Reimagining Our Cities

Carbon + Climate Change, Careers, Cities, Forest Management, Innovation, Mass Timber, People, Products

The future of skyscrapers | Grist

This explainer video from Grist takes a look at CLT and the future of wooden skyscrapers

How much CO2 would a skyscraper save if a skyscraper was made of wood?

Wooden skyscrapers are already a thing in Europe and Canada. Now, they're slowing becoming more popular in the U.S. How do they work and what do they mean for the future of cities?

Reimagining Our Cities

Biomass + Renewable Energy, Carbon + Climate Change, Careers, Cities, Forest Management, Innovation, Mass Timber, People, Products, Urban Forests

FORESTS: Reimagining Our Cities

For the first time in history, more than 50 percent of the world’s population lives in a city.

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Reconnecting People and Forests

Biomass + Renewable Energy, Forest Management, Innovation

Technology To The Rescue

People are bad at random – we even have a tendency to find patterns where no intentional pattern exists (seeing a face in the stones on a wall is a common example). So, when forest managers are working to recreate the complex, seemingly random patterns found in nature, how do they do it?

They start with science and statistics. Yes – statistics can help you get surprisingly close to the complexity of nature (see my recent blog for background). Even so, after you determine what a more natural forest would look like in your area, there’s the challenge of implementing that on the ground.

I’m joining the Tapash Forest Collaborative for a workshop organized by the Nature Conservancy’s Ryan Haugo and led by the University of Washington’s Derek Churchill to see first-hand how a new app allows them to recreate spatially diverse, resilient forests on the ground.

" We realized we need to do something with these stands, or we’ll lose them all to insects, disease, and wildfire. "

Rod Pfeifle

We gather in Cle Elum, Washington to learn about the science behind restoring a forest to a more natural pattern of individual trees, tree clumps and forest openings (ICO). During the workshop local foresters have an opportunity to practice using QuickMap, a forestry app created by Churchill’s team to implement the ICO approach to ecological restoration thinning in dry western forests.

In the conference room, we look at aerial images and stem maps of old-growth forests in similar climates – these will provide the reference conditions for the healthy mosaic we hope to restore. Looking at the aerial images of forests and stem maps of the individual trees, clumps and openings, I can easily see the difference between a homogenous patch and one that’s spatially diverse.

From Churchill et al. 2013 used with permission.

In the Thick of It

However, once we arrive in a large clearing among Douglas firs and Ponderosa pines, the old saw about not seeing the forest for the trees becomes all too real. How will we decide which trees need to be thinned without the benefit of a birds-eye view? Undaunted, the forestry professionals around me gather for a briefing on the plans for this forest.

Rod Pfeifle of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife leads with background on the forest and management goals for the future.

“The last harvest in this stand was 35 to 40 years ago. We realized we need to do something with these stands, or we’ll lose them all to insects, disease, and wildfire,” Pfeifle said.

This forest is being managed for conservation and wildlife habitat. The planned management will be mechanical thinning hopefully followed by burning, so we’ll need to mark which trees will not be cut in order to recreate a resilient spatial patchwork – yes, under some circumstances, thinning forests can be better for conservation in the long term.

We are instructed to keep any very old or very large trees. Another important goal is to keep and create wildlife trees, dead or unusually shaped trees that birds and other wildlife rely on for nesting and foraging opportunities. If there aren’t any around, we can mark trees that have a “catface” or scar to let tree removal crews know they should remove the top of the tree, but leave a “snag” behind, which will become a new wildlife tree.

The pacific chorus frog, one of the many wild animals supported by the dry forests of the Pacific Northwest. Photo © The Nature Conservancy (Hannah Letinich)

Some threatened spotted owls still live not far from this area, so we’re keeping an eye out for and preserving any areas that could be good habitat for them to expand to in the future.

Keeping all of this in mind, we’ll use QuickMap to decide how many trees we need to remove and which trees we should keep in order to recreate a resilient spatial mosaic in this forest.

QuickMap to the Rescue

Each team gets a tablet with the QuickMap app and a few cans of neon orange paint. Measuring tape is also a must, but these foresters come prepared, the typical “uniform” includes a utility belt complete with tape measurer and a spot to hang a paint sprayer, a hard hat, and a safety vest with built in pockets all around the bottom.

Image of a person holding a specific tool used by foresters

The tools of the trade for forestry specialists. Photo © The Nature Conservancy (Hannah Letinich)

We huddle around to look at the app and discuss the layout and goals for our five-acre practice plot (pine forest surrounding a rocky clearing on a slope).

The app has already been updated with information about how many individual trees and clumps a naturally diverse five-acre plot in this area would be statistically likely to contain.

As we ascend, the group discusses which trees to mark as “leave trees” (those that will not be removed). Leave trees are marked with paint, measured, and the data is entered in the app as individuals or clumps – the number of trees in a clump and the average diameter is also recorded. QuickMap uses a color coded system to let crews on the ground know in real time as they approach an appropriate number of individual trees and clumps for the reference areas.

Image of four foresters looking at a hand-held device together in the woods

Foresters practice using the QuickMap app. Photo © The Nature Conservancy (Hannah Letinich)

It’s not important that each team have exactly the number of recommended individuals and clumps for their region. Depending on factors like soil conditions and wildlife goals, some groups end up preserving more clumps, while others preserve more individual trees – the more acres that are covered, the more the final result averages out to create a diverse spatial mosaic that will keep the forest resilient to fires, pests, and a changing climate.

Even though it’s our first time using the app, our five-acres are mapped in just a couple of hours. An experienced two-person team can mark 10-20 acres in just one day. The app is still being improved, but once it is complete Churchill will make it freely available so that people in different places can adapt it to their needs and make it their own. Speed is of the essence since millions of acres of America’s forests are too dense compared to reference conditions, making them prone to uncharacteristically severe fire and disease.

It will take time for tree removal and for the forest to take over the job – growing, seeding new areas, and dying back from others – but the ICO approach gives the forest a head start at creating healthier, more resilient conditions.

Fast Facts

Fast Facts, Forest Benefits, Forest Management

Fast Facts | Forests + Water

More than half of the drinking water in the U.S. comes from a forest.

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Reconnecting People and Forests

Careers, Forest Benefits, Forest Management, People, Wildlife

Protecting Nature, Jobs, And Tradition

Upstate New York’s Tug Hill region, also known as Tug Hill Plateau, is known for its timber industry, snowfall, and traditional northern forest outdoor recreational opportunities. Nestled within Tug Hill is the Town of Redfield—one of the many communities that depend on the area’s working forest landscape for economic support. In 2017, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYS DEC) and The Conservation Fund protected the 3,236-acre Kendall property—located in Redfield and Orwell, a large property identified as a priority in the NYS Open Space Plan.

Protection of Kendall Forest ensures ongoing timber resource production, safeguards water quality of the environmentally sensitive and economically important Salmon River and allows for continued public access to recreational opportunities, such as hunting and snowmobiling.

Reconnecting People and Forests

Fire, Forest Management, People

Restoration in a Fire Forest: The Benefits of Burning

The Northwest Fire Science Consortium's new video showcases the role of prescribed fire.

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Wildfire

Carbon + Climate Change, Fire, Forest Management

Fire + Our Forests | Restoring Balance

Megafires are devastating our forests and our communities. Find out what you can do to help stop them. We all have a part to play.

For a look at what it takes to put it all on the line to protect our forests and keep our communities safe, hear from Naomi Mills, a smokejumper with the USDA Forest Service.

The “Firewise Communities” effort, Ready, Set, Go and our podcast guests from Chelan County Fire District offer some great community protocols regarding fire safety and keeping yourself safe. For more wildfire facts, check out our Wildfire | Fast Facts.

Reconnecting People and Forests

Biomass + Renewable Energy, Forest Management, Innovation

Technology To The Rescue

People are bad at random – we even have a tendency to find patterns where no intentional pattern exists. So, when forest managers are working to recreate the complex, seemingly random patterns found in nature, how do they do it?

Different Forests, Diverse Outcomes

Different, diverse forests, managed to meet different goals and outcomes. That’s the real beauty of North America’s Forests. Go take a walk in the woods this weekend, learn more about the different forests that surround you, who is working in them and looking after their future, and help us make sure we keep forests as forests.

graphic explaining how forests make our lives better

Reconnecting People and Forests

Forest Benefits, Forest Management, Products

How Forests Make Our Lives Better

Learn more on how forests make our lives better.

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Reconnecting People and Forests

Careers, Fire, Forest Management, People

SMOKEJUMPER | Naomi Mills

For a look at what it takes to put it all on the line to protect our forests and keep our communities safe, hear from Naomi Mills, a smokejumper with the USDA Forest Service. Generally, she’s busy crossfitting, mountain biking, running, or jumping out of airplanes to fight to wildfires.

Naomi knows fire can be both friend and foe. In the right place at the right time, fire creates environmental benefits, such as reducing grass and brush that serve as fuel for megafires, while also improving habitats for wildlife.In the wrong place at the wrong time, wildfires wreak havoc, threatening lives, communities, resources, and public infrastructure. Instead of putting out every fire, we need to better incorporate fire into forest management toolboxes to reduce the likelihood of catastrophic wildfires and megafires.

Megafires are devastating our forests and our communities. Find out what you can do to help stop them. We all have a part to play. The “Firewise Communities” effort and Ready, Set, Go offer some great community protocols regarding fire safety and keeping yourself safe. For more wildfire facts, check out our Wildfire | Fast Facts.

Wildfire

Carbon + Climate Change, Fire, Forest Management

Fire + Our Forests | Restoring Balance

Megafires are devastating our forests and our communities. Find out what you can do to help stop them. We all have a part to play.

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Fast Facts

Cities, Fast Facts, Forest Benefits, Forest Management, Urban Forests

Fast Facts | Trees + Property Values

What's the easiest way to increase the value of your property? It might be as simple as planting a tree. Trees in yards and on streets have been shown to increase property values by as much as 15%. Go ahead - plant a tree.

Fast Facts

Cities, Fast Facts, Urban Forests

Fast Facts | Safer Driving

Studies show that trees along streets lead to safer driving. Just another way trees are helping us to reimagine our communities for the better.

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Fast Facts

Cities, Fast Facts, Forest Benefits, Forest Management, Urban Forests

Fast Facts | Trees + Transportation

How many trees do you need to offset your commute? Roughly one tree for every 2 gallons of gas.

Sustainable forests, and the renewable products from them, are helping us rethink our carbon future.

Community

Urban Forests

Healthy Trees, Healthy Lives

As research is being conducted and becoming available, findings reinforce what much of the urban forestry community already knows — that trees have a positive impact on human health.

Fast Facts | Turkeys

In the 1930's there were roughly 30,000 turkeys in the U.S. Today, there are more than 7 million. Thanks to active forest management and conservation efforts by public and private landowners, wild turkey populations are flourishing. When we manage forests to be healthy, it's good for turkeys, and it's good for us.

Reconnecting People and Forests

Forest Benefits, Forest Management, Products

How Forests Make Our Lives Better

Learn more on how forests make our lives better.

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Fast Facts

Carbon + Climate Change, Fast Facts, Fire, Forest Management

Fast Facts | Wildfire + Climate Change

Climate change is making weather patterns more unpredictable and causing more droughts, which means there is more flammable materials in our forests. Hotter, drier, forests means more fires AND more intense wildfires. In fact, wildfire seasons is getting longer every year, sometimes by as much as 40-60 days each year. In Florida, fire season in now all year.

We need to make smart decisions about the future of forests to keep people and property safe by adjusting to the realities of climate change, and by better incorporating the natural cycle of wildfire into our landscapes and communities.

Reconnecting People and Forests

Carbon + Climate Change, Fire, Forest Management, People

Living with Fire

In today’s environment of frequent fires and limited public funds, solutions are forged at the collaborative table. Living with fire means learning to work together both as a collaborative and as a community.