Evidence of a healthy national economy may be found in the strength of the timber industry.
Forestry is a billion-dollar industry in Mississippi and the state's second-largest agricultural commodity. A depressed national economy in recent years had negative impacts on housing construction and furniture manufacturing, which hurt the for...
Mississippi State University professor Donald Grebner is the lead author on a new forestry and natural resources textbook.
Introduction to Forestry and Natural Resources provides a general overview of the forestry and natural resources profession, as well as the history of forestry, landowner objectives, forest disturbances, ecosystem ...
The arrival of spring means outdoor chores are at the top of the to-do list for homeowners. But outdoor burning, coupled with the season's weather conditions, raises the risk of wildfire for Mississippians.
Don Bales, senior Extension associate with the Mississippi State University Extension Service and the MSU Forest and Wildlife Rese...
Even though Nobel Prize winning Kenyan activist Wangari Maathai died in 2011, an international legacy of social and environmental justice she started is alive and well today.
At Mississippi State, her memoir, "Unbowed (Anchor, 2007), is this year's selection for the Maroon Edition common freshman reading experience. In addition to read...
Experts at Mississippi State University recommend that those planting trees this Arbor Day do their homework before getting started.
"Most people see a tree they like and decide that they want to have one in their yard, but that is really not the way to decide what kind of tree to plant," said John Kushla, an associate Extens...
An air quality-enhancing event dating back to the 1880s will be celebrated Friday [Feb. 8] on the Mississippi State campus.
Beginning at 1:30 p.m. and open to all, students in the university’s Society of American Foresters chapter formally will recognize Arbor Day 2013 with the planting of a tree donated by the Oktibbeha County C...
An 8 percent increase in a billion-dollar industry is significant, but timber still fell from its long-held second place spot on Mississippi's agricultural commodity list.
James Henderson, assistant forestry professor with Mississippi State University's Extension Service, is estimating the 2012 value of Mississippi forest products to b...
Christmas tree growers were thinking about the holidays when Hurricane Isaac made landfall Aug. 28, knowing the winds and rains would bring additional work before trees would be ready for the 2012 harvest.
Stephen Dicke, Extension forestry professor at Mississippi State University's Central Mississippi Research and Extension Center in ...
The Mississippi State University Extension Service recently gained national recognition for a program designed to protect the state’s timberlands from an insect pest.
The Mississippi Southern Pine Beetle Prevention Program received the 2012 Family Forests Education Award at the Society of American Foresters’ national conven...
Seeing the forest and the trees is a lot easier with software developed by scientists at Mississippi State University.
Researchers at MSU's Forest and Wildlife Research Center have created the Mississippi Forest Monitoring and Information System, a forest inventory and information system that combines satellite remote sensing data and ...
Mississippians can see footage of the West’s wildfires nearly every day, but many could be surprised to learn that their own state averages more than 600 wildfires a year. With urban sprawl infringing on the state’s forests, the fire risk is growing.
"Wildfires don’t get much attention here because we aren’...
A forest and wildlife management specialist at Mississippi State University has been named the national Extension Forester of the Year by the Forest Landowners Association.
Don Bales of Purvis, a senior Extension associate in MSU’s College of Forest Resources and certified wildlife biologist, received the honor at the organizatio...
When the head of Mississippi State’s Institute of Golf needed the right trees to improve playability and course safety, he had only to travel a short distance to the university’s College of Forest Resources.
Tony Luczak, a Professional Golfers Association member who has directed the golf institute for four years, said he kn...
A storm-resistant landscape design and consistent tree health monitoring can save cities and property owners time and money.
"Well-designed landscapes are easier to maintain and reduce the risk of damage from a fallen tree or limb," said John Kushla, a Mississippi State University Extension Service forestry specialist and ass...
More than 200 Boy Scouts in the Andrew Jackson Council met at Hood Boy Scout Camp in Hazlehurst Feb. 11 for a workshop to help them earn their forestry merit badge.
Instructors from the Mississippi State University Extension Service, Mississippi Forestry Commission, Mississippi Forestry Association and Weyerhaeuser Company taught the s...
Producing and using alternative energy is more important now than ever before, and scientists at Mississippi State University are focusing on timber as a possible source for energy.
"Whether you buy into the idea of climate change or not, we are all interested in protecting the environment," said Randy Rousseau, a forestry res...
The Mississippi State University Extension Service will offer timber tax workshops Feb. 28 in Raymond, March 1 in Coffeeville and March 29 in Oxford.
Landowners, certified accountants, consulting foresters and loggers are invited to participate in the Income Taxes and Family Forest short course. Topics include changes to capital gains ...
Kudzu can grow a foot per day, and today it covers nearly seven million acres in the South.
Now listed as a federal noxious weed, kudzu was imported to prevent soil erosion and to feed livestock. The semi-woody plant covers large tracts of land from eastern Texas to the East Coast and as far north as Maryland. Kudzu climbs, covers and ...
Each year, many Mississippians must decide whether to buy a live or an artificial tree to celebrate the Christmas season.
John Kushla, Mississippi State University Extension forestry specialist at the North Mississippi Research and Extension Center, said artificial trees are usually less expensive than real trees and can last for many ...
A biomass and bioenergy short course for local government officials, businesses, landowners, foresters and loggers will be held on Dec. 8.
Experts from Mississippi State University’s Extension Service, the university&rsquo's Forest and Willdlife Research Center, and the Mississippi Technology Alliance will share information about...
In a quest to identify economically and agriculturally sustainable biofuels to reduce dependence on foreign energy suppliers, U.S. scientists and engineers constantly are identifying methods of converting biomass into biofuel products.
According to scientists at Mississippi State, much research also is ongoing with a focus on the most ...
Freshness is the key to quality Christmas trees, and with choose-and-cut Christmas tree farms scattered across the state, all Mississippians can get a great tree every year.
John Kushla, forestry specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service at the North Mississippi Research and Extension Center in Verona, said loc...
Mississippi State’s student chapter of the Society of American Foresters is once again the best in the nation. The chapter competed with 75 chapters nationally for the recognition.
This is not the first national championship win for the 28-member organization, placing in the top three over the last 11 years.
Led by MSU ...
Pine beetles are a threat when trees are stressed, but a cost-share program can help Mississippi private forest landowners keep trees healthy.
Andy Londo, professor in MSU's Forest and Wildlife Research Center, said proactive management activities, such as periodic thinning, can increase overall forest health and reduce the threat of a...
The tornadoes that ripped through Mississippi this April damaged about 74,000 acres of forestland in 22 counties, racking up timber losses of more than $30 million. Most of that timber was uninsured, but the results of a survey conducted by Mississippi State University may help change that trend.
Steve Bullard was one of those uninsur...
It’s not the heat or drought but the economy, specifically poor housing starts, that are causing grief for Mississippi’s forestry industry in 2011.
James Henderson, forestry economist and management specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said the slow economy is hurting the industry.
&...
With most of the state needing rain and south Mississippi under exceptional drought, landowners are watching as their trees deal with stress.
Glenn Hughes, forestry professor with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said dead or dying trees, both pine and hardwood, are becoming a common sight in south Mississippi. This ...
Financial incentives for property owners to plant and manage their lands for timber production have been around since the 1930s, but many private landowners in Mississippi do not know about them.
These incentives, called cost-share programs, were developed to offset the initial costs for site preparation, tree planting and forest stand...
The overflowing Mississippi River is threatening the Delta’s trees, but with the proper care and maintenance, many can and will recover.
The Delta’s forests are exclusively bottomland hardwood, and the trees range from tolerant to very intolerant to flooding. For example, baldcypresses generally fare better than white oaks ...
A major international venue for presenting and discussing new research developments in tree genetics and biotechnology will be held June 13-16 in Biloxi.
The 2011 Southern Forest Tree Improvement Conference is being organized by Mississippi State University’s forestry department and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Fore...
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