Western North Carolina forest overlook

Smallholde­r Access Program certifies WNC forests

Less than 0.1% of all small woodlands are currently certified as responsibly managed, despite making up over 75% of all privately owned Southeast forests. The SAP pilot, a collaboration of forest product companies, the Forest Stewardship Council and Rainforest Alliance, is exploring how to bring those previously overlooked parcels into certified status.

Local documentar­y traces origins of U.S. forestry in WNC; screens this weekend

A locally produced documentary about the introduction of forestry in America is scheduled to hit the silver screen this weekend at Biltmore Estate. The one-hour film, First in Forestry, tells the story of Carl Schenck and the Biltmore Forest School, the first forestry school in the country. “It’s the story of how American forestry started, and […]

Bent Creek Experiment­al Forest burn set for Thursday, Aug. 11


The Forest Service says it will conduct a prescribed burn it’s been planning at Bent Creek Thursday, Aug. 11. The targeted area includes forest stands near the Lake Powhatan Recreation Area, adjacent to Forest Service roads 479 and 664. The burn will take place if weather and other environmental conditions continue to favor it, according to an agency checklist; the desired conditions are in the local weather forecast for Thursday.
Photo by Jonathan Welch

Aerial photograph­ers will map every foot of North Carolina this winter

The project, which will produce photo-maps of unmatched detail, is part of the state’s 911 emergency-readiness program. “You will be able to make out individual branches on the trees,” said N.C. forester Andrew D. Bailey. In addition to helping emergency response, the imagery will also be used by other state and local agencies, including conservation agencies such as the state Forest Service and local parks and recreation offices.