CFR News All Stories


Timber markets offer hope, caution

Mississippi’s timber owners are keeping a close watch on the national housing market with hopes that the worst economic times are behind them.

"Recovery in the U.S. housing market is key to Mississippi’s sawtimber markets, and it appears that the beginnings of a recovery are emerging," said James Henderson, forest...

9/11/2009

MSU team removes invasive plants, boosts Delta lake use

The lakes of the Mississippi Delta offer numerous recreational uses throughout the year. However, too many invasive aquatic plant species can create a less-than-optimal environment for fish and people.

A project in Mississippi State University’s Forest and Wildlife Research Center is looking at two different management practices ...

9/10/2009

Workshop will address wood’s characteristics

Architects, managers, landowners and others with an interest wood and wood products can learn about the many facets of wood in a Nov. 4 workshop in Starkville.

Mississippi State University’s Extension Service is offering the workshop from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. in the Franklin Center, located off of Blackjack Road.

Thr...

9/10/2009

State’s forestry industry continues to thrive

Although the economy is sluggish throughout the country, a new study shows Mississippi’s forestry industry is staying strong.

Forestry production ranks second in the state, behind poultry, generating $1.08 billion in revenue in 2008 and providing $17.37 billion to the state’s bottom line. A recent Mississippi State Univers...

9/10/2009

MSU prof assists with storm water planning in neighboring state

Extreme storm events striking large municipalities often create challenges for quickly moving accumulated rainwater away from business and residential areas, as well as high-traffic thoroughfares.

Such was the case for Jonesboro, Ark., whose 300-plus miles of ditches often swelled to overflowing during heavy storms. To address the issu...

9/2/2009

U.S. forest managers embrace ’green living‘

What can be "greener" than Mississippi forests? Find the answer when Mississippi forests and their products are managed with all of the environment’s best interests in mind.

Glenn Hughes, Extension forestry professor at Mississippi State University’s College of Forest Resources, said a growing number of wood produ...

8/28/2009

New MSU-NSF effort seeks to better understand tree reproduction

A Mississippi State forestry faculty member is receiving $500,000 from the National Science Foundation to gain a better understanding of how trees initiate sexual reproduction.

Assistant professor Cetin Yuceer of the university’s Forest and Wildlife Research Center is being honored with a 2009 NSF Early Career Development Award. ...

8/27/2009

Conservation camps transform science into fun family activity

Families that do not venture outside miss what the outdoors can teach them about conservation and natural resource management, but Mississippi State University offers a summer camp series that combines fun and excitement with science and career exploration.

As a nation, many Americans are losing touch with the outdoors because electr...

8/27/2009

Oktibbeha County 4H wildlife judging team takes third place at national competition

Four Oktibbeha County high school students recently placed third in the 4H National Wildlife Habitat Evaluation Program (WHEP) Contest, held in Zwolle, LA.

WHEP is a 4-H youth natural resource program dedicated to teaching wildlife and fisheries habitat management to junior and senior level (ages 8-19) youth in the United States. Partici...

8/26/2009

2009 Dove Field Demonstration Set for Kilmichael

Landowners, managers and others will have the opportunity to learn how to plant and manage dove food plots at the 2009 Dove Food Plot Demonstration and Field Day.

The August 29 event is perfect timing for the September 5 opening day. Held in Kilmichael, the event is free and open to the public and begins at 9:00 a.m. Instruction on p...

8/25/2009

Carbon credits for trees can offer extra income

Mississippians with timberland in production are looking at carbon as a new source of income, and they are learning to manage their land for the most profit while participating in efforts to lower greenhouse gas levels.

Carbon dioxide, or CO2, often called simply carbon, is one of several chemical compounds known today as gr...

7/30/2009

Caught in the middle: Slumping building industry has MSU wood-products group at crossroads

The Dispatch

Dan Seale has been developing TimTek for six years now, and the engineered wood process has evolved the way a good cookie recipe emerges.

In the last three years, though, people just haven’t been building houses as often as they used to, causing would-be demand for the product to slump.

"...

7/30/2009

Cropping method holds potential for cattle, trees

It is common in Mississippi to see cattle grazing in pastures surrounded by trees, but researchers at Mississippi State University are looking into the feasibility of bringing it all into one field.

The goal of silvopasture systems is to use space and the growing season more effectively by combining trees or shrubs with forage and live...

7/16/2009

Ducks Unlimited Honors Mississippi Heroes Of Conservation

Ducks Unlimited will recognize eight Mississippians for their individual conservation commitments in Jackson, Miss., August 1.

The Heroes of Conservation evening, including; dinner, honors presentation, conservation program presentations and an auction, will be held at the Hilton of Jackson.

Event honorees include:

  • B...


    Artificial reefs may help restore red snapper stocks

    The red snapper has proven to be an economically and culturally important fish species, but their numbers are declining throughout the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic.

    To help address this problem, Mississippi State University scientists, in collaboration with the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources, are examining how artificial...


    Climate change legislation workshop set for July

    Carbon trading has been around for about a decade, but with the increasing global concern regarding climate change, it is receiving even more attention.

    Forest landowners have the potential to generate additional income by using their forest for carbon sequestration, a method providing long-term storage of carbon dioxide.

    A J...

    6/18/2009

    Grassy habitats improve fisheries

    Many anglers have long lived by the motto "grass equals bass," and for a bass fisherman, there is nothing more thrilling than pulling a spinner-bait along a weed edge and getting a strike.

    This simple motto is being investigated by researchers who say that the right type of vegetation in lakes and reservoirs can improve fishi...


    Interconnections = stability for state, national forest industry

    As links in a chain provide support and stability, so can "business clusters" for the forest products industry, according to a new report by Mississippi State's Forest and Wildlife Research Center.

    A cluster is a group of businesses and institutions in close proximity whose products or services are interconnected through valu...

    6/11/2009

    Workshops teach how to manage land for deer

    Each year some 300,000 Mississippi hunters take to the woods in search of white-tailed deer. Before opening day, landowners and hunters spend hours preparing their properties and equipment for the hunting season.

    A workshop sponsored by Mississippi State University’s Extension Service and Forest and Wildlife Research Center, and ...


    MSU graduate students sweep state bioproducts competition

    Three Mississippi State graduate students are top winners in the visual display category of the eighth annual Southern BioProducts and Renewable Energy Conference.

    Ambarish Acharya received first place for his research on supply chain designs for cellulosic ethanol in Mississippi. A doctoral student in industrial and systems engineeri...

    6/9/2009

    New MSU book prescribes habitat management in unlikely places

    A new book by two Mississippi State faculty members is examining more than a half-century of research on wildlife habitat enhancement techniques used for areas often given little or no consideration.

    "Wildlife Habitat Management for Special Use Areas" by wildlife biology professor emeritus Dale H. Arner and wildlife and fishe...


    Coast replant efforts hope for quick impact

    It took less than 24 hours for Hurricane Katrina to destroy nearly 1.3 million trees in South Mississippi landscapes, and those trying to replant are hoping to restore the tree-filled skyline as quickly as possible.

    The Land Trust for the Mississippi Coastal Plain and the Sun Herald joined forces in February 2006 to create the Replant So...

    5/21/2009

    Mesocosm bridges study gap between lake and laboratory

    Aquatic researchers at Mississippi State University study the natural mechanisms at work in lake ecosystems so they can find better ways to manage habitats, but large bodies of water do not always make good laboratories.

    Different lakes can have different sets of variables and environmental conditions that influence an outdoor study. S...


    Invasive plant control may affect lake health

    Some scientists researching invasive water plants look at the direct effects of these plants and others assess different control methods.

    Mississippi State University graduate student Erica Schlickeisen wanted to know about the indirect and sometimes unanticipated effects invasive plants have on water quality and microbial activity.


    Workshop explores wild hog problems

    Wild hogs make pigs of themselves when rooting through crops and young forests, leaving behind a wide swath of damage and economic loss.

    Producers and wildlife managers who deal with this problem can get help by attending a wild hog workshop sponsored by the Mississippi State University Extension Service; the Mississippi Department of ...


    Furniture forum to showcase resources

    Mississippi State&rsquos Franklin Furniture Institute is inviting state furniture manufacturers, suppliers, retailers, and others to campus May 14 to learn more about numerous university resources and services available to them.

    Taking place 8:00-4:30 p.m. at the Franklin Center, the program will include representatives from the colleges...

    4/28/2009

    MSU forest resource major wins in regional competition

    A doctoral student in Mississippi State’s College of Forest Resources is a top research winner in recent regional competition.

    Stephen L. Webb finished in second place at the 32nd Southeast Deer Study Group Meeting for his presentation "Movement patterns of white-tailed deer related to moon phase and weather." He is spe...


    Conservation biologist to lead 2009 MSU Carlton lecture

    The University of Maine’s Libra Professor of Conservation Biology will be featured Tuesday [April 14] as part of the university’s ongoing Carlton N. Owen Lecture Series.

    Malcolm L. Hunter Jr. is recognized internationally for his primary research on forest ecosystems and the maintenance of their biological diversity. To beg...

    4/8/2009

    Student wildlife researcher named 12th Goldwater Scholar at MSU

    A senior wildlife and fisheries major at Mississippi State is a new national Barry M. Goldwater Scholar.

    Mitchell D. "Mitch" Weegman of Winona, Minn., is among nearly 280 university students being honored this year with the official U.S. tribute to the late former Arizona Republican senator and prominent American statesman.


    Butterflies benefit from agricultural buffers

    Scientists at Mississippi State University’s Forest and Wildlife Research Center are researching ways in which farmers, through the use of conservation buffers, can help keep butterfly habitats safe and healthy.

    Floating across the air effortlessly, butterflies flutter from flower to flower, providing scientists with a glimpse of...


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