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Friday, March 13, 2015
Safety Tip of the Week
March is National Safety Month
A positive sense of well-being is a key part of a healthy, productive workplace. National Nutrition
Month was developed to encourage informed food decisions and develop sound eating and physical
activity habits. One way to do this is to use the resources at MyPlate to encourage healthy eating,
physical activity and weight management. For more information, please consult your worksite wellness coordinator.
Photo/Video of the Week
Anthony Mallott, President of Sealaska Corporation, and Bud
Cribley, BLM Alaska State Director, sign a bill to transfer
70,000 acres of the Tongass National Forest to Sealaska to
finalize their entitlement under the 1971 Alaska Native Claims
Settlement Act. (Photo: Rebecca Nourse, Forest Service)
Email us your ideas for Photo/Video of the Week.
Nextgov tours Forest Service headquarters
The Forest Service turns 110 this year, but its long history didn’t stop agency leaders from thinking of the future when redesigning agency headquarters. The renovated Sidney R. Yates buildings
houses more than 250 employees. The move from rented space in Rosslyn, Virginia, has saved the
agency $5 million a year on rent alone. Last month, “Nextgov” dropped by to tour the new space.
National Groundwater Awareness Week observed
National Groundwater Awareness Week is March 8-14. More than 96 percent of the available freshwater in the world is groundwater and 44 percent of the nation’s population depends on groundwater for its drinking water supply. National Forest System lands play a critical role in sustaining
groundwater sources in tandem with associated ecosystems and biodiversity. We inventory groundwater dependent ecosystems, restore watersheds through the Watershed Condition Framework,
improve implementation and performance of best management practices for water quality in our
role as good stewards of groundwater resources into the future. For more on steps you can take to
protect and conserve groundwater resources, visit the National Ground Water Association website.
Conservation awards presented to employees, partners
This week in Omaha, Nebraska, Leslie Weldon presided over the 2015 “Wings Across the Americas” Conservation Awards ceremony, part of the North American Wildlife and Natural Resources
Conference, to celebrate Forest Service employees and agency partners for their outstanding work
in the conservation of birds, bats, butterflies and dragonflies. The six awards presented to USFS
and our partners include:
• TheBatConservationAward
“Project EduBat – Education Taking Flight!”
• TheUrbanCommunitiesinConservationAward
The Greater Atlanta Pollinator Partnership: A Model for Urban Pollinator Conservation
• TheHabitatManagementandPartnershipAward
Central and Southern Great Plains Migratory Bird Habitat Conservation
• TheBirdConservationAward
The Puerto Rican Parrot Recovery Milestone
• InternationalCooperationAward
The Latin American Reserve Manager Training Program
• TheResearchPartnershipAward
The North American Bat Monitoring Program
For more information about the Wings Across the Americas Program and our other habitat conservation work, please contact Gregory Butcher.
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Grasslands hosts volunteer maintenance and cleanup day
A volunteer workday was recently held on the Comanche National Grasslands in the Vogel picnic area. Twenty-five hardworking volunteers pitched in to help on a great Colorado weather day,
where they interacted with the public, which included several local youth who are engaged in the
care and maintenance of our public lands. Michelle Stevens, Heritage and Recreation program
manager, organized the day and fellow Comanche employees Bruce Schumacher, Brian Striffler,
Colleen Oquist and Josh Reiswig gave up a Saturday to help enhance visitors experience in the
area.
Rise to the Future Award presented
The Southwestern Regional Office’s Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Unit recently received
the Friend of the Fish and Watershed 2014 Rise to the Future Award for leadership in generating
products that assist national forests in completing watershed assessment and analysis. The region
has not always had the resources to keep pace with technology associated with watershed and
stream corridor analysis. However, in past years the GIS Unit has made effective use of year-end
money to strategically build metadata and documentation for technology transfer to the field.
Fire prevention efforts achieve zero human-caused fires
In 2014, the Tusayan Ranger District of the Kaibab National Forest achieved a longtime goal of
zero human-caused fires. That success was due largely to focused efforts in fire prevention and
community education regarding the leading cause of these ignitions – abandoned campfires.
According to Kaibab National Forest wildfire records, the last time the Tusayan Ranger District had
zero human fires was in 1965, exactly 50 years ago. Focused fire prevention efforts have
systematically reduced the number of human-caused wildfires over the last 15 years.
Restoration cooperative publishes first annual report
The Sky Island Restoration Cooperative, of which Coronado National Forest is a partner, recently
published their first Annual Report, for Fiscal Year 2014. The cooperative is an international
coalition of restoration practitioners, scientists, land managers and private citizens working
together to restore ecological processes and systems of the Sky Island mountain ranges in the
Madrean Archipelago of the U.S.-Mexico borderlands. Projects included creek and watershed restoration and recharge; spring inventory, restoration and monitoring; seed collection; development of a
plant propagation center; rare plants inventories; wildlife conservation and protection; and development and monitoring of milkweed waystations for increasingly rare Monarch butterflies.
Federal agencies sign mutual-aid response plan with Mexico’s National Forestry Commission
The Coronado National Forest recently met with officials from the Bureau of Land Management
and the National Forestry Commission of the United Mexican States to sign the Emergency Mutual
Assistance Operating Plan. This agreement, updated annually, provides for cross-border fire suppression, education and training and facilitates mutual assistance in wildland fire suppression and
emergency response between Mexico and the United States, in Arizona and New Mexico, up to 10
miles on either side of the border.
Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest supports community planning effort
The Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest is actively engaged in a community collaborative planning effort that will determine the management of the central Wasatch Mountains for future generations. The area encompasses four ski resorts, prime backcountry terrain, an abundance of trails
and recreation sites, three wilderness areas and a protected watershed vital to the residents of Salt
Lake City. This effort, named Mountain Accord, addresses the environment, recreation, economics
and transportation in an effort to focus on growing demand for access to and use of National Forest
System lands. Entities from federal, state and local governments are developing this vision with
local communities and forest users.
Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest employee receives national award
Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest soil scientist Jim Hurja was recently named Field Soil Scientist
of the Year as part of the 2014 Rise to the Future awards. Hurja’s leadership, technical expertise and
ability to effectively integrate soils management with other program areas involved numerous activities to advance local, regional and national projects—including those concerning climate change.
He initiated efforts to secure funds and develop and implement best practices through interagency
and academic collaboration.
Regional Forester testifies before Nevada Assembly Committee
On March 10, Intermountain Regional Forester Nora Rasure testified before the Nevada Assembly
Committee on Natural Resources, Agriculture and Mining in Carson City. Humboldt-Toiyabe
National Forest topics she addressed in her testimony included wildfire management, hazardous
fuels reduction, resilient landscapes and communities, bi-state sage-grouse conservation and the
Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act.
Region to help map “New Geography of Hope”
The Pacific Southwest Region will co-sponsor the “Mapping a New Geography of Hope: Women
and the Land” conference March 13-15. The conference brings together a diverse cadre of influential authors with the goal of inspiring a sense of urgency about conservation of the planet. Working
with conference organizers and presenters offers the Forest Service an opportunity to establish new
connections and create partnerships around shared interests such as climate change.
Pacific Islands Forestry Committee meets in Yap, Micronesia
Foresters from across the U.S.-affiliated Pacific Islands met in Yap, Micronesia, March 1-6, for their
annual collaboration meeting. Approximately 50 attendees took part in cultural observances; field
visits to forest, fire and watershed restoration sites; and coordination meetings with partners in the
U.S. Forest Service, the Western Forestry Leadership Coalition, Micronesia Conservation Trust and
the Secretariat of the Pacific Community. Hawaii Division of Forestry & Wildlife provided training
for more than 30 teachers in the Project Learning Tree curricula. Committee leaders endorsed new
efforts to develop a monitoring program in support of the Micronesia Challenge for conserving 20
percent of terrestrial forests by 2020.
Los Padres holds volunteer cleanup events
Los Padres National Forest officials conducted a volunteer cleanup project March 7 at the Arroyo
Burro Shooting Area on the Santa Barbara Ranger District. The project was co-sponsored by the
Calguns Shooting Sports Association. Fifty volunteers removed a full roll-off dumpster of trash. An
additional cleanup event was held March 12, on the Santa Lucia Ranger District, co-sponsored by
Los Padres ForestWatch, the Los Padres Forest Association and Central Coast Concerned Mountain
Bikers.
District Ranger wins Jack Adams Award
Mary Maj, District Ranger on the Cle Elum Ranger District on the Okanogan-Wenatchee
National Forest, is this year’s recipient of the Jack Adams Award, presented annually to a Forest Service wildlife biologist, fisheries biologist or botanist who exemplifies the characteristics
and qualities of Jack Adams, wildlife biologist for the Forest Service from 1961 to 1984. Maj has
worked steadily to build coalitions among often disparate user groups to balance the spectrum of
resource management issues while ensuring the needs of wildlife, fisheries and rare plants were
reflected in all management decisions.
Forest collaborative gives testimony to committee
The Pinchot Partners recently gave testimony to the Washington State House Agriculture and Natural Resource Committee in Olympia. The Pinchot Partners are a forest collaborative group that
works with the Gifford Pinchot National Forest on the Cowlitz Valley Ranger District. They were
invited by the committee to explain what forest collaboration is and how it works. Cowlitz Valley District Ranger Gar Abbas and forest community engagement staff officer Tracy Calizon also
spoke, noting the accomplishments and importance of collaboration to the Forest Service.
Forest seeks input to plan special anniversary celebration
Grand Island National Recreation Area, a special place in Upper Michigan’s Hiawatha National
Forest, is coming up on an important milestone – its 25th anniversary. Grand Island is a picturesque
island surrounded by the pristine waters of Lake Superior and an important resource to the Forest
Service and the local community. The forest recently partnered with the Hiawatha Interpretive
Association to host a “business after hours” event to engage 30 local businesses in planning an
anniversary celebration in August.
Tongass National Forest transfers land
The Bureau of Land Management recently transferred 70,000 acres of Tongass National Forest land
to Sealaska Corporation to finalize a 375,000-acre entitlement under the 1971 Alaska Native Claims
Settlement Act. Representatives from the Forest Service and the offices of U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan and U.S. Representative Don Young attended the signing ceremony. The
bill authorizing the transfer passed Congress in December 2014 after more than 12 years of work.
More than 68,000 acres of the transferred land will be available for logging. About 490 acres of
land are considered culturally significant and are considered historical sites or burial grounds.
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Lab partners with Peru to develop a wood testing lab
The Forest Products Laboratory is assisting Cite Madera, the forest products laboratory in Lima,
Peru, in developing a laboratory in the city of Pucallpa, the hub for timber production in the Peruvian Amazon. The Forest Service’s lab has worked with Cite Madera staff to help them become an
internationally certified wood testing laboratory and to develop an economic analysis program. The
new laboratory in Pucallpa would help improve timber conversion into a range of products such as
lumber, flooring, doors and laminated beams.
Winter enrichment program deemed a success
Forest Products Laboratory scientists Jessie Glaeser and Karen Nakasone conducted a winter
enrichment program for the University of Wisconsin - Madison’s arboretum. The program, entitled
“Fungi in a Changing World,” highlighted the effect of climate change on decay fungi, changes in
our understanding of the role of fungi in forests, new uses of fungi as food and the formation of
biomaterials. Approximately 80 people attended, including community members and arboretum
naturalists and administrators.
Employee presents at Maryland wood energy conference
Northeastern Area Wood Education and Resource Center woody biomass coordinator Lew McCreery was part of a panel presentation on project development at the Maryland Wood Energy
Coalition’s Biomass Boot Camp in Catonsville, Maryland. McCreery’s presentation focused on
project financing using grants, loans, municipal leases and bonding options. The one-day boot camp
brought together facility owners, managers, engineers, extension educators, forestry professionals,
financial and business managers and others interested in learning about the potential of renewable
biomass for heating and combined heat and power applications.
White pine blister rust study published
Forest pathologist Isabel Munck published a study showing that white pine blister rust is again
threatening white pines in New Hampshire due to a breakdown of resistance on host Ribes cultivars that were previously labeled as resistant to the disease. The study is available from the journal
“Plant Disease.”
Non-wood forest products science shared in Croatia
Marla Emery, a research geographer with the Northern Research Station’s lab in Burlington, Vermont, was a keynote speaker at the European Non-Wood Forest Products Network’s recent meeting
in Zagreb, Croatia. More than 80 people from approximately 22 countries attended the meeting.
Emery’s keynote speech, “Non-wood Forest Products in the Ecosystem Services Framework,”
resulted in the network modifying its program of work to increase emphasis on engaging the ecosystem services framework and incorporating cultural uses of non-wood forest products.
Researcher gives webinar on fire convection plumes
Research meteorologist Brian Potter presented a webinar on the state of the science on airflow
associated with fire convection plumes. He discussed concepts of plume-dominated fires, adverse
wind profiles and the role of atmospheric stability in fire behavior, downdrafts and plume collapse.
Potter is among several authors of the Pacific Northwest Research Station-published and Joint Fire
Science Program-sponsored “Synthesis of Knowledge of Extreme Fire Behavior: Volume 1 for Fire
Managers,” each giving a webinar on their chapters in the report.
Local Scouts learn about forest genetics and earn badges
On a cold afternoon in late February, Girl Scouts of America Troop 12 received a warm welcome
from Pacific Southwest Research Station scientists at the Institute of Forest Genetics in Placerville,
California. The fifth-, sixth- and seventh-graders learned about the history of the institute and early
genetic studies, ongoing research of white pine blister rust, efforts to map the WPBR-resistant gene
and more. The Scouts earned their Tree merit badges following their interactive learning experience.
Scientists honored with Rise to the Future awards
Pacific Southwest Research Station scientists were among the recently announced recipients of the
Rise to the Future awards for Fisheries, Hydrology, Soil Science and Air Programs. Research plant
pathologist Mark Fenn received the Paul Miller Air Award in recognition of his international leadership in studying air pollution effects on the environment leading to advancement in air program
management. The Kings River Experimental Watershed Group led by research ecologist Carolyn
Hunsaker received the Jim Sedell Research Achievement Award for its role in developing a sustained watershed monitoring network in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The awards will be presented on May 18 at the National Archives in Washington, D.C.
Interagency crowdsourcing identifies trout refuge streams
Using crowdsourced datasets compiled from dozens of resource agencies, the Climate Shield project brings together stream temperature and fish survey data into high-definition maps. These maps
show streams that could serve as a climate refuge for two native trout species, bull and cutthroat,
across 450,000 kilometers of streams in the northwestern United States. The techniques and technology used to build Climate Shield are broadly applicable to other species and geographic areas as
well.
New developments outpace rebuilding in burned areas
A team of scientists from the Rocky Mountain and Northern Research Stations, the University of
Wisconsin-Madison and Oregon State University recently published their review of fires occurring
from 2000-2005. Using aerial and satellite imagery, they tracked the status of rebuilding for five
years post-fire. The number of buildings, mostly new construction, inside the burn perimeter after
five years was greater than the number of buildings pre-fire. Rebuilding of damaged structures only
accounted for 25 percent of new construction. Despite the demonstrated risk of losing buildings,
researchers found little evidence that homeowners and communities adapted by changing the locations of buildings, or by lowering rates of new development in the fire zone.
Ecologist named associate editor for Rangeland Journal
Research ecologist Paulette Ford accepted an invitation to serve a three-year term as Associate Editor of “Rangeland Ecology & Management,” a publication of the Society for Range Management.
Ford’s duties include oversight of technical content quality of submitted manuscripts and providing recommendations to the editor. The peer-reviewed journal provides a forum for international
exchange of scholarly research and information pertaining to rangelands. The Society for Range
Management supports stakeholders who work with rangelands and have a commitment to their
sustainable use.
2015 Biennial Southern Silvicultural Research Conference
The Southern Research Station and the University of Tennessee Department of Forestry, Wildlife
and Fisheries recently sponsored the 2015 Biennial Southern Silvicultural Research Conference in
Knoxville, Tennessee. The conference provided a forum for scientists and practitioners actively
engaged in the broad field of silviculture to report their study results, present new concepts and
techniques, coordinate cooperative efforts and stay current on developments in the field. Presentations emphasized research in pine silviculture, vegetation management, site preparation, both pine
and hardwood natural and artificial regeneration, fire and wildlife ecology.
Forest Service supports the minority landowner conference
The Southern Research Station co-sponsored the Minority Landowner Magazine’s ninth anniversary conference, recently held in Houston in support of minority farmers, ranchers and forest landowners. This year’s theme was “Agricultural Diversity On and Off the Farm.” Participants enjoyed
four concurrent breakout sessions and small group discussions centered on family farms and finances; conservation programs; land, wills and estate planning; and how to diversify an operation. The
three-day conference also included topics on diversity within the agriculture and forestry professions, faces of American agriculture and an overview of crop insurance and the Farm Bill.
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There were no media releases this week.
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On March 16, Chief Tom Tidwell will testify before the Senate Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies to present testimony on the Forest
Service’s proposed FY16 budget. Location TBD at 10:00am.
On March 12, National Forest System Deputy Chief Leslie Weldon testified before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on S. 556, the Bipartisan Sportsmen’s Act of 2015.
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Lawrence Chambers has accepted the position of legislative affairs specialist for WO-Office of
the Chief, Legislative Affairs. He is currently the national press officer for WO-Office of the Chief,
Office of Communication.
Carol McCauslin has accepted the position of director, Acquisition Management, for the Northern
Region. She is currently the program manager for acquisition and financial assistance for the
Bureau of Reclamation in Boise, Idaho.
Christopher Moyer has accepted the position of natural resource specialist, recreation special uses,
for WO-NFS in Recreation, Heritage, and Volunteer Resources. He is currently the executive
director of the Federal Interagency Council on Outdoor Recreation for the Bureau of Land Management in Washington, D.C.
Karen O’Leary has accepted the position of natural resource specialist, recreation special uses, for
WO-NFS in Recreation, Heritage, and Volunteer Resources. She is currently the recreation special
uses program manager for the Southwestern Region.
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Footprint Area of the Month: Water
Action Item of the Week: Fix a Leak Week: March 16-22, 2015
Minor water-leaks account for more than one trillion gallons of water wasted each year in U.S. homes.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s WaterSense® program promotes Fix a Leak Week the
third week of March each year. Fix a Leak Week is an annual reminder to check plumbing fixtures and
irrigation systems for leaks. For more information on Forest Service Sustainable Operations, visit the
SusOps Demonstration website.
About People, Places and Things
The Forest Service Office of Communication compiles input by field units and Washington Office
staffs. The mention of commercial products in this publication is solely for the information of the
reader, and endorsement is not intended by the Forest Service or USDA. Field units should submit items through their region, station or area Public Affairs Office, which approve and prioritize
submissions. The deadline is 8 a.m. Eastern time, Wednesdays. Each submission must be 100
words or fewer in order to be considered. Send items to WO Weekly Report inbox. If you have any
comments, please email the FS-PPT Comments inbox.
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