http://rawlingsforestry.com/news/ Recent news and upcoming events related to forestry, forest products, and wildlife in North Carolina en-us http://www.cradleofforestry.com/cradle_of_forestry/education_program.aspThe Woodland Steward Series is a unique educational opportunity that you cannot afford to miss. It is designed to equip landowners just like you with the tools and resources you need to manage your land and to enrich your experience as a woodland owner. Wed, 08 Sep 2010http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/09/06/1810588/after-20-years-of-protection-owl.html Twenty years after northern spotted owls were protected under the Endangered Species Act, their numbers continue to decline, and scientists aren't certain whether the birds will survive even though logging was banned on much of the old-growth forest in the Pacific Northwest where they live in order to save them.Mon, 06 Sep 2010http://www.palletenterprise.com/articledatabase/view.asp?articleID=3198McDowell Lumber started in the 1974 by Tony McDowell as a hardwood mill, producing lumber for the grade market. He started by cutting trees and running a portable sawmill in the woods. Tony doesn’t just own the company; he is actively involved in day to day management activities.Wed, 01 Sep 2010http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9HHVBM02.htmHousing development on privately owned forest land needs to be added to the list of threats to the nation's forests, according to a U.S. Forest Service report issued Wednesday.Thu, 12 Aug 2010http://www.tidewaternews.com/news/2010/aug/04/loggers-try-find-business-after-ip/More than nine months after International Paper Co. announced the Franklin paper mill would be closed, logging companies are trying to maintain their businesses by taking wood elsewhere.Wed, 04 Aug 2010http://www.citizen-times.com/article/20100721/NEWS/307150069/1009ASHEVILLE — The federal government will spend $1.2 million in stimulus money on forest products businesses in Western North Carolina, a regional development group recently announced. The Land-of-Sky Regional Council said 11 businesses will get part of $956,164 from the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act to support operations including sawmills, small-scale logging and furniture building. The agency, which works as a planning council for governments in Buncombe, Henderson, Madison and Transylvania counties, previously gave three businesses $250,000 in the first round of stimulus funding. The council is administering the spending for the U.S. Forest Service's Southern Research Station. It will get $250,000 to manage the project. “We have some of the most productive forests in the country and it is important that we use that asset wisely to support the economies of our rural communities,” said council Chairwoman Letta Jean Taylor. “These stimulus projects give us an opportunity to use our renewable forest resources to bring back many of the jobs lost in the economic downturn.” A group that supports the timber industry said that any expansion of the forest products market is generally good but cautioned against subsidizing businesses to make them work. Steve Henson, director of the Southern Appalachian Multiple Use Council, said there is an increasing demand for hardwood lumber but not enough access for timber companies. “If the (U.S. Forest Service) is sincere in their efforts to help stimulate the forest products industry in WNC, they should be offering more timber sales on their million acres of land here in the mountains,” he said. Julie Mayfield, executive director of WNC Alliance, a group that has advocated for forest conservation in the region, said it's hard to tell what impact the projects might have on the environment. “We support local industry, including the local forest products industry as long as that industry sustainably manages its sources of timber,” she said. “Our concerns arise when the industry begins to threaten old growth, biodiversity and our streams. If these projects are small scale enough that they won't do that, then we support them and the continuation of an industry with a rich history here in the region.” (2 of 2) Here's a look at some of the projects:Wed, 21 Jul 2010http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-07-12/weyerhaeuser-declares-record-5-6-billion-dividend.htmlWeyerhaeuser Co., the second-largest owner of U.S. timberland, declared a record $5.6 billion special dividend to lock in the company’s conversion this year to a real estate investment trust. The shares rose the most in 15 months.Fri, 16 Jul 2010http://dailyitem.com/0100_news/x1385498593/Insect-poses-threat-to-treesIt's prime time for the emergence of an extremely invasive insect that could be deadly to the Commonwealth's wood industry. State officials are hoping a lure, in the form of a purple box, will help to eradicate the imported beetle before it destroys the species of tree that is most popular in regional manufacturing.Wed, 07 Jul 2010http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2010/06/08/Controlled-fires-might-help-dogwood-trees/UPI-34821276008766/Forestry experts say planned burning in some Eastern U.S. forests might be helpful in restoring flowering dogwood tree populations.Tue, 08 Jun 2010http://www.nbc29.com/Global/story.asp?S=12512987and owners along the South Fork Rivanna Reservoir Watershed could receive cash simply by planting trees on their property. It's part of the Forests to Faucets initiative to protect the water quality by reducing sediment that end up in nearby streams from erosion.Mon, 24 May 2010http://www.bclocalnews.com/kootenay_rockies/arrowlakesnews/news/93348584.htmlStrong Canadian lumber prices has completely dropped the U.S. export tax on softwood lumber beginning June 1, 2010, Forests and Range minister Pat Bell announced. “In two months, the export tax has droppedTue, 18 May 2010http://www.americanforests.org/news/display.php?id=242American Forests’ National Register of Big Trees marks its 70th anniversary this year with a total of 733 champion and co-champion trees from 637 native and naturalized tree species in the United States. Presented in a new online format, the 2010 edition also features a revised list of eligible species, ensuring consistency with today’s taxonomy and nomenclature for trees.Wed, 05 May 2010http://blogs.lib.ncsu.edu/cnrnews/entry/megalos_wins_ncsu_s_outstandingOn April 19, 2010 at the Celebrating the Engaged University awards ceremony Dr. Mark Megalos was awarded NCSU's Outstanding Extension Service award and inducted into Academy of Outstanding Faculty Engaged In Extension. Dr. Megalos focuses on the long-term economic, environmental, and social viability of forestryWed, 05 May 2010http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/environment/2010-04-27-forests27_ST_N.htm?csp=34Out of seven of the most heavily forested nations on Earth, the United States experienced a greater percentage of forest loss from 2000 to 2005 than did any of the other countries, a study said Monday. The United States lost more than 46,000 square miles of forest in those years, a size roughly equivalent to the state of Pennsylvania. That's about 6% of the nation's forested land.Tue, 27 Apr 2010http://www.dailypress.com/news/dp-local-iw-timber-0417apr17,0,5610759.storyFor years, Wayne Garrett Logging Inc., a family-owned business in Surry County, hauled all the timber it harvested to International Paper Corp. in southern Isle of Wight County. "We depended on International Paper exclusively; 100 percent of our deliveries were still going to International Paper until the last couple of months," said owner Wayne Garrett, who estimated that he was delivering up to 70 loads of timber to the mill weekly this time last year. "We started weaning away from them about two months ago and hauling more of our product to mills in West Point, Hopewell and Roanoke Rapids (N.C.)."Mon, 26 Apr 2010http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/local/Tree-killing-beetle-plagues-Northern-Virginia-91942824.htmlTens of thousands of Northern Virginia ash trees are at risk of dying in coming years, according to area forestry officials. The culprit? A menacing, half-inch beetle. The infamous tree killer, emerald ash borer, is wreaking havoc on the region, feeding on the inner bark of ash trees and squashing their ability to transport water and minerals.Mon, 26 Apr 2010http://www.sciencecodex.com/gone_with_the_wind_farflung_pine_pollen_still_potent_miles_from_the_treeWhen forest biologist Claire Williams boards ferries bound for North Carolina's Outer Banks, the barrier islands that line the NC coast, ferry captains call her the "Pollen Lady." Each spring from 2006 to 2009, Williams traveled back and forth from the islands to the mainland, collecting pine pollen blown far offshore. She wanted to find out if pollen from the loblolly pine — the most commonly planted tree in the southern United States — can still germinate after drifting long distances.Tue, 06 Apr 2010/news/2010/new_publications_libraryIn our continued effort to bring knowledge, information and quality services to the forest landowners of North Carolina, we have recently completed a total reorganization and rewrite of our popular publications library.Sun, 28 Mar 2010http://www.vancouversun.com/business/Pine+beetle+epidemic+affect+lumber+supply+continent+wide/2701468/story.htmlA new report on the mountain pine beetle epidemic describes it as one of North America's largest natural environmental disasters that will put an estimated 16 major sawmills out of business in B.C. and lead to long-term lumber shortages in the United States.Thu, 25 Mar 2010http://ncgogreen.myncblogs.com/2010/03/18/plant-a-tree-for-arbor-day-friday/The N.C. Division of Forest Resources wants you to plant a tree Friday. That’s Arbor Day here in North Carolina. 080321_ap_arbor_day Of course trees keep the air and water clean, provide shade, save energy, reduce carbon dioxide and look good. Trees also filter rainfall and reduce the amount of sediment and other pollutants entering waterways and drinking water sources.Thu, 18 Mar 2010http://www.philanthropyjournal.org/nc/ncnews/upper-neuse-effort-receives-17-millionConservation Trust for North Carolina has received a $1.7 million grant as facilitator of a collaborative effort to conserve lands that help protect drinking-water supplies in the Upper Neuse basin. In landing the $1.7 million challenge grant from the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities, the trust more than met the challenge with a $1.5 million grant from the city of Raleigh. The funds will be used to protect or establish "working forests" that will preserve the quality of drinking supplies in the basin, including groundwater, streams and nine reservoirs, including Falls Lake, Lake Michie and Lake Holt.Wed, 10 Mar 2010http://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/blog/power_city/2010/03/duke_registers_2_plants_for_biomass_energy.htmlDuke Energy has asked N.C. regulators to register its Buck Steam Station in Salisbury and its Lee Steam Station in Williamston, S.C., as renewable-energy facilities for the production of biomass energy.Wed, 10 Mar 2010http://www.suffolknewsherald.com/news/2010/mar/01/timber-industry-looks-future-without-ip/“The nightmare came alive.” Timber industry experts agree that when International Paper Co. announced that it would close the Franklin paper mill by spring that it was like a bad dream had come true.Mon, 01 Mar 2010http://www.rockdalecitizen.com/news/headlines/85441127.htmlThe saying “Money doesn’t grow on trees” may be taken out of the equation as Rockdale County considers implementing a timber management policy for county-owned land. Rockdale County Forester Jeffrey Tyler said there’s the possibility of thousands of dollars in revenue in timber harvesting if the county implements a timber management plan for the more than 2,100 acres it owns within the county.Fri, 26 Feb 2010http://www.azdailysun.com/news/local/article_e4870127-95b0-5298-8994-597b80c9262a.htmlA phenomenon being dubbed Beetlemania is playing out in northern Arizona. As can be expected, it involves rock music. But instead of screaming fans, there are cheering scientists who have found a way to drive bark beetles crazy with sound.Mon, 08 Feb 2010