Forests and Forest Products

(12/29/11) Many North Country Maple producers can now tap into a new loan fund to help them increase the amount of syrup they produce. The Development authority of the North Country, or DANC, set up the program after several studies showed most maple trees in the area aren't being tapped. That means producers are missing out on a lot of potential revenue. Nora Flaherty has the details. more

(10/17/11) Close to 100 people braved the rain late last week to plant trees in communities along the AuSable River devastated by Tropical Storm Irene.

The Lake Champlain Basin "Trees for Tributaries" program, organized by the state Department of Environmental Conservation and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service, aims to restore and protect stream corridors connected to Lake Champlain following historic flooding Aug. 28. Chris Morris reports. more

(09/19/11) It's estimated there are about 8 billion ash trees in North America, and every one of them could be killed by a tiny invasive insect called the emerald ash borer. It was first found in Detroit 9 years ago, probably after arriving on a cargo ship from Asia. Since then the ash borer has devastated forests in the upper Midwest and has broken out into surrounding states. David Chanatry with the New York Reporting Project at Utica College reports. more

(08/25/11) There is actually more mature forest in the Northeast now than there was a century ago, but it is a very different kind of forest from the ancient pre-colonial woodlands. Dr. Curt Stager and Martha Foley take to the woods.

(08/23/11) The Adirondack woodsman is a North Country archetype - brawny, independent, deeply versed in the ways of the North Woods. There are still loggers working in the forests of the Adirondacks and Tug Hill Plateau, though most are aided by chain saws and huge machinery today.

At Paul Smiths College, a summer school program is keeping the skills and ethos of the Adirondack woodsman alive. David Sommerstein reports. more

(07/25/11) Our Farmers Under 40 series continues throughout the summer. Today we have a profile of Joe Orefice, an assistant professor of forestry at Paul Smith's College.

Orefice taught the school's first sustainable community agriculture course this past year. He also owns and operates a small farm, which he uses as a teaching tool.

This summer Paul Smith's culinary students visited Joe's farm for a lesson in local meats. Sarah Harris joined them and has our story. more

(04/27/11) There are plenty of reasons to have a chainsaw, from getting ready for winter to cleaning up after a storm.

Useful as it may be, a chainsaw can slice through flesh and bone in the blink of an eye. That's why experts recommend paying close attention to safety - whatever your level of experience.

A number of organizations offer chainsaw safety courses, including one conducted in Kemptville, Ontario this April by the Lower Ottawa Valley Chapter of the Ontario Woodlot Association.

Lucy Martin sat in to learn more. more

(03/22/11) The Adirondack Nature Conservancy has emerged in recent years as one of the largest owners of timberland in the North Country.

The green group uses certified logging methods designed to protect rivers and other sensitive ecosystems.

But a landowner in Essex County is accusing the Conservancy's tree-cutters of damaging a certified trout stream.

As Brian Mann reports, state officials have opened an investigation. more

(12/31/10) Brockville storyteller Deborah Dunleavy shares a midwinter tale about a young logger and a flying canoe at a lumber camp in northern Quebec.

(12/31/10) Environmental groups are praising the state of New York for its decision to buy conservation and recreation easements on nearly 90,000 acres of timberland and wilderness scattered among 27 towns in the Adirondacks.

The deal involving lands once owned by the Finch Pruyn paper company was brokered by the Adirondack Nature Conservancy.

According to a statement issued yesterday, New York State will pay 30 million dollars to protect the land and buy access for public recreation. The money will come from the state's Environmental Protection Fund. more