YOUR NATIONAL
The Magazine of the National Forest Foundation
Jewels of Appalachia THE NANTAHALA AND PISGAH NATIONAL FORESTS
That Magic Feeling UNIQUE TREES ON OUR NATIONAL FORESTS
From Cone to Seedling HOW THE FOREST SERVICE GROWS TREES
Winter | Spring 2018
Board of Directors Executive Committee Craig Barrett, NFF Chair Retired, CEO/Chairman of the Board, Intel Corporation (AZ) Lee Fromson, NFF Treasurer Executive Vice President, Products & Operations, Simms Fishing Products (MT) Timothy P. Schieffelin, NFF Secretary President, P.O.V., LLC (CT) Caroline Choi Vice President, Integrated Planning & Environmental Affairs, Southern California Edison (CA) Peter Foreman Sirius LP (IL) Rick Frazier President & Chief Operating Officer, Heartland Coca-Cola Bottling Co. (GA)
Board of Directors Mike Brown, Jr., General Partner, Bowery Capital (NY) Coleman Burke, President, Waterfront Properties (NY) Aimée Christensen, CEO, Christensen Global Strategies; Founding Executive Director, Sun Valley Institute (ID) Robert Cole, Partner, Collins Cockrel & Cole, P.C. (CO)
SUPPORT YOUR NATIONAL FORESTS Donate today to ensure these resources last for tomorrow.
J. Alexander M. Douglas, Jr., Executive Vice President, The Coca-Cola Company and President, Coca-Cola North America (GA) Bart Eberwein, Executive Vice President, Hoffman Construction Company (OR) Robert Feitler, Chairman of the Executive Committee, Weyco Group, Inc. (IL) Barry Fingerhut, CEO/Owner, Certification Partners, LLC (AZ) Beth Ganz, Vice President, Public Affairs & Sustainability, Vail Resorts Management Company (CO) Roje S. Gootee, Co-Owner & Manager, Rush Creek Ranch, LLC (OR) James K. Hunt (WY)
$50 will plant 50 trees — helping ensure the health and vitality of our remarkable National Forests and Grasslands. $100 will send 10 students to a Friends of the Forest® volunteer day. $1,000 will restore up to one acre of forest. Visit www.nationalforests.org/give to contribute today.
Andie MacDowell, Actress & Spokesperson (CA) Thomas McHenry, President & Dean, Vermont Law School (VT) Jeff Paro (NJ) Patricia Hayling Price, President, LiveWorkStrategize, LLC (NY) Mary Smart (NY) Tony Tooke, Ex-Officio, Chief, U.S. Forest Service (DC) Chad Weiss, Managing Director, JOG Capital Inc. (WY)
welcome letter
The Forest and the Trees
“
Together with you and all of our partners, we are stepping up to help the Forest Service plant 50 million trees in the next seven years. Yes, 50 million trees.
”
This issue marks more than ten years of Your National Forests magazine. Over all those issues, we’ve covered a wide variety of topics ranging from how animals survive the winter to the newest paddlesports showing up on our National Forest waterways. We’ve reported on new technologies and long trails; we’ve profiled historical locations and highlighted treasured places. But we’ve never focused an entire issue on trees—until now. Why has it taken so long for a conservation group focused on forests to devote an issue of its magazine to trees? It’s a good question. The easiest answer is that our National Forests offer so much more than just trees. From the red rocks of the Coconino National Forest to the sprawling grasslands in Colorado, South Dakota and Nebraska to the chaparral slopes of the Cleveland National Forest, these landscapes aren’t just forests in the traditional sense. But easy answers rarely satisfy. Over the last decade, we’ve focused more on what trees do for wildlife and watersheds than trees themselves. That trees exist
on our forests is a given. But what happens to our forests when those trees start to disappear? Tree mortality, always an issue, has become more significant in the last decade. Wildfires, drought, pests, climate change and, (as this season showed in full fury) hurricanes have all impacted our forests in the past few years, and millions of dead trees stand as proof of their devastation. But the situation is not bereft of hope. With this issue of Your National Forests, we not only celebrate these majestic denizens of the forest, but are very excited to announce a major new initiative. Together with you and all of our partners, we are stepping up to help the Forest Service plant 50 million trees in the next seven years. Yes, 50 million trees. Fifty million trees may seem like an impossible goal. But the challenges facing our forests are immense, and so too must be the solution. With your help, we can meet this challenge and ensure that our nation’s forests continue to provide for us and for those who will follow us. Learn more about our campaign at nationalforests.org/planttrees.
Mary Mitsos, President
Winter | Spring 2018
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inside
this edition
Photos top to bottom: Teresa Sorbilli, Dan Featherman, Greg M. Peters
1 Welcome Letter
The forest and the trees
features
3
Where in the Woods?
4
Forests by the Numbers
5
Kids and Nature
6
How well can you identify your National Forests?
Tree-planting need across our forests
Take the mystery out of tree identification
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Jewels of Appalachia The Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests
Field Reports Outside and dirty: NFF’s youth programs
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Forest News
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Shifting range: trees and climate change
That Magic Feeling Unique trees on our National Forests
Tree Spotlight The ancient ones
20
Conservation Getting the prescription right
28
Voices from the Forest
23
From Cone to Seedling How the Forest Service grows its trees
NFF staff’s spirit trees
On the cover A fir tree in its winter coat of snow and ice Photo: iStock.com.
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Your National Forests
where in the woods Nearly one-quarter of this Midwestern National Forest is designated Wilderness. See page 32 for answer. Photo: Frank McNamara
National Forest Foundation Building 27, Suite 3 Fort Missoula Road Missoula, Montana 59804 406.542.2805
®2017 National Forest Foundation. No unauthorized reproduction of this material is allowed. Your National Forests magazine is printed on recycled paper with 30% post-consumer content. This magazine’s use of FSC certified paper ensures the highest environmental and social standards have been followed in the wood sourcing, paper manufacturing and print production of this magazine. To learn more log on to www.fsc.org.
Your National Forests
The Magazine of the National Forest Foundation Editor-in-Chief Greg M. Peters Contributors Edward Belden, Rebecca Davidson, Hannah Ettema, Zia Maumenee, Mary Mitsos, Marlee Ostheimer, Greg M. Peters, Spencer Plumb, Mark Shelley, Wes Swaffar Graphic Artist Marci Mansfield, Mansfield Communications
National Forest Foundation President Mary Mitsos Executive Vice President Ray A. Foote Edward Belden Southern California Program Manager Austen Bernier White Mountain National Forest Community Engagement Coordinator Sherée Bombard Director, Administration Kim Carr Director California Program Rebecca Davidson Director, Southern Rockies Region Sarah Di Vitorrio California Program Manager Karen DiBari Director, Conservation Connect Hannah Ettema Digital Communications Coordinator Robin Hill Controller Ben Irey Conservation Connect Associate Adam Liljeblad Director, Conservation Awards Zia Maumenee Conservations Programs Officer Luba Mullen Associate Director, Development Emily Olsen Colorado Program Manager Marlee Ostheimer Philanthropy & Partnerships Coordinator Greg M. Peters Director, Communications Lee Quick Accountant Evan Ritzinger California Program Associate Patrick Shannon Director, Pacific Northwest Program Emily Struss Event Planner & Coordinator Marcus Selig Vice President, Field Programs Mark Shelley Director, Eastern Region Deborah Snyder Development Services Manager Wes Swaffar Director, Ecosystem Services Dayle Wallien Director, Conservation Partnerships
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forests by the numbers National Forests’ Reforestation Need
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By Wes Swaffar
hen you hear about deforestation, you likely first think of far-flung rainforests like the Amazon. But, we are experiencing our own deforestation crisis right here in the U.S. Across our National Forests, drought, fire, insects and disease are wreaking havoc, especially in the arid Western U.S. Check out the numbers below to get an idea of the problem.
1,100,000 Acres 37%
$371 million
estimated costs to reforest the 1.1 million acres in need.
$3 cost to each American household to meet the entire reforestation needs in the U.S. 200,000 acres
projected annual increase of National Forest lands needing reforestation at current U.S. Forest Service replanting capacity.
current reforestation need across America’s National Forests (as of 2017). That’s almost twice as large as the entire state of Rhode Island.
11,000,000
forests predicted to regenerate naturally.
80%
63%
reforestation need caused by wildfire.
trees the NFF has planted on our National Forests.
148 tree-planting projects that NFF has supported.
forests that will require planting.
86 years to address current reforestation need if funding levels stay constant.
20%
reforestation need caused by insects, disease, and other causes.
31 different native species planted through NFF-sponsored reforestation projects.
Want to help us meet our 50 million tree goal?
It only costs $1 per tree to make a difference. Visit nationalforests.org/planttrees to learn more and help out.
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Your National Forests
kids and nature Taking the Mystery Out of Trees by Using the Dichotomous Key By Zia Maumenee
E
very kindergartener learns about deciduous trees in the fall when leaves turn beautiful shades of orange and red. You probably remember your own art project with a perfect leaf preserved between sheets of melted waxed paper. Fall is a natural time of the year to learn about trees, but how can parents inspire this learning throughout the year? Identifying tree species can be a great way to get kids out in the forest and interested in trees. And with a regional field guide and a dichotomous key, learning how to tell a maple from an oak is fun and easy. First, determine what kind of forest you live near and what types of trees live there. Are you near a forest with mostly evergreen or deciduous trees? Evergreen, or coniferous trees, like pine, fir and hemlock, have green needles that persist year round. The leaves of deciduous trees, like oak, aspen and maple, fall to the ground each autumn. Second, break out that regional field guide with a dichotomous key. A regional field guide is a great way to get a jump start on learning what trees live in your backyard forest. And although they sound intimidating, dichotomous keys are easy-to-use devices that take you through a series of questions to guide you in determining what species you’re looking at. Have your kids first figure out whether they’re looking at a coniferous or deciduous tree. Then use the key to help narrow down the species by following the key’s prompts. For example, does the conifer tree you’re looking at have single needles or clusters of needles? If single, move through the key to determine if the needles are stiff with four obvious sides or if they’re soft and flat. If they’re soft and flat, you’re likely looking at a Balsam fir. If the needles are stiff and have four sides, the key will
prompt you to determine if they’re light green or dark green. If the needles are clustered, count how many are in each cluster and then use the key to pinpoint which species have the number of needles you’ve counted. For deciduous trees, start with similar questions as you did with evergreen trees: Is there one leaf or leaflets? Are the leaf edges smooth or jagged? Are they dark green or light green, translucent or solid? You can use the bark of trees in a similar way, especially if you get stuck by just looking at the needles or leaves. Is the bark thick or thin? Is it grey or red? When autumn rolls around again next year and you get that wax paper ready, your kids will not only create beautiful “art” but they’ll know whether it’s an oak or a maple leaf!
Zia Maumenee worked for the NFF for five years as the Conservation Programs Officer. Sadly, she left shortly after penning this story. We wish her the best in her new endeavors and thank her for her years at the NFF.
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field
reports
From Alaska to Georgia, NFF Programs Get Kids Outdoors and Dirty Photo: USFS
By Marlee Ostheimer
I
f you are reading this magazine, you are probably aware of the growing disconnect between young people and the natural world. What perhaps is surprising is that this disconnect exists not in just urban centers, but also in rural areas, even in communities adjacent to large tracts of public land. The NFF is addressing this issue across the country by expanding our programming around youth and nature. Programs in four very different places illustrate the NFF’s creative work with communities to help address diversity, equity and inclusion on our National Forests and reverse American youth’s disengagement from the outdoors.
Your National Forests
It may seem counterintuitive that youth from a remote Alaska village where bears outnumber humans have limited exposure to outdoor experiences. However, in this program’s first season, none of the participants had much experience camping, hiking, kayaking or even spending an entire day outdoors. The Angoon Youth Conservation Corps took multi-day kayaking trips to remote beaches and campgrounds and spent eight days hiking, camping and performing stewardship activities. During each of these “hitches” the crew performed shoreline clean-up in the Kootzenoowoo Wilderness in the Admiralty Island National Monument, conducted restoration work on trails and campsites, and learned about their natural environment and natural resource management issues while gaining valuable job skills. This was a transformative experience for these young people, and we are working to expand this programming in Angoon so that more of the Village’s youth can experience the majesty of their public lands.
Midewin Youth Corps, Illinois Just an hour south of Chicago and a world away from Michigan Avenue sits Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie. This 20,000-acre landscape is a restoration work in progress as the Forest Service, the NFF and partners work to restore a native tallgrass prairie on what was the site of a massive munitions factory only 50 years ago. In partnership with North Lawndale College Prep School and the Forest Service, the NFF, with major support from the Exelon Foundation, REI and other partners, brings 16 students from Chicago’s westside neighborhoods to the prairie each summer for an eight-week job program that both restores an imperiled landscape and opens students’ eyes to the natural world. The program also provides students with job skills and a greater appreciation for conservation all while earning a paycheck and assisting in meaningful prairie restoration.
Photo: Maya Herrera
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Angoon Youth Conservation Corps, Alaska
field
reports
Not Just a Hike Photo: USFS
United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians, Georgia Through an innovative and tailored youth program, the NFF, the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest and REI partnered to provide ten youth from the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians in Oklahoma an opportunity to participate in meaningful conservation projects on their ancestral lands in Georgia. Working with the Forest Service and other partners like Trout Unlimited and the Georgia Appalachian Trail Club, the youth received training on conservation activities as varied as digging archaeological plots, trail stewardship and stream habitat improvement. The crew enjoyed working on their ancestral homeland, while the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest—which manages the former tribal lands—benefited from a strengthened relationship with the United Keetoowah Band. The NFF piloted this program for the first time in 2017 and plans to continue the work in future years.
Junior Field Rangers, California
“These kinds of programs not only help get youth out onto their public lands, they benefit the lands themselves,” said Mary Mitsos, NFF President. “These aren’t just feel good programs where the kids show up and go for a hike each day. They roll up their sleeves, get dirty, and do meaningful work that restores native plants, rehabilitates trails and campgrounds, benefits the forests, and often changes the participants’ lives.” Learn more about these programs, read blog posts from NFF staff and participants, and learn how your support makes these programs possible at nationalforests.org.
Marlee Ostheimer is the NFF’s Philanthropy and Partnerships Coordinator. She loves chasing her young son around Montana’s National Forests. Reach her at mostheimer@nationalforests.org.
Photo: Edward Belden
Southern California’s National Forests, which protect the water supply for L.A. and other southern California cities, are facing pressure from unsustainable recreation practices and other forces. At the same time, many of the area’s diverse and underserved youth are growing up without a connection to the mountains that they see daily from their homes. To address the needs of the Angeles National Forest and downstream communities, the NFF developed the Junior Field Rangers program. Each summer, between 30 and 40 Junior Field Rangers work for ten weeks on the Angeles National Forest. These young Rangers share information with Forest visitors about how to protect Los Angeles’ municipal headwaters through sustainable recreation and ways to conserve water in their homes. Adding to the program’s value, the Junior Rangers receive training that improves their environmental literacy through hands-on learning combined with a STEM curriculum. Upon completing the requirements, participants are certified California Naturalists and eligible for four academic units through the University of California.
Winter | Spring 2018
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forest news
Shifting Range
By Wes Swaffar
“
People and animals can walk, run, swim or fly to more suitable habitat, but trees can’t escape the heat.
”
— Dennis May, Program Director, U.S. Forest Service’s Forest Inventory and Analysis program.
W
hile we tend to think of forests as unchanging and permanent, the reality is that our forests are dynamic systems that are constantly changing. Millions of years ago, parts of Arizona and Utah that are now deserts were thick with moist vegetation. As climatic conditions changed, individual species and whole ecosystems adjusted to those changes, albeit slowly, over long periods. We all know that change has always occurred, but our climate is now changing faster than some trees can adapt.
to certain environmental conditions—a coast redwood requires fog drifting inland from the sea, whereas whitebark pines prefer exposed alpine ridges. When those environmental conditions change significantly, as they are with our warming climate, trees often can’t survive in the new conditions. That gives them only one option: move.
Slow Motion Migration Of course trees can’t move in the same way that humans or other animals can. Tree movement occurs over decades or centuries as trees shift their range to pursue more favorable environmental conditions. With climate change driving rapid temperature and precipitation changes, we can see this already happening in the western U.S as cold-tolerant species shift in response to the warming climate. Scientists have documented recent latitudinal and elevational migrations for tree species, that is, some western tree species are moving north and/or climbing in elevation.
Graphic: EPA.gov
Projected change in annual mean temperature
We generally assume that a warming climate means that everywhere is becoming hotter and drier, but the impacts from a changing climate are actually quite variable. In the Southwest, for example, weather will likely get warmer and drier, but the Northeast and eastern Plains states are expected to get more precipitation than they do now, even as it warms up. How all of this will affect our nation’s forests is a complex question for the professionals in the U.S. Forest Service who are tasked with managing 193 million acres of National Forests. Because trees’ main sources of energy are sunlight and water, it’s easy to see that climate has a huge effect on them. Each tree species is adapted
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Your National Forests
Projected percentage change in annual mean precipitation
Tree species found in the “island” mountain ranges of the American Southwest, are a good example of how trees are shifting their elevation. Island mountains ranges are just as their name suggests, islands of mountains rising up from a broader “sea” of low-elevation terrain. Disconnected from continuous mountain ranges that would normally permit a northward migration, the species that live in these “islands” are left to find more favorable ground by moving up in elevation. But as our climate warms, island range species like corkbark fir and blue spruce will literally climb off the top of mountains searching for favorable conditions.
forest news Photo: TorreyaGuardians.org
a small sliver of northern Florida and southern Georgia. Facing a likely extinction from a warming climate and restricted range, foresters are experimenting with planting Florida Torreya farther north in Georgia and even into North Carolina.
A Different Future
Healthy growth on a young Torreya taxifolia, following “assisted migration” of this endangered conifer to the mountains of North Carolina.
In addition to rising temperatures, we know that climate change is affecting precipitation patterns too. And trees are responding to this as well. Recent research demonstrates that nearly three quarters of tree species native to eastern forests have moved their population westward since 1980. Why not north? Instead of seeking colder temperatures, these deciduous trees are following increased precipitation to the central U.S.
A Helping Hand Can trees’ migrations be assisted? Yes. Forest managers are experimenting with planting trees in locations where the climate may favor them into the future. In the northwestern U.S., foresters have planted Douglas fir around the region to test how the species responds to variations in climate. In the Canadian province of British Columbia, foresters are now planting western larch in areas that are beyond the historic geographic range for the species, but are predicted to be favorable in the coming decades. Another example of such “assisted migration” in action can be seen with the Florida Torreya, a rare southeastern tree species known to inhabit
Changes in climate are nothing new for trees. These remarkable species have been providing oxygen and filtering water for more than 300 million years. Over this vast history, ice ages have come and gone, mass extinctions have drastically changed life on Earth and yet trees have endured. What’s different now is how fast our climate is changing. This rate of change is affecting how and which trees will survive into the future. Regardless of how aggressively we work to reduce the impacts from our rapidly changing climate, most, if not all, of our forests will likely look different in a century or two. Forest managers can help some species survive and even thrive in new locations. But as these forests change and as the species that comprise them shift, the animals and humans that depend on them will face new challenges. Will we be ready?
Wes Swaffar is the NFF’s Director of Ecosystem Services. When not working to improve our National Forests and Grasslands, Wes can be found exploring his favorite landscapes in Montana and beyond. Reach him at wswaffar@nationalforests.org.
C O R P O R AT E PA R T N E R An NFF partner since 2013, Blooms Today has helped the NFF plant more than 140,000 trees in just four years. Through its “Trees of Tribute” program, customers can plant 10 trees on a National Forest in honor of anyone they chose.
Winter | Spring 2018
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B R I S T L E C O N E
P I N E S
THE ANCIENT ONES By Edward Belden
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Your National Forests
tree spotlight Photo: Alamy.com
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hen you first come face to face with a bristlecone pine, you just know that these trees have lived a long life. You grasp it from the way the trunk bends and twists, from its stunted height, and from the parts that barely seem alive. Even if you don’t stop long to ponder these ancients, you can see that the wind and rain and snow and heat have taken their toll; you can see what the description “weathered” truly means. Bristlecone pines are found sparsely scattered in small stands throughout California and Nevada (and some in Utah) at elevations from 9,800 to 11,000 feet. Their twisted trunks vary from 8 to 11 feet in diameter. Typically standing 30-feet tall or less in the dry, high-elevation zones, bristlecones can grow to 60 feet in low-elevation sites with more water. The name bristlecone comes from the small prickly bristle that forms on the immature cones. When the cones mature to a size of 2 to 4 inches long and 1.2 to 1.6 inches wide, they are pollinated by wind from other nearby trees. Once the cones are fertilized, the seeds are released and dispersed by wind with the help of a small wing-like sheath attached to the seed. In the White Mountains of California, these trees have stood
as sentinels for millennia. The “Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest” is located in a small range of the White Mountains on the eastern edge of California. The grove is home to the famous 4,848-yearold Methuselah tree and to another that is an incredible 5,067 years old. They are the two oldest non-clonal organisms on Earth (meaning they don’t reproduce through cloning, making their trunks as old as their roots). The incredible age of these contorted creatures has helped scientists better understand changes in climate and how to document the age of other carbon bearing materials. Based on the rings of the bristlecone trees in the White Mountains, researchers developed a tree history dating back 10,000 years. This proved instrumental in recalibrating the radio carbon dating process
and has provided more accurate understanding of when human civilizations inhabited past lands, what past volcanic eruptions have done to vegetation growth, and what our climate looked like thousands of years ago. Science aside, these trees humble a person who considers their enduring nature. They have been growing, absorbing carbon and producing oxygen on these barren dolomite mountains since before the pyramids in Egypt were constructed, around the time pre-Mayan society was forming. When Columbus crossed the Atlantic, these trees were already 4,000 years old. Ready to walk among these aged wonders? Want to learn from their years of knowledge or steep in their ancient aura? Fortunately for you (and the trees), they live not in a private garden or fenced-in park, but on the Inyo National Forest, your public land. Start your visit at the Schulman Grove Visitor Center on the Inyo, high up in the White Mountains. The Center is open during the summer and provides educational exhibits. You can also take the famous 4.5-mile Methuselah trail where you can enjoy vast scenic vistas and try to guess which tree is Methuselah, as no sign points it out. Yes, these gnarled specimens are well weathered. As you ponder them, take a moment to consider what 5,000 years of wind, sun, snow and rain would make you look like.
Edward Belden in the NFF’s Southern California Program Manager. He enjoys exploring the outdoors on foot and bicycle and creating new ice cream flavors. Reach him at ebelden@nationalforests.org.
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treasured landscapes
Jewels of Appalachia By Mark Shelley
T
he forests of western North Carolina have long been recognized for providing exceptional quality of life, offering worldclass outdoor experiences and supporting vibrant local economies.
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Your National Forests
They are even acknowledged as the birthplace of America’s forest management: When George Vanderbilt sought refuge from city life in the late 1800s, he chose a picturesque valley in western North Carolina for his mountain home, the Biltmore Estate, where he hired a young Gifford Pinchot to manage his vast property. But when the industrialist built the Biltmore, these forests looked very different then they do today. As early as the 1880s, logging companies had removed most of the valuable timber from New England and the Great Lakes region and were buying and logging forests in the Pacific Northwest and the Southeast, including the forests of western North Carolina. Eastern farmers who had exhausted their lands and had moved west also left behind land prone to fire and erosion. The abandoned farms and badly cut-over forests became known as “the lands that nobody wanted.” Recognizing the important ecologic value of restoring forests on “the lands that nobody wanted,” Vanderbilt hired Pinchot to create America’s first forestry management plan for his 100,000-acre estate. It was here that Pinchot honed his skills, developing methods to maximize sustainable timber production while simultaneously protecting the natural waterways and other abundant natural resources.
treasured landscapes Photo: Teresa Sorbilli
So successful was Pinchot in managing the Biltmore Estate that he was recruited by the federal government to assist Teddy Roosevelt’s vision of a national forest service to manage vast tracts of wild forests throughout the country. Pinchot is regarded as the “father of modern forestry” for the practices he first initiated in the mountains of western North Carolina – specifically, structured management of natural resources combined with conservation. When Pinchot left the mountains of North Carolina for Washington D.C., Dr. Carl Schenck replaced him as chief forester at the Biltmore. It was here that, in 1898, Schenck founded the first forestry school in the United States, the Biltmore School of Forestry. After Vanderbilt’s death, his wife Edith sold approximately 87,000 acres of the Biltmore property to the U.S. Forest Service at $5 an acre, fulfilling her husband’s wishes to create the core of the Pisgah National Forest. Today, the Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests include over one million acres of land across 18 counties.
Biodiversity and Water Hotspots The Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests cover a unique landscape, spanning across the Southern Appalachian Mountains. Diverse ecological systems, from southern pine to northern hardwood forests, support an unusually high number of flora and fauna species, as well as a high number of endemic species. The region includes some of the largest intact blocks of forest in eastern North America, which provide habitat for neo-tropical migratory birds, black bear and other wide-ranging mammals, as well as timber and other resources for local and regional industries.
The Forests also now support some of the most pristine waters in the country. Waters from the Nantahala and Pisgah supply municipal water in eight southeastern states, from Kentucky through Georgia. Locally, many cities in western North Carolina get over 50 percent of their water from the Forests, with 75 percent of Asheville’s water supply flowing from the Pisgah. Streams and wetlands maintain these water supplies, provide natural flood control, trap excess sediment, improve water quality, supply food for downstream ecosystems, and maintain and enhance the Forests’ remarkable biodiversity.
Mile-high Peaks The Pisgah National Forest is a land of mile-high peaks, cascading waterfalls and heavily forested slopes. Comprised of 512,000 acres, the Pisgah is primarily a hardwood forest. Elevations reach over 6,000 feet and include some of the highest mountains in the eastern United States. Mount Mitchell, in Mount Mitchell State Park, is the highest mountain east of the Mississippi River at 6,684 feet, and is surrounded by the Pisgah National Forest. The Forest also includes tracts surrounding the city of Asheville, the city of Brevard and land in the French Broad River Valley. In the Pisgah, a variety of recreational opportunities are available for every interest, age and skill level. Containing three official Wilderness Areas, including two of the first Wilderness Areas designated in the East, Linville Gorge and Shining Rock, the Pisgah offers solitude and seclusion. Among the thousands of miles of trails on the Forest, 138 miles of the Appalachian Trail weave across the Forest’s
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treasured landscapes peaks and valleys, making it a prime hiking and backpacking destination. Other popular activities include fishing, rock climbing, camping, mountain biking, hunting, skiing, leaf watching, and whitewater sports.
Land of the Noonday Sun The Nantahala National Forest was established in 1920 and lies in the mountains and valleys of southwestern North Carolina. Elevations in the Nantahala range from 5,800 feet at Lone Bald in Jackson County to 1,200 feet in Cherokee County along the Hiwassee River below Appalachian Lake Dam. The word “Nantahala” is a Cherokee word meaning “land of the noonday sun.” The name is appropriate as, in some spots, the sun only reaches the floors of the forest’s deep gorges when directly overhead. Adjacent to Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the Nantahala is the largest of the four National Forests in North Carolina. Within its boundaries are three designated Wilderness Areas and two Wild and Scenic Rivers. Visitors enjoy a wide variety of recreational activities from whitewater rafting to camping. Much of the paddling occurs on the Nantahala River, which flows through the Forest. With over 600 miles of multi-use trails, opportunities exist for hikers, campers, mountain and road bikers, equestrians, and off-highway vehicle riders to spend a lifetime exploring the Forest. But it’s not all about backcountry forays; much of the Nantahala National Forest can be enjoyed from the highway. Both the Waterfall Byway and the Cherohala Skyway wind through its hardwood forests, across mountain ridges, and alongside deep river gorges.
Mild-to-Wild Recreation For All Recreation has always been an important draw to the region. A summer resort destination in the early 1900s, these National Forests have transformed into a year-round playground for outdoor enthusiasts and are some of the most visited in the National Forest System. Their proximity to major population centers, including Charlotte, North Carolina and Atlanta, Georgia, provide an easy sojourn for millions of people. Adventurers hike along the peaks of the Black Mountains, the highest in the East. Linville Gorge Wilderness Area offers world class rock climbing. Sliding Rock gives kids of all ages a once-in-alifetime experience on a natural waterslide. Tsali Mountain Bike complex is the top destination for
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Your National Forests
mountain biking in the eastern U.S. The Nantahala River provides visitors with a wild whitewater rafting ride. Shady campsites and mellow hikes bring generations of families to the Forests. Unfortunately, while the visitor use at these sites is ever increasing, the existing recreation system is not able to handle these uses sustainably.
Native American Connection To a remarkable degree, the native peoples of early settlement times still inhabit the Southern Appalachians and still seek to play a role in determining its future. Many inhabitants of the Southern Appalachians identify themselves as Cherokees; others claim Creek, Catawba, Sioux or other indigenous heritage. Today, the Eastern Band of the Cherokee, the part of the Nation that escaped the Trail of Tears, still holds to Cherokee language, traditions, and land in western North Carolina. They remain uniquely “at home” near the creation site identified in their legends and maintain an important claim on the history and future of these Southern Appalachian forests. The Forest Service works hard to interpret and honor the heritage of these indigenous people.
Ecological Threats Over the last 30 years, as population and visitation has increased in the area, so has the demand for clean water and expanding recreation opportunities. Yet, infrastructure around the Forests, mostly constructed in the 1950s, is degraded and failing. Areas of the Nantahala and Pisgah with the highest visitation are being “loved to death.” Today’s forest managers wrestle with providing access to recreation sites that cannot accommodate the volume of visitors and with maintaining trails originally built in unsustainable locations that are causing damage to sensitive natural resources. These regional treasures are at risk from overuse, as well as threats from insects, disease, invasive species and fire. Declining Forest Service budgets and the increasing cost of fighting wildfires limit the ability of the Forest Service to address these threats. While the challenges facing these National Forests are great, the community support and stewardship opportunities to reverse these trends are even greater. As part of our national Treasured Landscapes, Unforgettable Experiences conservation program, we recently designated the Nantahala and Pisgah
treasured landscapes Photos: Pigsah National Forest Flickr page. Middle inset photo: Jeff Clark
National Forests as a Treasured Landscapes conservation site, making it one of our highest-priority locations for work. Through grants and contracts to local community groups and businesses, the NFF will help restore forest resources while increasing the collective capacity of local groups to engage in hands-on stewardship and recreational improvements. Investing in the Great Outdoors, as the campaign is called, will focus on iconic recreation locations on the Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests. These sites play an important role in the overall health of the Forests, so they are critical opportunities for restoration and stewardship. Whether one is seeking escape from the hyper-connected realities of 21st century life, the chance to stand awestruck atop sweeping vistas, or the adrenaline rush from action-packed adventure, the Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests are a fulfilling destination. This treasured landscape is truly a monument to nature’s timeless splendor, its ability to recover, and mankind’s role in forest conservation. Learn more about the NFF’s work on the Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests at nationalforests.org/ nantahalapisgah
Mark Shelley is the NFF’s Eastern Region Program Director. He can often be found dipping a paddle or tossing a fly into one of the Nantahala and Pisgah’s many rivers and streams. Reach him at mshelley@ nationalforests.org.
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unforgettable experiences That Magic Feeling
Unique Trees on our National Forests
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By Hannah Ettema
here is something magical about standing beneath a grove of giant trees. In fact, the tree-focused nonprofit, American Forests, maintains a “Champion Tree Register” that records the location of the largest trees in the country. And just like dedicated birders who spend their time chasing a glimpse of a “life list” species, there is a community who seeks out these champions. But you don’t have to devote weeks of vacation to stand amidst unique and awe-inspiring trees.
Photo: Dan Featherman
Only three hours from my home in Missoula, Montana, the Ross Creek Cedars on the Kootenai National Forest offer the humbling experience that only enormous trees can provide. Tucked away in an unsuspecting corner of Montana, the Ross Creek Cedars Scenic Area includes cedar trees more than eight feet in diameter and 175 feet tall. Ambling around the short scenic trail, I literally became a tree-hugger as I tried to wrap my arms around the giants. Fortunately, northwest Montana isn’t the only place you can find this magic feeling. Across the country, our National Forests offer a fascinating array of unique and awe-inspiring trees.
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unforgettable experiences Largest Tract of Ponderosa Pines Coconino, Kaibab and Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests, Arizona When some people picture Arizona, all that comes to mind is the Grand Canyon and saguaro cacti. However, more than just iconic desert scenes, Arizona is also home to stunning forested landscapes. Stretching across the state’s middle, one of the iconic trees of the West, the ponderosa pine, has found its ideal home. What is reportedly the largest tract of ponderosa pines on the continent covers millions of acres on the Coconino, Kaibab and Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests. The mild winters and moisture from monsoon season combined with lightning-caused fires has provided ideal habitat for this fire-adapted tree for centuries. The three National Forests offer a plethora of trails and access opportunities for visitors keen to stand amidst this incredible ecosystem.
Trees You Won’t See Anywhere Else El Yunque National Forest, Puerto Rico Visitors to Puerto Rico’s El Yunque National Forest encounter far different trees than on any other National Forest. As the only tropical rainforest within the National Forest System, El Yunque offers visitors the chance to see a once-in-a-lifetime variety of trees. While Hurricane Maria seriously impacted the Forest, hurricanes have long pummeled the Island, including Hurricanes Ciprian in 1932 and Hugo in 1989. The Forest rebounded after those events and managers believe the same will happen following Maria. El Yunque is home to more than 200 tree species, 23 of which are found exclusively on the Forest. The endangered Palo colorado tree lives hundreds of years and provides critical habitat for the endangered Puerto Rican parrot. High in the mountains of El Yunque, heavy rain, strong winds and thick clouds have created a “dwarf forest” featuring stunted trees and shrubs. Throughout the Forest, tabonuco trees tower more than 100 feet into the forest canopy and provide the Puerto Rican parrot with seeds to eat. While it may take some time to recover, El Yunque offers visitors the chance to be surrounded by incredible trees whether driving across the Forest or hiking to one of its many waterfalls. Photo center: USFS. Photo right: Wikipedia.com
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unforgettable experiences Fishlake National Forest, Utah About three hours south of Salt Lake City, Utah, the Fishlake National Forest harbors the largest organism on the planet—a clone of aspen trees called “Pando.” As aspen stands grow, their root system sends up new shoots that are genetically identical. Covering more than 106 acres, Pando consists of more than 40,000 individual aspen trees, but is considered one giant organism. While the individual trees may only live for 100-150 years, an aspen clone constantly regenerates. Scientists estimate that Pando, and its massive root system, has been around for at least 80,000 years. Unfortunately Pando is not regenerating at the rate it should. A combination of disease, insects, fire suppression and grazing has slowed the growth rate of new trees within the clone. The Forest Service has taken steps to support the clone with prescribed burns as well as 90 acres of fence to prevent cattle and deer from eating the young aspen shoots. Covering the hillside in bright green in spring and rich gold in the fall, Pando is easy to access. Visitors to the Fishlake National Forest can drive through and explore Pando along Highway 25 south of Fish Lake, Utah.
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Photo: USFS
Pando Aspen Clone
unforgettable experiences Photo Right: Scott Pearson/USFS. Photo bottom right: Neal Parish/Wikipedia.com
Old-growth Hardwoods Sylvania Wilderness
Giant Sequoia Trees
Ottawa National Forest, Michigan
A visit to see California’s giant sequoia trees is humbling, awe-inspiring and unfortunately, often busy with other neck-craning tree aficionados. To escape the crowds at Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks, we recommend visiting the nearby Giant Sequoia National Monument. Designated in 2000, the Monument includes 33 impressive, if lesser-known giant sequoia groves. The Monument’s two portions, Northern and Southern, each feature a variety of trails to easily explore. Giant sequoia trees here tower more than 150 feet with diameters greater than ten feet. The sixth largest giant sequoia tree in the world, the Boole Tree, is the largest tree within all of the National Forest System. Easily accessible within the Converse Basin Grove, the Boole Tree reaches a height of 268 feet with a diameter of 25 feet and was named for the logging supervisor who spared the tree because of its magnificent size.
Before settlers discovered the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, the area was pristine and rugged. However, in the mid- to late-1800s, the lumber industry ravished the state of bountiful hardwoods and pine trees, especially the majestic white pine. But one lumberman, Albert D. Johnson, didn’t have the heart to cut down 80 acres of trees on land that is now part of the Ottawa National Forest. Johnson instead built a home there and established it as an outdoor retreat for the wealthy named “Sylvania Club.” Thanks to Johnson’s appreciation for this beautiful landscape more than 100 years ago, visitors to the Sylvania Wilderness today can experience the landscape Michigan once was. Old-growth stands of hemlock and white pine elicit a feeling of remoteness and wildness. One of the most popular ways to explore the Wilderness is on water: The area boasts 35 crystal clear lakes. Day visitors to the Wilderness Area can set out from the Clark Lake Campground and hold court with these kings and queens of the Midwest.
Sequoia National Forest, California
Want to find your own grove of special trees? Reach out to your local ranger to ask where you might find some towering trees to walk amongst. Let us know about your favorite tree or grove on our Facebook page or snap a photo and send it to our Instagram feed.
Hannah Ettema is the NFF’s Digital Communications Coordinator. When she’s not hugging giant cedar trees, she can be found hiking the mountains of Montana. Reach her at hettema@nationalforests.org.
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conservation
Forest Restoration: Getting the Prescription Right By Spencer Plumb and Rebecca Davidson
F
orest health, like human health, involves a complex set of variables. Just like
medical doctors, there are many types of forest health specialists. Working together, silviculturists, fire specialists, hydrologists, biologists and timber specialists create comprehensive forest treatment and management plans. Forests face multiple health threats including disease, drought, fire and insect infestation. The way we manage our forests has short- and long-term impacts on a forest’s ability to respond to and resist these disturbances. This is similar to our own bodies: If we adopt healthy behaviors like getting enough sleep, exercising, and eating a balanced diet, we are less susceptible to illness and chronic diseases.
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conservation A Trip to the Doctor is Cheaper Than the ER
Photo montage left: Marci Mansfield. Photos right: USFS
We all know that healthcare can be costly, particularly when we get really sick. Insurance is important to reduce those costs, but unfortunately, there are no insurance policies that can help pay the cost of full-scale forest health restoration. The incentive to restore our forests is simple: The longer we wait, the higher the cost rises. Just like our own health, going to the doctor for regular checkups is much cheaper and less traumatic than ignoring health problems and ending up in the emergency room. Thanks to ongoing research, we know a great deal about how to address forest health across different forest types. And just like people, different forests need different types of treatment to restore health and resiliency. Treatments are as diverse as thinning trees in areas that are overgrown and at risk of large-scale fire, planting trees in areas already affected by fire, and employing prescribed fires to remove undergrowth and ground fuels. For example, southwest ponderosa pine forests that grow across Arizona and New Mexico thrive in conditions where low-severity fires burn the forest every few years. These forests evolved with low-intensity fires that help recycle nutrients and maintain a low density of trees across the landscape. This helps reduce inter-tree competition for resources like sunlight and water, allowing the trees that survive to grow large and healthy. However, over the last 100 years, these forests have growth thick, and instead of burning at low intensity, fires are now killing entire stands of trees, healthy or otherwise. We know that these forests require low-intensity fires, but we also know that they have too many small trees and too much fuel for fires to stay small enough to remain beneficial to these ecosystems. So, in order to maintain the
long-term health of these stands, forest managers have to first thin some of the smaller and less healthy trees and then reintroduce low-intensity fire through prescribed burning. Importantly, this doesn’t reduce the occurrence of fire. Fires will still happen, but thinning does reduce the impacts that these fires have on the overall health of the forest. It’s a bit like getting enough sleep, eating a balanced diet and making time to exercise. These actions won’t guarantee that you won’t get a cold, but they may help make the cold less severe and help you recover more quickly.
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conservation Sometimes You Need to Go to the ER While preventative treatment is almost always better for both humans and forests, sometimes neither doctors nor forest managers can intervene soon enough to prevent acute problems. In the forest world, these acute problems typically result in largescale deforestation, often through severe wildfires, but also through disease and insect infestations. In places that have already burned severely, the likelihood of trees rejuvenating naturally is quite low. Severe fires create soils that don’t support young trees and the flames often burn any seeds on the forest floor or on trees consumed by the fire. In such instances, reforestation is needed to prevent erosion and the loss of topsoil. Forests play a critical role in watersheds by capturing, storing, and purifying water. Planting accelerates forest and watershed recovery after high-intensity burns. The NFF’s work in Arizona is a great example of how we help intervene to help prevent severe fires and how we triage when conflagrations strike. Through the Northern Arizona Forest Fund, we are working with the Forest Service, Salt River Project and other partners to thin some forests where we can most effectively prevent large fires. When fires burn too hot, we plant trees to jumpstart the forest’s recovery and help protect watersheds through our Trees for US program. Perhaps the largest challenge in restoring forest health is the scale of work that needs to be performed across the country, whether thinning or planting. Addressing forest health on 193 million acres of National Forests is a massive undertaking. In addition to our work in Arizona, the NFF supports local collaborative restoration efforts that utilize a wide set of prescriptions to maintain, improve and restore forest health. In California, the NFF-led Tahoe West Restoration Partnership is tackling forest health issues across multiple jurisdictions by working with partners to plan and implement long-term, largescale forest health improvement projects. In northern Idaho, the Idaho Panhandle Forest Collaborative is working to plan and implement landscape-scale
forest restoration prescriptions that will help prevent severe fires and make forests more resilient if and when fires do strike. These comprehensive plans set a long-term trajectory for restoring health, protecting communities, encouraging recreation, and building restoration economies and capacity. Across the country, the NFF is investing millions of dollars in forest restoration treatments and spending those funds in strategic ways to maximize public benefits by making our forests healthier and safer. In addition to thousands of acres of forest thinning and prescribed burning treatments, we have planted over 11 million trees since 2007, all so that future generations can also enjoy the many benefits that healthy, sustainable National Forests provide. At the end of the day, we are connected to the lands that sustain us. Our own health is not only similar to forest health, it’s dependent upon healthy forests that provide, clean water, clean air, wildlife, and amazing outdoor recreation opportunities. Learn more about the NFF’s work to maintain, improve and restore forest health at nationalforests.org.
How does the Forest Service define a healthy forest: A healthy forest has the capacity across the landscape for renewal, for recovery from a wide range of disturbances, and for retention of its ecological resiliency while meeting current and future needs of people for desired levels of values, uses, products, and services.
C O R P O R AT E PA R T N E R In 2017, minuteKEY expanded its partnership with the NFF by committing to plant 100,000 trees per year. We salute this valuable effort and thank minuteKEY for its support.
Spencer Plumb, Ph.D. is the NFF’s Southern Rockies Program Associate. Spencer helps run the Northern Arizona Forest Fund and lives in Flagstaff, Arizona. Reach him at splumb@nationalforests.org. Rebecca Davidson is the NFF’s Southern Rockies Regional Director. A self-proclaimed desert rat, she also finds herself quite happy in the mountains. Reach her at rdavidson@nationalforests.org.
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unforgettable experiences From Cone to Seedling
How the Forest Service Grows Millions of Seedlings Each Year By Greg M. Peters
All photos: Greg M. Peters
Rows of seedlings growing at the Coeur d’Alene Nursery.
T
ucked into the Douglas fir and ponderosa pine forests of Northern Idaho sits the quaint lakeside town of Coeur d’Alene. The former lumber town is now a popular tourist destination drawing families from across the Pacific Northwest and beyond. Gone are the pounding mills, replaced with fancy lakefront hotels and bustling shopping centers.
Conifer seeds with their wings.
But it’s not hard to find relics of the region’s once-thriving industry: Huge logs chained together to form breakwaters protect marinas and lakeside restaurants scattered around Lake Coeur d’Alene—the region’s main tourist draw. In the sprawling Idaho Panhandle National Forest that nearly surrounds the town, century-old stumps the size of boulders rot beneath a canopy of trees that themselves seem a hundred or more years old. Both the stumps and the Forest’s now abundant trees provide clear evidence of a century of forest management that has played out in this quiet corner of America. A short 10-minute walk from the box stores and fast food restaurants that skirt Coeur d’Alene’s edges is another example of how connected this small city is to the forests that surround it. Here, just off of an unassuming and ordinary street is the U.S. Forest Service’s Coeur d’Alene Nursery. Established in 1960, the Coeur d’Alene Nursery straddles the past, the present and the future on a 220-acre plot of
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unforgettable experiences Dewingers, Scalpers and the Deep Freeze
Containerized seedlings arranged in a greenhouse at the Coeur d’Alene Nursery.
land. A squat single-story building greets visitors who enter into a small lobby decorated with a few posters, some t-shirts and hats. Greenhouses, warehouses and fields, some fallow and some flush with small green trees, spread out behind the office, a tapestry of incongruous shapes and colors. An assortment of sheds, tractors, four wheelers and other custom-built contraptions rounds out the scene. Aram Eramian, the nursery’s superintendent, leads me outside to learn about just how the nursery grows seedlings, grasses, forbs and other plants for reforestation efforts across the northern Rockies.
A Little Bit About Seeds All trees produce seeds, and all seeds are meant to travel. Nut trees produce seeds inside of nuts—think oaks with their acorns, or walnuts, almonds or pistachio trees. Fruit trees, like apple, cherry,
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or coffee produce seeds inside of fruit. Because nuts and fruit are generally rich in nutrition, these seeds most often travel in the G.I tracts of unsuspecting animals. Other trees don’t rely on animals and produce seeds with their own built-in transport mechanisms. Anyone with maple trees in their yard has seen winged seeds (and raked winged seeds and cleaned winged seeds out of their gutter). The wings, in addition to delighting kids who toss them back into the air, are meant to catch updrafts, gusts and blusters and float their way to new habitat. Coniferous or “evergreen” trees, like the Douglas fir, white pine, ponderosa pine and larch grown at the Coeur d’Alene Nursery, produce cones. These cones each hold hundreds of single-winged seeds, silently waiting until favorable conditions dry them out and send their seeds floating across the forest.
So, it makes sense that our first stop is a large warehouse where the nursery mimics nature and dries out the cones. Aram explains how it all works: The cones are laid out in giant wooden kiln trays, each roughly 10 feet long by 4 or 5 feet wide, which are stacked and attached to a large gas-fired kiln. Warm air—between 105 and 110 degrees—circulates throughout the system for several days until the cones dry out and open, revealing their precious cargo. Once they’re dried out, the cones are run through a tumbler, which separates out the seeds. From there, the seeds go to the “seed extractory” and the remaining cones are ground up for mulch. The seed extractory is a white cinder block building where a series of contraptions further extricates the seed from its protective coatings.
The dewinger. Seeds with wings go in the top; seeds without wings come out the bottom.
unforgettable experiences Up first is “the scalper,” which dispenses with large debris and bits of cone that weren’t removed in the tumbler. The second machine is the “dewinger” where the seed’s wings are removed. Following the dewinger, the seeds undergo two more separation processes before Aram and his staff are left with the “live seed,” a relatively small bit of biomass that belies the genetic potential it contains. The live seeds are then soaked in water for at least 48 hours, depending on the species, and finally stored at six degrees Fahrenheit in one of four giant walk-in coolers. This final treatment is designed to mimic the cold winters these seeds would experience in nature. Aram explains that the machines the Forest Service uses to get from a green cone to a live seed are all adapted from grain processing equipment that was designed, quite literally, to separate the wheat from the chaff. The whole scene is a wonderful mix of homegrown, boot-strapped engineering processes mashed with hyper-intense tracking and quality control protocols. Throughout the entire seed extraction process, each batch of seeds is relentlessly tracked, monitored and stored so that its provenance is known at every step of the process. The tracking itself is analogue: Paper labels marking the source, date of collection, collector, and other relevant data are meticulously tracked from kiln to scalper to dewinger to storage freezer. Regardless of its throwback qualities, it all works efficiently and smoothly. In 2016, Aram and his team processed 6,000 bushels of cones without error. It’s also incredibly valuable. Federal law requires the nursery to keep at least 10 years of seed stock for each
Ponderosa pine cones collected from the Plains Orchard.
species in its freezers. At current prices that translates to about $2.5 million worth of organized, catalogued seeds.
But where do all those cones come from?
The Cone Orchard For an answer to that, I head to Plains, Montana. While Coeur d’Alene may be a quaint tourist town banking on a future of ever-increasing real estate prices, Plains is a ranching town that time forgot. Only an hour or so from Missoula, Plains rests in a wide spot the Clark Fork River carves through western Montana en route to Lake Pend Orielle, 50 miles north of Coeur d’Alene. The three-block downtown boasts a few bars, eclectic curio shops, an Ace Hardware and a predictable complement of real estate offices and banks. A gas station and a couple of mom and pop motels fill in the edges. Plains also boasts a microclimate conducive to growing conifer trees. So it was here in the 1991 that the Forest Service bought 120 acres of mostly flat farmland and started the Plains
Tree Improvement Area, also called the Plains Tree Orchard. This facility and others like it (there are five scattered across Montana and Idaho alone, and yet more across the country), produce pretty much all the seeds the Forest Service uses to reforest millions of acres of our National Forests. I meet Valarie Walker, the Lolo National Forest Genetic Resources Forester, and Elliott Meyer, the Genetic Resource and Silviculture Assistant, outside of the small shed that houses an office, kitchen, bathroom, and make shift laboratory—a few microscopes are scattered around the back room. Val and Elliott explain how it all works. First off, the region this orchard serves stretches west from Great Falls, Montana all the way across the Idaho Panhandle and south to the Salmon River. It’s divided into two zones, red and blue, with an overlap zone in the center. The northern blue zone is wetter and colder than the red zone, which lies farther south. Although the same species of trees grow in each zone, they are adapted to the specific climatic conditions each zone offers, so it’s important to plant seeds that come from each specific zone. These divisions are just like gardening zones that help home gardeners determine if a plant can survive their local climate. The same is true with the elevational gradients that the region is divided into. Seeds from trees that grow at 4,000 feet don’t do as well if they’re planted at 7,000 feet. I appreciate the details, but I press them for romantic stories about cone collectors traipsing through the woods and scaling the best looking trees to harvest their genetic material. Turns out, I’m disappointed. Gone are the days when Forest Service staff
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unforgettable experiences would wander the woods gathering cones from the perfect-looking ponderosa. Well, mostly gone. These days, the Forest Service does collect cones from very specific areas, certain elevations, or from “plus trees,” specimens that show a natural genetic resistance to disease or insect infestation or that grow particularly straight or large. These “wild” cones are dried out at the orchard and their seeds are planted in carefully controlled tests, where they’re grown for a year or two. Each test batch is meticulously tracked so that managers are always aware of precisely which zone and elevation the seeds came from. A series of trials further separates the healthiest and most resistant seedlings from their siblings that don’t fare as well, and the best of the best are eventually planted in the orchard for field trials. Once the field trials are complete, managers collect scion material from these “Elite Trees” and graft those scions onto mature root stock in the orchard. It’s a complicated, science-intensive process that began as a response to the white pine blister rust disease that plagued the valuable western white pine tree nearly 60 years ago. While most white pines succumbed to the disease, some showed a genetic resistance to the blister rust. So the Forest Service began collecting cones from those trees in an attempt to create an orchard of blister-resistant trees. Now, decades later, the progeny from those rust-resistant white pine trees are once again thriving across eastern Idaho and parts of western Montana. The success of the white pine program encouraged managers to try similar processes for the other conifers native to the region. Two other rust diseases were incorporated into the studies along with tests for cold hardiness
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Whitebark pine seedlings for the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest.
and drought tolerance. Now the orchard stands as testament to the program’s overall success. You wouldn’t know that the trees at the Plains Orchard are the best of the best by looking at them. Many are topped and their awkward canopies spread out in Seuss-like fashion. It’s a function of the fact that they’re in an orchard. Shorter trees make harvesting cones easier; they’re easier to irrigate and easier to manage generally. But the cones they produce all contain the genetic material from the best performing seedlings cultivated and tested over decades. As we wander around the orchard, it becomes clear that this is a great spot for tree nerds looking to burnish their identification skills. Over here are the larch trees with their wispy needles. In that plot, orange-red hued ponderosa trunks reach for the sky. On the other side of the orchard, nearly obscured by some late season weeds are small whitebark pine trees, only a foot or so tall. Upon closer inspection, these saplings have cones on them, something that wild whitebark pine trees don’t produce until they’re roughly 80 years old. Whitebark pines are a key high-elevation species and a source of food for bears and birds. The white pine blister rust
has seriously impacted whitebark pines across their range. Producing rust-resistant cones in a short timeframe is critical to saving the species from extinction and these diminutive trees are proof that it can be done. Val and Elliott explain that through grafting, they’re able to “trick” these saplings into thinking that they’re 100-year-old trees with all the wisdom and experience needed to produce cones of their own. Thanks to the rigorous testing and to the tracking they employ, Val and Elliott know that these cones are resistant to blister rust, and they know exactly where they came from. (See the Winter/Spring 2017 issue of Your National Forests for an article fully explaining the whitebark pine program.) The orchard’s roughly 8,000 trees are divided into 25 neat plots, each the right distance from the others to avoid cross-pollination and inbreeding. Metal placards nailed into the trees provide instant access to critical identification information. Three miles of sixinch wide irrigation pipe snake between the plots, stretching across freshly mowed grass. It’s a tidy operation, both in practice and in concept. The orchard is a productive trove of valuable genetic material that has taken decades to cultivate. It’s also efficient. As Val and Elliott show me around, it’s clear that producing cones in an orchard is far more cost and time effective than my dated vision of wandering the forest in search of cones. Wild trees don’t produce good cone crops each year. Pollination isn’t guaranteed in the wild, and inbreeding is an issue. Importantly, the orchard isn’t genetically modifying trees; rather Val and Elliott and other orchard managers are selectively breeding trees to produce the best available genetic stock for our forests. That there are only two
unforgettable experiences full-time employees, Val and Elliott, and a couple of retired locals who help with watering and mowing is further proof of the orchard’s efficiency. We wander back to the barn where burlap sacks filled with green cones are arranged on long shelves. Each sack has a paper label describing its contents. They’re the same burlap sacks that get emptied onto the kiln trays in the Coeur d’Alene nursery, a couple hundred miles away in Idaho. I ask Val if they get a lot of visitors; they don’t and it’s easy to see why. I’ve driven past this orchard dozens of times and never knew it existed. There is no sign on the highway, no Yelp review to guide a tourist to this spot. But the lack of marketing belies its importance. These 25 plots hold decades of effort and precise scientific experimentation all aimed at producing the healthiest, most resilient, most productive forests in the world.
Like a Business Back at the nursery in Coeur d’Alene, Aram takes me to a couple of the 24 different “growing environments” spread out across the nursery’s acreage. Most are modern greenhouses with networks of irrigation tubes and long rows of chest high tables. Neatly arranged Styrofoam containers overflowing with small seedlings cover the tables, awaiting their next watering or weeding cycle. These “containerized” seedlings grow for a year in the greenhouses before being transported to a forest. In the acreage outside of the greenhouses, neat rows hundreds of yards long sprout six- or eight-inch high seedlings of various species. These are the “bare root” seedlings that grow for two years before being “lifted” from the soil and transferred to a forest for planting.
The nursery only grows seedlings based on orders from Forest Service, BLM, or the Idaho Conservation Department. Aram explains that the nursery can’t sell seedlings to the public because it’s prohibited from competing with private nurseries. Nor does it receive money from Congress or directly from the Forest Service’s budget. It’s run like a business, with the cost of producing the seedlings factored into the “price” the agencies pay for their seedlings. If the nursery ends up making a profit, Aram invests that back into the operation, buying a new tractor or upgrading irrigation equipment. When there’s a wildfire or a harvest operation, local silviculturists have to figure out how many seedlings they want, what zone and elevation those seedlings should come from, and whether they want bare root or containerized seedlings. Then they order them from Coeur d’Alene or one of the five other nurseries the Forest Service operates across the country. Because Aram can’t sell “extra” seedlings to the public, he only sows seeds once an order comes in. That means it takes a year or two for the seedlings to arrive at the forest that ordered them. But there’s plenty of demand to keep the nursery’s 25 staff busy. In addition to processing thousands of bushels of cones a year, the nursery grows millions of seedlings—five million in 2017 alone. And it’s poised to grow even more. That’s a good thing, since the NFF is launching an aggressive campaign to plant 50 million trees across our National Forests in the next seven years.
I thank Aram for his time, and he heads back into the main office. I mill about, snapping a few photos and trying to absorb all of the information I’ve learned. It’s not easy. While the general concept is straightforward—the nursery separates seeds from cones and then stores or plants them—the intricacies of how they do that for five million seedlings a year on just 220 acres of land are far more involved. Add to that the decades of research, cultivation and methodical tracking that occurs at cone orchards like the one in Plains and the whole operation becomes a complicated dance between nature and human ingenuity. I fold back into my car and head down the driveway, grateful for these professionals. Their work ensures that the trees planted on our National Forests are the healthiest they can possibly be and that they’re produced with a keen eye for efficiency and cost-savings at every turn. It helps assuage my disappointment that I’ll never land a gig spending the summer climbing trees on Montana’s National Forests, filling a burlap sack with cones from the tallest, widest, straightest trees I can find.
Green cones from the Plains Orchard waiting for transport to the nursery.
Greg M. Peters is the NFF’s director of communications. Reach him at gpeters@nationalforests.org.
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voices from the forest
What’s Your Spirit Tree?
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hroughout human history, various cultures have associated different trees with certain qualities. “Extending an olive branch” is commonly known as a phrase that means to repair a relationship or find peace among enemies. The “Mighty Oak” tree easily draws meaning of power and courage. Almost
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Your National Forests
every tree species has some sort of symbolism attached to it. Whether that symbolism is commonly known or simply speaks to you, trees have a way of embodying personalities and traits that connect to humans. We asked a handful of NFF staff to share, in their own words, which tree they connect to and why.
voices from the forest
Kim Carr, Director, California Program
Edward Belden, Southern California Program Manager
Western Juniper
Coast Live Oak My spirit tree is the majestic and long-lived coast live oak that grows throughout many of California’s valleys. With its year-round shade and bountiful fall acorn bloom, it supports the entire natural and human community by providing important food for animals and historically Native American tribes. Coast live oak also help slow rainfall and support healthy watersheds. I hope that some of my work will give back to the natural and human community as much as each oak has.
The western juniper is found clinging to exposed granite rock. It can thrive in harsh conditions of high winds, minimal rainfall and even limited soil. Juniper have purple cones used to flavor gin and as a spice for cooking. It’s native to my home of Lake Tahoe and the oldest, about 3,000 years old, lives just south of me on the Stanislaus National Forest. The juniper represents my life journey, taking many twists and turns along the way but staying true to myself and never compromising my integrity. Each tree has its own unique character, shaped by the elements it has faced, similar to the journey each of us takes.
Rebecca Davidson, Director, Southern Rockies Region Joshua Tree I love the Joshua tree for its largerthan-life, Dr. Suess-like stature, its dreamy desert presence, and its surprisingly beautiful bloom emanating from sharply spiked limbs pointing skyward. A “romantic,” it is loved by a sole pollinator, the small pale yucca moth. I appreciate this desert tree’s toughness, a respectable figure among all the desert plants. With serenity and patience it waits for that little moth. With humor, it throws its silly arms up to the sky.
Ray Foote, Executive Vice President Southern Live Oak I resonate with this majestic tree. My parents planted one in our front yard in 1947, and it grew strong, tall, and wide enough to provide a climbing tree for my Louisiana childhood (I always go see it when I go home). The southern live oak bends and sways through hurricanes, providing an example of resiliency in even the worst storms. I also like how its branches harbor and support other plants like moss, ferns, and mistletoe.
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voices from the forest
Luba Mullen, Associate Director, Development White Oak Everything in a white oak tree speaks of its strength. Growing in a rounded shape, the mighty oak can be as wide as it is tall. Its wood is tough, and the high level of tannin keeps away insects. Its leaves are broad and leathery-like. However, its root system is what’s the most important and impressive, totaling hundreds of miles in a mature tree. Strength of character that white oaks represents is what I admire in people.
Mary Mitsos, President Western Larch I’m a big fan of larch trees. Each fall, they add a welcome splash of bright yellow color which dramatically paints the mountains in the West. As one of the few deciduous conifer species, larch trees lose their needles only to grow them back in the spring in a magnificent bright green.
C O R P O R AT E PA R T N E R Blount International’s support of the NFF has bolstered our tree-planting program and helped international scholars learn from the forestry experts here in the U.S. through scholarships. Together, we’re making the world’s forests healthier.
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Your National Forests
Emily Olsen, Colorado Program Manager Dogwood The dogwood’s cheerful blossoms proclaim each year that winter is over, and spring is really here. I also admire the dogwood for its physical traits beyond its flowers and beauty: The dogwood is a durable, sturdy tree with wide utility and many historical uses. Symbolically, the dogwood speaks to my appreciation of compassion and kindness; Cherokee legend says the “Dogwood People” lived in dogwood forests and believed in benevolence as a kind of magic.
voices from the forest
Marcus Selig, Vice Emily Struss, NFF Event President, Field Programs Planner and Coordinator
Wes Swaffar, Director, Ecosystem Services
Downy Serviceberry
Quaking Aspen
Subalpine Fir
Downy serviceberry is an exemplary tree. With its slender twigs, perfectly shaped simple leaves, beautiful white flowers, and smooth bark, it’s not only aesthetically pleasing but also a provider for our forests. The small tree is versatile, growing on wet or dry sites, in shade or sun. Its native range spans much of our country. The tree also gives back to the ecosystems it depends on, feeding more than 40 species of birds and numerous small mammals with its reddish purple berries. Much like me, this tree benefits from the National Forests where it grows; but, more importantly, it serves those lands.
I love aspen. From their beautiful leaves and their practical bark (Mother Nature’s sunscreen), to being one of the largest continual organisms because of their root structures, I can’t get enough of them! My favorite time to admire them is the fall when the leaves turn golden; the contrast with their white bark is just beautiful.
I identify with the subalpine fir because it is only found in Western landscapes. And although I love high mountain peaks, I do best at or below tree line because I don’t like to be too exposed, and I still find comfort in the forest.
C O R P O R AT E PA R T N E R The NFF is proud to salute Southwest Airlines for its ongoing support of our mission. Whether providing complimentary flights for staff’s work travel or sharing content about the National Forests, Southwest Airline’s support makes a meaningful difference for our forests.
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where in the woods Nearly one-quarter of this Midwestern National Forest is designated Wilderness. Answer from page 3: Superior National Forest
Visitors to the Superior might see eagles, deer, black bear and if they’re really lucky, a gray wolf. Approximately 300-400 wolves roam within the Superior National Forest. But even with bountiful wildlife, it’s the paddling that draws visitors from around the country. Covering nearly a quarter of the Forest, the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness features 1,500 miles of canoe routes and more than 1,000 lakes, not to mention renowned sunsets and tranquility. Due to the popularity of the Boundary Waters, you’ll want to plan months ahead for your permit. And don’t forget some bug spray!
C O R P O R AT E PA R T N E R The NFF is excited to work with REI again in 2018 to improve National Forest rivers, trails and campgrounds across the country. We are also proud to engage REI members in volunteer and other events. Thanks REI and your members for your incredible support.
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Your National Forests
Photo: Thomas Spence
C
overing nearly four million acres of forest and waterways, Minnesota’s Superior National Forest hugs the shoreline of Lake Superior and the Canadian border.
Coca-Cola Company Honored by the National Forest Foundation Following the Station Fire of 2009, the invasive species, arundo, took hold on the Angeles National Forest. A resilient species, arundo consumes five times more water than native vegetation in a National Forest that provides more than a third of Los Angeles’ drinking water. With support from the Coca-Cola Company, the National Forest Foundation has worked with the U.S. Forest Service and partners to remove 131 acres of arundo, replenishing millions of gallons of water back to the Forest and community. That’s the sort of commitment to watersheds the NFF honored on November 29 in New York City. We thank everyone who made that evening— and all of the NFF’s ongoing conservation work— a tremendous success. DINNER CHAIRS Craig R. Barrett Retired CEO/Board Chairman Intel Corporation
Harris Diamond Chairman and CEO McCann Worldgroup
David Bell Senior Advisor Oath
Timothy J. Donahue President and CEO Crown Holdings, Inc.
Coleman Burke President Waterfront Properties
Brian Z. France CEO NASCAR Joan and Robert Feitler
Sirius Fund Daryl Lee Global CEO UM David Luhr Global President Wieden+Kennedy Steve Voorhees CEO WestRock
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