July 6, 2022 - By Ken Sterner, DOF Senior Area Forester, and Josh Bennicoff, DOF Nursery Manager In eastern Mathews County, on the Chesapeake Bay, near the community of Diggs, sits a patch of woodland called “Old House Woods.” It is probably one of the most haunted places in Virginia, the subject of legends and spooky tales. Numerous locals claim to have seen ghost ships floating overhead, ghosts of British Revolutionary War soldiers digging... Read More
June 11, 2020 - The results are in, and the 2019 annual Silviculture Best Management Practices (BMP) Implementation Monitoring Report shows that the logging industry and timberland owners continue to excel at protecting Virginia’s water resources. Forests are essential to clean, healthy drinking water and watersheds, and sustainably-managed forests are the most effective land cover for protecting water quality. Forests improve air quality, provide wildlife habitat, and supply clean water, all while producing the... Read More
December 21, 2018 - by Forester Lisa Deaton Surprises We expect to see Christmas trees at Christmas tree farms, but this decorated eastern red cedar is located on the edge of a 2-year old pine plantation. On a recent rainy day, the bald eagle below appeared to be hunting in a clearcut. One of my favorite things about this time of year on the Middle Peninsula is hearing the tundra swans fly overhead. A... Read More
July 2, 2018 - by DOF Senior Area Forester Scott Bachman An SMZ or streamside management zone, also known as a riparian buffer, is an area along a stream or creek (or a river if you have one in your back yard!). In forestry this SMZ is commonly wooded (grass buffers can be very important in agriculture areas). During a timber harvest the DOF encourages all landowners to retain at minimum 50 percent of... Read More
December 27, 2017 - by Area Forester Lisa Deaton Creek Treasures An important skill for foresters is hopping across creeks without falling in, especially during cold weather. Last week, I was mapping creeks alongside a cutover to assist a landowner with a Riparian Buffer Tax Credit application. Wooded buffers along streams, rivers and the Chesapeake Bay are called riparian forests and help protect our water quality. Virginia landowners can receive a tax credit for... Read More
