Strong partnerships power Burney-Hat Creek projects

Fall River Resource Conservation District’s (RCD) Burney-Hat Creek Bioenergy Plant was one of the three California Energy Commission (CEC) grant recipients in September. The grant will help the plant convert forest material into electricity, heat, and biochar via gasification.

It’s the latest success from a list of projects the Fall River RCD has been a part of. A decade ago, district leaders noted a challenge faced by local Forest Service employees in managing forest health in the region. “We saw reductions in funding and knew this would result in capacity issues and the Forest Service would have a hard time getting projects done that the community depended on for wildfire safety and socioeconomics,” said Todd Sloat, watershed coordinator for Fall River RCD. Read more on NACD's blog.


Q&A with George Geissler
NASF President and Oklahoma State Forester

George Geissler has been a forester for three decades. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in forestry from Louisiana State University and a Master of Business degree from Harvard University. Prior to joining Oklahoma Forestry Services, he was a wildland firefighter for the U.S. Forest Service and spent time working for a major forest products company.

Geissler has been the Oklahoma State Forester since February 2011 and this September accepted his new role as President of the National Association of State Foresters (NASF). He recently shared time with NACD Forestry Notes; click here to read their conversation.


Forestry Briefs

Virginia - District recruits volunteers for local tree care

The Robert E. Lee Soil & Water Conservation District recruited a team of volunteers in November to evaluate trees that are part of a riparian buffer along Williams Creek. Trees that were planted in 2015 now help protect more than 1,800 linear feet of streambank. “A lot of these projects will get installed and they don’t get maintained, and the maintenance is really the key… because you do have wildlife coming in here breaking stakes, bending tubes, (and) trees die and need to be replaced,” Watershed Coordinator Anne Marie Roberts told The News & Advance. Roberts helped establish the program in 2008. Learn more>>>


Michigan - District helping landowners identify oak wilt

When oak wilt was identified at the Pelizzari Natural Area this fall, it sparked local landowner concern. The Grand Traverse Conservation District is now helping landowners in Benzie, Grand Traverse, and Leelanau counties determine if they have oak wilt. The district has a forester on staff who assists landowners with a variety of forest health-related questions. Learn more>>>


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