Forestbytes August 2011
IN THIS ISSUE
Take a Hike! The Best Hiking Trails in the United States
Wasps vs. Beetles: Battle Wages to Save Forests
FOREST FILES: Global ReLeaf in Honduras
Ch-ch-Changes at American Forests!
2011 is a year of changes at American Forests: a new CEO, a revitalized mission, a new website, a new logo and more to come! As you’ve probably noticed, we’ve brought some of these changes to Forestbytes with a new layout and new content areas. From now on, we’ll be featuring more American Forests projects and programs, as well relevant environmental stories and breakthroughs. With all of these changes, it remains important to us that you’re continuing to get the type of information and updates you want from this newsletter. Send feedback on what you like, what you don’t and what you’d like to see more of to Michelle at mwerts@americanforests.org.
Head over to the homepage to meet CEO Scott Steen on TreeTV, calculate your carbon footprint, explore our Global ReLeaf projects, search our Big Tree database and more.
Take a Hike! The Best Hiking Trails in the US
Credit: Larry Eifert
Ever wonder where the best places to hike in the US are? Wonder no more, as we’ve compiled a list of some of our favorite hiking trails in places like California’s Joshua Tree National Park, Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park, Montana’s Glacier National Park, Colorado’s White River National Forest, Georgia’s Black Rock Mountain State Park and Vermont’s Green Mountain National Forest. Plus, some of our blogger friends — Erika Henderson aka TheActiveExplorer, Jeff Doran of HikingintheSmokys, and Larry Eifert — share their picks for best hikes.
Check out the complete list and details on the trails and their locations.
Meet Maine’s Big Tree Guru
Jan Ames Santerre (left) and Debra Hopkins. Courtesy: Jan Ames Santerre
Jan Ames Santerre (far left with Yarmouth Tree Warden Debra Hopkins) enjoys long-distance running and spending time with her two toddler boys, especially if it involves being outdoors. She also enjoys being the state coordinator of Maine’s Big Tree Program, a position she has held for the last 11 years. The state’s Big Tree program began in 1958 and boasts three national champions.
Learn more about Jan and Maine’s Big Trees.
Wasps vs. Beetles: Battle Wages to Save Forests
Credit: Susan Greenhouse, California Department of Fish and Game
In the forests of Wisconsin, a quiet but fierce battle to save the state’s ash tree population has begun. In response to the infestation of invasive emerald ash borers, entomologists from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UWM) have released hundreds of parasitic wasps to help rid the area’s forests of the destructive beetles, but the team isn’t certain what the long-term effects of releasing another invasive species into the wild will be.
Discover how and why the UWM scientists developed this plan.
FOREST FILES: Global ReLeaf in Honduras
Who: Global Releaf with Sustainable Harvest International (SHI), a fellow nonprofit
Where: rural Honduras
What: The planting of nearly 140,000 trees that will repair and improve the land and serve as a much-needed food resource for more than 1,100 families
Tree Tidbits: Eighty-five percent of the trees being planted will provide watershed protection, shade for crops, fodder for domesticated animals, and habitat for the area’s native wildlife. The other 15 percent are fruit trees, which will provide food for the communities’ families.
Uncover more about this American Forests Global ReLeaf project.