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
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
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
June 2, 2021 - Preparing for Generation NEXT is an award-winning, nationally-recognized educational workshop series for planning your forest’s future. Speakers include legal and financial experts experienced in estate planning, natural resource professionals, and landowners who share their stories about successful estate planning steps and strategies. 2021 Legacy Planning 4-Day Fall Webinar Series (September 8, 9, 15, & 16, 3:00 pm – 4:30 pm) $25/family to access to the recorded Spring series; $35/family to... Read More
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
November 10, 2020 - By Jim Schroering, DOF Longleaf Pine Coordinator, and Ellen Powell, DOF Conservation Education Coordinator Fall is harvest time in Virginia – corn, soybeans, apples, cotton, pine cones … Wait, pine cones? Pine cones, indeed. The 2020 longleaf pine cone crop was harvested at the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation’s (DCR) South Quay Sandhills Natural Area Preserve during the week of October 12 and at the Department of Forestry’s New... Read More
October 20, 2020 - By Scott Bachman, Senior Area Forester, Blackwater Region In the pre-dawn hours, Venus and Mars were the brightest objects in the dark sky, save for the crescent moon that, as the old timers might say, was holding water. The occasional satellite could be seen in its telltale unblinking arc streaking across the inky blackness of space. Suddenly, a shooting star blazed west to east before fading out. Stephen Jasenak and I were... Read More
July 14, 2018 - Virginia’s forestland is a valuable asset to society, providing clean air and water, wildlife habitat, recreation opportunities and renewable wood resources for all Virginians. Because almost two-thirds of Virginia’s woods are owned by private individuals, the decisions they make for their land can have far reaching impacts on the sustainability of Virginia’s forests. One of the biggest challenges that Virginia’s landowners face is how to pass the family forest on... Read More
