Reports From The States

[Ron Scott]

Michigan

Michigan State Forest Receives Dual Certification

January 11 – More than 1.5 million hectares of Michigan's state forests have been certified to both the SFI and FSC certification programs.

The certification standards overlap enough so that the area could be audited by the same group of auditors for both programs. The state forest still has some improvements to make. There will be an annual audit and the state must seek recertification every five years.

"It ensures a market for Michigan's timber, which keeps us competitive on a national and worldwide basis," says Lynne Boyd, forest management division chief with the Department of Natural Resources. "Without certification we could and ultimately would lose our market."

To read an Associated Press article about the certification of Michigan's forests, visit the Michigan Live website for the entire article.

 

[Ron Scott]

Minnesota

Minnesota's State Forest Lands, Largest Certified Forest Land Base in US

Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty recently announced that more than 4.8 million acres of the state's forestlands have been certified by both the Sustainable Forestry Initiative ® (SFI) and the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). The dual certifications make it the largest certified land base in the United States.

The lands are multiuse, serving both recreational and economic functions, and, according to a press release from the Governor's office, the wood products they produce "will be marketed to conservation-minded consumers, providing premium pricing to the producers."

To read the entire press release, visit the Governor of Minnesota's website. 

For more information on the certification of Minnesota's State Forests, visit the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources website.

 


 

[Ron Scott]

New York

Alien Wood Wasp Found to Be "Well Established in Upstate New York"
 
Last year while sifting through insects from a trap from Fulton, New York,  E. Richard Hoebeke, a Cornell University expert taxonomist, discovered a single specimen of an alien wood wasp that devastates conifers. It was the first such wood wasp, Sirex noctilio Fabricius, ever found in the wild in the United States. Since then, Hoebeke has identified 85 specimens from traps, and hundreds more emerged from bolts of wood collected from the field. That's bad news for conifers nationwide.

For more information about the wood wasp's growing presence, visit the Cornell University website.

 

[Ron Scott]

Michigan

Beach Walking: The US Supreme Court has left standing the more than century old right of the public to walk privately owned Great Lakes beaches up to the high water mark.

A Saginw Bay property owner's challenge of a lower court ruling was rejected by the high court.

[pappy]

The University of Maine

has received $10.35 million to conduct research on using wood to make ethanol, plastics, industrial chemicals and other products that now are made with oil.

http://www.bangornews.com/news/templates/?a=131199

[Ron Scott]

California

Environmental, Conservation Groups Buying Forests to Keep Them Undeveloped
 
As forest products companies and other landowners sell off parcels of forestland that are worth more as real estate than sources of lumber, environmental conservation organizations have been working hard to raise money to purchase these tracts of land and keep them from being developed.   

According to a recent article in the Washington Post, competition from "cheap lumber imports, soaring land prices, and pressure from Wall Street" are now prompting forest products companies like the St. Joe Company and International Paper to sell their land.  The article goes on to say that organizations such as the Conservation Fund, the Nature Conservancy, and the New England Forest Foundation are trying to purchase those parcels of forestland that hold the greatest ecological value.

According to a recent study conducted by the USDA Forest Service, more than 44 million acres of private forest land will be sold over the next 25 years. The Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences recently released a similar study regarding forestland in the Northeast which found that 23.8 million acres—an area equivalent to 85 percent of the Northern Forest— changed hands between 1980 and 2000.


To read the Washington Post article, visit the newspaper's website.

 

[TexasTimbers]

Ron, can you find anything on the "Sudden Red Oak Death" going on in Texas. I googled it several months ago but couldn't find what I'm looking for. I haven't called the Texas Forestry Service I guess that would be the easy way, but since you seem to be on the pulse of statewide happenings ..... Texas Ranger would probably know too.

I was told  (there's that watch-phrase "I was told") that it was a serious problem in East Texas and that limbs can start falling off trees that were healthy only days befoire. I can't imagine that. I sure haven't heard anything about it when I go to East Texas to log pine, and I haven't noticed any unusual number of dead Red Oaks.

What I'm looking for is, if there IS such a thing going on, I'd like to see a map which identifies where the cases are occurring the most, if at all.

[Minnesota_boy]

Kevjay,  Here is a website from Texas A&M that has some useful information on Sudden Oak Death.  Since it is from an Agricultural university in the state of Texas, they should have the best information on its impact in Texas. http://suddenoakdeath.tamu.edu/default.asp

[Ron Scott]

Yes, your local Universities and their Extension Services would have the latest information for your area. Also be sure that you are not confusing Sudden Oak Death with Oak Wilt.

[Ron Scott]

Michigan's U.P.

INTERNATIONAL PAPER TO SELL QUINNESEC MILL TO CMP HOLDINGS, LLC

http://www.ironmountaindailynews.com/stories/articles.asp?articleID=2015

QUINNESEC ­ International Paper Co. has signed an agreement to sell its papers business to CMP Holdings LLC, an affiliate of Apollo Management L.P. for approximately $1.4 billion. 

The sale, which includes the Quinnesec mill, is subject to certain post-closing adjustments, officials said in a written statement today.

The coated and supercalendered papers business also includes three other paper mills, located in Jay, Maine; Bucksport, Maine; and Sartell, Minn., and generated $1.6 billion in sales in 2005.

The transaction is expected to close in mid-summer, subject to various closing conditions including receipt of financing, regulatory approvals and other customary conditions, company officials said in a news release.

[Ron Scott]

Michigan's U. P.

The DNR is harvesting 156 acres of jack pine in Iron County along US 2 just south of Crystal Falls to control a concentrated infestation of jack pine budworm and to harvest the trees while still marketable.

[Ron Scott]

Michigan

RE:  INTERNATIONAL PAPER SETTLES QUINNESEC PULP & PAPER MILL SALE

Verso Paper, A Leader In Coated Papers
CMP Holdings LLC completes acquisition of IP’s coated papers business
 
QUINNESEC, Michigan, 1 August 2006

Introduction
Verso Paper Holdings LLC’s subsidiary, CMP Holdings LLC, has completed the previously announced acquisition of International Paper’s coated and supercalendered papers business for approximately $1.4 billion, subject to certain post-closing adjustments.  The coated and supercalendered business includes four paper mills, located in Jay, Maine; Bucksport, Maine; Quinnesec, Michigan; and Sartell, Minnesota. Verso Paper Holdings LLC is an affiliate of Apollo Management L.P.
 
Verso has leading market positions in the North American magazine publishing and catalog markets.
 
 “We are a new company, but we have the same commitment to our customers and dedication to the industry that we have had for years,” said LH Puckett, president and CEO of Verso Paper.  “We will continue to provide our customers with the excellent service and high quality products they have come to depend on.”   
 
At Verso Paper, we give customers the power to create, communicate, and work productively to achieve their highest aspirations and potential. We offer a broad, diverse selection of coated freesheet, coated groundwood and supercalendered papers.   Our brands include Advocate®, Influence®, Liberty®, Savvy®, Trilogy® and Velocity®.
 
New Name
Verso is a word that comes from the print and publishing industry -- which is now our singular focus.  Verso actually means "the other side of a sheet of paper".  As we enter "the other side" of the transition to a stand alone business, great opportunity lies ahead for Verso Paper.  Our brand has been built around energetic people working together to provide great products and services to our customers. 
 
Verso is also associated with the Latin root Veritas, which means truth, honesty and integrity. As Verso Paper, we remain committed to the excellence to which our customers have grown accustomed.  We’re proud of our tradition of excellence, and, as we turn the page in a new chapter of our history, we look forward to a future of opportunity as Verso Paper.
 
Our Vision
Thousands of people working together to create value for our stakeholders by providing superior business solutions every minute of every day. Promises made, promises kept. No excuses!

Our Mission
Our mission is to create value for customers by providing superior business solutions and developing products and services that exceed expectations.  We are the most responsive and flexible paper manufacturer in the industry.  We are more than your supplier.  We are more than solutions providers.  We are paper.people.partners.
 
Environmental Commitment
Sustainability is core to Verso Paper’s business philosophy.  We assure our stakeholders that our business supports sustainable practices from the forest to the final disposition of our products.  Verso Paper is committed to environmental, economic and social sustainability.

Health & Safety
Above all we are committed to providing safe and healthy workplaces for our employees while providing environmental stewardship that will ensure healthy and thriving communities for future generations.  Three of the four mills where our products are manufactured – Androscoggin, Quinnesec and Sartell – are partners with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration in the Voluntary Protection Program. The VPP concept recognizes that safety management programs that go beyond OSHA standards can protect workers more effectively than compliance alone. VPP Participants are a select group of facilities that have designed and implemented outstanding health and safety programs. The VPP application process is rigorous, and only the best programs qualify.
 
General Facts
Verso Paper is a leading supplier of coated papers in North America, servicing customers in the catalog, magazine and commercial print markets.
Verso Paper brands include Advocate®, Influence®, Liberty®, Savvy®, Trilogy® and Velocity®.
Verso Paper is headquartered in Memphis, Tenn., operates four paper mills in the U.S. and employs approximately 3,000 people.
Verso Paper’s customer service team is located in Cincinnati, Ohio and its field sales offices are in Stamford, Conn.; New York, NY; Chicago, Ill., Philadelphia, Pa.; Atlanta, Ga.; St. Louis, Mo.; and Los Angeles, Calif.
The company operates manufacturing facilities in Jay, Maine; Bucksport, Maine; Sartell, Minn.; and Quinnesec, Mich. These mills have a combined annual capacity of approximately 1.7 million tons of paper.

[Ron Scott]

Mississippi

 Mississippi Forester Advises Keeping a Close Watch on Beetles

August 25 -- The combination of high temperatures, drought, and woody debris from Hurricane Katrina is the perfect recipe for South Mississippi's worst bark beetle outbreak in more than a decade, says a forester from Mississippi State University. 

"Pine trees are severely stressed due to the hurricane and the drought that followed," said Glenn Hughes, Mississippi State University Extension Service forester. "Pine bark beetle populations exploded immediately after Katrina as beetles infested snapped pine trees. Last fall, these beetles moved into isolated live trees due to the post-Katrina drought."

This summer's drought is rated severe or extreme for South Mississippi and has resulted in increased numbers of forest fires, adding to the stress on trees, Hughes said.

Coastal areas subjected to the storm surge from Katrina have the greatest tree mortality, with thousands of dead trees documented in the area.

For more information, visit the Mississippi State University website.

[Ron Scott]

Michigan's U.P.

FOREST SERVICE OPENS UNDERGROUND LAB: The U.S. Department of Agriculture unveiled it's new subterranean research facility recently. About 50
people, including USDA Forest Service representatives, community
members, and Tech staff gathered for a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the
USDA's Forest Service Northern Research Station on MacInnes Drive. The
facility, which sits behind the lab and is known as rhizotron, allows
Forest Service and Michigan Tech researchers and scientists access to
the underground without disturbing the soil. The $500,000 tunnel, which
is paneled with glass windows, stretches 75 feet into the hillside
behind the lab, and exposes the roots, fungi, insects and worms deep in
the soil. Alex Friend, project leader and research ecologist, said in a
written statement that researchers plan to study carbon sequestration,
the process by which plants "inhale" carbon dioxide out of the
atmosphere and store carbon in the soil. He said maximizing carbon
sequestration could be a way to reduce the amount of atmospheric carbon
dioxide and partially mitigate global warming. "The rhizotron will help
us understand how carbon is transformed during this process, "said
Professor Kurt Pregitzer, director of the Ecosystem Science Center in
Michigan Tech's School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science.
"It's a cross-section in the soil from the surface down five feet,"
Friend added in a later interview. "Most people never see that. It's a
window into the way the soil works." The Northern Research Station is
part of the research and development arm of the USDA Forest Service,
which works at the forefront of science to improve the health and use of
the nation's forests and grasslands.

[Ron Scott]

Florida

Auburn Scientists Publish Evidence of Ivory-Billed Woodpeckers

Auburn University (AU) has reported that a research team led by Geoff Hill, a professor and ornithologist in AU's College of Science and Mathematics has compiled evidence that a population of Ivory-billed Woodpeckers exists in a remote river basin in the panhandle of Florida.

Although the Auburn scientists are confident in their discovery that Ivory-billed Woodpeckers persist in the swamp forests along the Choctawhatchee, they realize that the evidence amassed to date is not conclusive proof. Nevertheless, they encourage interested parties to listen to the recordings and view photographs taken during the expeditions.

For more information, visit the Auburn University website.

 

[Ron Scott]

Florida

The University of Florida (UF) has released a new booklet offering advice on how to protect trees from storm damage–and what to do if they're damaged despite your best efforts.

The 12-page, color booklet, Assessing Damage and Restoring Trees after a Hurricane, begins with the worst-case scenario of a hurricane's aftermath and how to safely remove felled trees, then moves on to how to distinguish storm-damaged trees that should be removed from those that have a chance for survival. It gives detailed information on pruning, specialized advice on pine trees and palms, and the final section is on prevention: how to choose the right trees for your yard, how many to plant and where to plant them.

UF researchers have been tracking tree damage since Hurricane Andrew in 1992 and much of the advice in the booklet stems from that work.

The booklet can be downloaded at the Florida Cooperative Extension Service's website.

 

[beenthere]

The poor Ivory Billed won't find any peace and solace now (apparently needed to survive). Every birder will be trying to find one and add it to their 'list'. Suspect the one (s) found in Arkansas will have the same fate. 

[Ron Scott]

Oregon

OSU Extension Publishes New Version of Woodland Handbook

The Oregon State University Extension Service has published an updated version of Backyard Woodlands: A Landowner Resource Notebook. The guide covers stewardship and woodland planning, woodland ecology, tree and shrub identification, woodland health, tending woodlands, caring for trees, planting and establishing new trees, harvesting forest products, enhancing wildlife habitat, protecting against wildfire, water quality, regulations and laws, where to get assistance, managing invasive plants and business and tax considerations. Additional learning materials from other agencies are in sleeves next to each chapter.

A preview of the guide may be downloaded from the Oregon University Extension Service website. The website also contains more information about the guide.

[Ron Scott]

Verrmont, New Hampshire

Wilderness Areas Expanded in Vermont, New Hampshire

Thousands of acres of wilderness will be added to the national forests in Vermont and New Hampshire as a result of the New England Wilderness Act of 2006, which passed in the US House of representatives.

The legislation calls for expanding wilderness areas in the 400,000-acre Green Mountain National Forest by about 42,000 acres to a total of 101,000 acres, or a quarter of the overall forest. The 800,000-acre White Mountain National Forest's wilderness areas are slated to grow by 34,000 acres to 115,000 acres.

Environmental groups and political leaders praised the bill, some in the forest products industry denounced the legislation on the basis that it prohibits the use of valuable resources.

To read an article about the bill's passage, visit the XCAX-TV (Vermont) website.

 

[Ron Scott]

Massachusetts

Website Helps Landowners Make Forestry Decisions

A new website launched by the University of Massachusetts Extension's Forest Conservation Program targets private landowners facing critical decisions about their land.

MassWoods.net provides valuable information about local and statewide resources to support landowners facing the two most critical conservation decisions of land ownership: selling timber and planning the future of their property.

For more information, visit the Harvard Post website.

or www.MassWoods.net