Are Family Forest Landowners Well Informed?

Are the estimated 402,000 family owners of forest land in Virginia receiving sufficient information to sustainably manage their forests? The results of the 2006 National Woodland Owner Survey (NWOS) suggest not as less than 15% report that they have received advice on forest management and less than 4% have a forest management plan.

Owners of larger parcels tend to get more advice and this is reflected in the NWOS estimates that some form of advice was received for 38.4% of family forestland, and that 15.3% of family forestland was reported as covered by a management plan.

The NWOS also looks at the source of advice. The most common source (reported by 52% of owners receiving advice) was loggers, followed by state agency foresters (25%) and private consultants (25%). These categories are not mutually exclusive but they do suggest that many landowners are not seeking or receiving advice from professional foresters when making management decisions.

Fortunately larger parcels are more likely to receive professional advice with an estimated 25% of family forest land receiving advice from state agency foresters and 14.4% from forestry consultants (again, not mutually exclusive).

While not surprising to those in the forestry community, that fact that most family forest owners do not receive professional advice poses a major challenge in the sustainable management of our forest resources.

The NWOS is based on a survey of 444 Virginia forest landowners and contains many more details. Both the nationwide report Family Forest Owners of the United States, 2006 and the Virginia tables can be accessed online.

Economic Impact of Forestry on Virginia - $23 Billion

The forestry sector in Virginia contributes $23 billion each year to the economy and supports 144,400 jobs. This is according to a study relased on September 24, 2008 by Governor Timothy M. Kaine on the economic impact of agriculture and forestry in Virginia. Together the agriculture and forestry sectors contribute about $79 billion annually to Virginia’s economy.

The report also noted that forests provide many values not accounted for in the study. “Forests provide benefits in the form of carbon sequestration, wildlife habitat and biodiversity, flood mitigation and improved water quality. Rural scenic amenities may also improve quality of life.”

One section of the report is especially worth reading – the section discussing the opportunities and challenges facing the forestry sector. Opportunities and challenges are discussed in the areas of forest management, production technology, consumer demand, energy prices, urban population growth, government policy, and the global economy.

The report mentions the increasing contribution of plantation management to the softwood supply, while pointing out that the hardwood resource supply is threatened by the following trends:

• increasing fragmentation and parcelization,
• non-industrial ownership patterns (and, I would add lack of sound management), and
• forest health challenges from invasive pests, air pollution and ecological change due to fire suppression.

On the demand side the report offers a discussion of the role of housing demand, global competitiveness and rising energy prices. While rising energy prices act to increase the cost of production, they also offer a possible increase in demand for woody biomass, whether in traditional fuel or the potential cellulosic ethanol market.

The study was led Dr. Terry Rephann of The Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service at the University of Virginia. The full report can be accessed at the Department of Forestry website. I would recommend its reading to anyone interested in the future of forest resources in Virginia. The forestry section starts on page 17. The Economic Impact Of Agriculture And Forestry On The Commonwealth Of Virginia

Virginia forests are facing new threats

Dr. Chris Asaro, the Department of Forestry's Forest Health Specialist, was recently featured on a radio news report on WVTF. Reporter Sandy Hausman interviewed Chris on the new health threats facing our forests from invasive plants and pests.

Click here to listen to the report.

Foreign Ownership of Forestland on the Increase, But Not in Virginia

Thanks to Brian Fiacco and his post on the Timberland Blog for informing me of this data source on foreign land ownership in the United States. The Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act of 1978 requires all foreign owners to report any transactions of agricultural and forest lands within the United States. A recent report by the Farm Service Agency shows an increase of foreign forestland ownership from just over 7 million acres in 1997 to approximately 13.5 million acres in 2007. (See Figure 3 from the report.)

Much of the increase can be attributed to land sales by forest product companies to a handful of buyers from Canada (2.8 million acres in Maine) and the Netherlands (3.3 million acres in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas).

Virginia has not participated in this trend of increasing foreign forest ownership. Reported foreign ownership in Virginia declined slightly from 139,000 acres in 1997 to 116,000 acres in 2007. In 2007, 60,230 of the 116,000 acres were reported as forest land. Only 5 counties (Albemarle, Botetourt, Loudoun, Patrick and Tazewell) had more than 2,000 acres of foreign forest ownership reported.

A map from the report (Figure 2) shows the distribution of all foreign-owned agricultural and forest land by state.

Gypsy Moth Defoliation on the Increase

Gypsy moth defoliation in Virginia this year has been estimated at over 112, ooo acres, an increase of 46% from last year. The most heavily impacted area was the GW National Forest in Augusta County extending into southern Rockingham County, which, combined, saw almost 43,000 acres of heavy defoliation. Another heavily impacted area for the third year in a row was northwestern Giles County, where more than 15,000 acres of forest was defoliated, most of that being in the Jefferson National Forest.

Gypsy moths were introduced into the United States via Massachusetts in 1869 and have been slowly spreading southward ever since. The first defoliation in northern Virginia was recorded in 1984 and the moths continue to spread slowly southwestward.

Dry spring weather predominated during 2005-2007, helping populations of gypsy moth to build up. This May, however, it was cool and wet at the right time, which can foster the development of a fungus disease affecting the moth population.

“In some areas, caterpillar mortality from disease appears to be quite high,” say VDOF Forest Health Specialist Dr. Chris Asaro . “The caterpillars die only when they are nearly full grown and most of the defoliation is done, so the disease doesn’t have much of an effect for this year. On the other hand, dead caterpillars mean fewer adult moths will be around this summer to lay eggs. So, next year’s defoliation could be considerably lower.”

Egg mass surveys will be completed in late summer and fall and will give a better idea of what can be expected next year.

For more information visit one or more of these sites:

VDOF Forest Health Site

VDACS

Virginia Tech Gypsy Moth Site

Appalachian Fire Learning Network

Scientists and managers from state agencies, the US Forest Service, and The Nature Conservancy (TNC) met July 8th -10th at Douthat State Park for the third workshop of the Appalachian Fire Learning Network (FLN). Hosted by the Alleghany Highlands FLN project, the workshop focused on collaborative efforts to restore forest communities dependent upon fire. Representatives attended from the three other demonstration projects in the network: Cumberland River, KY; Shawnee Forest, OH; and Southern Blue Ridge, NC. Each project reported on their planning efforts and accomplishments.

A highlight of the workshop was of course the field trip. We visited recent prescribed burns conducted by two Alleghany Highlands FLN partners, the Forest Service and TNC. Together both partners burned over 4,000 acres last year to restore pine and pine-oak woodlands. We also visited a globally rare “pine barrens” variant of the pine-oak/heath woodland communtity on Warm Springs Mountain. The challenges of restoring this fire-dependent community (likely a stand replacement regime) were a topic for much discussion.

Collaborators in the Alleghany Highlands project include TNC, USFS, Virginia Department of Forestry, Virgina Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, and Shenandoah National Park.

More information on the Appalachian Fire Learning Network can be found at
http://tncfire.org/training_usfln_appsfln.htm.

Emerald Ash Borer Infestations Found in Fairfax County, Virginia

On July 7, 2008, an infestation of the emerald ash borer was discovered in dying ash trees by Andrew Brown, VDOF forester for Halifax County, while visiting family in a residential development in Herndon, Va., near the Dulles Access Road. Two days later, another infestation was discovered on the other side of Fairfax County in Springfield, just west of I-95. Both infestations appear to have begun some years ago, indicating that the wood boring insects, which have a one-year life cycle, have likely spread to many other areas. Eradication measures for this insect pest will, therefore, be very difficult to implement.

Officials from the Fairfax County Forest Pest Program, Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS), Virginia Dept. of Forestry, and many others, are actively searching for more evidence of infestation in Fairfax and adjacent counties. VDACS will likely soon issue a quarantine that prevents all ash material from leaving Fairfax County. Additional counties will likely be quarantined as well if and when the borer is discovered there.

The emerald ash borer is a highly destructive invasive species that has already killed millions of ash trees in Michigan and Ohio and may, ultimately, cost billions of dollars in tree removal and replacement costs. Since its discovery in 2002 in the Detroit area, it has spread to seven additional states (Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia and Virginia). It is also found in Ontario, Canada.

While it spreads at the rate of about two miles per year on its own, this wood-infesting beetle can be moved great distances by human transport of infested wood products, particularly firewood. Firewood for sale in Virginia is brought in from many different states, and many out-of-state travelers bring firewood with them to go camping throughout Virginia’s state and federal lands. Most new infestations have been located either near campgrounds or adjacent to major interstate corridors.

All species of ash trees of all ages, sizes and relative health are vulnerable to the emerald ash borer. The insect is usually very difficult to detect because ash trees typically don’t show any obvious signs of infestation until one year or more after the insect has attacked the tree. By then, the insects will have moved on to attack other trees. Traps for monitoring the insect are available and have been widely distributed by VDACS. However, these traps are not attractive to the beetles from long distances and, therefore, aren’t highly effective for early detection and for precisely locating infested areas. Research for improving these monitoring tools is ongoing.

The only control measure available is to cut and chip infested trees. An effective systemic insecticide for individual tree protection has recently been approved and may be widely available within a year, but this will be very expensive and not practical for halting the progress of the insect. Over the long run, homeowners and municipalities should consider replacing ash trees with other species that are not susceptible to emerald ash borer. It is highly likely this pest will eventually become established across Virginia, although government officials, pest specialists and arborists will work together to limit and/or slow its eventual spread.

For more information on what you can do to abate the threat of exotic pests such as the Emerald Ash borer visit the Don't Move Firewood website