What's New
- Landowner's Guide to Managing Streams in the Eastern United States
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This publication provides general information and management guidelines to help stream property owners and their neighbors protect, improve, and restore these valuable running waters.
- Introduction to Growing Christmas Trees in Virginia
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Each year many landowners in Virginia consider Christmas tree farming as an alternative enterprise for their unused open land. This publication provides a broad overview of Christmas tree production in Virginia.
- Insect Pests of Christmas Trees
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This site contains images and descriptions of various insect pests that affect christmas trees
- Hydrilla
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Hydrilla (Hydrilla verticillata) is a submersed aquatic plant that forms nearly impenetrable mats of stems and leaves at the surface of the water. Originally called Florida elodea, this plant causes many problems in ponds, lakes, and rivers.
- Help Save America's Pearly Mussels
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This publication will provide you with a brief look at freshwater mussels -- what they look like, where they live, what they eat, why they are valuable, how they are used, why some are in trouble, and how to protect these simple but important aquatic animals.
- Growing Christmas Trees on Reclaimed Surface-Mined Land
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Christmas tree production can be an excellent use for reclaimed mined lands in Virginia. Most species do quite well on mine soils because they are more tolerant of the acid, infertile, and droughty conditions than agricultural or horticultural crops, yet they do respond to active management.
- Forest Landowner's Guide to The Measurement of Timber and Logs
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Hits: 1
Added: February 12, 2008
Rating: Votes: 19 Rate ItMethods of measuring timber and the units of measurement often differ between buyers, and, as a seller, you should have an understanding of these methods, the units of measurement, and an idea as to a reasonable price for your timber.
- Fish Kills: Their Causes and Prevention
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A few dead fish floating on the surface of a pond or lake is not necessarily cause for alarm. Expect some fish to die of old age, injury, winter starvation, or even post-spawning stress in the springtime. However, when large numbers of fish of all sizes are found dead and dying over a long period of time, it is necessary to investigate and determine the cause.
- Firewood for Home Heating
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The comfort of a wood fire on a cold night; the feeling of self-reliance that comes with cutting, splitting, and stacking a cord of wood; and a reduced conventional fuel bill have all been experienced by thousands of Virginia wood burners.
- Fine Tuning Equalizing and Conditioning
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If lumber is not properly equalized and conditioned during drying, problems will surface during further manufacturing and end use. These problems range from bad glue joints, to stair stepping1 in panels, to twist, cup and warp of finished panels, to splitting of panels.
- Drying Thick Southern Yellow Pine Export Lumber to Minimize Brown Stain
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Southern yellow pine flitches and joinery exported to Europe are remanufactured and sometimes finished with clear coatings. Brown stain may detract from the desired appearance. Thus, presence of brown stain in export stock may decrease its value and be reason for a claim against the exporting company.
- Drying Softwoods for Value Added Markets
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There is a great opportunity for softwood mills to enter into the value added markets arena, including lumber used for moulding, doors, windows, and furniture. However, to be successful in this market, quality drying is a prerequisite. In this paper, suggestions on how to select a proper target moisture content, conventional temperature schedules for quality drying, equalizing for a uniform final moisture content, and conditioning for stress relief will be discussed.
- Developing a Marketing Plan for Hardwood Bark Landscaping Mulch
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Hits: 1
Added: February 12, 2008
Rating: Votes: 17 Rate ItA viable alternative for dealing with hardwood bark residue is to market the bark as hardwood bark mulch. This paper provides a succinct overview of the hardwood bark mulch industry and discusses considerations of developing a marketing plan for this product.
- Control Methods For Aquatic Plants in Ponds and Lakes
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Aquatic plants growing in ponds and lakes are beneficial for fish and wildlife. However, dense growths (over 25% of the surface area) of algae and other water plants can seriously interfere with pond recreation and threaten aquatic life.
- Constructing Wetlands During Reclamation to Improve Wildlife Habitat
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The purpose of this publication is to provide guidelines for use by mine operators in constructing wetlands on surface coal mines.
- Commercial Christmas Tree Crops
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Christmas trees, like any other crop, require balanced nutrition for best health and growth. Christmas trees are unique among most crops, though, since their value is based on their aesthetic quality and not their biomass yield. In order to assure balanced nutrition, it is necessary to insure that the soil contains enough available nutrients to satisfy the trees' demands.
- Coloring Christmas Trees Before Harvest
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For some species, such as Fraser fir, the deep green color can be maintained by adequate levels of soil fertility. The application of nitrogen fertilizers on a regular basis is sufficient to maintain healthy trees with the desired color. Many species, however, are not so responsive to fertilizers, and for these, the most common way to maintain the desired color is to spray them with a colorant.
- Clearing Muddy Pond Waters
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Muddy, cloudy water is not only unattractive, but can be harmful to aquatic life. Although high sediment loads in ponds seldom kill sport fish directly, muddy waters can seriously reduce fish production.
- Aquatic Plant Fact and Weed ID Sheets
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This site provides factual information on various invasive aquatic plants.
- A Handbook for Forest Vegetation Management in Recreation and Historic Parks
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Hits: 1
Added: February 12, 2008
Rating: Votes: 20 Rate ItThis handbook provides information on general forest ecology for parks in the Southeastern United States, as well as management advice for achieving many objectives common to recreational and historical parks in the region. Maintaining healthy forests, dealing with exotic species, controlling turf and meadow areas, and creating screens and windbreaks are all common issues faced by many park managers. These and more are addressed in this handbook.
- Wildfire Facts
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South Carolina Forestry Commission ``wildfire facts
- White Grub Control in Fraser Fir Christmas Trees
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Proper vegetation management is critical to grub control by decreasing grub damage and discouraging grubs from coming back.
- Weed Management in Conifer Seedbeds
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Weeds compete with conifer seedlings for light, water, nutrients and space. Of these, light competition is probably the most detrimental to conifer seedlings. Shading will reduce growth, and generally weaken seedlings making them more susceptible to insects, mites and diseases. Weed competition has also been known to reduce winter hardiness. Consequently, an intensive weed control program is required to produce quality seedlings and transplants.
- Tree Selection Guide for South Carolina
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This site includes a list of considerations necessary to be made before selecting a tree, including use, site, and aesthetics.
- The Spruce Spider Mite In Fraser Fir
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If you have Fraser fir Christmas trees with off-color or chlorotic foliage, especially after a dry spell in the summer or fall, chances are you have damage from the spruce spider mite (Oligonychus ununguis) (SSM).
- The Balsam Woolly Adelgid (Aphid)
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The balsam woolly adelgid (Adelges piceae) (BWA), previously called the balsam woolly aphid, is a tiny, soft bodied insect which appears as white, woolly spots on Fraser fir.
- The Balsam Twig Aphid
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The balsam twig aphid (Mindarus abietinus Koch) (BTA) is a small, pale green aphid that feeds on fir trees in the spring. BTA feeding on the new growth of Fraser fir often results in permanently curled needles.
- South Carolina Forestry Commission Wildfire in S.C.
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A comprehensive site on wildfires with topics including causes, wildland firefighting, safety, fire protection laws, and prevention.
- South Carolina Forest Law Handbook
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A reference for law enforcement officers and forestry fire managers.
- Soil Testing and Interpretation of Results for Christmas Tree Plantations
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A well-planned fertilization program begins with a soil test and proper interpretation of the analysis. The following provides general guidelines for obtaining soil samples, a summary of soil test results and information for evaluating those results to develop an efficient Christmas tree fertilization program.
