Wonder About Woods?

Did you know?

• 25% of America's fresh water comes from  private forests.
• For more than 70% of Americans, a woodland is within 10 miles of their home.

As a landowner with woods, you have a unique opportunity to make a difference - to keep your woods beautiful and healthy.  

By taking a few steps, you can improve the health of your woods and provide a place of family solitude and beauty for years to come.

Step #1

Get outside with family, friends, and neighbors to connect with nature

Through recreation

• Introduce a child to the woods

• Participate in the National Walk in the Woods Day on Saturday, May 21, 2011

• Go fishing
  For America’s sportsmen and women, the health of your woods can mean the difference between a good season and a bad season. 

• Go hunting

• Design and build a recreational trail to make your outdoor experience as pleasant and safe as possible.

• Go birdwatching

• Go exploring
  Locate and conserve a natural or cultural treasure on your land
• Identify a special site
  Your family may be a key reason why you have identified that special place to enjoy nature together. Plan and document your experiences, ranging from picnics, weddings, tree plantings and other activities.

Keep reading

Take the kids for a walk in the water, May/June 2010 issue of Tree Farmer Magazine

Tips for involving the next generation, March/April 2009 Tree Farmer Magazine

Connecting kids to nature: Down on the farm with Project Learning Tree, November/December  2008 Tree Farmer Magazine

Introduce a child to hunting, September/October 2010 Tree Farmer Magazine

Fishing for memories, July/August 2008 Tree Farmer Magazine

Manage your forest-field edges for wildlife, May/June 2009 Tree Farmer Magazine

Did you know?

• 27 million acres of non-federal forests are at risk of insect and disease damage, including invasive pests.
• Climate change could result in a rapid increase of diseases and pests that attack tree species.

There are a lot of threats that can harm your woods. AFF has tools and resources to help you protect your woods from these threats.

To take care of your woods, you will need to take steps to manage them to keep them healthy and thriving. It's no longer okay for nature to take its own course. As a woodland owner, the future of thriving forests depends on each of us.

What can you do?

Trees are being destroyed through the transportation of invasive insects and diseases in firewood.

Step 1

• Do not move firewood

Insects and diseases travel by firewood from one location to another. It's really easy to prevent transporting insects and diseases by simply not moving firewood.

Keep Reading

On the watch for forest insects, July/August 2010 Tree Farmer Magazine.

Slowing the threat of invasive plants, January/February 2010 Tree Farmer Magazine.

Managing to survive insect outbreaks, March/April 2009 Tree Farmer Magazine.

Did you know?

• 60% of at-risk wildlife species rely on private forests.

• 66 million people enjoy watching wildlife across the country, including on private forests. Wildlife watching generates over 1 billion jobs, and $38.4 billion direct retail spending.

What can you do?

Caring about wildlife means caring about the health of your woods. One reason Americans love the woods is because they provide the opportunity to see critters: rabbits, bobcats, owls, hawks, woodpeckers, foxes, and hundreds more species roam free in America’s family forests. several species of at-risk wildlife that utilize private forests include the key deer, Red-cockaded Woodpecker and the Delmarva fox squirrel.

Step #1

• Walk in your woods.

Learn about the wildlife on your land by taking a walk in your woods at different times of the day.  Memorize or record the critters you see near a water source, at the forest-field edge or under a fallen log.

Mark your calendar! Saturday, May 21 is National Walk in the Woods Day.™    

Keep Reading:

Forest Blog: Care about wildlife?, January 2011.

Wildlife habitat: An alternative forest management practice, March/April 2009 Tree Farmer Magazine.

Black Bears: The good and the bad, January/February 2009 Tree Farmer Magazine.

Bear encounters of a close kind, January/February 2009 Tree Farmer Magazine

Did you know?

• An estimated 90 million acres of non-federal forests are at risk of wildfire.

• As the climate warms, the forest fire season is likely to lengthen, and the area subject to high fire danger is likely to increase significantly.

Are your woods at risk?

The negative effects of climate change will likely extend the forest fire season and significantly increase the wooded areas subject to fire danger. The long-term effects of fire will depend heavily on changes in human fire management activities.  Without action, the future of your woods may be at risk.

Step #1

Become firewise

Identify the greatest risk to your land, based on your property profile and your regional knowledge.  Then, we can put you in touch with a local forester to see what you can do to create a fire resistant forest.  

Keep reading

Make your home and forest fire resistant, November/December 2009 Tree Farmer Magazine.

Good fire, bad fire, September/October 2008 Tree Farmer Magazine.

Combating climate change: How family forest owners are shaping the debate, July/August 2009 Tree Farmer Magazine.

Did you know?

92% of trees harvested in the United States come from private forests

Healthy woods grow from good advice. Just as one may seek professional advice before purchasing a new home, bringing in an expert can help you maintain the health of your property and get a fair estimate about the status of your woods.

The Call Before You Cut campaign provides private forest owners with resources for forest management.

Step #1

Seek professional advice by calling your state forester, State Tree Farm Committee, or Extension forester.

Keep reading

Added value: Why hire a consulting forester, May/June 2008 Tree Farmer Magazine.

Commercial thinning: when and what to consider, September/October 2008 Treet Farmer Magazine.

The value of pruning, March/April 2008 Tree Farmer Magazine.

Money does grow on trees!, July/August 2010 Tree Farmer Magazine.

The Call Before You Cut campaign provides private forest owners with resources for forest management.