List Your Land Care Services Business in our New Directory
Following the publication of the Woodland Health Practices Handbook and Assessment Checklist in 2020, and the Natural Area Management Services webinar series last fall and this past spring, the Woodland Stewardship Education program is providing businesses an opportunity to become listed in a new directory. This Green Services Providers directory is for businesses in Maryland that provide land care services such as controlling invasive plant species, planting and/or maintaining riparian buffers, small woodlot tree harvesting, and much more.
The online directory will enable customers to search for providers based on a dozen different land care practices.
To have your business listed, please visit https://go.umd.edu/GSP-directory and complete the form found at the “Submission Form” button. Each submission will be reviewed before being included in the directory.
Forest Management and Bats
A good deal of media attention has focused on the plight of bats across North America in the last several years as white-nose syndrome has spread from colony to colony. A recent publication from the White-Nose Syndrome Response Team outlines what woodland owners can do to help preserve these important species, such as understanding the role that both living and dead trees can play in providing habitat for bats. The publication also provides a primer on white-nose syndrome and an introduction to bat species across North America. Read “Forest Management and Bats” here.
Dan Feller, Western Regional Ecologist for the Maryland Dept. of Natural Resources Wildlife & Heritage Service, presented a Woodland Wildlife Wednesday webinar on bats and conservation in Maryland in June. Watch the webinar here.
The Importance of Community Forests
A new report from The Trust for Public Land highlights the economic, cultural, spiritual, and other tangible and intangible benefits that community forests provide to communities nationwide. The report, entitled Community Forests: a path to prosperity and connection, was made possible by co-funding from the U.S. Forest Service and the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities. Diane Regas, president and CEO of The Trust for Public Land, notes, “The community forest movement is powerful because it provides spaces for people to connect to nature and each other where they live, and direct economic benefits to the people in the communities they serve. The rich diversity of the communities that are stewarding and creating community forests across the country is inspiring, and we’re proud to ensure that community voices drive this work.” To read the report, visit The Trust for Public Land’s website.
More Kudos for Mike Kay
In our Winter 2021 issue of Branching Out, we noted that Mike Kay, Project Manager for Frederick/Washington Counties, was recognized as the 2021 National Tree Farm Inspector of the Year. Recently, his accomplishments were noted in the Summer 2021 issue of Woodland, the national magazine of the American Forest Foundation.
The article “ATFS Recognizes Outstanding National Volunteers” highlights Kay’s projects and dedication to the Tree Farm System. The author, Mary Lou Jay, notes, “Kay’s success can be attributed to his ability and willingness to really listen to what landowners want and then find ways to help them achieve it.”
Find the article at this link: https://www.woodlandmagazine-digital.com/afoq/0221_summer_2021/MobilePagedReplica.action?pm=2&folio=28#pg28.