State Line Meeting with Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi
On August 17 and 18, state foresters from Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi, along with their staffs and personnel from the… More
Forestry’s Early Entrepreneurs
Before the Crossett Experimental Forest existed, two engineers-turned-lumbermen began rehabilitating the cutover ‘pineywoods.’ “In 1925, Leslie Pomeroy and Eugene Connor bought the Ozark Badger Lumber Company,” says U.S. Forest Service scientist Don Bragg. “The company was small and nearly defunct, and Pomeroy and Connor turned it into a profitable, long-term example of uneven-aged silviculture.” Bragg… More
Monitoring Frog & Toad Populations?
Over the past few decades, scientists have become increasingly concerned about amphibians. “Populations of many frog and toad species have declined,” says U.S. Forest Service research ecologist Katie Greenberg. “The global decline highlights the need to monitor frogs and toads where they live.” Greenberg has been doing just that for 24 years. Since 1994, Greenberg… More
Pondberry Seeks Sunlight
Pondberry is rare and endangered, but don’t underestimate the species. “Pondberry tolerates flooded soil,” says U.S. Forest Service research forester Brian Roy Lockhart. “It also tolerates living in heavy shade. It has a plasticity to light that gives managers a lot of options for improving its growth and vigor.” Pondberry occurs in several southeastern states,… More
Fish Production in Southern Appalachians
Packing on the pounds – or ounces – indicates that fish have what they need to survive and grow. “Fish production is a great way to estimate ecosystem productivity,” says U.S. Forest Service researcher Andy Dolloff. Production refers to how quickly fish gain weight and grow in size. “Production is a function of how many… More
Plant Invasion Patterns at Global and Regional Scales
From the moment of colonization, humans have carried non-native plants around the world with them. “The introductions are changing the world’s biogeography,” says U.S. Forest Service research ecologist Qinfeng Guo. “Understanding the mechanisms behind invasion patterns is critically important.” Invasion patterns vary depending on the scale. At finer scales, invasions are often related to competition.… More
Women in Science: Callie Schweitzer
The Women in Science series features women scientists from across the Southern Research Station (SRS)–their education, career paths, challenges, achievements, and inspirations. Meet SRS scientist Callie Schweitzer, a research forester with the Upland Hardwood Ecology and Management Research Unit in Huntsville, Alabama. She received her doctorate and master’s degrees in Forest Resources and Ecology from Pennsylvania State University.… More
FIA Report on Oklahoma’s Forests
Until 2009, the U.S. Forest Service’s Forest Inventory and Analysis had never surveyed Western Oklahoma. “Western Oklahoma has some forests, but very little timberland,” says SRS forester Kerry Dooley. Land that produces timber – at least 20 cubic feet an acre, each year – is considered timberland. Timberland is plentiful in Eastern Oklahoma, and FIA… More
Protecting Heirs and Stabilizing Communities
What do you do with Grandma’s house or farm when she dies without a will? Without a properly recorded will, the land is distributed to the children of the deceased as “tenants in common.” The process leaves the family without a clear and marketable title to family property and may require total agreement on any… More
Prescribed Fire and Snags in Shortleaf Pine Woodlands
“I’ve spent years working in these shortleaf pine woodlands and always wondered about the availability of snags, especially given their importance to bats,” says U.S. Forest Service research wildlife biologist Roger W. Perry. Perry is talking about 250,000 acres on the Ouachita National Forest in Arkansas and Oklahoma. Efforts to restore shortleaf pine woodlands have… More
Montford Community Center Visits SRS Pollinator Garden
On July 21st, the U.S. Forest Service Southern Research Station hosted 36 children between the ages of 5 and 11. The children attend summer camp at the Montford Community Center in Asheville, NC. It was already hot at 10 a.m. when the kids hopped off the bus. Jason Anderson gave a short safety talk and… More