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Group of adults and children gathered around planted tree at community event

Urban Trees “Releave” the Heat

January 28, 2022 - By Eli Podyma, DOF Community Forester  A large part of my work as a community forester involves collaborating with local non-profit organizations to protect and enhance the urban forest canopy. One of these organizations, Southside Releaf, was recently featured on an episode of Virginia Homegrown, speaking about their mission to build a healthy, equitable, and sustainable environment for all South Richmond residents. Sheri Shannon, co-founder of Southside Releaf, mentioned partnering... Read More

Virginia Master Naturalist program logo featuring yellow tiger swallowtail butterfly on white background

A Natural Partnership

January 25, 2022 - By Ellen Powell, DOF Conservation Education Coordinator This is a tale of partnership, program creation, and a great idea brought to life. Early in 2004, Dr. Jeff Kirwan of Virginia Tech heard about a new volunteer program that had taken root in several states – one with enormous potential benefit for Virginia’s natural resources. In a matter of weeks, he pulled together a group of seven motivated worker bees and... Read More

A garden rake resting against a wooden fence surrounded by fallen leaves

Praise for Fallen Leaves

December 15, 2021 - By Ellen Powell, DOF Conservation Education Coordinator  December is here – time to look forward to gifts, family visits, amazing food, and some welcome time off work. Raking leaves doesn’t rank very high on the December fun meter. But think of those fallen leaves as free mulch, there for the taking in this season of spending. Maybe you think of mulch as the chopped wood chips or bark that comes... Read More

Man in a tuxedo smiling in front of an American flag

In Memory of Joe Schaefer

December 7, 2021 - By Janet Muncy, integrated media manager The Virginia Department of Forestry mourns the loss of a member of the DOF family, Joseph (Joe) W. Schaefer, assets and infrastructure manager, who passed away October 23, 2021. A retired U.S. Air Force veteran of 21 years, Joe had a vast military background that took him around the world before he settled here in Virginia and began his career with DOF in February... Read More

Family pulling a freshly cut Christmas tree on a cart through a snowy tree farm

The Benefits of a Live Christmas Tree

December 3, 2021 - By Cory Swift, Communications Specialist Updated Dec 8, 2024 — Every holiday season, thousands of Virginians carry on a family tradition by loading up in their car and driving to one of the state’s nearly 500 Christmas tree farms, to find the tree that will be the centerpiece of their Christmas decorating. Whether you are selecting a pre-cut tree, or cutting one down yourself, there is something exciting about finding... Read More

Close-up of a woodpecker clinging to the rough bark of a tree trunk

Woodpecker Attends New Employee Orientation

November 15, 2021 - By Scott Bachman, DOF Senior Area Forester Several weeks ago, the Virginia Department of Forestry (DOF) Eastern Region had the opportunity to show off our work for the agency’s most recently hired employees, during their orientation tour. A group of our region’s staff – Heather Dowling, Jeremey Falkenau, Bryant Bays, Lisa Burke, Brenda Clarke and I – collaborated to come up with several days of activities that we hoped would... Read More

An image of house with a water filter applied and text that says Can Trees Save a Sinking Island?

Can Trees Save a Sinking Island?

November 10, 2021 - By Cory Swift-Turner, Public Information Specialist  — Tangier Island is known for its soft-shell crabs and the unique lifestyle of its residents. But the very body of water that sustains the community is also threatening to swallow it. As ocean levels rise, coastal communities across Virginia are facing new challenges from storm-driven erosion, nuisance flooding, and tides that creep in further each year. Island communities such as Tangier, located 12... Read More

A narrow dirt hiking trail winding through a hardwood forest

A Walk at Whitney

October 13, 2021 - By Ellen Powell, Conservation Education Coordinator Last week I took a hike at Whitney State Forest, located in Fauquier County, just south of Warrenton. I was a little early for brilliant fall colors, but right on time for another kind of “fall.” There were loads of nuts on the ground, one of the hallmarks of autumn in a Piedmont oak-hickory forest. Known in wildlife circles as hard mast, nuts provide... Read More

Close-up of a vine with clusters of small blue and purple berries among green leaves

The Vine That Ate Charlottesville

September 29, 2021 - By Ellen Powell, DOF Conservation Education Coordinator  I know what you’re thinking. But no, the vine that ate Charlottesville isn’t kudzu. It’s porcelain-berry (Ampelopsis brevipedunculata). You might know this species as an ornamental vine, often seen spilling over pergolas in fancy gardens. It’s great for covering a bare patch of ground or an unsightly old shed. The fruits are quite beautiful, with pale green, lavender, magenta, and blue berries often... Read More

Tree branches heavy with apples against a blue sky

Old-Timey Apples

September 21, 2021 - By Zach Olinger, DOF Forest Management and Education Specialist The property that is now the Matthews State Forest was donated to the Commonwealth by the late Judge Jack Matthews and his wife, Clare. Judge Matthews had varying interests that helped lead him to the decision to donate his land to the Department of Forestry. Among these were the American chestnut, all types of native wildlife, educating youngsters about conservation, and... Read More