-the-fsc-labels-mean
• PEFC: https://pefc.org/what-you-can-do/look-for-the-pefc-label

Sustainable forestry plays a critically important role in our world, and you can have a part in supporting good forest management by purchasing only sustainably sourced forest products!

The post What is Sustainable Forestry? appeared first on New England Forestry Stories.

While safety has always been a priority at New England Forestry, we recently boosted our commitment by adopting safety as a core value. After all, priorities can shift, but our dedication to safety should be fundamental. Our hope is that this increased focus on safety will encourage employees, contractors and even competitors to take a hard look at their own safety practices and see how they too might evolve. 

Bill Monahan, New England Forestry’s Director of Western Forest Resources, describes his own safety evolution as one that has shifted from passive to active: “Early in my career, I thought about safety almost like it was a condition or simply the environment I was in—is it safe or not safe? Now I think about safety in an active way, almost like a mindset or a commitment to a set of behaviors.”

Creating a Series of Logging Contractor Workforce Training Sessions

This April, in an effort to encourage our contractors to shift their own safety programs from passive to active, the New England Forestry Safety Department kicked off an ambitious series of coast-to-coast Contractor Workforce Safety Training events that brought safety experts together with New England Forestry contractors to focus on best practices and OSHA training standards.

A core team of 12 New England Forestry employees and safety consultants traveled from town to town, and—with the help of more than 100 New England Forestry volunteers from offices around the country—conducted 15 sessions in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas and Washington. 

By the end of June, this effort brought more than 650 contractors and 100 New England Forestry employees up to speed on OSHA requirements and prepared them to implement their own active, written safety programs by 2023. 

Mark Hebert, Director of Eastern Forest Resources described the trainings as “a way to demonstrate our commitment so we can have credibility to go to our contractors and convince them that we need to do this together.”

Designed to help us learn from one another

The unique event format was designed to keep participants engaged throughout a full day of training. During each event, attendees were broken into small groups that moved from one 30-minute roundtable discussion to another. This allowed participants to hear from eight different safety professionals as they learned to develop, maintain and enhance their own safety programs. 

The discussions covered topics such as maintaining a safe working environment, determining which OSHA standards apply to their business, building an effective safety program, keeping records that satisfy OSHA requirements and navigating valuable safety tools to help manage and strengthen their program.

Some of the larger events hosted almost 100 attendees, but by breaking into small groups, participants were able to get comfortable with one another and engage in more thoughtful discussions.

While many contractors shared common challenges, like how to keep workers focused on safety while also meeting production goals, others brought up unique solutions to common problems, such as making new workers more visible by having them wear a different-colored hard hat as they learn to navigate a dangerous work environment.

The Contractor Workforce Safety Training events were the brainchild of Tracie Gibbs, New England Forestry’s Director of Safety. Tracie is passionate about giving people the tools they need to stay safe both on the clock and off: “Safety is about people, and we can’t turn a blind eye or neglect the fact that this industry needs help. This is not about trees. This is not about real estate. This is about people. From road builders to loggers to beaver catchers to truckers to brush pickers, each individual is worth the incredible effort that New England Forestry has put into hosting these training sessions.”

Safety decisions can change our industry

Logging is consistently one of the top three most dangerous jobs in the United States, and it’s important to remember that the safety decisions each one of us makes affect more than just ourselves—they also affect our families, our coworkers and our coworkers’ families. 

During his presentations, Tom Hoffman of Site Safety Services LLC offered a compelling perspective to attendees. Early in his career, Tom was crushed by a rolling log and lost part of his right arm. Several months into his recovery, he decided that when he finally got out of the hospital, he was going to work in safety. He then spent the bulk of his career working for OSHA and investigating more than 300 fatalities in Oregon. 

When asked why he agreed to participate in the New England Forestry training events, Tom said, “You never get over when somebody gets hurt. You never forget what it looks like or what it feels like. Being part of this training has allowed me to talk about some of the things I’ve seen and done, and it’s helping me get through it.”

“Hoping” we’re safe is not enough

Presenter John Boren, owner of RÄV EHS Consulting LLC, said when he asks each employer what they’re doing to provide a safe workplace free from recognized hazards, they often respond that “they hope they’re doing enough, and they hope they never have a serious incident. It’s important to understand that hope isn’t really a health and safety strategy.” We want to be more deliberate when thinking about the safety of our teams. We want to use the specific tools that make our workplaces safer.

New England Forestry Safety Specialist Kathy Brooks explained why taking a step back to evaluate the effectiveness of a safety program is so essential: “There’s always room to improve, so it’s important to identify the things you’re doing well and find ways to improve the parts that aren’t working. Continuous improvement is the goal.” 

At New England Forestry, safety is a way of life, and we believe it’s time for the timber industry to take a step back and rethink our approach to safety. Our safety programs shouldn’t be kept private; they should be shared—with contractors and with competitors—so that we effect rapid and dramatic progress that strengthens the safety culture of not just one company but also of the forest industry as a whole. Safe workers benefit us all. We’re proud of our safety team for taking a step in the right direction with these Contractor Workforce Training events.

Article written by Karie Kermath, New England Forestry Safety Specialist.

The post New England Forestry Safety Team Trains 100s of Loggers and Contractors appeared first on New England Forestry Stories.

Working forests are healthy and vibrant not due to luck or chance but rather because of a growing body of scientific knowledge that supports thriving pine trees, clean watersheds and diverse plant and animal species on active forestlands.

For 75 years, New England Forestry has invested in its in-house Forest Research Center, where scientists have studied trees and forests down to the genetic level. The Center is one of only two industry-led research teams in the country.

“There’s been a lot of improvement to forestry as we’ve learned more about biology and that’s really where the team comes in,” says Trevor Host, Research & Development Coordinator at the Research Center. “We take what we’ve learned from experiments and make that operational. We still have research notes from the ’70s that we reference today.”

The Three Roles of New England Forestry’s Forest Researchers

As the team has grown, it has taken on three key roles: 

1) Breed and test tree families for the best growth and quality

2) Research all aspects of forest management and put the results into action throughout the company

3) Enforce sustainability certification standards, including record-keeping and staff training

The team, which works out of our office in Yulee and in various New England Forestry offices across the U.S., collaborates with university scientists on cooperative efforts: New England Forestry provides the land, labor, and other resources for large-scale research projects that scientists from industry and academia work on together. 

But team members also create their own research projects in response to questions that come up within the company, usually from front-line forest managers who need help with specific challenges. 

Three team members share their experiences working at the Forest Research Center: 

Kirk McEachern—Senior Manager, Forest Productivity & Sustainability Group 

Kirk’s knowledge of forest health is literally deeply rooted–he studied soil science in college and graduate school before starting his career as a soil cartographer, in which he mapped soil types and distribution for local, state and federal government projects. 

Kirk says it wasn’t long before he “morphed” and started working on trees in the forestry industry, where he’s been for 27 years. He has worked on everything—hybrid poplars, hardwoods, yellow pines—and brings decades of experience to his role as manager of the Forest Productivity and Sustainability Group.

His main role is to support front-line foresters and other decision-makers throughout the company on all aspects of forest management. For example, if a forester has a problem with disease in a stand of pine trees, Kirk and his team provide current scientific insights to help guide decisions.

Kirk also oversees environmental compliance efforts, including the company’s voluntary commitment to its Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) Forest Management certification. Kirk trains employees on compliance and record-keeping requirements in an effort to protect water quality, biodiversity, wildlife habitat and at-risk species. SFI’s stringent requirements are independently audited and require meticulous documentation.

This breadth of responsibilities has been rewarding for Kirk, who says New England Forestry has given him the opportunity to grow in his career. He hopes to pass his knowledge on to the incoming generation of scientists.

“I very much enjoy sharing what we have collectively learned and understand about forest management to those just starting their careers,” Kirk says. “The industry generally is experiencing a lot of change in age distribution and New England Forestry is no different. The challenge is to codify and not lose what we have learned over the previous 75 years.”

April Meeks—Tree Improvement Scientist, Research & Development Coordinator

A relative newcomer to the Forest Research Center, April Meeks describes herself as a “forestry nerd.” She earned this title with a bachelor’s degree in environmental science and a master’s in forestry. Now, April is finishing her doctorate in forest genetics with dissertation work in progress as part of her role at New England Forestry.

“My favorite thing about studying forestry is being able to learn about how a tree grows,” she says.

As a Tree Improvement Scientist, April tests tree families to determine those with the best potential for healthy growth. She says it’s rewarding to be part of New England Forestry’s reforestation process and she looks forward to watching the seedlings grow to be big, healthy trees.

April also designs research projects to address specific challenges facing New England Forestry foresters.

“My favorite project that I’ve worked on so far is a project with a disease affecting our trees called pitch canker,” she says. “We artificially inoculated some of our families for the disease. The project is part of my Ph.D. work and I got to practice some analytical techniques for processing the data, which I had only done in courses at school. For the first time, I was working with my own data and processing the results on my own.”

Trevor Host—Research & Development Coordinator for Remote Sensing

Filling a brand-new role at the company, Trevor’s specialty is remote sensing, relying on aerial imagery, satellites, drones, and other emerging technologies to map and monitor forests.

He studied environmental science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, followed by a master’s in natural resources at the University of Minnesota, where he focused on forestry.

“I was interested in the technology side of it. There’s just different ways you can use modern technology to aid how folks have traditionally done forestry for many decades,” Trevor says. “And I learned about what you could do in these roles. It’s a good blend of technology as well as being out in the woods, being in a more natural environment, and being a steward of the land, just managing it to make a better world for everybody.”

Trevor is working on a new LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) data project in which laser scanners mounted on aircraft are flown over New England Forestry forests to collect 3D imagery, providing highly detailed terrain maps for forest managers. 

“We can see the elevation of the ground underneath the forests which is new and very useful,” Trevor says. “You can tell where the water flows and where the streams are in our land base which is really important. Then we have a 3D map of the forest too. It’s useful for mapping tree heights.”

Trevor is excited to see how this data supports the company’s forest management efforts and looks forward to emerging technologies. 

“As new things develop we have different and unique needs,” says Trevor.  “We need to be able to grow into those new avenues as technology gets better.” 

The future of the Forest Research Center

Though the group’s founders didn’t foresee the high-tech mapping technologies or sustainability standards that have become part of forestry, the Center has adapted beautifully to these changes. That’s because the Forest Research Center is, at its core, a scientific endeavor. As science itself is never a finished product, the need for innovation and rigorous research in forestry will continue into the next era of management. 

And as for the future, Kirk, the manager of the FPS group, says that front-line foresters will continue to need new research into genetics and forest management practices. In-house research is more valuable than ever. 

He and his team are excited to see what the next era of forestry research brings!

The post New England Forestry Scientists Bring Deep Knowledge to Forest Management appeared first on New England Forestry Stories.

Did you know pollinators like bees and butterflies thrive in industrial working forests? In fact, beekeepers utilize New England Forestry lands to nourish and grow their hives in this excellent habitat for pollinators.

How do we protect the native plants and pollinators that call our forests home? Here we share how New England Forestry supports and coexists with even its tiniest residents: the pollinators.

Believe it or not, it starts with harvesting.

How New England Forestry Provides An Excellent Habitat for Pollinators

New England Forestry believes that healthy forests are critical to all living things. The way we manage our land gives a variety of forest ages the opportunity to grow and flourish the way Mother Nature intended.

Lands owned by New England Forestry are stratified by timber type. The result is an inventory system that provides New England Forestry with a method to sustainably harvest its landholdings. This means that we harvest rotationally, only cutting small areas of timber that are within a certain age class.

“We are very strategic with how we harvest our timber,” explains Sustainability Manager Ben Cazell. “We don’t want to start at one end of the forest and cut until we get to the other end and start over. Our goal is sustainability. We limit how much harvesting we do in one place due to the age of the trees. Since New England Forestry has been doing this for close to 100 years, what we have developed is a mosaic or patchwork-style harvesting schedule. It’s a big conglomeration, a mixed up puzzle, of different ages.”

Thanks to the patchwork-style harvesting schedule, when a section of timber is harvested, sunlight can reach the forest’s understory. Here, seeds of native flowering plants have been lying dormant in the soil, ready to germinate. The result ultimately creates an abundance of flowering plants, shrubs, and vines, all of which produce pollen that pollinators are attracted to.

“I’ve seen a multitude of flowering herbaceous plants, ferns, shrubs, and vines such as climbing jasmine. All of this starts to take over after a timber harvest,” Ben says. 

New England Forestry replants harvested areas within one to two years and most floral understory growth is present for about 5 to 6 years. About halfway through the trees’ lifetime, as the forest becomes more dense, thinning some of the trees helps to keep the forest healthy. The thinning again allows sunlight to reach the forest floor, which results in a re-emergence of the floral understory plants and shrubs. Foliage is naturally distributed, allowing pollinators acres upon acres of flowering resources. In these efforts, we maintain a healthy, biodiverse ecosystem that serves all residents, including pollinators. 

“I’m certain that, from an ecological balance scenario, all of these flora and fauna are required,” Ben explains. “As soon as you displace something, that balance runs into jeopardy. Are pollinators important to New England Forestry? Most certainly, yes!”  

There are also portions of the land—about a third of New England Forestry’s overall ownership in the U.S.—that the company does not actively manage for timber operations, but rather protects them because of wetlands or waterways. New England Forestry also strictly follows each state’s Best Management Practices, or BMPs, which are guidelines to ensure forestry and harvest activities do not impact nearby waters.

The Beekeeper’s Perspective

Our land is so pollinator-friendly that we have a beekeeping business that has allowed beekeepers to keep their hives on our property for more than 60 years.

We work with hobbyists, small honey business owners and industrial honey producers, explains Barlow Smith, New England Forestry’s Hunting & Recreation Sales and Marketing Manager, who manages the business.

“Some of the larger beekeepers we work with will chase the honey flow from one region to the next in the spring and summer,” he explains. “In the winter, they would have to store and feed their bees indoors if they stayed up north. So it helps them financially to instead put them on our land in the south.”

The Non-Timber Income Resource Division at New England Forestry is responsible for overseeing the licensing of land to beekeepers. They work to better understand the individual beekeeper’s business model and any goals they might have. New England Forestry then assists them in placing their hives in a location that will allow the bees to thrive.

According to Ken Rester, Manager of Business Development, New England Forestry has a team-oriented mindset when it comes to the beekeepers. 

“When a new beekeeper shows up on our grounds, we start by asking, ‘How can we help you succeed?’” explains Ken. “As a beekeeper myself, I understand their issues. Because of that, I can take that knowledge and help them out.”

As soon as a hive is placed, it only takes the bees minutes to find pollen.  One popular plant amongst the bee community is a flowering shrub known as gallberry. Gallberry produces tiny white flowers that provide valuable nectar flow. In our healthy, productive forests, our beekeepers know and appreciate the floral resources available to their bees.

Danielle Brooks, Owner of The Honey Truck Company and a land licensing beekeeper, shares her experience raising bees on New England Forestry land. 

“Having a lot of things that they can pollinate is a good thing,” says Danielle. “You want them to be able to have a bunch of resources that are around. And so, where we have our bees now, there’s a bunch of Gallberries that bloom, there’s a bunch of Palmettos. I saw some Spanish Needle. Just different things that are growing and giving them a diverse diet.” 

If interested, you can read more about licensing New England Forestry Beekeeping Land here.

Other Pollinators That Live in New England Forestry Forests

Aside from honeybees brought to New England Forestry by the beekeepers, our forests are home to many other native pollinators. Bumblebees, bats, moths, and butterflies are just a few examples of the creatures roaming and buzzing about. Depending on which forest you’re in, native pollinators will differ.

In Florida, the Zebra Longwing butterfly can be found fluttering about, dining on Confederate Jasmine and the Cyprus Vines. While in Washington, beetles and moths play an important role in pollinating native plants in the area.

New England Forestry’s understanding of the importance of the whole forest ecosystem allows for different activities to take place during timber harvest rotations. By allowing native flowering plants to grow undisturbed, soil nutrition increases, adding to the organic matter. This organic matter supports vegetation growth, feeding the pollinators within our forests.

“It takes the whole big picture to keep a healthy, productive ecosystem,” Ben says. “Pollinators keep the vegetative community thriving, which helps our forests regenerate. Even the birds, squirrels, and mice are important. It’s a huge web of life.”

What about chemical applications like herbicides?

While herbicide treatments may be applied to a stand of trees one to two times in its 20-40 year lifecycle, it is done under strict guidelines, with only licensed applicators applying the spray and local, on-the-ground inspectors. This is done in compliance with federal guidelines. Under these conditions, herbicides used by New England Forestry and the forestry industry have very low toxicity levels, lower than most household cleaning solutions.

Our focus when using herbicides is to reduce competition and allow a newly-planted forest an opportunity to get established. Likewise after thinning, they’re used to reduce the competing woody brush competition. This in turn encourages flowering vegetation to occupy the forest understory: a win for the pollinators

New England Forestry Exists in Harmony with the Pollinators

One of Ken’s favorite parts about beekeeping is looking into the hive and seeing the harmony that exists with the bees. “If you could take that mentality and put it into humans, it would be life-changing,” he says. “We would be much more efficient.”

New England Forestry strives to provide a similar harmonious environment within our forests. Through our holistic forest management practices, we’ve found both the pollinators—and the plants they seek pollen from—thrive on our land. We believe that protecting clean water sources, limiting herbicide sprays, and managing our forests well support this effort.

The post Why Pollinators Thrive in Working Forests appeared first on New England Forestry Stories.

Making his way through the forest, he spots an eagle’s nest and immediately snaps into action. He maps the location, sets up barriers to close down a nearby road, and starts marking a protective boundary around it.

It sounds like the work of a wildlife biologist or a park ranger. But this was actually a recent day at work for New England Forestry forester Charlie Dunn.

In addition to developing sustainable forestry practices that protect natural ecosystems whilst providing the world with essential timber products, foresters are trained in identifying and protecting vulnerable species.

Even in working forest settings.

One such species is the bald eagle. These once rare and majestic birds are protected under Federal Law and live in forests throughout North America. They also love nesting in tall trees, which makes them a frequent feature in many of New England Forestry’s forests.

To learn more about what goes into protecting these species, we talked to two New England Forestry foresters with experience in eagle identification and preservation.

Understanding Laws That Protect Bald Eagles

Once an endangered species, bald eagles have made a comeback and were removed from the Federal Endangered Species list on June 28, 2007. However, they are still protected under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act and other federal laws.

This means commercial foresters are charged with protecting bald eagle nests throughout North America.

Charlie, whose official title is resource land manager, explains: “We follow the National Guidelines for Bald Eagles and there are two different buffer zones, one for nesting season and one for non-nesting season.”

And since bald eagles typically return to their same nesting sites for life, their nests remain permanent, undisturbed features in our forests.

Per Ben Cazell, New England Forestry’s Manager of Sustainable Forestry: “Even if you’ve found a nest and you haven’t witnessed activity in it, that’s a no-go zone. So that area will always be protected unless the tree naturally falls.”

Part of Ben’s job is to visit various forests throughout the country to ensure foresters are well-versed and equipped to identify and protect vulnerable species like the bald eagle.

Ben and Charlie shared some more interesting facts about bald eagle nesting habits and what’s required to protect them.

The Nesting Habits of Bald Eagles And How Foresters Protect Them

Where do eagles typically nest?

“Eagles typically place their nests where they can feed, so often near water sources,” Charlie explains. “The nests are usually in live tall trees and on the edge of a swamp, so they have a good view of the land. But usually, they stand out like a sore thumb. Once you’ve seen one they’re pretty easy to spot.” 

Ben adds that eagles’ nests are about four to six feet wide, about the size of a large desk.

According to the National Eagle Center, the largest bald eagle nest on record was found in St. Petersburg, Florida, and was 9.5 feet in diameter, 20 feet deep and weighed almost 3 tons!

Eagles’ nests are made up of intertwined twigs and branches and lined with grass, corn stalks and other materials. They fill the bowl with soft materials like moss, which can also repel insects, and their own downy feathers.

Their nest building season, which is part of the breeding season, varies a bit based on the region, beginning in November and December in southern areas and extending roughly through May.

“During the active nesting time, there are circles or buffer zones required around the eagle’s nest. So, during nesting season there is to be no activity within 660 feet, then it reduces to 330 feet during inactive nesting times,” Ben says. “For any aerial work, you can’t be within 1000 feet.”

What exactly does “no activity mean?” There can be no clear cutting, spraying, or mechanized active forest management within the designated buffer zone. This ensures the eagles aren’t stressed during their breeding or non-breeding seasons.

Ben says even if a harvest was taking place well outside the range, the vehicle delivering the load of logs could not drive in the range. The harvest plan would have to incorporate a forest road outside the eagle’s buffer area.

Once an eagle establishes a nest, they are likely to return to that same location year after year, especially if they hatch young successfully. They may also build additional nests or decoy nests, so if one nest is spotted, one or several more nests may be nearby.

What Happens Once A Bald Eagle Nest Is Identified In A New England Forestry Forest

“The first thing that happens when we see a nest is we incorporate the location within our GIS map layers,” Ben says. “Then, we look at our activities around the area to make sure we’re not interfering with the national guidelines for bald eagles.”

Technology has made this job much easier for foresters by allowing everyone to communicate on their nest location.

Charlie explains the exact process he used to alert everyone to the nest he found in one of our North Florida forests: “On our phones we have the Collector App and it has our whole GIS layers of information for New England Forestry. When we’re out in the woods and find something unique, we can drop a pin on the phone and submit it and everyone in New England Forestry can see that point. Then our GIS specialists can help get those things more permanent in the system.”

Once the nest is identified, it will be protected for the duration of the tree’s life.

More On Our Holistic Approach To Protecting Endangered And Vulnerable Species

New England Forestry has systems set up to ensure foresters are aware of and able to protect a variety of threatened and vulnerable species, including bald eagles, that have the potential to be in our forests.

If someone sees something, for example a red-cockaded woodpecker, they will place a pin on New England Forestry’s mapping system to alert anyone else who is in that forest about the sighting.

But even if a vulnerable species isn’t seen on a property, foresters are trained to keep a lookout for the species and its habitat. They use state data as well as a service called NatureServe, which details information about the species, food sources, habitat, mating activity, etc.

Whenever activity is going to take place on a site, such as a harvest, the forester will look for signs of the species and its habitat.

“Then the next step would be to tell our contractors, we have a handout for them — so if they see them, they know to back off and call us. So, we do due diligence on paper, field review and educate our contractors.”

Ben added that some protected species are specific to the state in terms of how threatened they are and what’s required to protect them.

“It’s really an integrated approach to make sure we protect habitat, and certainly if we encounter a species we do what’s appropriate based on the management plans, which are species specific. With the Red Hills salamander in Alabama, we can’t do any harvesting in their habitat, but with bald eagles we can work around them based on the season.”

Sometimes you can be active, sometimes you can’t, and sometimes you can’t do anything.

“Our foresters who are making decisions in the woods are empowered with that information. And if there’s any confusion, that’s where I fall in,” Ben says. “I was just working with a forester planning an active timber harvest where the usual haul road would have passed within a 660 foot buffer zone of an active eagle’s nest. So, we looked at the map and found some old trails that weren’t in the buffer zone and decided to re-route our haul road activities using the identified trails to avoid disturbing the nest site.

“We do our due diligence and then implement what is acceptable based on the rules, regulations and our internal procedures.”

Being Good Stewards Of The Land

Yes, foresters and sustainable forestry companies protect endangered and vulnerable species because it’s the law. But we also do it because we love and care about wildlife.

Charlie put it best: “A lot of people don’t realize that we do other things besides just cut timber and plant trees. We do manage our species if they’re vulnerable and make sure they’re viable in the future. We have to, first of all, but we do it because we want to as well. To make sure those species are there for our future generations of kids and grandkids to see.”

More proof that foresters truly are the original environmentalists.

To learn more about laws in place to protect bald eagles, visit The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service or for more detailed information including local habitats, protection levels, buffer zone requirements, etc. check out NatureServe.org.

The post How New England Forestry’s Foresters Protect Bald Eagles appeared first on New England Forestry Stories.

We’re known for the products our trees will one day be used to produce, but did you know biodiversity plays a critical role in the work that timber companies do?

From the tree species we choose for our forests to the waterways, ecosystems and threatened and endangered species we protect, biodiversity is central to our decision-making every day.

What is Forest Biodiversity?

Simply put, biodiversity is the mix of plant and animal species that can be found in a given location. The greater quantity and variety of healthy, native species that are found in an ecosystem, the better. A flourishing forest provides food, shelter and clean air and water to support a wide range of species.

Within a forest, biodiversity refers to everything from the earthworms and bugs burrowed in the soil, to the land animals foraging on the ground, to the squirrels and birds in the trees. A scientific term for these species is “fauna.” Biodiversity also includes “flora,” which is a scientific term referring to plant species. In the forest, this includes the trees themselves as well as other plant species that grow among them, such as flowers, berry bushes and fungi like mushrooms.

Why is Forest Biodiversity Important?

Our world’s forests are home to the majority of all wildlife, with 80 percent of amphibian species, 75 percent of bird species, and 68 percent of the world’s mammal species, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations’ State of the World’s Forests report. The report says 31 percent of our world is forest land.

But not all species can live in the same forests. The type of tree species and tree ages, terrain, climate, shade or lack of shade, water resources, and many other factors can create very different types of habitats. In an extreme example, the species that thrive in a mountainous pine forest in a cold weather climate would not survive in a tropical rainforest. But even within a single region, there can be many forest types, each of which support different plant and animal species. For example, a New England Forestry property in the Southeast may include upland forests with dry, sandy soils that support one subgroup of plant and animal species as well as low-lying wetlands that support an entirely different subgroup.

Is there Biodiversity in Commercial Forests?

Sustainably-managed commercial forests in which companies grow timber in a carefully-planned way, also known as “working forests,” support a rich variety of other plant and animal species while the planted trees grow. We created a website, biodiversity.neforestrydistribution.com, in which you can explore our forests and see some of the species that live among our trees.

Our forests are third-party certified by the highest sustainability standards in our industry, including the Sustainable Forestry Initiative in the U.S. and the Forest Stewardship Council and Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification in New Zealand. We voluntarily submit to these standards to ensure we’re protecting the environment and the species within the ecosystems we’re responsible for while our trees grow. Auditors routinely inspect our forests and interview our employees to ensure we’re meeting the standards.

To protect biodiversity in the U.S., for example, we only plant tree species that are native to the region we are growing them in. We protect waterways and ensure chemical treatments are kept far from these areas. We locate and protect the habitats of vulnerable species like bald eagles, gopher tortoises and northern spotted owls.

We also manage our harvests in a way that ensures we have a variety of forest ages in each region. This is good for biodiversity since different forest ages support different types of species. For example, open, sunlit young forests allow plants like berry bushes to grow, providing food for grazing animals and pollinators. Older, shaded forests provide shelter to tree-dwelling species and food like pinecones and acorns. The variety of forest ages is also good for our business, as it ensures we will continue to have a sustainable supply of wood for generations to come. Whenever we harvest a forest, we typically replant many times more trees on the same site within a year or two.

As a responsible steward of the land, however, we do not manage all of our land for timber production. In the U.S., about a third of our land is wetlands we choose to protect rather than actively manage for timber.

What is the Role of the Trees In Forest Biodiversity?

Trees are central to forest biodiversity, serving as an anchor for the ecosystem. Some of the roles trees play in forest biodiversity include:

1. Holding soil in place. With their deep, strong, extensive root systems, trees prevent erosion and ensure a healthy growing medium for plant life. Soils are also important for ground-dwelling animals to burrow. Trees’ anchoring effect on soils also protects water systems from sedimentation, which occurs when loose soils and other materials pollute the water.
2. Protecting the water supply. In addition to preventing erosion, trees are part of a natural filtration system as water seeps into the ground after a rainfall. This replenishes underground water sources, such as aquifers, and also allows the water to naturally make its way into streams. In this way, clean water is provided for both aquatic and terrestrial wildlife and humans.
3. Protecting air quality. Trees and the soils they hold in place play an incredibly important role in protecting air quality. As a tree grows and undergoes photosynthesis, it captures excess carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere. This carbon is distributed into the tree itself and the soil around it. The tree will hold and store that carbon for the rest of its life. Or, in the case of trees used for timber, the products they become will continue to store the carbon. You can learn more about the process of carbon capture and storage by watching our carbon video here.
4. Providing shade and shelter. As the largest species in the forest, trees provide the shade needed to keep plants and animals cool and shaded from the sun. Shade-loving plants and fungi thrive on the forest floor. Many animals are sheltered by the trees, whether hiding among them on the ground or making a home in the branches above.
5. Serving as a food source. Trees provide food to many different species. Hardwoods are known for producing mast, such as the acorns oak trees produce. These are a favorite food for animals like deer. Other species eat the seeds from pinecones, leaves from smaller trees, and fruit from fruit-producing trees. Even dead trees are a food source: Insects will burrow in and eat rotting wood. Woodpeckers will then make holes in the wood and eat the insects.

What do Timber Companies do to Protect Biodiversity?

Sustainable timber companies take biodiversity into account in all forestry activities.

We follow Best Management Practices, or BMPs, to ensure critical habitats and water courses are protected.  We also set up large buffer zones around water courses, where harvesting and chemical applications will not take place. New England Forestry protects about 12,000 miles of waterways and about 1 million acres of wetlands across our U.S. ownership alone.

Our foresters are specially-trained to recognize the habitats of vulnerable species and protect them. For example, when a forester is working near the home of a gopher tortoise in the U.S. South, protecting its burrow is a priority. We will hand-plant instead of machine-planting trees to protect tortoise burrows. When it’s time to harvest trees near a gopher tortoise home, we’ll first mark the location of active burrows to ensure heavy equipment stays far from them. We’ll also ensure our logging contractors are trained to recognize and protect burrows.

The same is true for other key species. A boundary line is set up to protect bald eagles’ nests as long as they’re in existence. In the Pacific Northwest, culverts and bridges deemed to be too small for the natural flow of water are replaced with larger stream crossings to protect the salmon population. And in Alabama, we protect the extremely rare Red Hills salamander by blocking off a radius around steep cliff sides that could serve as a home to the lungless amphibian.

Why Forest Biodiversity in Commercial Forests matters

While it’s true that commercial forestry companies are in the business of growing trees to meet human consumer needs, our role in forest biodiversity is also incredibly important. In fact, more than half of forests in the U.S., about 67 percent or 514 million acres, are working forests, according to the National Council for Air and Stream Improvement.

Nonworking forests such as state and national parks are often dominated by older forests. With our “mosaic” of forest ages, working forests provide homes to species that depend on younger, more open forests while also providing older forests nearby.

The large amount of acreage commercial forest landowners possess also allows us to create large, continuous wildlife corridors. These protected buffer areas around waterways and wetlands are especially important to larger animals who need the room to roam as nature intended.

For all of these reasons and more, we’re proud to do our part in protecting biodiversity in forests across the U.S. and New Zealand!

The post Why is Forest Biodiversity Important? appeared first on New England Forestry Stories.

It’s not because the climate’s become more hospitable or because there’s less potential for disease. It’s also not due to genetic engineering experiments. The superior commercial forests we have today are a product of rigorous and on-going forest research.

An introduction to forest research

For over 60 years, New England Forestry has dedicated hundreds of acres of forests to researching and producing seed.

We use natural tree breeding methods that produce the tallest, strongest and healthiest forests. Today, we have over 200 acres of seed orchards in production. They produce more than 90 percent of our seedlings.

For an inside look at what goes into this research, we talked to New England Forestry’s Manager of Genetic Resources David Barker, PhD.

“One of the main areas we focus on are what’s known as ‘field tests’ or ‘progeny tests,’” David explains. “These are research studies in which we try to determine which pine families grow the best in terms of how fast they grow, how straight they grow and how disease-resistant they are.”

In the Southeast, New England Forestry researches loblolly and slash pine and focuses on reducing their susceptibility to common diseases like pitch canker and fusiform rust. The researchers observe how trees from different families grow over time, then select the best performers.

“Once we have the information from the study, we know which families we want to choose to make seeds from. Those are the ones we graft into seed orchards.”

New England Forestry’s seed orchards look different from your typical commercial forest. David explains that’s because we space the trees further apart to encourage lots of big branches which yield better pinecone production.

An overview of the tree research process

The research team is constantly working to improve our tree families.

But unlike other crops that grow and produce quickly, such as grain or produce, tree breeding and genetic improvement has a longer cycle.

Even when a tree seems to grow well, the researchers have to ensure it is the genetics (rather than solely the growing conditions) that made them high performers.

“So, if we have some trees we’ve identified that seem good, we still need to wait several years to grow seedlings from those trees to make sure they’re good parents,” David explains.

Once a high-performer has been identified, the whole process goes like this:

• First, we have to get seeds for research studies, which takes 3 to 4 years to produce. This step would take even longer since pinecones aren’t produced until a tree is about 7 years old, but through the process of grafting, cuttings from high-performers fuse onto an older tree, which will compel them to produce cones faster. After a successful graft, it still takes a pinecone 18 months to reach maturity. You can learn more about a pinecone’s lifecycle in our pinecone collection story.

• Secondly, once seeds are produced, we plant the seeds into the ground to grow the trees. It will take another 4-6 years for the trees to be mature enough to be measured for growth, disease resistance and other traits of interest.

• Third: “With that data you can pick the best families and put them out into a seed production area,” David explains. “Then you have another 5-6 years to produce seedlings to go to the nursery. But we’re always doing parts of that process every single year. And there’s a seed harvest once a year.”

With each of these steps constantly in motion, “the improvement is constant,” says David, who oversees the entire process—from seed to super-seed.

It takes a village to create the strongest, healthiest trees

Improving trees is a long-term, multi-faceted and precise process that takes a diverse and dedicated team.

“We have five people on New England Forestry’s staff spread across Georgia, Florida, and Alabama, and everyone gets to be involved to some extent in all aspects of the program, both research and operational seed production,” David says. “Three members of the team have a post-graduate specialty in forest genetics.”

But it doesn’t stop with that small team:

“There are a lot of people who support this work. For example, I’m standing here with a contractor who’s learning the ropes on grafting and the process of replicating seed orchard parents to put into production.”

There’s more labor, too, in producing “operational” seeds that will go to the seedling nursery and then be replanted in forests across the U.S. David says 30-40 contractors help harvest cones, pollinate trees, and do other tasks for the team.

“We also collaborate with a number of universities which have programs coordinating research work across multiple private companies as well as state forestry organizations. Through this we get to work with faculty and students who are educated in the field. It takes a lot of folks!”

The impacts of forest research go far beyond enhancing yields

New England Forestry invests in tree improvement research to create more viable, faster-growing and more profitable forests. However, the benefits of this work extend far beyond our bottom line.

Tree improvement research also helps protect and enhance the environment by increasing the amount of healthy trees in our forests.

“If trees are healthier, we’ll retain more per-acre and they’ll be bigger, which means they’ll sequester more carbon and offer more benefits to local ecosystems,” David says.

For those concerned about genetically-modified commercial trees carrying pollen to non-commercial forests, it’s a non-issue. Despite the genetic research that goes into creating these forests, New England Forestry does not genetically engineer trees. The “crossing” the research team does involves controlling pollination to direct the natural reproductive process, similar to breeding the best race horses. To do it, they simply cover young pinecone flowers (the female cones) with bags just before the flowers open to receive pollen. Then the team injects the bags with pollen (which comes from male pinecones) from high-performing tree families to ensure the future seeds have the best male and female parents.

You can watch how controlled pollination works in our video story, How Foresters Use Controlled Pollination to Improve Tree Performance.

The real bottom line: forest research leads to better seeds that create healthier forests for all.

Want a first-hand look at a New England Forestry research forest?

If you haven’t watched it already, scroll back to the top of this article to watch our video interview with David as he takes us through some of New England Forestry’s research forests in Yulee, Florida.

And a big thank you to David and his team for taking the time to help us understand a little bit more about the fascinating work they’re doing for New England Forestry, our forests and our planet.

The post How Research Forests Help Grow Healthier Trees appeared first on New England Forestry Stories.

What is pollen?

If you live in the south, every January or February you’ll find yourself washing tiny, yellow pine pollen particles off your car. Within these tiny pollen grains is the potential for millions of acres of forests. And because we need trees, we need pollen.

Similar to human reproduction, the flower of the pine tree is the female reproductive organ, also known as the ovule. The pollen catkin is the male reproductive organ that holds all of the pollen grains. One single pollen grain is the equivalent to one human sperm, holding the power to fertilize an ovule. Manually put the two together via controlled pollination, and the outcome equates to the desired genetically-controlled seed.

Why do we collect pollen?

At New England Forestry, we collect and process our pollen by hand to ensure the genetic makeup of future seedlings is pure. The harvesting of pollen is tedious, but well worth the effort to ensure our trees have strong, disease-resistant parents.

How do we know when pollen is ready to be harvested?

When it comes to pollen, timing is everything.

In one cluster of pollen catkins, we derive millions of pollen grains essential to keeping our forests growing. Each cluster is closely monitored by our genetic research team for ripeness to ensure the perfect time for picking.

“There are multiple stages to the pollen catkins,” explains Tree Improvement Forester Serenia O’Berry. “Each individual catkin, the little worm-like pieces you see within the clusters, change colors as they ripen. They start out green, and as they become more yellow and elongate, that is how you know they are getting ready for picking.”

Checking for readiness means monitoring for size and performing a three stage “squeeze test” of the pollen catkins.

STAGE 1: We know a pollen catkin is in Stage 1 if when squeezed, it is still hard and snaps in half like a pea pod.

STAGE 2: In Stage 2, a gooey yellow substance will come out of the catkin, indicating that it is not quite ready yet.

STAGE 3: Stage 3 is the optimum time for picking. This is when the catkin is bendable without snapping in half, and when squeezed the liquid is clear.

We have to be careful to not miss the Stage 3 picking window. If we wait too long, the catkin opens and the pollen will fly away with the wind. This indicates that timing is everything when it comes to what we do here at New England Forestry.

How do we extract the pollen?

Extracting the pollen is a step-by-step process.

When we determine the clusters are ready for harvest, a team arrives to pick the clusters off of the trees. With a pair of pruning shears, the clusters are clipped off and gathered into 5 gallon buckets. These clusters are then sent to the drying room where the pollen is poured onto flat cardboard trays. Several humidifiers are turned on to extract the moisture down to less than 8% from the pollen.

Monitoring the moisture content of the pollen is of extreme importance. If the pollen is too wet when it goes into the freezer, the water molecules will expand and burst the pollen grains, making them no longer usable to fertilize an ovule.

As the pollen dries, the catkins release the pollen out of the clusters. Once this happens, the entire tray is dumped into a large sifter, we shake it, and the pollen shifts out. The catkins are thrown away, and the pollen is bottled up. After it’s bottled, we store the pollen in a large industrial freezer for use the following year.

Why is collecting pollen so important to sustainable forestry?

It starts with microscopic dust.

Thousands of forests depend on pine cones and seeds, and those pine cones and seeds depend on pollen.

“You can’t have one without the other,” explains Serenia. “You can put on all the bags you want, but if you don’t have any pollen to shoot into the bags, then you get no seed. No seed means no trees, and no trees means that we have nothing to replant after we harvest a stand. Pollen is a very crucial part to the sustainability of our land base.”

The post How Pollen Contributes to the Sustainability of our Forests appeared first on New England Forestry Stories.

RED HILLS, Alabama — The extremely rare Red Hills Salamander is so elusive, no one knew it existed until 1960.

Even then, it was discovered by accident: Biologist Leslie Hubricht found the salamander while searching for snails in Butler County. It was not only a new salamander, but it belonged to a new genus and species all its own. Leslie named it Phaeognathus hubrichti.

As researchers tried to learn more about the long, dark amphibians, it soon became clear why they were so elusive: they prefer to live their entire lives in the safety of burrows in steep cliff sides. The heavily-shaded slopes in Alabama’s Red Hills region provide the perfect setting. The cool, wet environment keeps the salamanders moist, which is essential to their survival. They have no lungs and must breathe through their skin.

According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, there are about 60,000 acres of land on earth that would make a suitable Red Hills Salamander habitat. Within the range of potential habitat, about 20,000 acres where the habitat could exist is on New England Forestry land. The area lies between the Alabama and Conecuh Rivers, as shown in this U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service map.

Identifying Red Hills Salamander Habitat

For many years, our foresters have played a role in protecting the federally-threatened species. Using advanced technology like LiDAR mapping, we examine the topography of our forest tracts in the region to ensure all potential Red Hills Salamander habitats are protected.

We also walk the properties, looking for what are called “indicator species.” These species also thrive in the area where the salamander lives and help us to identify the habitat. The Big Leaf Magnolia, which has massive, tropical-looking leaves, is an especially noticeable indicator. There are also certain ferns and mosses that indicate a strong likelihood of Red Hills Salamander habitat.

“We take a lot of pride in protecting this species to ensure it does not become endangered. We are very focused on identifying these areas and providing a protected, shaded buffer,” says Senior Timber Marketing Manager Billy Geier, who was once fortunate enough to see a salamander poke its head out of a burrow in one of our forests

Protecting the Habitat

Once a habitat is located, our foresters ensure the area is protected. 

In the forest, they’ll mark trees so everyone working near the area knows where the boundaries are. They will also digitally block off the habitat in our mapping system. This ensures no one plans forestry activities in that location.

Within the boundary, there will be no chemical applications, no heavy equipment, and no tree harvests within at least a 50-foot perimeter from the habitat in all directions. This ensures the salamander will continue to be shaded, cool and moist.

Our foresters are empowered to decide if measures beyond the recommended guidelines are required to protect this federally-listed species. For example, Timber Marketing Forester Tyler Baxter says his team has chosen to not even thin the trees within the habitat boundary to ensure sunlight doesn’t dry it out. When marking the areas, if the recommended 50-foot boundary doesn’t provide adequate shade for the habitat, they will expand the area to a 75- or 100-foot buffer.

“When we put these buffers in, we don’t allow any cutting behind it. None at all. We want to leave as much shade in the habitat as possible,” he says.

Just look at the photo below. The island of tall trees in the center is a protected Red Hills Salamander habitat.

What Researchers Have Learned So Far

While there is still much to be learned about the Red Hills Salamander, researchers have discovered everything it needs to survive is provided without leaving its burrow. The salamanders rarely venture out because they can eat small bugs at their burrows’ openings. Their diets include snails, insects, spiders and earthworms, according to this U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service article. They even breed underground: their burrows stretch several feet back in a maze of interconnected tunnels.

In addition to the habitats protected on our land, special properties have been set aside to protect the salamanders by entities including the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, the Forever Wild Land Trust and the Alabama Chapter of the Nature Conservancy. You can learn more about their efforts and what they’ve learned about the salamanders in the online Encyclopedia of Alabama.

The post Foresters Protect Rare Salamander Found Only in Alabama appeared first on New England Forestry Stories.

There’s no arguing that the West Coast has had catastrophic fire seasons in recent years. Wildfires have burned millions of acres across California, Oregon and Washington, leaving families grieving for lost loved ones, homes, businesses and even entire towns. 

It’s excruciating to witness on television and social media and absolutely terrifying for those who live through it firsthand. 

Many are left asking: how on earth did these fires get so large and out of control?

For answers, most of us turned to our trusted news outlets, where various experts, politicians and even celebrities weighed in with their opinions on the cause and who’s to blame. The focus was primarily climate change, high winds and weather, with some concerns about lackluster forest management thrown into the mix.

Could better forest management make a difference, reducing or even preventing mega fires in the future?

Two of New England Forestry’s West Coast foresters who are experienced with wildfires and fire prevention share how forest management can and does prevent forest fires while maintaining the health of our precious forests and ecosystems.

What is Forest Management?

Forest management is a rigorous, methodical and time-tested combination of practices and technologies designed in part to reduce the severity and frequency of forest fires and mega fires.

According to our experts, before you can understand forest management in the context of forest fire prevention, you have to understand the different types of wildfires.

There are three key types of wildfires:

• Crown fires engulf the tops of trees and, with the help of high winds, can leap as much as a half mile. These are the most dangerous and difficult to control (this is what happened in Oregon in 2020).
• Surface fires only burn the surface of the landscape and are the least threatening because they are easiest to put out.
• Ground fires can burn beneath leaf litter, peat moss, and other debris, damaging the trees and even the soil. These are dangerous because they can go undetected for months and even smolder unseen until the weather warms up. Then they can become a potential source of a crown fire.

In a managed setting, like a New England Forestry forest, a variety of forest management tools are used. Different fire conditions exist in different regions, and thus different management tactics are deployed.

See our video of our Southeast forest rangers team, which often deals with fires in marshlands, here. 

Forest management tools we use in the Pacific Northwest include:

• Creating fire breaks, which are wide, open areas that can stop fire spread by the removal of the vegetation that fuels it. This is done with tractors or other heavy equipment.
• Properly spacing planted trees.
• Reducing vegetation which, if left unchecked, acts as fuel for a fire. 
• Choosing root rot resistant trees, which are less susceptible to fire than diseased trees. 
• Thinning forests, which is removing weak and diseased trees to give healthy trees more space.
• Controlled burns to reduce fuels.
• Monitoring the forest for pests and diseases. 
• Fertilizing occasionally to strengthen healthy trees. 
• Diversifying tree species.

Why Healthy Tree Plantations are Less Likely to Burn

“Much of what we do to manage forests and prevent fires involves managing a healthy, fast-growing forest,” explains New England Forestry Senior Resource Land Manager Jessica Josephs. “It’s like anything else: when you’re healthy and strong, you have the ability to avoid sickness like the flu. It’s the same for trees.”

Well-managed forests retain more moisture and resist damage from insects and disease

On a tree farm like New England Forestry’s, trees are naturally bred and managed to resist insects and disease, making them less likely to die and dry out—which would make them prime fuel for wildfires. They’re also spaced apart in a way that optimizes their access to water, allowing them to hold a healthy amount of moisture.

“You’d be amazed,” Jessica says. “When we’ve had small wildfires, the fire will actually stop, especially in a young plantation. The trees hold so much moisture, they’ll either stop or slow the fire dramatically. And that’s even true of larger trees. When trees are healthy and functioning and translocating water, they can withstand a small fire.”

Thinning forests eliminates many of the weak trees that could fuel a fire

Neris Biciunas, a New England Forestry Resource Land Manager, elaborates on New England Forestry’s Pacific Northwest forest management practices: “We spend a considerable amount of money every year hiring contract crews to do a pre-commercial thin of forests. That reduces the number of trees in a younger stand (ages 10-20 years). We’ll go in and selectively cut down the weak or defective trees.

“Reducing the number of trees allows the whole forest to be healthier and grow vigorously so that the forest is less susceptible to fire.”

To learn more about thinning, watch our video, What is Thinning Trees, and Why Do Foresters Do It?

Controlled burning helps prevent mega fires

Controlled burns are a tool that has been used for many centuries to prevent fires. Today, working in concert with local fire officials, foresters and other landowners use small fires in specifically selected locations to rid the forest of flammable debris and underbrush.  

“Every year, I burn slash piles,” Neris says. “In order to further reduce the fire risk, the loggers will make piles of leftover branches and treetops. Then in the fall and winter, when the burning weather’s appropriate, we will light those piles on fire. The ash and charcoal that’s left behind will nourish the soil, it reduces the fire risk, and I have enough space to plant the next healthy forest.”

The long history of prescribed burning

“Prescribed” or “controlled” burning is a forest management tool that was first used by Native peoples as a way to prevent large fires and create healthier forests. The practice is still widely used today, with an estimated 6.42 million acres of forests burned via controlled burning in 2017 per data reported in the global business data platform, Statista.

“Managed fire can be part of a healthy ecosystem,” says Neris. “Back in the 1930s and 1940s when fire was largely uncontrolled in the United States, that was the impetus for deciding to fight all wildfires aggressively.

“That’s when Smokey the Bear came along. Well-intentioned foresters were concerned that there was too much fire on the landscape. Smokey helped those foresters educate the public about how to prevent fire in the forest.

“Since then, we have learned many things about how a forest functions, and particularly how important fire is to a healthy ecosystem,” Neris says.

“Smokey’s message used to be ‘All forest fires are bad,’ but really, it would be more helpful to say something like: ‘We need to manage forest fires. Use fire where appropriate, put it out where appropriate.’”

Controlled burning is frequently practiced in the United States, but experts warn it’s not being used enough to prevent mega fires like the ones we’ve experienced in recent years. This was confirmed by a recent study published in the journal Fire entitled: We’re Not Doing Enough Prescribed Fire in the Western United States to Mitigate Wildfire Risk, which showed the number of prescribed burns in the U.S. has not increased in over 20 years. Quoted in news articles across the country, the study said the findings “suggest that the best available science is not being adopted into management practices, thereby further compounding the fire deficit in the Western U.S. and the potential for more wildfire disasters.”

An honest look at the risks and benefits of prescribed burns

For all the benefits of controlled or prescribed burns, you’re still dealing with fire in a forest, so there are risks. In some forests, some of the other methods listed above may be a more favorable choice to remove fuels. But prescribed burns have clearly made an impact in preventing mega fires. 

“You don’t hear about the thousands of operations that went well, just the one that didn’t, Neris says. “With any opportunity there is risk. I am responsible for using fire as a management tool on many hundreds of acres every year. Other foresters on our team—and other landowners as well—are actively using it as a tool in the forest.  Most people don’t even notice that it is going on.”

Healthy trees critical to fire prevention on private and public lands

Regardless of the method used, prioritizing the health of America’s forests is critical. In 2020’s devastating wildfire season, nearly half of the acreage burned was on federally-protected land. Since then, there have been renewed calls among experts and politicians to provide the support needed to improve forest health across the board by reducing fuels, addressing overstocked conditions, removing dead trees and treating disease and insect infestations.

Also in our Forest Management series:

Story #2: How Forest Management Helps Protect Firefighters. A fire manager from Coos Forest Protective Association in Oregon shares how managed forests reduce risks for those fighting a wildfire.

Story #3: Preventing Wildfires and Protecting the Environment Together. Firefighters, foresters and loggers each play a role in preventing and responding to wildfires. Interviewees discuss how technology has impacted wildfire response, the role of forest management in climate change, and how the forest itself adapts to fire.

The post How Forest Management Prevents Forest Fires appeared first on New England Forestry Stories.

Michael Robison has spent nearly a half century fighting wildfires in western Oregon.

His life has been dedicated to protecting people from devastating fire—and that includes protecting fellow firefighters.

Michael, the District Manager of Coos Forest Protective Association (CFPA), talked to us about the very different experience firefighters encounter depending on the conditions of the forest the fire is in. CFPA is a private, non-profit association based in Coos Bay, Oregon. It provides fire protection services to private corporations and private, state, county and federal lands.

His story starts with an aspect of forest conditions that has to be addressed long before wildfire season: access.

The surprising ways roads prevent and stop wildfires

Michael emphasized the under-appreciated role that well-maintained road systems play in preventing and stopping wildfires—both as fire breaks and as critical access points. 

In forestry companies like New England Forestry, forest roads are maintained in order to support forest operations, such as planting, monitoring tree growth, thinning, and harvests. These roads can be utilized for fire suppression if necessary.

Other types of forests may not have the same level of accessibility.

“Access is key. With unmanaged forested land, you’ve got road systems that may or may not be viable,” Michael says.

“Over the last 3 decades, the government has invested millions of dollars (to repair) roads that are falling apart due to the lack of active management. Those roads allow us a foothold to where there’s a fire on the landscape, so we can start anchoring and putting the fire out.”

Properly maintained roads also serve as fire breaks, which can literally stop a ground- or surface-based forest fire in its tracks. Who knew how important logging roads were after all?

Why managed forests reduce risk for the firefighters and communities around them

In addition to the advantage of well-maintained roads, Michael, who has served the public and private sectors as a firefighter since 1975, says there are many other aspects of forest management that enable firefighters to access and control a fire sooner. This reduces the likelihood a fire will get out of control, reaching the communities around the forests.

Working with foresters who know their land base well can help firefighters access the fire and a water source quickly, Michael says. For example, New England Forestry foresters regularly visit the properties and have detailed GPS maps of our ownership, including roads, water sources and important information like the properties’ topography.

Our foresters and many of the loggers we work with are also trained firefighters, and during firefighting season they bring their gear with them to work. That means there are extra hands already in the woods with firefighting knowledge.

“That’s a workforce we can pull from to help suppress a fire,” Michael says.

In fact, our foresters assist local firefighters not only with fire incidents on our own land, but also on neighboring properties. Since they’re often already in the forest, sometimes a forester or logger is first to arrive at the scene with their heavy equipment. They can begin plowing fire lines immediately and communicate with firefighters about the location and extent of the fire even before they arrive.

“Night and day difference” for firefighter safety

Managed forests have less older and dead trees, which are highly flammable and burn at a high intensity. Dead trees and limbs can also create barriers to reach a fire.

“If we have a fire in an [unmanaged] stand, before we can take care of it, we have to first go in and remove hazardous snags with tree fallers. Then crews need adequate water as they build a line without necessarily good road access,” Michael explains. 

For all of these reasons, he says, “From a firefighter safety standpoint, there is a night and day difference between putting out a fire in managed stands vs. unmanaged stands.”

Not all forests can be managed the same way. For example, a federal park would never be managed like a timber plantation. However, there are methods to improve the accessibility of  every forest—and it can have a major impact in an emergency.

Bottom line: managed land typically means easier, safer conditions for wildfire response, making firefighters more likely to safely and quickly extinguish a fire before it gets out of control.

Also in our Forest Management series:

Story #1: How Forest Management Prevents Forest Fires. New England Forestry foresters, who are also trained firefighters, share how forest management reduces wildfire risk. They explain the ways foresters prevent wildfire and why healthy tree plantations are less likely to burn out of control when fire does break out.

Story #3: Preventing Wildfires and Protecting the Environment Together. Firefighters, foresters and loggers each play a role in preventing and responding to wildfires. Interviewees discuss how technology has impacted wildfire response, the role of forest management in climate change, and how the forest itself adapts to fire.

The post How Forest Management Helps Protect Firefighters appeared first on New England Forestry Stories.

During the dry season of the year, they wake up thinking about fire.

They start the workday by checking the weather, loading their firefighting gear in their trucks, and never straying far from the heavy equipment they use to fight fires when they do break out.

If you think this was a description of firefighters, you’re only half right: we’re talking about foresters and loggers who are ready to fight fires at a moment’s notice. The woods are full of them.

How New England Forestry’s foresters help protect forests, the ecosystems within them and the environment

In the first story in our Forest Management series, we talked about the many ways foresters work to eliminate fire hazards and defend forests against fire in the off season, such as controlled burning, thinning forests, and optimizing tree health to ensure they’re hydrated well enough to fend off small fires.

In addition to all the active forest management tools employed, many of New England Forestry’s field employees are also trained firefighters.

In the Pacific Northwest, New England Forestry Senior Resource Land Manager Jessica Josephs says, “Most have qualified as a Firefighter II (a national designation) and several are ‘red carded’” — having passed the national endurance test to work on federal fires. In the Southeast, New England Forestry has trained forest rangers, whose primary job function is fire prevention and response. You can read more about our forest ranger team here.

“We are really a first response team trying to control fires on our property before they get very big,” Jessica says. “On several of our tree farms we have a fleet of water tenders and other equipment such as pumps and hoses. We work in conjunction with the different states to protect our property. We’re also active participants in regional firefighting associations.”

Firefighters feel safer, more equipped to fight fire

One of those associations is Coos Forest Protective Association (CFPA) in western Oregon, a nonprofit that responds to forest fires on private and public lands in its 1.5 million-acre, 140 mile-long district.

As we explained in our second story in this series, CFPA foresters feel safer and more equipped to fight fire in well-managed forests. The lower fuel density and well-maintained road systems enable them to access the fire more quickly; foresters who know the land base can easily help them navigate to the fire; and, since many foresters and loggers are trained in firefighting, they can lend a helping hand.

How technology is giving firefighters an edge

CFPA District Manager Michael Robison has seen a lot of change since he began fighting wildfires in the 1970s. One of the most positive strides has been in the technology that alerts his team when fire breaks out. Though technology can never replace the value of humans in the woods, it has given them a growing advantage over the last 30 years. CFPA uses special cameras to help differentiate mist from smoke and detect fires.

“In the old days everyone had lookouts that were staffed. They would look over the landscape every day and report fires,” Michael says. “Starting in 2007-2008, we started phasing away from that legacy program and placing detection cameras. 

Year-round fire monitoring

“Essentially, it’s a camera that’s linked to a network and they’re all linked together and monitored daily. They’re geo-referenced, which means you can pinpoint the location of a fire when you see it. This usually is better than a person can do with the naked eye, and the cameras have a nighttime mode on them, where you can switch them from day to night to assist firefighters with locating a fresh fire start. The cameras also have sensors and can sound alarms when a new fire start is detected.”

Michael added that another big benefit of the detection cameras is that they can be used year-round, whereas lookouts were only budgeted to be staffed during forest fire season. “Like this year we had a fire started by a hunter after fire season. We wouldn’t have spotted it without the camera.”

CFPA also uses a computerized system to keep track of the weather from a variety of weather stations, which helps the association set fire danger levels for the public and industrial clients.

Can forest management really make a difference in adapting to and mitigating climate change?

“For many, this year has been a wake-up call for better forest management,” says Neris Biciunas, a New England Forestry Resource Land Manager.

“The primary narrative of, ‘fires are getting bigger, hotter and worse’ is a real short-term analysis,” he says.

While he acknowledged there has been an increase in acreage burned since the 1960s, fire is not new to America’s forests. In fact, between about 1910 (when records of burned areas started to be collected) and 1960, the amount of area burned every year was regularly 20-50 Million acres per year! In the last few decades, a bad fire year covered 10 million acres. See the data in this analysis of National Interagency Fire Center records.

Not necessarily “gone forever”

The impact of the fires isn’t always represented accurately either, Neris says.

“When a fire burns through an area you hear was ‘destroyed’ and ‘gone forever,’ that often just isn’t the case,” Neris says. “The fires that burned through the redwoods last summer, most of the trees survived that fire!” (This NBC News report has the details.)

“Redwood is a fire-tolerant species, as are many of the species in the Pacific Northwest, which are fire-adapted. It’s not a deal-killer for them. There are negative side effects of a very hot, intensive fire, but that’s a strong argument for using controlled, targeted, low-intensity fire to prevent mega fires.”

No matter what your opinion on the role of climate in today’s wildfires, it cannot be denied that removing forest fire fuel (debris, dead trees, sick trees, etc.), maintaining healthy forests and employing other aspects of forest management we’ve explored in this series can continue to reduce the impact from fires in the years to come. 

That’s better for our communities’ safety, the ecosystems of the creatures that live in the forest, and the forests, themselves, which are essential to providing the clean air and water we all rely on. For more on how our forests sequester carbon and store it even after the trees become products, you can view the New England Forestry Carbon Report here. And you can learn more about working forests’ impact on water quality here.

“Foresters were the first environmentalists”

The forestry community has been studying ways to reduce fire and fire risk for generations—to protect both our communities and our livelihood.

Jessica says practices like that are the reason forestry exists:

“Foresters are often painted as anti-environmentalists but I’d argue that foresters were the first environmentalists. That’s how forestry came to be—an early understanding that forests needed to be managed, to use the resource judiciously and stop wasteful practices.

“My foresters are the first to stop and watch an elk herd as they move through an area. Sure, they nip our trees, but everyone still stops to enjoy their majesty. Everyone has stories about seeing bears, cougars, bobcats, etc., always told with a thrill and wonder. My folks watch stands they planted grow and develop like a proud parent. And when something devastates a stand, old or young, folks are really impacted—and not just for loss of value. Driving through some of the burned areas and seeing the loss of wonderful, stately, healthy stands takes everyone’s breath away.

“Foresters as a group love the woods. That’s why we got into forestry. Think about it: who loves the forest more than folks who spend 30+ hours a week in the forest — rain, shine…or fire?”

Also in our Forest Management series:

Story #1: How Forest Management Prevents Forest Fires. New England Forestry foresters, who are also trained firefighters, share how forest management reduces wildfire risk. They explain the ways foresters prevent wildfire and why healthy tree plantations are less likely to burn out of control when fire does break out.

Story #2: How Forest Management Helps Protect Firefighters. A fire manager from Coos Forest Protective Association in Oregon shares how managed forests reduce risks for those fighting a wildfire.

Further Reading

If you’d like to know more about New England Forestry’s firefighting efforts, read our interview and watch the video of our Southeast Coast forest rangers team here.

The post Preventing Wildfires and Protecting the Environment Together appeared first on New England Forestry Stories.

LONG COUNTY, Georgia—Blake McMichael stands on the boundary line between two New England Forestry forests. He points out the differences between the one on his left, a forest with wet, clay soils, and his right, a dry, sandy forest that has been managed differently in order to protect gopher tortoises and their burrows.

Preferring dry soils, gopher tortoises are what’s called a keystone species, so named because their burrows provide shelter to as many as 300 other types of creatures in the forest. Rabbits, mice, insects, birds, foxes and even snakes seek shelter in their burrows, including the federally-threatened Eastern Indigo Snake.

“By protecting burrows, we’re not only helping the gopher tortoise, but also the many other species that use its shelter,” Blake says. 

Blake, a Resource Land Manager in charge of replanting forests, has the drier, sandy forests that are inhabited by gopher tortoises planted by hand. Minimizing the use of heavy equipment helps protect gopher tortoises and their burrows. The young trees will grow among vegetation like palmetto bushes and other undergrowth gophers like to eat.

On wetter soils nearby, where gopher tortoises don’t go, he had rows plowed and mechanically planted, encouraging much faster growth rates.

Found in the Southeastern U.S., gopher tortoises are vegetarians who eat berries, grasses, mushrooms and prickly pear cacti. They’re prolific diggers, with burrows reaching depths of 9 to 23 feet deep and 3 to 52 feet long! When they reach adulthood, they’re typically 15 inches long and weigh 8-15 lbs. Their average lifespan is 80 years.

Protecting Gopher Tortoises While Planting Trees

New England Forestry has its own spatial mapping system, not unlike the GPS systems consumers use when they travel. Our system has many layers of information, including a property’s soil type, topography, what has been planted there previously, notes about any protected species on the property, and much more. All that information is available on a tablet foresters can take with them into the woods.

When Blake looks at a stand of trees in the system, he can quickly find out if it has the dry, sandy soils and higher ground that gopher tortoises prefer. If active burrows have been identified on the property previously, foresters leave “pins” on the map. These indicate the presence of gopher tortoises in that particular stand of trees.

Blake also walks through the forest to visually survey the site, checking for active burrows in the process. He looks for the characteristic oval-shaped hole in the ground with a wide, sandy collar (or apron) in front. An active burrow will have clean, smooth sand in front of it, while abandoned burrows may be overgrown. The average male tortoise may dig as many as 35 burrows in his lifetime.

Protecting Gopher Tortoises During a Timber Harvest

On the other side of our business, when forests are full grown and ready for harvest, we work with our logging contractors to protect gopher tortoises and their burrows. This may include site visits, pre-harvest meetings, flagging, and showing pictures to help them know what to look for.

If a burrow is in a location where it could be overlooked, our foresters find creative ways to ensure it’s safe. In one instance, when an active burrow was found right next to a forest road, a Georgia forester had a logger place a barrier of logs beside the burrow to ensure no one drove on top of it. In another instance, our forester directed a logging crew to cut a series of trees about 4 feet high to visually cordon off an area around a burrow.

“One of the most important things that we can do as foresters is to ensure that whoever is working on our properties can play a role in protecting the burrows while they’re on site,” Blake says.

Many Species Protected in Our Forests

Gopher tortoises are just one of a myriad of wildlife New England Forestry protects on its land. For example, throughout the U.S., we protect the American Bald Eagle and its nest. In the Pacific Northwest, we protect Northern Spotted Owls and Marbled Murrelets. We have invested tens of millions of dollars into restoring salmon habitat in Washington State alone. We protect the habitat of the Red Hills Salamander in Alabama, and the Leopard Darter Fish in Oklahoma. In New Zealand, we work with conservation agencies to protect kiwi, New Zealand Falcons, and New Zealand Sea Lions. You can learn more about the many species we protect here.

And while we’re taking special care to protect vulnerable species, our forests are providing clean air, habitats for many other creatures, and clean water while they grow. Once grown, our trees will become the raw material needed for 1000s of everyday products, and we’ll replant the site for the next generation of trees.

“We’re providing a renewable, sustainable resource that people need,” Blake says. “We want to make sure we’re leaving areas where future generations have the animals that live on the property as well as the resources provided by the property.”

The post Foresters Build Plans Around Protecting Gopher Tortoises appeared first on New England Forestry Stories.

PUSHMATAHA COUNTY, Oklahoma—Owning millions of acres of land means millions of opportunities, and opportunity is just what our Land Resources team found on a windy ridge in Oklahoma.

Conditions at the highest altitudes in one of our Pushmataha County forests were ideal for a wind farm: the right wind strength, the open space around it, and proximity to a key electrical grid interconnection point to transport alternative power to customers.

A Vetting Process That Took Years

The team worked with an alternative energy developer, doing research to determine that this site was truly right for a large wind farm. The vetting process took years, involving testing on the site, evaluation of the interconnection point and electrical grid capacity, customer demand, environmental standards and many other factors. It was all hands on deck for the New England Forestry team to support the process.

“We had the Forestry team (in New England Forestry’s Antlers, OK, Resource Unit), the Land Resources team, Legal, Accounting. Just about everyone gets to play a role in these things,” says Doug Long, New England Forestry’s Senior Vice President of Forest Resources.

“That’s one of the neat things about Land Resources. When you have a group of entrepreneurs looking for new things to do with our land, you’ve got to get everyone around the table to figure out how we’re going to get it done.”

Finally, work began in 2018 to build 29 turbines: 16 on our land and the rest on a neighbor’s adjacent property. In the end, tens of thousands of customers would have power while our trees surrounding the wind farm continue to grow for generations.

“It’s a milestone for New England Forestry to have this first operational wind farm,” says Land Resources and Development Manager Rob Fancher. “We hope it’s the first of many projects that are going to come online in the coming years in both wind and solar.”

While owning and managing forests is something we take pride in, doing even more while the trees grow can have a massive impact on the world around us. That’s why we have a Land Resources team.

What is New England Forestry’s Land Resources Team?

Now operational, the Pushmataha County wind farm is the first-ever wind farm on New England Forestry land. But it’s far from the first time the Land Resources team has uncovered a means to do more with our land. The team is tasked with finding ways to provide alternative energy sources, recreational opportunities and non-timber products across more than 2 million acres of New England Forestry’s forests in the U.S.

In addition to wind farm sites, the team

●     Works with solar companies to identify optimal locations for solar farms on our land.

●     Works with minerals companies that obtain gravel, oil, gas, mineral sands and other mineral products from the land, including some of the rock that was used for this wind project.

●     The team sells the fill dirt needed to build roads and homes; pine straw for landscaping; and the right to access our land for hunting and recreation, beekeeping, cell towers and many other purposes.

●     And the list goes on, with location-specific projects such as the salvage of centuries-old downed cedar logs in our Washington forests; mushroom foraging; oil and gas pipeline easements; and many others. Our Land Resources webpage has more information about the team.

Protecting the Environment During Building

The wind farm project involved a team of New England Forestry employees not only in securing the lease to the energy company, but also in overseeing the work. While we are not in the business of building wind turbines, we are in the business of protecting the environment. Well-acquainted with local and national environmental guidelines as well as the high standards required by our forestry certifications, we helped the developer ensure the project went smoothly from that standpoint.

One of our greatest concerns was to protect stream crossings.

“Here in Pushmataha County, we’ve got the Black Fork Creek that runs close to the project site,” explains Business Development Manager Justin Thayer.

“There’s a federally threatened leopard darter fish that lives in some of these clear-water streams in this area. Because we’re really close to that sensitive habitat, we had to pay real close attention to make sure  the project wasn’t delivering sediment or doing any damage to those streams.”

In order to protect the streams while moving turbine parts up the ridge, larger bridges and culverts had to be installed. To ensure sediment stayed far from the water, multiple best management practices (BMPs) such as ditch-outs, cross drains, erosion control barriers, grass seed and sand bags also were put in place.

A Win-Win For Clean Energy While Continuing Forestry Operations

Throughout the building process and on through today, with the wind farm in operation, we have continued our forestry operations. We’re also enjoying enhanced access to the local timber, as  25 miles of woods roads were improved as part of this project. The high altitude of the wind farm was not ideal for growing, but the forests on the mountains surrounding the wind farm are continuing to thrive and the improved roads will afford New England Forestry additional opportunities to move timber in a wider range of weather conditions.

It’s what everyone on our team calls a “win-win.”

“We grow forests, a renewable resource. We’re protecting the environment, we’re protecting water, we’re protecting air. So finding ways to create energy in a clean, sustainable way fits very well with our company,” says Paul Rice, who laid the initial groundwork for the partnership. Rice is now New England Forestry’s Senior Manager of Business Development on our real estate team.

Now Serving Pushmataha County

Now in operation, the wind farm is generating enough power to meet the needs of about 40,000 households.

At the ridge atop our otherwise traditional forests, each turbine towers at 345 feet tall, with blades stretching 219 feet long. At top speeds, the blades move at about 200 miles per hour.

“I’m proud to be a part of this project,” Justin says. “It really illustrates our motto, More than trees, very well.

“We’ve layered in an additional revenue stream and done something completely different for New England Forestry. We’re seeing the results of thinking outside of the box.”

The post Wind Farm Provides Power to 1000s While the Trees Grow appeared first on New England Forestry Stories.

FORKS, Washington—Walking through the forest several years ago, New England Forestry forester Blake McMichael stopped when he heard a strange sound under his cork boot.

Looking down, he immediately realized he was face-to-face with history: it was an ancient Native American spearhead. Within hours, the priceless relic was with the Quileute Tribe, our neighbors in La Push. After thousands of years, a piece of their past was returned to them.

The spearhead, made from obsidian rock that does not exist in this part of the United States, tells the story of a tribe that once roamed the entire west coast. They numbered in the tens of thousands, traveling all the way from the glaciers of what is now Washington state to the coastal rainforests. They lived on salmon and other fishes, large game, seals and whales.

Today, the tribe’s reservation covers one square mile off the coast of northern Washington. While their community is now much smaller, the Quileute are deeply dedicated to their heritage. They work with their neighbors in order to continue traditions that date so far back, there is no way to calculate just how old they are. In their own words “we’ve been here since time immemorial.”

Like many of Washington’s tribes, the Quileute often work with neighboring forestry companies to access the resources they need.

“New England Forestry is the largest private landowner in our treaty area,” says the tribe’s natural resources director, Frank Geyer. “They have been very good about listening to the tribe and understanding our needs, and we also try to understand theirs. It’s always been stressed by the Tribal Council that relationships are of utmost importance to us.”

Ensuring the Quileute Tribe has Access to the Resources it Needs

Longtime New England Forestry forest engineer Mike Leavitt, a lifetime resident of Forks, has spent his career working with the Quileute.

“I’m proud of the relationship we’ve garnered over the years with the tribe,” he says. “It’s a very warm and friendly partnership that we have.”

The tribe calls on Mike when there is a need for wood materials for a carving or a traditional salmon bake; when it’s time to forage for the plants used to make Labrador Tea; or to obtain cedar bark that will be used in traditional weaving.

We’ve worked together on projects to improve the forest ecosystem and to study the wildlife that lives within it.

Restoring miles of fish habitats together

And Mike has called on the tribe for support in our efforts to restore upland streams in New England Forestry forests. The projects, a part of Washington’s Forests & Fish program, help bring back salmon populations that haven’t been seen in the waters, sometimes, for more than a century.

In one particular case, the tribe secured grant funding to replace two perched culverts (undersized pipes) with a large bridge on a private New England Forestry road. That project successfully opened a critical 7 ½-mile area for salmon spawning and rearing.

“Fish really are the lifeblood of any tribe in the northwest,” Frank explains. “So the forests—and the streams within them—are of vital importance to the tribes.”

Cedar Bark Peeling for Traditional Weaving

During a special time each spring when the sap of the cedar trees makes them just right for peeling, the Quileute tribe travels to cedar forests to engage in their timeless bark peeling tradition. Mike helps the tribe find the best location to source the material for a year of weaving projects.

It’s a special celebration in which several generations take part, gathering together in the same forest. To collect the bark, they cut a flap near the bottom of the tree, then walk backward while holding on to it, peeling a long strip of bark off the tree. The outer bark then has to be removed, leaving the thin cambium layer. Cedar is stored for a year to dry properly prior to using for weaving. That material then has to be soaked in hot water and finally made into strips the tribe can use to weave traditional baskets, clothing and other items that are tied to Quileute ceremonies and traditions.

“This is my history. It’s what we’re doing to preserve what has been done in the hands of many different weavers for generations,” says Cathy Salazar, a weaver descended from master basket makers.

Each basket is unique, with intricate designs that speak to the Quileute tribe’s history, such as birds, canoes and seals.

Cathy says her first basket took a year to make. Now, 24 years later, she can make one in three hours. Cathy gives most of them away as gifts. She also shares her gift of weaving,  assisting beginning weavers.

The Red Lizard Petroglyph: A One of a Kind Discovery

The Quileute lost many of their most cherished artifacts in a tragic fire in the 1800s. So when something from their rich past is discovered, like the spearhead, it is true cause for celebration.

We all celebrated when a fisherman found the Red Lizard Rock on the bank of the muddy Calawah River. The priceless boulder, carved before Europeans arrived in America, illustrates one of the oldest stories of the Quileute history:

K’wati, a powerful Quileute patriarch, used his tongue to slay a monster-sized red lizard. The monster had blocked the shortest path between the Sol Duc and Calawah rivers. K’wati’s victory over it opened the passage for the tribe.

To protect, preserve and display the massive rock, the Quileute needed to move it to a safe indoor location in La Push. The tribe, archaeologists, the Department of Natural Resources and our team joined together for a special ceremony at the river celebrating the discovery. Then we helped move it out of the river, across our forests and onto the Quileute reservation.

“The best part of our history is the stories. Stories were always told by the old people in wintertime around the fire,” says Rio Jamie, a member of the tribal council. “It’s fitting that Red Lizard Rock is now here in our elder center.”

For the Generations To Come

We’ve been neighbors with the Quileute for nearly 100 years here in Forks. Our job is to protect and maintain sustainable forests for generations to come. That gives us a common goal that we share with our neighbors who look far into the past and the future.

“It’s my job to manage the resources of this tribe in the best manner that we can to ensure those resources are there for what we call the next 7 generations,” explains Frank, the Quileute Natural Resources Manager. “It’s not just about today. Knowing that motivates me to be there for the Quileute people.”

Perhaps 100 years from now, the tribe and New England Forestry will be sharing the stories of this generation and how it ensured the forests of western Washington would continue to provide for us all.

The post Quileute Tribe Uses the Forest For Ancient Traditions appeared first on New England Forestry Stories.

BROOKER, Florida—Once upon a time, there was a massive body of water that flowed deep under the ground where it couldn’t be seen. It was so big, it stretched to four different states, providing drinking water for millions of people.

The story of the 100,000-square-mile Floridan Aquifer is so good, it almost reads like a fairytale. Found underneath all of Florida and parts of Georgia, Alabama and South Carolina, it provides billions of gallons of drinking water every day. It is one of the most productive aquifers in the world.

How do hidden water sources like this exist? Through groundwater, which seeps down into the aquifers, recharging them. Natural land, especially forest land, is critical to the existence of these important water sources.

Forest Land Serves as a Recharge Zone for Aquifers

More than half of all drinking water in the United States originates in forests, according to the National Association of State Foresters. And that’s not just from protected park lands. Close to 30 percent of drinking water comes from privately-owned, working forests, according to this article by the U.S. Forest Service.

“Forests are a recharge zone for groundwater. They’re not paved, they’re not covered with any kind of commercial activity. It’s open land with a lot of vegetation and trees,” says New England Forestry’s Environmental Affairs Manager Janet Price, a biologist who guides the company on water quality and other environmental standards.

“That’s a valuable resource, particularly in parts of the country where an aquifer is the water supply for people who live in the area.”

Forest land allows water to sit and slowly seep into the ground, replenishing the aquifer. The roots of the trees and other vegetation hold soils in place, preventing washouts and erosion. As the water slowly percolates deeper into the ground, the root systems, soil and underlying permeable rock formations serve as a filter, naturally removing impurities from the water. In the same way, forests slow and filter water runoff as it makes its way into streams, lakes and reservoirs. 

Green Infrastructure Becoming a Part of the Solution to Water Supply Needs

Forests and other green infrastructure, such as wetlands, have such a positive impact on water quality that communities around the world are incorporating green infrastructure into their water plans. One great success story in the U.S. is New York City. It uses the watersheds of the Catskill Mountains to provide what is known as one of the highest quality metropolitan drinking water supplies in the world. By investing in this green infrastructure, New York was able to bypass plans to build a multi-billion dollar water filtration plant, as explained in this article by the National Alliance of Forest Owners.

Best Management Practices Protect Water in Working Forests

Many years ago, in the early 1900s, our industry didn’t know how to properly protect waterways during forestry activities. But as the scientific community discovered what was needed to protect water quality and the ecosystems that depend on clean water, the way we work in our forests changed.

Today, sustainable forestry companies like New England Forestry are guided by Best Management Practices (BMPs). These science-based standards specify how to protect various bodies of water in our forests. Each state has different guidelines for different sizes and types of water systems.

One of the most important aspects of BMPs are Buffer Zones, also known as Riparian Management Zones (RMZs) or Streamside Management Zones (SMZs). Spanning anywhere from dozens of feet to hundreds of feet, these areas are separated from the rest of the forest. Within these zones, the guidelines may call for little or no roads, heavy equipment and forestry activities. Harvesting within the area may be limited or eliminated altogether.

“We’re not touching the land very often, but when we do, we map out the buffers along the waterways that are off limits,” Price says, explaining that forests grow for decades with very little human interaction.

Foresters are trained to protect and monitor these areas during all forestry activities, as one of our foresters explains in this video about Cruising Timber. New England Forestry foresters protect 11,800 miles of streams on our land, as of July 2020.

Taking a Proactive Role in Protecting Water in Our Forests

Recognizing the critical role our forests play in protecting water quality, New England Forestry has worked with partners to not only protect, but to improve the quality of the water systems on our land.

Diverting Water to Brooks Sink, Florida’s Largest Sinkhole

One of our Bradford County, Florida, forests contains a Florida wonder: the largest sinkhole in the state, as shown in the video above. Spanning about 200 feet across, Brooks Sink is a major source of water to replenish the Floridan aquifer. In 2000, New England Forestry acquired the property where Brooks Sink is located. We soon found out there was an opportunity to make the sinkhole do much more to replenish the aquifer.

Back in the 1970s, it was a common practice on agricultural and timber properties to install ditches. They increased groundwater flow and made more of the land plantable. Foresters today recognize the importance of protecting natural drainage patterns and restoring them when the opportunity presents itself. Brooks Sink was one such opportunity. 

About 50 years ago, water that had once flowed naturally into the sinkhole was diverted into a ditch which fed into increasingly larger streams and rivers. The water ultimately fed into the Gulf of Mexico instead of the aquifer, and millions of gallons of drinking water were lost.

We worked with the Suwannee River Management District to direct more of the water toward the sinkhole, the way it had naturally flowed before. The district installed flash board risers that slowed the water flow toward the Gulf, diverting a large proportion of it toward the sinkhole.

The riser sends an estimated 220 million more gallons of water per year into the sinkhole, enough to fill 333 Olympic sized pools to capacity each year, according to the Suwannee River Management District.

“It’s a very unique and special project,” Price says. “I don’t know of any other public-private partnership remotely close to that.”

Restoring Optimal Salmon Breeding and Rearing Conditions

In our Pacific Northwest forests, water protection has changed drastically for the better. Many of the roads and bridges in our forests were built in the early 1900s before our company even existed—and before the needs of the salmon population were understood.

When Washington’s salmon population began to sharply decline, the scientific community looked for answers. They found that the bridges and culverts below Washington’s road systems weren’t sufficient to maintain the natural flow of fresh water salmon need. Without being able to access the shallower upland waters, salmon didn’t have a safe place to breed and rear their young.

Washington passed the Forests & Fish law in 2000 to set a standard for water flow near roads and bridges. Since then, the forestry industry has been replacing whatever hinders the water flow, opening miles and miles of streams to salmon for the first time in a century. We work with marine biologists and other experts to ensure each project is good for the fish population both when and after work takes place.

New England Forestry alone has invested more than $22 million in the program over the past 20 years. In that time, we’ve upgraded or removed 750 culverts and bridges, restoring 220 miles of stream habitat.

To learn more about the program, you can see our video and article, How Foresters Restore Salmon Habitat in the Pacific Northwest.

Of course, the project has benefited much more than the salmon population, restoring optimal conditions for entire ecosystems that depend on the clean, cool waters of the Washington uplands.

Taking Pride in Protecting America’s Water

Price says forestry has one of the lightest touches of any type of land use.

“We maintain the land in a way as close to natural as you can get it and still allow it to be productively utilized,” she says.

When we do work in the forest, we take special care to protect the land and water. Buffer Zones are protected from fertilization, which typically happens only twice in a forest’s decades-long lifecycle and was found in this recent University of Florida study to have a negligible impact on water quality. On our steep slopes, we use techniques like tower logging—which lifts logs high into the air with a skyline cable— to ensure we prevent sedimentation. And we replant our forests as quickly as we’re able to after they’re harvested.

Price says forests are one of the most important keys to current and future water quality nationwide.

“America’s water quality would not be where it is today if forestry had not progressed to what it is today,” she says.

The post Working Forests Protect Water Quality Across the U.S. appeared first on New England Forestry Stories.

When Lisa Rozier parked in front of a humble home in Nassau County, Florida, she expected the shouts of joy from the children—but the father’s tears caught her by surprise.

“I told him who I was and that I had gifts for the children. He started crying and he hugged me,” says Lisa, the Education and Community Specialist for Family Support Services of North Florida, Inc. (FSS) in Nassau.

“He said, ‘I need you to come in the house.’ So I walked over to the front door, and I could see. It was just a few days before Christmas, and he had nothing – he had no presents under the tree,” Lisa recalls. “He hugged me again, and it was all I could do not to cry.”

The big impact of a small gift

Something so simple as a Christmas present to unwrap can mean so much to a child going through the rollercoaster of emotions that come with being placed in foster care. However, the families who take them in are often overwhelmed already with meeting their basic needs. That’s where the Be An Angel program comes in.

FSS, the nonprofit that manages foster care in Nassau and Duval Counties, created Be An Angel to purchase gifts for the children with the help of community partners. Case workers, caregivers and the children, themselves, create a massive Christmas list featuring three wishes for each child, and then FSS seeks individuals and businesses to grant the wishes.

“A lot of kids come into care right before the holidays, which is the most emotional and stressful time,” explains Kristy Slattery, an FSS Family Support Counselor. She says receiving Christmas gifts is a way to give children some sense of normalcy and a sense that they are loved.

“I think that’s the most important thing. They do need things, they’re worthy of those gifts. They’re great kids.”

Care from infancy to adulthood

Children are placed under FSS care at any time from birth to age 23 if they’re found to be in an abusive home or experiencing some form of neglect. FSS’s goal is to help their biological parents get on the right track so the children can return to the home. If they cannot, they assist in moving the children from temporary foster care to permanent adoption. When they are first placed into care, the children may live with a grandma or an aunt, or they may live in a foster family home or group home. Often, they have only enough time to grab a trash bag full of their belongings, so they go into care with very little to call their own.

“Sometimes some of their wishes are something as simple as a new pair of shoes or a bike that they really want,” Kristy says. “They want to fit in and be like the children around them. So if we’re able to provide that gift to them, it means the world to them.”

A partner in granting 100s of Christmas wishes

Gathering hundreds of gifts for the children was no easy task for FSS in the early years of Be An Angel. That changed in Nassau County in 2015, when New England Forestry committed to grant every wish in the county. Our employees sign up to buy the gifts and bring them to the office wrapped with the children’s names on them. Then Jacksonville-based Read’s Moving Company picks up the hundreds of gifts and delivers them to FSS in giant boxes divided by case worker, taking some of the pressure off FSS to work their own small “Christmas miracle” for the children. FSS hopes to find similar partnerships in Duval County to ensure all children in its care receive gifts.

Bob Miller, President and CEO of FSS, says having a partner to fulfill wishes for Be An Angel has had a “mammoth impact” on FSS. 

“It’s one thing to have the support of corporate leaders, but to see all the employees getting involved in it, to see their faces as they load that gigantic mound of presents into the truck, that’s really what the Christmas spirit is all about,” he says.

“No child should grow up in foster care”

Miller, who grew up in foster care himself, took the helm at FSS as a way to give back and work for the best possible outcomes for some of Northeast Florida’s most vulnerable children.

“Family Support Services really believes that no child should grow up in foster care,” he says, “so our number one goal is to provide a loving home for children and real permanency.”

But while the children are in temporary foster care, it’s clear the FSS team cares deeply about helping to bring them some joy through simple things like Christmas gifts. 

Loading the truck

Each year, New England Forestry hosts a Load the Truck party, inviting FSS employees to celebrate that all wishes have been granted and to watch as hundreds of presents are taken out of the New England Forestry building and loaded into a large box truck. At this year’s party, one counselor was visibly moved when she spotted a large gift with one of her children’s names on it.

“That’s the guitar she wanted so badly,” she said, her eyes following the gift as it was loaded onto a cart. “That will be so good for her, both as a gift, and as something therapeutic she can do for herself.”

And Kristy says she was touched when a New England Forestry employee reached out in advance to find out the hair color of the girl who requested a baby doll for Christmas. The employee wanted to get a doll with matching hair.

“She is this really cute little 3-year-old with blond, curly hair. I know that, but the individual at New England Forestry who was buying her gifts did not know that,” Kristy says. “That was so heartfelt to me and so, just, personal. To know that they took the time and they care that much to reach out to me to make that gift special for that child was awesome.”

Bringing joy to counselors, too

Megan Pirrotta, FSS’s Family Support Counselor Supervisor, says the program has brought a lot of joy not only to the children, but to the counselors, themselves, and the caregivers. One of her favorite memories was when a family invited her and the children’s guardian ad litem to be there when the children opened their Be An Angel gifts.

“It was very personal and it felt nice to recognize that this is one cohesive team working toward the same goal, and we all got to experience the same magical holiday experience,” she says. 

She laughs when she recalls the children dancing around the room in excitement and sending wrapping paper in every direction as they tore into their gifts.

“Our workers devote their lives to helping these children,” she says. “Having someone else step in and be a part of making the Christmas experience for these kids is huge.”

You can learn more about FSS at fssjax.org.

The post Angel Tree Brings Joy to Children in Support Services appeared first on New England Forestry Stories.

CALLAHAN, Florida—Most of the work in the forestry industry is done out of public view, deep in the forest, so it’s no wonder many school children don’t know a lot about forestry.

A group of more than two dozen forestry-related businesses here in Nassau County came together to change that, hosting Northeast Florida’s first-ever Forestry Career Day at the Northeast Florida Fairgrounds in September 2019.

Just under 200 high school juniors and seniors were immersed in forestry career experiences throughout the day, trying their hands at operating heavy equipment, researching genetics and even flying drones.

The theme of the day: there’s a forestry career for everyone and every level of education, whether you’re looking for something you can do with on-the-job training only, or with a Ph. D. 

“There are so many facets to working in forestry,” says Jody Davis, New England Forestry’s Manager of Human Relations and Talent Acquisition. “There are jobs from operational equipment operators to foresters, who are the science behind the growth and the replanting of trees.”

A Rising Demand for Forestry Heavy Equipment Operators

Employers are experiencing a rising need for employees in the operational side of the industry, which includes work such as operating heavy equipment and driving log trucks. New England Forestry Senior Resource Land Manager Ed Carter, who came up with the idea to host the event, says these jobs are ideal for students who don’t want to attend a four-year college program.

“There are vital jobs out there,” he says. “We want to reach all those students and let them know, in the forestry industry, you can make a great living and a career even though you don’t get a four-year degree.”

Several local heavy equipment operator employers, including Tim-Prep, Bobcat of Jacksonville and Conner + Conner Logging, allowed students to sit in the driver’s seat of their equipment, operating a skid steer, a mini excavator and even moving logs with a loader.

Students also learned firsthand from foresters about their role in the forest, from grafting and genetics to maintaining water quality and protecting wildlife. Representatives from colleges including the University of Florida, University of Georgia and Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College talked to students about their offerings for forestry degree programs.

There were also hands-on lessons about GIS mapping, a field the industry depends on to ensure data is accurate on each stand of trees.

Jim Tootle, a Senior Forester for the Florida Forest Service, says learning about forestry at this stage in their lives can help students get a good start in the industry.

“When I enrolled in the forestry program, I had no clue what I was getting into. I just knew I wanted to work outdoors,” he recalls, “so I didn’t really know how to focus my studies in a particular direction that I wanted to go. Something like this may give a student an idea of what direction they want to go in the forestry industry.” 

Forestry a Major Industry in Florida

In Florida, forestry is a critical industry. In fact, forest land accounts for almost half of Florida’s total land area. The forestry industry employs 124,000 people and contributes $25 billion to the state’s economy every year, according to the Florida Forestry Association. 

Representatives from the production side of forestry, including New England Forestry Advanced Materials and Westrock, taught students about the many items in their typical day that come from the forest and how they are made. More than 5,000 everyday forest products play a key role in our daily lives, including lumber, plywood and papers and cardboards, as well as items with a lesser-known wood component, such as LCD screens, rubber tires, bath products, even diapers. You can learn more about why trees are used in so many products by checking out our #ItStartsWithTrees articles.

To learn more about Forestry careers, visit New England Forestry’s Forestry Careers Resources page, which explains what different forestry careers are and links to schools, vocational programs and other resources for future foresters, at https://www.neforestrydistribution.com/careers/career-resources/.

The post First Forestry Career Day in Northeast Florida a Success appeared first on New England Forestry Stories.

Ask Kim Sartor’s boss, and he’ll tell you she is the “glue” that connects New England Forestry to its communities.

Mike Bell says Kim, New England Forestry’s Community Affairs Manager, epitomizes community giving. Her words and behaviors each day reflect how much she cares for her colleagues, New England Forestry and the communities where we live and work. In addition to supporting the Public Affairs department, she manages the New England Forestry Community Fund, juggling requests and energizing others to volunteer.

Mike, who is New England Forestry’s Vice President of Public Affairs and Communications, recognized Kim’s can-do attitude when he asked her to join his team. Her big heart and innate sense of compassion made her the ideal person for the position.

“If I could clone her, I would,” jokes her coworker Dan Roach, director of Public Affairs. “She always responds cheerfully and if she doesn’t know how to do something, she will figure it out and put in the time it takes to get the job done.”

Kim’s typical week consists of overseeing grant applications, working on sponsorship opportunities and managing the Community Fund. Kim forecasts, budgets, screens applications and fields calls about how to spend dollars set aside for community investment. Her talent also includes connecting New England Forestry employees’ time, talent and energy with volunteer opportunities that match their strengths. Even outside of the typical work week, Kim often spends her evenings and weekends at company-sponsored events.

Her work spans the United States, from the annual grant breakfast supporting the work of non-profit agencies in the Pacific Northwest to the weekend she spends each year volunteering at the Mail Carriers’ Food Drive in Fernandina Beach, Florida.

“Participation is contagious when Kim is involved,” says Mike. “There is a blood mobile that has been coming to our offices for years. Kim started that!”

Kim’s passion for the blood drive stems from her own experience: a blood transfusion that saved her life years ago. She says New England Forestry’s bimonthly blood drives have the potential to save dozens of lives per-year. Kim doesn’t just enlist employees to support the blood drive, she also distributes flyers to neighbors, such as the FSCJ Nassau Campus, Nassau County Courthouse, Nassau County Sheriff’s office and Wildlight Elementary.

Because of Kim, New England Forestry volunteers read to elementary students during the school year through the Family Support Services reading program, Doggone Good Readers, which encourages public library usage and reading while improving literacy for children. Kim also attends monthly Board meetings for the Amelia Island Book Festival & Authors in Schools Literacy Program, where she assists with writing and reading workshops for older students.

Kim also oversees a tradition at New England Forestry to support the Angel Tree toy drive in which foster children in Nassau County, FL, receive gifts during the holidays when they haven’t traditionally received much.

“Our 150 employees immediately said ‘yes’ to step up and team up to grant wishes for these children during the holidays. Last year we supplied more than 350 gifts for needy children,” Kim says. “All I am is the facilitator. I’m just very honored to be able to do what I do. God has given me a shining light to get people motivated to help others.”

Many school-age children in Nassau County experience food insecurity, not knowing if they will have food on the weekends. Kim organized New England Forestry employees to help restock a food pantry and assemble hundreds of nutritious meal packs for children through Barnabas Nassau, a multi-faceted crisis assistance for families. Kim, who grew up in a blended family with 9 children, says, “We could have used programs like Barnabas, but I don’t recall there being services like this when I was young.” Robert Peck, Barnabas’s Food Program Manager, says he appreciates that New England Forestry employees not only lend a hand, but show up organized, efficient and won’t leave until the job is done.

While Kim doesn’t dictate where dollars are spent in other locations in the New England Forestry footprint, she ensures the money is well-placed, meaningful and directly impactful. “I’m proud to know that the money we’re giving away is staying in the communities where we work and making a difference,” she says.

Employees often see updates from Kim on New England Forestry’s internal social network, The Landing. She shares pictures from all over the country of volunteer events to let all employees know what agencies and programs New England Forestry supports. Kim works with coworkers to help children through education and youth development programs such as book festivals, literacy, after-school programs, volunteer mentor programs and summer camps. She finds programs that help teachers through conservation training workshops and enhanced educational opportunities in the various states New England Forestry is in.

Kim says she learned from her family to follow her passion, and that’s just what her job at New England Forestry enables her to do. She loves seeing how that work reflects on those it impacts.

“I’ve seen people cry learning about how invested our company is in their community,” she says. “It’s inspiring and humbling to see our company dollars at work in these communities. There’s such pride in knowing that New England Forestry cares.”

The post A Career Focused on Community Giving appeared first on New England Forestry Stories.

WILDLIGHT, Florida—Christmas can be a tough time of year for foster children, says Jennifer Pendergraph, director of the Nassau Service Center for Family Support Services in Nassau County, Florida.

One way FSS tries to help is by ensuring each child receives a gift, but it’s not always easy to do.

“Prior to New England Forestry coming in, we’d have to beg people to help” buy gifts for the children, Jennifer says.

How Our Partnership with FSS Began

Our involvement with FSS began in the summer of 2015, when the New England Forestry Community Fund provided a grant and volunteers to help build the FSS Bright Space visitation center in Nassau County. While working on the center, Tracie Gibbs, a New England Forestry executive assistant, and Kim Sartor, who works in New England Forestry’s Public Affairs department, learned about the FSS Roberta’s Angels program, which seeks to provide the children gifts. They reached out to fellow New England Forestry employees to see if we could help.

New England Forestry Grants Angels’ Wishes for Christmas

We asked FSS to provide three Christmas wishes for each of its Nassau foster children (100 children that year). Employees signed up to grant the wishes, eventually fulfilling every wish.

Since then, buying Angel Gifts for FSS’s foster kids has become a New England Forestry tradition. Every year, employees sign up for their Angels, then purchase their gifts – which could be bicycles, tablets, games, skateboards, MP3 players, dolls, action figures, LEGOs, and other toys. They wrap the gifts and place them under trees throughout New England Forestry’s corporate headquarters, awaiting “load the truck day,” when the gifts are moved to FSS to be distributed to the children.

In 2018, New England Forestry employees granted three wishes for all 115 children in FSS’s foster care program in Nassau County.

“We want the children to know that they’re loved,” Kim says. “They’re not going to know who we are, they may never meet us. But they’ll know that there were people in the community that loved them enough to get these gifts.”

To learn how you can help Family Support Services Inc. of North Florida, visit fssjax.org.

The post New England Forestry Angel Tree Grants Wishes for 115 Nassau County, FL, Foster Children appeared first on New England Forestry Stories.

New England Forestry’s New Zealand team has a deep respect for protecting wildlife including the beloved kiwi.

In the video above, our New Zealand management team joined with a number of community stakeholder groups at Te Kura o Te Teko (a full-immersion Māori school) to attend a kiwi naming ceremony before releasing two kiwi chicks into Omataroa Forest.

(The Māori are the indigenous Polynesian people of New Zealand. Kiwi are flightless birds native to the country and are a national symbol of New Zealand.)

The Omataroa Trust owns the land and has invested in environmental restoration including pest control and active kiwi management for decades to ensure a sustainable population of kiwi for generations to come.

Partnering to preserve a threatened national symbol

Rob Schoonderwoerd, District Forester for our Bay of Plenty region, has worked with the Trust since the inception of the Omataroa Kiwi Project. The presence of kiwi and native falcons was discovered through a survey of vegetation in 2000, prompting the development of a pest control plan. (The New Zealand falcon is the country’s only falcon species and is the most threatened bird of prey.)

There were about 30 Kiwi in the area when the project started in 2008, and by 2023 that figure had increased to about 120 birds. So far 80 eggs have been collected, and a resulting 60 chicks released back into the wild.

Kiwi are the size of a domestic chicken and are the smallest living ratites (the group of animals that includes ostriches and emus). They also lay the largest egg in relation to their body size of any species of bird in the world. Kiwi are nocturnal, so they are more often heard than seen. If they survive to maturity (5 years), they can live for 50 to 100 years; however, predation is the biggest issue facing their survival.

Pest control and protecting kiwi chicks

New England Forestry | Matariki Forests (RMF) is working with the Omataroa Kiwi Project to provide intensive trapping and pest control management, which largely targets stoats and cats. Buffer trapping is also being deployed beyond the 11,000-hectare (27,000-acre) reserve area.

The Kiwi Project team works with the Department of Conservation on the survivability of chicks using three techniques:

1. Incubation hatching at a special facility in Rainbow Springs in Rotorua, where the chicks are raised until they weigh 1,000 grams (2.2 pounds)
2. In situ management of nests and chicks
3. Crèching, where the chicks are sent to another region to be raised and are returned once they weigh 1,000 grams (2.2 pounds)

The two female chicks that were released at the event in the video above were hatched at Rainbow Springs and were named Hobson and Aroha (which means “love”) by the children at Te Teko school.

The kiwi were tagged with transmitters for monitoring and will be checked three weeks after being released into the wild. A key part of the Omataroa Kiwi Project is education, so we had the opportunity to teach the school children about the environment, predators and survival requirements of the kiwi.

A long-term commitment to stewardship

The kiwi management work being carried out by the Omataroa Kiwi Project along with pest control, education and training is crucial to the continued survival of kiwi in this forest. Thanks to Rob Schoonderwoerd’s work over the years, the Omataroa Trust has grown to be a valued partner, and the Trust has now invited New England Forestry | Matariki Forests to partner on a more substantial sponsorship program.

We recognize our responsibility as a forest owner to support the sustained preservation of the Eastern Brown Kiwi and other native birds in this forest for future generations, and we are delighted to be part of this wonderful conservation effort.

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