Opportunities to learn about trees, forestry and forest health

Douglas fir killed as a result of beetle attack. Beetle populations increase following fire, blowdown, or harvest as a supply of inner bark becomes more available. Under such circumstances, beetle populations can increase to the point where otherwise healthy trees can be killed. Photo: Robert Van Pelt/DNR.

Do you own forestland? Hope to own a small parcel of it someday? Or just want to learn what goes into owning and caring for a wood lot of your own? DNR and the Washington State University Extension team up next month for a ‘Hands-On Forest Health Workshop’ in Glenwood. The Saturday, May 11, workshop will teach you the indicators of forest health and how to assess your forest’s health risks. You’ll even get out in the woods (rain or shine) for some learning in the field… or woods, to be precise. Course instructors will include entomologists from DNR and WSU, and a DNR forest health specialist. Hurry. These workshops fill up quickly. (Glenwood, Washington is 25 miles northwest of Goldendale, or 32 miles northeast of White Salmon)

Prefer to get your education online? WSU Extension’s ‘Forest Stewardship University’ offers online learning modules designed for forest owners in the Pacific Northwest. The courses are low-cost and you can try out a few free sample modules before purchasing to see if online learning is for you.

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Gain more benefits from your family forest; workshop March 23

Technical assistance is available at the Family Forest Expo.

Washington families who own forestland can get valuable information and expert advice on managing and enhancing their forests at the fourth Family Forest Expo in Auburn.

The Expo is an all-day educational event for forest landowners who cover a variety of forest stewardship topics. There will be several sessions focusing on Eastern Washington forest health issues. Plus, landowners will receive education, technical, and financial resources available.

Whether a novice to family forestry or longtime landowner for many generations, there is something new to learn for everyone who owns forest land in Washington. The Expo will be 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Saturday, March 23, at the Green River Community College.

To register, see the Washington State University Extension flyer for more details.

  

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Our top five posts in January

Here are the five blogs posted in January that drew the most views by Ear to the Ground readers.

Volunteers step up to remodel DNR winter cabin in time for snowmobile season
Using a generous grant from the Washington State Snowmobile Association the Butte Busters Snowmobile Club and Association of Okanogan County Snowmobile Club led the way in a major remodel and update of the Hunters Meadow Cabin in Loomis State Forest in time for snowmobile and hunting seasons… more

‘Twas 313 years ago that the Northwest really, really shook; mega earthquake & tsunami hit on Jan. 26, 1700
And we mean: really shook. An estimated) magnitude 9.0 megathrust earthquake in 1700 on the Cascadia Subduction Zone off the coastlines of Washington, Oregon, Northern California, and British Columbia produced a tsunami that is noted in 18th century Japanese documents… more

DNR will hire seasonal wildland firefighters. Apply online
DNR’s recruitment for Forest Fire Fighter Crew members and Engine Leaders/Squad Boss positions for the 2013 summer season was a popular blog post. Visit the DNR Jobs Page where you can sign up for weekly emails of new job announcements… more

Goldmark keys in on forest health and climate change; begins second term as Commissioner of Public Lands
The complete Inaugural Remarks of Peter Goldmark as presented DNR staff on Wednesday, January 16, 2013, as Goldmark begins his second term as state Commissioner of Public Lands… more

Award honors two of DNR’s finest forest health program employees
The U.S. Forest Service honored DNR employees Aleksandar Dozic, forestry technician, and Glenn Kohler, forest entomologist, with its Regional Forester’s 2012 Team Award for Excellence in Safety and Health for their innovations that reduced flight time required for forest health aerial surveys… more

 

Stop by our Facebook page to comment on these blogs, or suggest topics that you would like to read more about on DNR’s Ear the Ground.

Award honors two of DNR’s finest forest health program employees

Glenn Kohler, forest entomologist, and Aleksandar Dozic, forestry technician, receive the Regional Forester’s 2012 Team Award for Excellence in Safety and Health

Recently, the U.S. Forest Service presented Aleksandar Dozic and Glenn Kohler their Regional Forester’s 2012 Team Award for Excellence in Safety and Health. This award recognized state and federal employees who work on the forest health cooperative annual aerial survey. Such surveys have been conducted in the Pacific Northwest with the cooperation of state and federal partners since 1948 without a serious accident.

The U.S. Forest Service developed this safety program to include many different agencies to work together as a team, in a safe and efficient manner. Aleksandar and Glenn received this safety award for working jointly with U.S. Forest Service and Oregon Department of Forestry.

Together, the team developed the Sketchmapping system that allows surveyors to cover the region in fewer flight hours, thus reducing their exposure to risk. The team has fostered a safe culture for successful survey flights.

Systematic aerial surveys are conducted to identify and report on insect activity, diseases or other disturbances that kill or damage trees on federal, state, tribal and private forests. Trained observers fly slowly at low elevations above millions of acres of forestland each year, recording the damage they observe. It requires excellent planning, cooperation and communication between the observers, pilots and ground support to consider weather conditions, terrain and other factors as they safely and efficiently accomplish their mission. Data are collected by specially trained aerial observers from the USDA Forest Service, Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF), and Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

Glenn Kohler is a forest entomologist who has studied insects like the hemlock woolly adelgid, Douglas-fir tussock moth, and California fivespined Ips beetle. Aleksandar Dozic is a forestry technician who specializes in GIS mapping tools and methods for using aerial survey data.

For over 60 years, aerial surveys have proven to be an efficient and economical way to detect and monitor forest change events over large forested areas. You can learn more about this aerial surveying program from the U.S. Forest Service Fact Sheet, and see the forest health aerial survey video to find out what it’s all about. Each year the major findings of the aerial survey are reported in Washington’s Forest Health Highlights Report.

 

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Goldmark on challenges of climate change to state’s natural resources: ‘Our work is cut out for us’

The forest health crisis affecting tree stands in several Eastern Washington counties, and the negative impact of climate change on Washington State aquatic resources, including Puget Sound and other waterways, were among the points raised by Commissioner of Public Lands Peter Goldmark in his second inaugural remarks last week.

Ocean acidification and Puget Sound: “The marine waters of Puget Sound are becoming more acidic, as are all marine waters around the globe. This acidification is threatening the state’s shellfish industry because more acidic water interferes with normal shellfish growth, particularly at early developmental stages… The effect of acidification on the wild geoduck fishery that we manage is unknown. Many state and tribal and programs depend on the revenue derived from this fishery, so not unlike our forests, careful scientific analysis followed by appropriate management actions must be taken.”

Forest health: “ A changing climate together with insect infestations and overstocked stands have created a forest health crisis that requires swift action…  Forests that have been treated and restored by thinning are more resilient to drought and disease while also being less susceptible to catastrophic fire damage. There is an urgent need to continue this work in the years ahead.”

View video of Commissioner Goldmark’s address to DNR staff on January 16.

Read the full text of Commissioner Goldmark’s address.

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Cherokee Creek project celebrated; opens more stream to salmon

A small but enthusiastic group of Snohomish County residents turned out last week to help celebrate the opening of the Cherokee Creek project under the DNR-administered Family Forest Fish Passage Program. Photo: Tamara Neuffer/Stillaguamish Tribe Natural Resources.

It was every bit as wet and cold as it appears in the photos taken at Cherokee Creek, east of Arlington, last week. But the Coho salmon didn’t care. Nor did those attending an open-house there to celebrate the successful completion of a DNR Family Forest Fish Passage Program-funded project. The project removed a deteriorating metal culvert and replaced it with a new bridge at almost no cost to the private landowners.

The aging and deteriorating culvert was too small to withstand floods, had created an artificial waterfall too high for salmon to get past on their journey upstream, and was interfering with natural stream ecology. In its place now is a steel bridge and an 80-foot section of restored stream channel which allows fish to access more than a mile of productive spawning habitat.

The Stillaguamish Tribe sponsored the Cherokee Creek project which included important tasks such as conducting landowner outreach, collecting habitat data, providing matching project funds, managing the project design, and providing construction oversight, permitting, billing, and grant management.

Projects mean jobs

Mountain Pine Beetle v. California Fivespined Ips: DNR Facebook Fan Gets an Answer

Some of you may have noticed this little beetle gracing our Facebook fan page last week accompanied by the caption, “Chomp, chomp, chomp goes the unsightly, tiny beetle eating away at your ponderosa pines http://is.gd/Un0jyc”

One of our Facebook fans quickly responded to the post with a great question that called us to dig up more info…

Jake wrote: “Is this the same beetle that has ravaged BC forests? Is there a plan to stop it?”

Two of DNR’s forest health experts, Karen and Glenn, bring us the answer:

No. This is not the same beetle species, although they are both “bark beetles” that affect pines.

BC has the “mountain pine beetle”. This beetle is also native to Washington and has always been in our forests. It causes some damage here every year in overcrowded ponderosa pine forests and older lodgepole pine forests. Washington had approximately 165,000 acres with some damage on them recorded in 2012 surveys, which pales in comparison to the millions and millions of acres in BC that have been affected by mountain pine beetle. Those Canadian forests were probably protected for decades by cold temperatures and short growing seasons, then the recent warmer conditions have caused those barriers to fall and the vulnerable trees got killed very quickly. Washington’s forests are mainly protected from this scale of damage because of a more diverse tree species mix.

The beetle referenced in our previous blog (California fivespined Ips) is a different bark beetle species that also attacks pines, primarily ponderosa. This beetle has not previously been known to occur in Washington, although it is considered native to California and Oregon. We’ve detected it as far north as Joint Base Lewis-McChord now. It probably is focused on trees that are weakened by something else like drought or snow-breakage wounds and may be moving north due to a favorable climate. It seems to be mostly confined to ponderosa pines that grow west of the Cascades and in relatively weak trees. Landowners in the Washington Gorge area are working to reduce populations by controlling the amount of dead host material created by fires, storms, etc. that the beetles breed in.

Jake’s question is one that a lot of readers probably have and we’re glad he’s interested. There is more information about many important insects and diseases that affect Washington’s forests (including sections on bark beetles) in DNR’s annual Forest Health Highlights Reports. The 2012 edition is being written now, but previous years’ reports are available. (There’s a list on the left side, about halfway down the main body of the page).

If you haven’t been over to our Facebook fan page yet, go check it out. It provides a great space for you to join the conversation about blogs and issues, as well as ask questions. We read every comment and work to answer your questions in a timely manner. We appreciate your support!

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It’s time to clip, snip, trim, or cut back your conifer trees

The dead surface of this White Pine has blistered, which then created powdery orange rust fungus spores

If you need to prune your conifer trees, December is a good time. You can use the branches for holiday decorating, and the resulting wounds to the tree are less likely to attract wood-boring insects at this time of year than if you pruned in spring or summer.

Not all conifers need pruning, but one tree in particular benefits from this care: the western white pine (Pinus monticola). In addition to protecting the tree from disease, a little pruning will produce those great-looking wreaths and garlands featuring the western white pine’s characteristic long, fragrant needles and pitchy cones.  

Western white pine is a native tree that used to grow throughout much of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and British Columbia, but it has been seriously afflicted by an exotic disease called “white pine blister rust.” The disease, caused by the Eurasian fungus Cronartium ribicola, infects white pine trees when tiny spores enter the needle surface and grow to the twig, then the branch, and then to the trunk of the tree. Tissues affected by the fungus die and, if enough of the trunk’s circumference becomes affected, the whole tree dies. In spring, the dead surfaces blister and emit additional powdery orange rust fungus spores.

Here’s how pruning can help.

Newcomer beetle is not welcome in Washington State

The California fivespined ips is killing ponderosa pines in parts of Washington state.

It’s not a pretty creature, but the young California fivespined Ips (CFI) larvae have found delicious edibles to chomp through in Washington State.

In 2010, this pine engraver beetle was recorded for the first time in Washington State. Native to California and Oregon, the CFI has damaged and killed numerous ponderosa pines in the Columbia River Gorge. It hits them when they’re down on their luck and stressed from drought, storms, or fire damage.

How it starts
The adult male bores its way through the bark of ponderosa pine, creating a mating chamber; usually three adult females come in for a visit (really to mate); each female then lays eggs along the sides of her own tunnel, making the Y-shaped gallery characteristic of CFI. The eggs hatch, and the babies start to nibble on the inner bark as they grow.

The outbreaks of CFI have been found on both banks of the Columbia River near White Salmon and have resulted in unusually high levels of mortality in ponderosa pine. DNR, Washington State University (WSU) Extension, the U.S. Forest Service, and several private landowners have cooperated to monitor the distribution and flight periods of CFI in Washington.

A ghastly close up of the California fivespined Ips

In 2010 and 2011, high numbers of CFI were collected along the Columbia River from White Salmon west to Vancouver. They also have found low numbers of CFI as far north as Lacey and Joint Base Lewis-McChord, west of the Cascades, and at Trout Lake, east of the Cascades.

You can learn more about this unsightly, tiny beetle to make sure your ponderosa pines stay healthy. Early monitoring results were used to produce the 2012 WSU Extension outreach publication: “Pest Watch: California Fivespined Ips – A Pine Engraver Beetle New to Washington State.”

 

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Miss the recent forest health workshops? Not to worry

These trees are showing signs of western spruce budworm defoliation

If you’re a small forest landowner who missed one of DNR’s recent forest health workshops, you can still get assistance to learn how to assess the health of your forest.

First, DNR can help you understand what a Forest Health Hazard Warning means for you and your land, specifically if you have forestland in Okanogan, Ferry, Klickitat, or Yakima counties.

The Commissioner of Public Lands Peter Goldmark issued a Forest Health Hazard Warning to focus attention and action in these counties to address ongoing forest insect infestations.

The two major culprits that are doing most of the damage in Eastern Washington are the western spruce budworm and pine bark beetles. With help from a forester, you can learn how to identify damage from these insects and evaluate your forest risk factors. A forester can help provide you with financial and technical assistance to improve the health of your forest.

To get assistance from a DNR forester, all you need to do is fill out the Forest Health Hazard Warning Landowner Request Form or you call 855-338-8200 (toll free).

Learn how to identify warning signs that affect the health of your forest. Are trees turning red or brown? Do they have other signs of damage? Are trees blown over or broken from recent storms? How do you know if you have damage or not?

Check out the Forest Health Hazard Warning website for more information and resources.