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Legacy of the Lakes: How depth defines lakes in the Delta

Legacy of the Lakes: How depth defines lakes in the Delta

The hundreds of floodplain lakes that dot the landscape of the Mississippi Alluvial Plain between Cairo, Illinois and Baton Rouge, Louisiana tell a story that spans the ages. These lakes were created by the meandering of prehistoric river systems, the Mississippi River, and other contemporary rivers that flow through the valley to join the Mississippi River. While rich in legacy, lakes also serve as a water source for Delta farmers. Forest and...


MSU celebrates Arbor Day with annual campus tree planting

MSU celebrates Arbor Day with annual campus tree planting

Mississippi State faculty, staff and students commemorated Arbor Day on Friday [Feb. 7] by planting trees along Hail State Boulevard.

The eighth annual event took place a week prior to Mississippi's Arbor Day observance, which occurs the second Friday in February. Nationally, Arbor Day is in April, but southern states celebrate earlier to ensure a better survival rate for newly planted trees.

Seedlings planted include loblo...

2/10/2020

Bend, Break, Evaluate

Bend, Break, Evaluate

Timber is a multibillion dollar industry. Forestry is the number two leading commodity in the state of Mississippi generating nearly $1.2 billion in timber harvesting last year alone. Scientists in the Forest and Wildlife Research Center have completed a five year study to help increase the value of southern forests.

"Wood is the most important source of housing in the U.S. and the U.S. South is the most viable and sustainable, and la...

2/5/2020

From the Ground Up: MSU wildlife researchers use UAVs to help conserve bird species, habitats

From the Ground Up: MSU wildlife researchers use UAVs to help conserve bird species, habitats

Unmanned aerial vehicles are taking flight to aid Mississippi State researchers in a quest to improve grassland bird conservation, safeguarding the storied feathered vertebrates that are nationally in decline.

UAVs are assisting MSU researchers in the university's Forest and Wildlife Research Center in detecting quail coveys. The new method for estimating bird population also provides a faster, more accurate and less disruptive way t...


One-of-a-kind toad born through MSU pioneering technology that's saving threatened species

One-of-a-kind toad born through MSU pioneering technology that's saving threatened species

A Mississippi State University partnership with the Fort Worth Zoo has hatched the first of more than 30 metamorphosed toadlets produced through in vitro fertilization.

A Puerto Rican crested toad named Olaf, hatched at the Fort Worth Zoo this year, is what one might call a work of art. ART, or assisted reproductive technologies, developed by scientists in the university's Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station and the ...


MSU's Kevin Hunt named Sharp Professor of Human Dimensions

MSU's Kevin Hunt named Sharp Professor of Human Dimensions

The College of Forest Resources at Mississippi State University is honoring a wildlife, fisheries and aquaculture faculty member with the esteemed Sharp Professorship.

"We congratulate Dr. Kevin Hunt on this great honor," said George Hopper, dean of the College of Forest Resources and director of the Forest and Wildlife Research Center. "For nearly 20 years, Dr. Hunt's research in human dimensions as it pertains to wildlife has helpe...


MSU's College of Forest Resources recognizes excellence in faculty, staff

MSU's College of Forest Resources recognizes excellence in faculty, staff

Mississippi State's College of Forest Resources recently recognized outstanding achievements of faculty and staff during an annual awards ceremony.

George Hopper, dean of the College of Forest Resources and director of the Forest and Wildlife Research Center, praised this year's honorees for their commitment to advancing natural resource utilization and conservation, and further positioning MSU as a national leader in the field.

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12/13/2019

MSU forestry students again garner national accolade

MSU forestry students again garner national accolade

Mississippi State's student chapter of the Society of American Foresters again is claiming a top honor in the national Outstanding Student Chapter competition, a feat accomplished by the organization for more than two decades.

This year, the MSU organization is being recognized as the first-place chapter with officers of the 26-member group recently traveling to Louisville, Kentucky, to accept the honor at the annual SAF convention.<...

11/18/2019

Renowned wildlife geneticist to present Carlton N. Owen seminar at MSU next week

Renowned wildlife geneticist to present Carlton N. Owen seminar at MSU next week

A conservation and landscape genetics pioneer is this year's guest for Mississippi State's 2019 Carlton N. Owen Lecture Series.

Lisette P. Waits will lead the Friday [Nov. 22] public program titled "Genetic monitoring of wildlife for conservation and management—examples from rabbits and large carnivores." Her presentation begins at 10 a.m. in Thompson Hall's Tully Auditorium.

Waits is a distinguished professor and hea...

11/14/2019

Hardwoods Ablaze: FWRC research finds prescribed fire is good for upland oaks

Hardwoods Ablaze: FWRC research finds prescribed fire is good for upland oaks

When we think of wildfires, images of acres of upland forests ablaze out West may come to mind, however, fires happen each year at home in Mississippi. In 2017, there were 2,318 wildfires which threatened 4,441 structures and burned 33,574 acres across the Magnolia State. But prescribed fires, which are intentionally set under relatively controlled conditions to achieve specific forest management objectives, also burned another 38,826 acres.

10/9/2019

MSU collaborates on $3.9 million NOAA grant to help Gulf Coast birds, conserve biodiversity

MSU collaborates on $3.9 million NOAA grant to help Gulf Coast birds, conserve biodiversity

Mississippi State University scientists are receiving a five-year, $3.9 million grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's RESTORE Science Program to increase understanding of how birds use the Gulf of Mexico, helping resource managers improve habitat for coastal species.

The MSU-led group is one of only four teams of researchers and resource managers from across 20 institutions including universities, federal and s...


MSU researchers make surprising wolf diet discovery, highlight ecosystem complexities

MSU researchers make surprising wolf diet discovery, highlight ecosystem complexities

Mississippi State University researchers are shifting commonly held ideas about the diet of grey wolves in a newly published article gaining national attention.

Published in the scientific journal "Ecology," MSU assistant professor Brandon Barton's Sept. 18 article "Grasshopper consumption by grey wolves and implications for ecosystems" details the unexpected effects of wolf reintroduction into the western region of the U.S.

MSU ...


Building Bridges Between Generations

Building Bridges Between Generations

How often, as you wander across your hardwood floor to set your mug down on the oak coffee table, do you stop to think about the wood products you use every day? Wood products exist all around us. We work at wooden desks, write notes on paper, and have homes made and furnished with wood.

Kassandra Stout, a sustainable bioproducts graduate student, explores these questions with her research project on "Attitudes and Perceptions of the M...

9/24/2019

A quill in the cap for quail management

A quill in the cap for quail management

A century ago, the bobwhite quail, named for its distinctive whistle, was common throughout the Southeast. In 1966, however, scientists began tracking a drastic population drop. Over the next fifty years, the species declined by 85 percent. Forest and Wildlife Research Center scientists are doing their part in restoration efforts of this granivore, whose storied legacy is steeped in tradition.

Not only was the bobwhite's song once ubiq...


Best of Both Worlds

Best of Both Worlds

Forestry is a $12.79 billion industry in Mississippi. Approximately 125,000 Mississippians own and manage more than 19.7 million acres of forestland across the state. Fishing, hunting, and wildlife watching also contribute to the economy of the Magnolia State, boasting a $2.7 billion annual economic impact for Mississippi, with hunting alone contributing $1.14 billion. That's why Forest and Wildlife Research Center researchers sought to learn ...

9/10/2019

MSU associate professor receives Fulbright grant for research in Chile

MSU associate professor receives Fulbright grant for research in Chile

An aquaculture scientist in Mississippi State's Forest and Wildlife Research Center is the newest university faculty member to receive the prestigious Fulbright grant to conduct research abroad as part of the U.S. Department of State's flagship exchange program.

The associate professor in the MSU Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture in the College of Forest Resources is spending the next six months conducting research at...


MSU joins Urban Wildlife Information Network

MSU joins Urban Wildlife Information Network

Have you ever considered all of the wildlife that live hidden around your neighborhood, tucked in small patches of woods? Where does the raccoon that riffles through the garbage bin or the deer that eats your mother's azaleas go once the sun rises at dawn?

Researchers from Mississippi State University are teaming up with the Urban Wildlife Information Network (UWIN) to discove...


Grebner named MSU forestry department head

Grebner named MSU forestry department head

A 21-year Mississippi State veteran is the new head of the university's Department of Forestry.

Donald L. Grebner, George L. Switzer Professor of Forestry, begins his role on July 1 in the department that operates within the College of Forest Resources. A forest economist with a research focus in natural resources and forest management, Grebner is a certified forester in the Society of American Foresters and a registered forester in ...

6/14/2019

How to handle raccoons, snakes and other critters in your yard (hint: not with a thermos)

How to handle raccoons, snakes and other critters in your yard (hint: not with a thermos)

I heard a local story of a man who, in his excitement to kill a rattlesnake, used the only thing he had available&emdash;his thermos bottle. The next scene in this drama has the man in the hospital receiving anti-venom to treat a snake bite.

Encounters with wildlife are becoming more common in towns and neighborhoods as urbanization increases, and people often do not know what to do in these situations. Many species of urban wildlife, s...


Arbor Day Foundation honors MSU's conservation spirit with Tree Campus USA designation

Arbor Day Foundation honors MSU's conservation spirit with Tree Campus USA designation

For the sixth consecutive year, Mississippi State University is being recognized for its sustained commitment to environmental stewardship with the Arbor Day Foundation's Tree Campus USA designation.

To achieve this distinction, MSU met five core standards for an effective campus forest management plan, including establishment of a tree advisory committee, evidence of a campus tree-care plan, dedicated annual expenditures for a campu...

5/22/2019

Mississippi State develops smartphone app to test lumber

Mississippi State develops smartphone app to test lumber

Determining the stiffest piece of lumber is now easier with a new smartphone app created by scientists in Mississippi State University's Forest and Wildlife Research Center.

Called "Smart Thumper," the app uses soundwaves or vibrations to determine stiffness, a quality that relates to strength, for individual pieces of lumber.

Developer Dan Seale, professor in MSU's Department of Sustainable Bioproducts, said it will hel...

2/12/2019

MSU students celebrate Arbor Day with tree planting

MSU students celebrate Arbor Day with tree planting

Arbor Day is a time to celebrate the remarkable, renewable resource of trees, a source for clean air and water, habitat for wildlife, shade to lower energy costs, and storm water control.

Mississippi State University celebrated Arbor Day Friday [Feb. 8] with an afternoon ceremony and tree planting on Hail State Boulevard.

"Mississippi State has been recognized as a Tree Campus USA since 2013. The 140-year-old land-grant ins...

2/8/2019

MSU wildlife professor named Taylor Chair in Applied Big Game Research and Instruction

MSU wildlife professor named Taylor Chair in Applied Big Game Research and Instruction

A longtime Mississippi State faculty member has been named the Taylor Chair in Applied Big Game Research and Instruction in the College of Forest Resources.

Steve Demarais, a Dale H. Arner Professor of Wildlife Ecology and Management in the Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture, is a leading white-tailed deer researcher who has been with the university for more than 20 years. In that time, Demarais has published more than...


MSU professor named James R. Moreton Fellow in Forestry

MSU professor named James R. Moreton Fellow in Forestry

A forestry professor has earned a prestigious fellowship in Mississippi State University's College of Forest Resources.

Professor Robert Grala has been named the Department of Forestry's first James R. Moreton Endowed Fellow. Professor Dan Seale earned the inaugural accolade in the Department of Sustainable Bioproducts last year.

The James R. Moreton Fellow in Forestry was established in 2012 through a gift from James Regin...

12/11/2018

Fire expert presents annual Carlton N. Owen lecture

Fire expert presents annual Carlton N. Owen lecture

An expert in fire and forest ecology is this year's guest for Mississippi State's 2018 Carlton N. Owen Lecture Series.

Jeff Kane will lead the Wednesday [Nov. 28] public program. His presentation, titled "Ecological insights of litter flammability traits in southeastern U.S. tree species," begins at 3 p.m. in Thompson Hall's Tully Auditorium.

His research focus is on management and restoration of fire prone ecosystems, expl...

11/26/2018

MSU's College of Forest Resources honors faculty, staff at annual awards ceremony

MSU's College of Forest Resources honors faculty, staff at annual awards ceremony

Mississippi State's College of Forest Resources and the Forest and Wildlife Research Center recently honored several faculty and staff during an annual awards ceremony.

At the campus event recognizing faculty and staff in the areas of teaching, research and service achievements, George Hopper praised the honorees for their dedication to advancing the field of natural resources. Hopper is both dean of the college and FWRC director.

11/26/2018

Seamon selected first RMS forestry scholar at MSU

Seamon selected first RMS forestry scholar at MSU

Resource Management Service LLC, one of the world's leading managers of forest investments for institutional investors, is promoting both the forestry profession and the South's forestry industry through the creation of the RMS Forestry Scholarship at Mississippi State. Samantha Seamon, a junior forestry major from Prattville, Alabama, is the inaugural recipient of the $10,000 RMS award.

"Forestry is an important profession, one that...

11/12/2018

MSU forestry students lead as outstanding chapter 20 years running

MSU forestry students lead as outstanding chapter 20 years running

The student chapter of the Society of American Foresters at Mississippi State University is first once again in the annual SAF Outstanding Student Chapter national competition for the 2017-2018 academic year.

Robert K. Grala, a forestry professor in College of Forest Resources, who has been the chapter's faculty advisor for more than a decade, said the 20-year legacy of placing first, second or third in the competition demonstrates t...

11/6/2018

MSU senior earns competitive arboriculture, urban forestry scholarship

MSU senior earns competitive arboriculture, urban forestry scholarship

A senior forestry major in MSU's College of Forest Resources has received a competitive scholarship from an international nonprofit focused on advancing research and education in arboriculture and urban forestry.

Katrina Henn is one of three recipients of the $5,000 Robert Felix Memorial Scholarship, supporting college students studying arboriculture and urban forestry with the intention of entering the profession. The scholarship wa...

9/21/2018

Longest-running forestry equipment show in the woods set for Sept. 21-22

Longest-running forestry equipment show in the woods set for Sept. 21-22

The newest timber harvesting and production equipment will be booming at the biennial Mid-South Forestry Equipment Show in Starkville on September 21-22.

The show, which is the longest-running, live, in-woods demonstration of forestry equipment in the nation, is in its 34th year. The family-friendly event features continuing education opportunities for foresters and loggers. Landowners also can benefit from workshops held during the...

9/10/2018

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