Congratulations to SAF member John Linson for being quoted in a recent news article about West Orange's plans to raise awareness about emerald ash borer and ash yellows through its environmental commission. The full article can be read by clicking here.
Registration is now open for the 1st annual Charles Newlon Forestry Forum. Our speaker is Dr. Jerry Franklin from the University of Washington. For more information and to register for this Friday October 20, 2017 dinner event, please click here: www.njforests.org/Charles-Newlon-Forestry-Forum.
A managed, 30-year old loblolly pine forest stand of natural origin. photo courtesy of David Stephens, bugwood.org by Andrew Bennett, Science & Technology Committee chair A recent report -- Historical Perspective on the Relationship wetween Demand and Forest Productivity in the US South -- looks into the relationship between changes in demand and supply using USDA Forest Service data and other scientific sources. Though the study is focused on the US South, the lessons learned from the research help to highlight certain facts. [...]
photo by Steve Kallesser By vote of the Division Executive Committee on September 1, 2017, the following amendments to the Division by-laws are recommended for a "yes" vote by the membership. This vote will take place as part of the normal election to be held in October. Votes must be received by 11:59pm on October 31, 2017. A 2/3 supermajority of those voting is necessary to amend the by-laws. All Division members in good order are eligible to vote. Proposed By-laws Current By-laws [...]
by Michael Gallagher, Science & Technology committee Monitoring fire effects is important for evaluating ecological outcomes of fire management efforts and refining silvicultural methods for maintaining and restoring healthy forests. While monitoring fire effects is conceptually straightforward (i.e. making observations of change due to fire), selecting the indicators of ecological change and measuring them at appropriate spatial and temporal scales is difficult and time consuming to the extent that such monitoring is rarely conducted. However, new indices for rapidly assessing burn severity are helping managers [...]
Habitat managed using the species-specific, science-based guidelines for golden-winged warblers on Sparta Mountain WMA (in its 4th growing season). photo by Sharon Petzinger by Sharon Petzinger, NJDEP Division of Fish & Wildlife During 2012–2014, researchers studied the success of breeding Golden-winged Warblers in habitats of the eastern U.S. managed using Working Lands for Wildlife conservation practices. An article titled “An Evaluation and Comparison of Conservation Guidelines for an At-risk Migratory Songbird” represents an accruement of evidence supporting the notion that managed upland habitats [...]
by Sharon Petzinger, NJDEP Division of Fish & Wildlife A golden-winged warbler found to be breeding in New Jersey. photo by David Kenny A series of research articles on Golden-winged Warblers were published in the book "Golden-winged Warbler Ecology, Conservation, and Habitat Management". The fourteen chapters in this book range from the distribution and status of the Golden-winged Warbler throughout its breeding and wintering range to research on the breeding grounds (habitat use, fledgling survival, nest site selection, hybridization) to wintering and migratory [...]
Congratulations to SAF forester Bob Williams for sharing a featured article with Bill Haines, Jr. in the Spring 2017 edition of Rutgers Magazine. The two discuss cranberries, the clean water that comes from the forest that is needed for cranberries, and the proper stewardship needed to perpetuate the forest while benefiting wildlife. To read the full article, click here.
Clean water is the most valuable commodity produced by healthy forests. Learn how foresters protect this resource. (photo by Steve Kallesser) by Steve Kallesser, CF, Division Chair As the professional society for foresters and forest conservationists in New Jersey, it is our duty to use our knowledge, skills, and conservation ethic to ensure the continued health, integrity, and use of forests to benefit society in perpetuity. Therefore, we must do our part to advance the knowledge of policymakers and the general public in [...]
Attached is an excellent video showing the prescribed burn at Pine Valley Golf Club in Camden County, and a great description on why fire is important for pitch pine forests. Prescribed burns are an important part of silviculture, and one of the most important disturbances in New Jersey's dynamic, disturbance-dependent forest ecosystems. Thank you to Bob Williams, CF of Pine Creek Forestry, LLC for sharing this video. Click here to view.