Forestry

Fifty years after the creation of National Agriculture Day, America’s farmers, ranchers and private forestland owners find themselves on the front lines of climate change. They are uniquely positioned to deliver solutions by implementing climate-smart practices that conserve natural resources, build healthier soils, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and sequester carbon.

Access to high-quality water will be a defining feature of the 21^st century. Record heat waves and drought are not only leading to more frequent and intense wildfires but are also putting one of life’s most valuable resources at risk: the water we drink.

I recently decided to go for a walk on a seasonably warm afternoon. I got out of my car at a wooded recreation area and immediately noticed how much cooler the air felt, thanks to the biggest plants on Earth – trees. From my years growing up on and then managing my family’s organic walnut farm I have a deep respect for trees. They provide countless benefits to us and the planet. They provide food and shelter, they cool and improve air quality, so it’s important to me to protect this valuable resource from invasive pests and diseases.

During his first visit as Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment, Dr. Homer Wilkes announced additional funding to combat wildfire in Nevada and California.

A USDA Conservation Innovation Grant (CIG) project is trying to reimagine how carbon markets can work with and for small landholders. The Family Forest Carbon Program (FFCP), led by the American Forest Foundation (AFF) and The Nature Conservancy, bases carbon payments on specific forest management practices that have been scientifically shown to increase the amount of carbon that gets removed from the atmosphere and stored in the trees and soil. The project’s goal is to facilitate the participation of nearly 300 million acres of family-owned American forests in carbon markets

Deceptively delicate and fragile in appearance, the Eurasian watermilfoil forms thick mats in shallow areas of a lake, quickly growing and spreading to block sunlight, killing off native aquatic plants that fish and other underwater species rely on for food and shelter.

Like many of us, I spent most my life thinking of vaccinations as an item to check off the list at a routine doctor’s visit or as preparation for an international trip. I never imagined that someday every adult in the United States might need access to a critical, life-saving vaccine all at once. The logistics to carry that out—needless to say—are daunting.

Every year roughly 100,000 avalanches sweep down mountains across the U.S., damaging everything in their path and killing 28 people on average.

For decades, federal, state, and nonprofit organizations have focused on restoring habitat for the iconic Northwestern coho salmon, a species listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.

Each year, severe wildfires ravage forests across the country, damaging ecosystems, infrastructure and recreation facilities, which are often in need of repair before they can be safely reopened. The 2018 Mendocino Complex Fire--one of the worst in California’s history--devastated more than 459,000 acres, including 288,000 acres of the Mendocino National Forest. That damage meant a lot of work to restore what was lost.