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Field Notes

Field Notes: Riparian Buffers and the Sargasso Sea…What’s the Connection?

July 2, 2018 - by VDOF Senior Area Forester Scott Bachman An SMZ or streamside management zone, also known as a riparian buffer, is an area along a stream or creek (or a river if you have one in your back yard!).  In forestry this SMZ is commonly wooded (grass buffers can be very important in agriculture areas).  During a timber harvest the VDOF encourages all landowners to retain at minimum 50 percent of... Read More

Field Notes

Field Notes: Buy It Where You Burn It!

June 28, 2018 - by VDOF Forest Health Specialist Katlin Mooneyham Independence Day is just around the corner, and that means travel season is officially here! This year, AAA estimates that almost 47 million Americans will be travelling more than 50 miles to celebrate America’s independence. Many of these travelers will be enjoying the great outdoors by camping, and no camping trip is complete without a campfire! However, one of America’s favorite pastimes can... Read More

Field Notes

Field Notes: What’s in the Woods Today? June 25, 2018

June 26, 2018 - Bird’s Eye View by Area Forester Lisa Deaton Once a year, area foresters have the opportunity to fly over VDOF work areas to check for forest health issues and evaluate herbicide work from the previous summer.   We meet planes and pilots from the Virginia Department of Aviation at local airports, provide them with a flying route and then take off down the runway. The hour-long flight covers several counties, so... Read More

Field Notes

Field Notes: Virginia Wildland Fire Academy 2018

June 13, 2018 - by Fred Turck Prevention – Program Manager- Emergency Response Branch  The Virginia Wildland Fire Academy 2018 is now just a memory for more than 320 folks. Students, instructors and staff put in many hours of work in the classroom and field to better prepare themselves and those they were instructing to be safer and more effective emergency responders. Smokey Bear knows all too well that we cannot prevent every wildfire... Read More

Stories

VDOF Employee Earns 2018 National Smokey Bear Award

May 23, 2018 - The 2018 National Smokey Bear Awards were recently announced and Fred Turck (wildfire prevention program manager), along with other prevention specialists from the Mid-Atlantic Forest Fire Compact, were awarded the highest honor, the Gold Smokey. This award program is sponsored by the U.S. Forest Service, the National Association of State Foresters and the Ad Council. Since 1957 this prestigious award program has recognized organizations and individuals for outstanding service of at least... Read More

Stories

VDOF in the Spotlight at Project Plant It! Event

May 11, 2018 - by Suyapa Marquez, Senior Community Affairs Representative for Dominion Energy VDOF representatives visited Oak Grove Elementary  (Richmond Public Schools) on April 24 to support an interactive Arbor Day event with the third-graders. The students were culminating their study of Project Plant It!, the free environmental education program created by Dominion Energy to teach kids about the importance of trees and how to plant trees. The rainy day didn’t dampen the enthusiasm... Read More

Stories

VDOF Headquarters Named

May 10, 2018 - Virginia Department of Forestry Dedicates Building to Former State Forester Jim Garner The Virginia Department of Forestry (VDOF) dedicated and named its headquarters office the James W. Garner Building. Jim Garner served VDOF for more than four decades. He was appointed Virginia State Forester in 1984 and held that position for 21 years. During Garner’s tenure with VDOF, the agency enjoyed significant success and under his leadership, Forestry grew from... Read More

Field Notes

Field Notes: What’s in the Woods Today? May 9, 2018

May 9, 2018 - by Area Forester Lisa Deaton Flowers, Birds and Bugs When the songbirds and wildflowers reappear each spring, it feels a bit like a reunion with long lost friends.  The migratory songbirds fill the air with familiar songs.  The month of May brings many beautiful wildflowers, including its namesake, the Mayapple (below). Golden ragwort (top photo) is a common wildflower in cutovers, and this large patch of ragwort (below) provides some... Read More

Stories

Petersburg Third-Graders Boost Science Skills With Project Plant It!

April 24, 2018 - by Suyapa Marquez, Senior Community Affairs Representative for Dominion Energy Page Hutchinson, VDOF’s forest education specialist, gave a special forestry presentation to all third-graders in Petersburg public schools on March 19. Students from the area’s four elementary schools came in two shifts to Walnut Hill Elementary School for an educational field trip that will help boost their science skills when the SOL testing period begins. The field trip is part of... Read More

Field Notes

Field Notes: Hope for Hemlocks?

April 19, 2018 - by VDOF Forest Health Specialist Katlin Mooneyham Since its introduction to the United States in the 1950s, hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA) has been an unwanted resident in our hemlock forests. Feeding on eastern and Carolina hemlocks, this tiny sap sucking insect has established itself throughout most of the native range of both species. Unlike most insects, this tiny insect is active in the winter months, feeding on the stored nutrient... Read More