ForestBytes --- March 2001 Volume II, Issue 11 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ http://www.americanforests.org AMERICAN FORESTS People Caring for Trees and Forests Since 1875 To subscribe to ForestBytes: Send an email to forestbytes-subscribe@americanforests.org If you find this information valuable, please pass it on to friends and colleagues. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ TABLE OF CONTENTS I. Announcements ¤ Celebrating Earth Day ¤ Learn about "America's Famous & Historic Trees" ¤ "Understanding Community-Based Forest Ecosystem Management" ¤ What do you think? II. What's Happening? ¤ Spring: A Time for Renewal ¤ Tracking Birds of the Forest ¤ New PSAs and More Airtime ¤ Send Postcards and Help Save Tigers III. Global ReLeaf Project of the Month ¤ Los Padres National Forest, California IV. Environmental News from ENN.com ¤ "Enterprise at the expense of the environment?" ¤ "National Park Service launches interpretive program" == ANNOUNCEMENTS ================================================ ---------------------------------------------------------------- Celebrating Earth Day ---------------------------------------------------------------- This month, AMERICAN FORESTS (americanforests.org) unveiled "A Million Trees for Earth Day," a program that encourages people everywhere to help plant one million trees in honor of that special day. Earth Day is April 22. Whether you plant native trees in your yard or community, or plant them through AMERICAN FORESTS' Global ReLeaf program, please do your part this season to improve the health of the planet. The trees you plant this year will provide environmental and economic benefits for years to come. To plant your Earth Day trees in one of AMERICAN FORESTS' 50 ecosystem restoration projects now underway across the United States and around the world, click to: http://www.americanforests.org/global_releaf/env_rest.html As part of its support of "A Million Trees for Earth Day," corporate partner IKEA will plant 1,500 trees in the Angeles National Forest near Los Angeles, California. The April 11th planting, conducted with the help of IKEA employees, will regenerate a forest area burned by wildfire. Visit IKEA's web site at: http://www.ikea.com/ Earth Day 2001 marks the 31st anniversary of the first Earth Day in 1970. Organizers Gaylord Nelson and Denis Hayes inspired environmental rallies across the United States in an effort to increase awareness about the health of the planet. Learn about the origins of Earth Day by visiting the Earth Day Network's web site: http://www.earthday.net/. ---------------------------------------------------------------- Learn about "America's Famous & Historic Trees" ---------------------------------------------------------------- A new book by Jeff Meyer, director of AMERICAN FORESTS' Famous & Historic Trees project, is receiving a lot of attention following a review in The New York Times (dated February 25, 2001). "America's Famous & Historic Trees: From George Washington's Tulip Poplar to Elvis Presley's Pin Oak," published by Houghton Mifflin, combines fascinating stories about trees connected with famous people and historical events with practical, easy-to-follow advice for growing your own trees of that species from seed. The book will be released April 20, 2001. In each of the seventeen chapters, Meyer tells the story of one tree--from the 1600 Indian marker pecan to the 1971 moon sycamore, his experience in propagating it, and how readers can grow their own seeds of a personally significant tree of that species. Also included are directions for ordering a "famous" sapling as well as for locating those historic trees. Find more information about the new book at: http://www.historictrees.org/book.htm ---------------------------------------------------------------- "Understanding Community-Based Forest Ecosystem Management" ---------------------------------------------------------------- Get a better understanding of this up-and-coming movement with the book Forest Service Chief Mike Dombeck calls "informative and insightful." Coming this spring from Haworth Press, the book defines community-based ecosystem management, outlines the steps needed to create it, and describes the elements necessary to make forest ecosystems healthy and productive. Coauthored by AMERICAN FORESTS' vice president of forest policy Gerry Gray, Maia Enzer and Jonathan Kusel, the book is based on papers from a workshop held in Bend, Oregon. Order the book and learn about community-based forestry at: http://www.americanforests.org/forest_pol/index.html ---------------------------------------------------------------- What do you think? ---------------------------------------------------------------- AMERICAN FORESTS' has been publishing ForestBytes, the monthly newsletter, for close to a year. As ForestBytes approaches its first anniversary, we want to know what you think of the newsletter. Do you find it informative? Are there issues we should or should not be including? Do you email it to friends who are also interested in AMERICAN FORESTS and forest issues? Send an email with your ideas, thoughts, and suggestions to: swestcott@amfor.org. We appreciate your input and will include some quotes submitted by fellow subscribers in the April issue of ForestBytes. == WHAT'S HAPPENING =================================================== * Spring is here! For centuries, the greening and apparent rebirth of trees, plants, and flowers has been seen as a time of physical and spiritual renewal. The "dead" of winter is replaced with the "life" of spring. It's the cycle of nature. Spring is also a good time to renew your relationship with AMERICAN FORESTS by renewing your annual membership. For your $25 membership, you receive a year's subscription to American Forests magazine, 25 trees planted in an ecosystem restoration project, and other benefits. Renew your membership at: https://www.amfor.org/newforms/membership.php3. Also, if you have friends who feel that planting and caring for trees and forests is important, encourage them to join. A membership makes a great gift. * Enjoy the outdoors and contribute to scientific research by joining Cornell University's Birds in Forested Landscapes (BFL) program. Managed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, BFL enlists the help of volunteer bird watchers across the United States and Canada to gather information about the relationship between the size of a forest patch and the likelihood that a particular bird species will occur there. This information will help land managers effectively manage forests in ways that sustain birds that depend on these habitats for survival. It's part of Cornell University's effort to track habitat loss and its relationship to the decline of certain bird species such as the golden-colored Prothonotary Warbler of the southeastern United States. That species declined by 32 percent in the last 19 years. Volunteers receive program materials free of charge. For more information, email program officials at: forest_birds@cornell.edu or call 800-843-2473. The web address is http://birds.cornell.edu. Also, read "A PERILOUS FLIGHT," an article written by Karl Blankenship that appeared in American Forests Autumn magazine. The story looks at the tough road facing many migratory songbirds as they search for green and friendly stopovers along their routes. * AMERICAN FORESTS' communications department recently produced two video public service announcements that highlight the organization's Global ReLeaf tree-planting program. The PSAs are filled with beautiful forest scenes and clips from a number of AMERICAN FORESTS' environmental restoration projects. Look for the announcements on TBS Superstation; The Sci-Fi Channel; USA Network; Animal Planet; and International Channel, a cable channel with more than 10 million subscribers. Make sure your local television station or cable company is doing its part to "releaf" the earth. Urge them to broadcast AMERICAN FORESTS' public service announcements. Stevin Westcott, director of communications, would be happy to send them tapes. Email him at swestcott@amfor.org. * "We're harnessing the Internet to aid the cause to save one of Earth's most magnificent creatures. Our goal is to generate support from individuals to plant 200,000 trees this spring to restore tiger habitat critical to the long term survival of the largest of all wild tigers." That was the message from executive director Deborah Gangloff as AMERICAN FORESTS officially unveiled its www.treesfortigers.org web site. Treesfortigers.org teaches people about the plight of the endangered Siberian tiger, provides interesting facts about the majestic mammal, and encourages people to help reforest tiger habitat that has been reduced by logging, fire, and other forces. The site also allows you to send friends colorful email postcards via: https://www.econtributor.net/eCard/eCard.cfm?EID=906 ********************* ARE YOU A MEMBER??************************ You can do your part to help the environment today by joining AMERICAN FORESTS. Not only are 25 trees planted for you in a damaged ecosystem or forest restoration project, but you will also receive: - A free subscription to our quarterly magazine - A free Big Trees calendar - A window decal Join Today! Visit http://www.americanforests.org/ ***************************************************************** == GLOBAL RELEAF - PROJECT OF THE MONTH ========================= Los Padres National Forest, California AMERICAN FORESTS is planting some 2,500 Jeffrey pines in Los Padres National Forest's Frazier Park. For decades, the Park has served as a camping area for Boy Scouts, and in recent years, pinyon pine bark beetles and root fungus have killed pinyon pines, resulting in soil erosion. Working with the National Forest Ranger District, Jeffrey pine was determined to be a suitable replacement for pinyon pine. This species was chosen for its resistance against the pinyon bark beetle, and because it thrives in a similar habitat. == ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS AND FEATURES FROM ENN.COM ================= * "Enterprise at the expense of the environment?" http://www.enn.com/enn-news-archive/2001/03/03072001/belize_40273.asp * "National Park Service launches interpretive program" http://www.enn.com/enn-news-archive/2001/03/03012001/nps_42176.asp ______________________________________ ForestBytes ______________ Thanks for your support of ForestBytes, AMERICAN FORESTS' monthly email newsletter. If you find this information useful, please forward it to friends or colleagues. 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