Post Type: Field Notes

Field Notes

Field Notes: WTREX: Newly Discovered Dinosaur, Latest Workout Craze or Something Better?

May 8, 2019 - by Area Forester Sarah Parmelee What is TREX? TREX is a prescribed fire training (TR) exchange (EX) held by the Nature Conservancy as part of their North American Fire Initiative. WTREX is a training exchange, for women. These two-week events bring fire practitioners together to share experience and get training. Ideally, those two weeks feature a lot of fire. This will give attendees the opportunity to apply learned techniques and... Read More

Field Notes

Field Notes: White Pine Monitoring in Western Virginia

April 29, 2019 - By Forest Health Specialist Katlin Mooneyham Eastern white pine is a species commonly found in forests in the western part of the state. In Virginia, eastern white pine is grown for wood production, Christmas trees, holiday garland and ornamental plantings. In 2006, former VDOF Forester John Wright noticed that white pines were declining in his work area in Highland County. He called the forest health program manager at the time,... Read More

Field Notes

Field Notes: What’s in the Woods Today? April 22, 2019

April 22, 2019 - by Area Forester Lisa Deaton Two Snake Day! Last week the sun was shining, and the fresh spring foliage and flowers were lovely.  The road in the photo above was a Gloucester County state road until Beaverdam Reservoir was built in 1989,  submerging a section of this road. Pawpaw blooms (Asimina triloba) Eastern redbud blooms can resemble tiny hummingbirds. (Cercis canadensis) Then I almost stepped on a copperhead snake heading... Read More

Field Notes

Field Notes: What’s in the Woods Today? March 18 2019

April 11, 2019 - By Area Forester Lisa Deaton Parasitic Plants American or eastern mistletoe, Phoradendrum leucarpum, is a common parasite of oaks and maples in the Coastal Plain of Virginia. Birds carry the sticky white mistletoe seeds from tree to tree.  The seeds sprout and their roots grow into the host tree to extract water and nutrients. In our eastern deciduous forests, winter provides a clearer view into the woods.  The deciduous leaves... Read More

Field Notes

Field Notes: What’s In The Woods? February 14, 2019

February 14, 2019 - Kissing Trees! by Area Forester Lisa Deaton Valentine’s Day seems like an appropriate time to share these images of “kissing” trees.  A tree, bark first, will slowly grow over stationary objects it encounters, such as nails, signs nailed to the tree, or ropes or chains.   I am guessing that these formations started when the branch of one tree encountered the trunk of the other tree. A sweetgum and a loblolly... Read More

Field Notes

Field Notes: What’s in the Woods Today ? December 21, 2018

December 21, 2018 - by Forester Lisa Deaton Surprises We expect to see Christmas trees at Christmas tree farms, but this decorated eastern red cedar is located on the edge of a 2-year old pine plantation. On a recent rainy day, the bald eagle below appeared to be hunting in a clearcut. One of my favorite things about this time of year on the Middle Peninsula is hearing the tundra swans fly overhead.   A... Read More

Field Notes

Field Notes: Pine Yellows

December 17, 2018 - by Senior Area Forester Joe Rosetti Every year, about 4-8 weeks after the deciduous trees lose their leaves, the pines of Virginia display a condition we will call Pine Yellows.  Pine Yellows is characterized by about half of the needles on the seemingly healthy trees turning yellow, then after 1-2 weeks falling off.  The trees do not display any other signs of disease or insect damage, and except for the... Read More

Field Notes

Field Notes: Whats in the Woods Today? November 27, 2018

November 27, 2018 - It’s Deer Time Again by Area Forester Lisa Deaton It is autumn in Virginia, so white-tailed deer are on the move again.  You may have noticed buck rubs on small trees similar to the one above and below. Bucks rub against trees to remove the velvet from their antlers when the antlers finish growing in September.  They continue to rub against trees and shrubs to mark their territory with scent... Read More

Field Notes

Field Notes: Be Thankful for the Good Bugs!

November 20, 2018 - by Forest Health Specialist Katlin Mooneyham Here in the forest health program at VDOF, we spend a lot of time talking about bad bugs and how to kill them. Much of our time working with landowners and other forestry professionals is spent identifying pests, giving management recommendations and, in some cases, even treating trees against a variety of problematic insects. The emerald ash borer, an insect that originates in Asia,... Read More

Field Notes

Field Notes: How Old is that Tree?

November 2, 2018 - by NOVA Area Forester Sarah Long The answer may surprise you. There is a common misperception that there is a direct correlation between a tree’s size and a tree’s age 100 percent of the time. The truth is, it is not usually possible to tell the age of tree just by looking at it (the exception is Eastern white pine which grows a new ring of branches for every year... Read More