Kentucky Grove

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Comment by Sarah Gracey on July 7, 2011 at 4:37pm

The Arbor Day Foundation, the nation’s largest nonprofit organization dedicated to planting trees, recently elected Leah W. MacSwords, Kentucky’s state forester and director of the Kentucky Division of Forestry to its Board of Trustees. Along with being the Kentucky’s state forester for the past 10 years, MacSwords is recognized nationally for her work. She is a past president of the National Association of State Foresters, the current chairperson of the associations’ communications committee and a member of the Society of American Foresters. MacSwords also received the American Tree Farm Award for Sustained Excellence in 2009.

“The addition of MacSwords to the Board of Trustees will provide additional innovative leadership as the foundation continues to explore new ways to work with its partners to inspire people to plant, nurture and celebrate trees,” said John Rosenow, chief executive officer of the Arbor Day Foundation.

“Being part of an organization that has millions of members worldwide and does so much to promote the value of trees and forests is very exciting. I look forward to serving on the Arbor Day Foundation Board of Trustees,” said MacSwords.

The Arbor Day Foundation's work includes creating healthier urban forests through the Tree City USA community improvement program; helping to heal our nation's forests by replanting millions of trees in areas of federal- and state-managed forests damaged by disease and fire, providing resources to improve childhood development through daily interactions with the natural world; and preserving Latin American rain forests through conservation, shade-grown coffee farming and education programs. The Arbor Day Foundation plants more than 14 million trees annually.

The Division of Forestry operates under the direction of the Kentucky Department for Natural Resources (DNR) and is responsible for preventing and suppressing wildfires on state and private lands, as well as providing assistance to landowners and communities for the purpose of sustaining the health, diversity and productivity of our forests.

“This is a tremendous honor and I am extremely proud of Leah for her efforts in forest stewardship,” said DNR Commissioner Carl Campbell. “Our agency is dedicated to working with conservation organizations, and Leah’s leadership is critical to our goals in building partnerships with other resource professionals for the purpose of restoring Kentucky’s forests.”

Comment by Sarah Gracey on June 23, 2011 at 1:22pm

Hi there! A lot of you are probably subscribers to Tree Line, the Division of Forestry's urban forestry newsletter. If you aren't subscribed to it, please drop me a line at sarah.gracey@ky.gov . I send out the newseltter four times a year and also send out about 4-6 other e-mails throughout the year with urban forestry updates such as workshop and grant information. I am always looking for new ideas for the newsletter and if you would like to write an article for it, just let me know!

Comment by Neil Norton on June 22, 2011 at 9:33am

There is a neat blog on trees from a Kentuckian women at http://treenotes.blogspot.com/ , check it out.

Comment by Sarah Gracey on June 20, 2011 at 9:08am

Asian Longhorned Beetle is very close to Kentucky, if not already here!

 

FEDERAL AND STATE OFFICIALS ANNOUNCE TREE SURVEY EFFORTS IN OHIO DUE TO THE DISCOVERY OF ASIAN LONGHORNED BEETLE

WASHINGTON, June 17, 2011 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) announce that surveys are under way in Bethel, Ohio, after the detection and identification of the Asian longhorned beetle. Bethel is located 30 miles southeast of Cincinnati.

First discovered in the U.S. in 1996, Asian longhorned beetles attack several species of trees including maple, willow, horsechestnut, buckeye, and American elm. While in its larvae stage, the Asian longhorned beetle (ALB) kills trees by tunneling into large branches and the trunk.

Ohio is the fifth state to detect ALB, which APHIS confirmed in Bethel after a citizen reported finding unusual damage in three maple trees to an Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Forestry service forester. Previous infestations sites, where the beetles are being successfully contained, include Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York.

APHIS and ODA inspection crews are surveying the southern portion of Bethel and the surrounding area to determine the extent of the ALB infestation. Crews will inspect host tree species susceptible to ALB for signs of the wood-boring beetle using ground surveyors and specially trained tree climbers.

APHIS and the ODA are working cooperatively with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Ohio State University Extension, the USDA Agricultural Research Service, the USDA Forest Service, and the town of Bethel to evaluate the scope of the infestation and to inform the public about the exotic, invasive pest.

Citizens can help by reporting sightings of an unusual beetle and any signs of infestation to a designated, toll free hotline 855-252-6450.

Comment by Sarah Gracey on June 17, 2011 at 12:20pm

Check out the Kentucky Division of Forestry's new logo - it celebrates our 100th birthday in 2012.  We gathered ideas from employees - I think it is spiffy!

 

Comment by Sarah Gracey on June 3, 2011 at 12:33pm

The Odwalla Plant a Tree program is back, bringing welcomed funds to state parks across the country to be used for any kind of trees at the state’s discretion! Beginning May 30, 2011, the Plant a Tree website will be active and taking votes! Help Kentucky State Parks plant trees by voting for Kentucky. Visit http://www.odwalla.com/plantatree/index.jsp# to vote and thanks! The winter storms have taken their toll on many park trees, so we can use the help. Your vote and spreading the message helps greatly.

Comment by Sarah Gracey on May 24, 2011 at 8:11am

‘BUY LOCAL, BURN LOCAL’ FIREWOOD

TO HELP STOP SPREAD OF EMERALD ASH BORER

 

FRANKFORT, Ky. — Agriculture Commissioner Richie Farmer reminds all Kentuckians that they can do their part to control the emerald ash borer by always buying local firewood.

The emerald ash borer (EAB) was first discovered in Kentucky two years ago on May 22. The week of May 22-28 is recognized as Emerald Ash Borer Awareness Week nationwide.

 “A good rule of thumb for firewood is ‘buy local, burn local,’” Commissioner Farmer said. “That’s an easy thing Kentuckians can remember to help stop the spread of the emerald ash borer while helping our state’s hardwood producers.”

The movement of infested firewood contributes to the borer’s spread. Quarantines have been established in Kentucky and other states with confirmed infestations because EAB larvae can survive hidden in the bark of firewood.

Commissioner Farmer and other officials urge Kentuckians to take the following steps:

• Don't move firewood, even within Kentucky. Don't bring firewood with you from home to campgrounds or parks. Buy all your wood there, and don't take extra wood back home.
• Don't buy firewood from outside Kentucky. If someone comes to your door selling firewood, ask them where the wood came from. If it came from outside Kentucky, don't buy it.

The EAB (Agrilus planipennis) likely arrived in the U.S. in 2002 in southwest Michigan hidden in wood packing materials commonly used to ship goods. On May 22, 2009, officials with the Office of the State Entomologist announced the first confirmed findings of the EAB in Kentucky.

State officials since have quarantined 22 Kentucky counties, prohibiting the movement of firewood, ash nursery stock, green ash lumber, and other ash materials. The quarantined counties are: Boone, Bourbon, Boyd, Campbell, Carroll, Fayette, Franklin, Gallatin, Grant, Greenup, Harrison, Henry, Jefferson, Jessamine, Kenton, Oldham, Owen, Pendleton, Scott, Shelby, Trimble and Woodford. The EAB has been found in Boone, Boyd, Campbell, Fayette, Franklin, Greenup, Henry, Jefferson, Jessamine, Kenton, Oldham, Owen and Shelby counties.

For more information about the EAB, visit http://pest.ca.uky.edu/EXT/EAB/welcome.html.

Comment by Neil Norton on May 18, 2011 at 9:58am

The Commonwealth of Kentucky has four native pine species, check them out at this wonder Kentucky Tree Lover's Page.

 

Comment by Sarah Gracey on May 11, 2011 at 10:05am

Kentucky was honored recently with three awards at the Arbor Day Foundation awards banquet.  To read a longer post with detailed information on the awards, see my blog by visiting either my personal page or on the home page of American Grove.  State Forester Leah W. MacSwords shared the following....

 
"I just returned from the Arbor Day Foundation Awards weekend. Kentucky had three award winners: the Appalachian Regional Reforestation Initiative, Mayor Todd Eberlee of Prospect, and Tree Farmer Charles Williams of Hart County.

It was such an honor to have three awards go to Kentucky. Everyone was most impressed with all our efforts. The Arbor Day Foundation created a video production about each award winner, and the Division of Forestry had employees in all three working with ARRI, the city of Prospect and landowner Charles Williams.

This was a shining weekend for KDF and I felt like a proud parent each time I saw our foresters and rangers providing the technical assistance to these award winners."

Comment by Sarah Gracey on May 11, 2011 at 8:45am

Seed Grants Awarded for Greenways Projects

The annual Kodak American Greenways Award Program offers seed grants for work in expanding America’s network of greenways, blueways, trails and natural areas.

This year, the program anticipates awarding up to fifty percent of the grants to projects demonstrating the convergence of economic prosperity and the environment. Most grants range from $500 - $1,000 with a maximum grant of $2,500.

Projects that are typically funded advance one or more of the following goals:

• Catalyzing new greenway projects
• Assisting grassroots greenway organizations
• Leveraging additional money for conservation and greenway

development

• Promoting use and enjoyment of greenways

This year’s application deadline is June 15. Visit the following link for more information and to apply online www.conservationfund.org/kodak_awards. The program is a collaboration of Eastman Kodak Company, The Conservation Fund and the National Geographic Society.

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