BLM proposes streamlining timber rules to reduce wildfires
The BLM is proposing to streamline rules governing timber harvests, sales and other forest management activities in the name of reducing wildfire risks across the West. The BLM announced a…
Read More...Pandemic relief could become next forest policy battleground
The long-running debate about how best to care for national forests — and what to do with timber that’s taken from them — is quietly brewing again as lawmakers look…
Read More...Shrub encroachment on grasslands can increase groundwater recharge
A new study modeled shrub encroachment on a sloping landscape and reached a startling conclusion: Shrub encroachment on slopes can increase the amount of water that goes into groundwater storage.…
Read More...Agencies revamp strategy to address crews’ virus risk
In new plans that offer a national reimagining of how to fight wildfires amid the risk of the coronavirus spreading through crews, it’s not clear how officials will get the…
Read More...Fire, mixed-species grazing enhance livestock production in research project
Researchers from Oklahoma State University are partnering with university scientists and researchers in two other states on a project using fire and mixed animal species to graze in an effort…
Read More...Forest Service debuts state-by-state statistics on carbon
For the first time, a new publication by the USDA Forest Service delivers an overview of the status and trends of greenhouse gas emissions and removals from forest land, woodlands,…
Read More...Long-term efficacy of managed wildfires in restoration efforts
Land managers are increasingly interested in using lightning-ignited wildfires as a tool to restore forests and reduce fuel loads. But little is known about the effectiveness of managing wildfires to…
Read More...Idaho still seeks land exchange with timber company, feds
Idaho hasn’t given up on a three-way potential land swap and cash deal involving a private timber company and the Forest Service that is running into opposition from the Nez…
Read More...USDA extends timber company contracts
The USDA yesterday said it will allow timber companies to extend contracts with the Forest Service as the industry struggles from the economic downturn linked to the novel coronavirus pandemic.…
Read More...Coronavirus forces new approaches to firefighting
They are two disasters that require opposite responses: To save lives and reduce the spread of COVID-19, people are being told to remain isolated. But in a wildfire, thousands of…
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