Recent Forestry News

Historical Landscape of James Monroe’s Highland

Historical Landscape of James Monroe’s Highland

February 26, 2021 - Property managers at James Monroe’s Highland recently conducted preservation work on the estate’s tree canopy using cost-share funding from the Virginia Department of Forestry (DOF). With more than 100 ash trees on the property, Highland has not been insulated from the effects of the emerald ash borer (EAB)– an invasive pest that damages and eventually kills native ash species. To maintain the overall health of their tree canopy, they’ve removed... Read More

Field Notes: (Hopefully Not) Spotting the Spotted Lanternfly

Field Notes: (Hopefully Not) Spotting the Spotted Lanternfly

February 19, 2021 -   By Katlin Dewitt, Forest Health Specialist The spotted lanternfly is an invasive, sapsucking insect that was first detected in Winchester, Virginia in January 2018. As a pest of many different plants, it poses a threat to many of our native tree species, such as black walnut, maples, cherries, and many more. Additionally, this pest feeds on numerous commercially important plants like grapes, hops, apricots, plums, and apples. As a... Read More

Native Ecosystem Restoration Expanded in Southeastern Virginia

Native Ecosystem Restoration Expanded in Southeastern Virginia

February 16, 2021 - The Virginia Department of Forestry (DOF) and the Meadowview Biological Research Station (MBRS) recently acquired land that expands an existing conservation easement on the Joseph Pines Preserve in Sussex County.  The 196-acre purchase by MBRS increases the preserve property to nearly 428 acres. The easement, donated to DOF by MBRS, includes the entire preserve. “This partnership exemplifies the positive impact of multiple agencies and nonprofit organizations working together with a shared... Read More

Restoring Canopy at Camp Kum-Ba-Yah

Restoring Canopy at Camp Kum-Ba-Yah

February 15, 2021 - The Virginia Department of Forestry (DOF) helped Camp Kum-Ba-Yah give some much-needed care to their campground’s forest. The wooded property in Lynchburg, Virginia is owned and operated by the Lynchburg Covenant Fellowship. Camp Kum-Ba-Yah was founded in 1950 by Reverend Bev Cosby. Along with the camp, the property houses the Church of the Covenant, The Lodge of the Fishermen, Common Grounds Café, and Chrysalis Interfaith Retreat Center. Ash trees on... Read More

Field Notes: Fire Season is Coming - Be Prepared!

Field Notes: Fire Season is Coming – Be Prepared!

February 11, 2021 - By Heather Tuck, DOF Eastern Region Fire Specialist Happy February! As we move into this month, my mind, along with many others at Virginia Department of Forestry (DOF), turns to preparing for the upcoming spring fire season. It may not look like it outside (there are five inches of glorious snow outside my window right now), but we are quickly approaching fire season in Virginia. As a fire program specialist,... Read More

In Memory of Page Hutchinson

In Memory of Page Hutchinson

February 4, 2021 - The Virginia Department of Forestry is mourning the loss of Page Hutchinson, Virginia’s Project Learning Tree Coordinator and member of the DOF family, after she passed away unexpectedly this week. Page was a leader in the environmental education community. Beyond the work she did to build Virginia’s PLT program, Page worked with the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, the Virginia Master Naturalists, and the Virginia Association for Environmental Educators. In... Read More

Field Notes: Catawba Hospital Ford Crossing

Field Notes: Catawba Hospital Ford Crossing

February 2, 2021 - By Chad Austin, Water Quality Engineer, Western Region Members of the western region and water quality team recently installed a GeoWeb ford stream crossing on the Catawba Hospital grounds in Roanoke County. The ford crossing was installed using State Lands funds from a timber sale being conducted by the agency on the hospital’s property. This crossing replaces an extremely undersized culvert crossing that has been a maintenance issue for many... Read More

Field Notes: Ground Truthing Forest Data

Field Notes: Ground Truthing Forest Data

January 22, 2021 - By John Pemberton, DOF FIA Program Manager, and Ryan Hewitt, FIA Specialist When you read facts about Virginia’s forestland, do you ever wonder where this information comes from? In many cases, the source is the Forest Inventory & Analysis (FIA) program. FIA field crews put boots on the ground to collect information such as the number of acres of forestland (approximately 16 million); the most common forest type (upland hardwood,... Read More

Field Notes: January's Least Wanted - English Ivy

Field Notes: January’s Least Wanted – English Ivy

January 19, 2021 - By Ellen Powell, DOF Conservation Education Coordinator A brand new year brings a brand new feature to Field Notes! Each month, one of our posts will introduce one of Virginia’s “least wanted” – an invasive species that’s easy to spot at that time of year. It might be a plant, an insect, or a disease that’s impacting our state’s natural communities. We hope you’ll keep an eye out for the... Read More

A Christmas Present for Stony Creek

A Christmas Present for Stony Creek

January 8, 2021 - The walking track in Sussex County’s Stony Creek Park is a well-used community resource. Citizens use it for exercise, and for years, the Virginia Department of Forestry (DOF) has used it for firefighter pack tests. Walking the open track in the summer heat gave Zach Dowling, Senior Area Forester for DOF’s Waverly work area, an idea. Last summer, Zach mentioned to town council member Mike Moody that shade trees would... Read More