In the News - 2007
December
2007
The Christmas
tree debate: Real or fake?
12/18/2007
The Lions Club Christmas Tree stand in Rochester, Minn. is
deserted. ... But U of M Forestry Extension Specialist Carl
Vogt says if you are going to have a Christmas tree,
a cut one actually has smaller carbon footprint than a artificial
tree.
Minnesota Public Radio
To
listen
November
2007
A new "Speaking
of Science" interview
The latest installment of "Speaking of
Science" is now online. This series of interviews between
CFANS dean Allen Levine and key faculty and staff showcases
the research and outreach work happening throughout the college.
The latest interviewee is Peter Reich, a
professor in the Department of Forest Resources who was named
a Regents Professor earlier this year.
Read the Q and A with Peter Reich
Listen to raw MP3 audio of the interview:
Part
1 Part
2 Part
3 Part
4
September
2007
Tourism’s
future bright
09/15/2007
The beauty of Otter Tail County and its natural environment
attracts many tourists to this area, with many of those people
returning here in succeeding years. Those were two of the
findings noted by University of Minnesota graduate student Raintry Salk who conducted a year-long
research study of tourism in northwest Minnesota.
Fergus Falls Journal
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More
Widely Held Beliefs
About Early Cherokee Settlement Patterns Likely Incorrect
09/07/2007
By 1763, the world of Cherokee Indians in the Southeastern
U.S. was in tatters. ...Gragson is co-author of the two new
studies with Paul Bolstad, a professor in
the department of forest resources at the University of Minnesota.
Science Daily
Read
more
Fixit: Stem-girdling
roots may cut off tree's nutrient flow
09/04/07
An arborist said one of our honey locust trees might have
"girdling roots." ... Gary Johnson,
professor of Urban Forestry at the University of Minnesota,
has done considerable work on this subject.
Star Tribune
Read
more
August 2007
Discovering Re-Growth
After BWCA Forest Fires
08/27/2007
There are few places on earth more tranquil and serene than
Minnesota's Boundary Waters. ... To see first hand how nature
recovers from fire, WCCO-TV toured the area with University
of Minnesota Forestry Professor, Lee Frelich.
WCCO-TV
To
view:
Floods take deep toll on tourism
08/27/2007
Marie and Doug Botcher of the Meadows Inn in Rushford, Minn.,
were expecting a full house last week. ... "We can't
deny that there will be a short-term negative impact on tourism,"
said Ingrid Schneider, director of the Tourism
Center at the University of Minnesota.
Pioneer Press
Read
more
Biomass development
takes center stage
08/14/2007
Biomass development took center stage at two recent workshops.
... Sustainability was part of the workshop's message, said Dean Current, program director of the University
of Minnesota Center for Integrated and Natural Resources Management.
Argi News
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More
Greater Minnesota growing,
too
08/14/2007
With about half the state’s population living in the
seven county Twin Cities metro area, it’s easy to believe
the rest of the state is seeing no growth, or losing population.
... The study, done by the University of Minnesota, was looking
at natural resources needs, specifically regional parks. Regional
parks are at least 100 acres and provide things like camping,
hiking and boating.
Mankato Free Press
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More
innesota faces growing need
for regional parks
08/11/2007
As more Minnesotans head for the lakes and trees of Brainerd
and Alexandria, they're bumping into a contradiction. ...
The two-year effort by University of Minnesota researchers
outlines that gap and offers a solution: Over the next two
decades, the state should spend a quarter-billion dollars
to buy and develop 27,000 acres for high-quality parks in
eight fast-growing regions of the state.
Pioneer Press
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More
How to save trees in these
drought conditions
08/08/2007
Minnesota’s trees are dying and need help. ... Extension
professor Gary Johnson, University of Minnesota
Department of Forest Resources, adds bad planting practices
to the list of stressors but says, “A lot of sins can
be forgiven if water is managed. Newly planted trees need
(watering) twice a week, 3 to 5 gallons at a time.”
Shakopee Valley News
Read More
BWCA fires bring forest rebirth
08/05/2007
..."Although fire is a destructive force ... it is a
natural part of the boreal forest," said Peter
Reich, University of Minnesota regents professor
in the Department of Forest Resources who has a team studying
the fire effects. ...
...Certain types of plants thrive in the months after
a fire. Other types thrive five or 10 years later, Reich said,
adding that the forest "is a fire-adapted ecosystem.
... The species, all in order to survive, have to have some
mechanism of staying alive."
Star Tribune
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More
July
2007
The 30 most visited
U.S. cities
07/27/2007
You may notice some patterns in the Forbes Traveler list of
30 Most Visited U.S. Cities: sunny climates, Texas, and Disney
play a prominent role. ... Dan Erkkila, former
Chairman of the Board of the Travel and Tourism Research Association
and current Extension Professor at the University of Minnesota
Tourism Center, explains that "being a member of the
top-tier U.S. destination elite generally involves a complex
blend of tangible ingredients (like travel cost) and intangible
ones, like destination image."
USA Today
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More
Earthworms steal
the floor
07/26/2007
If plants are disappearing all around you, check underneath
your wellies—it could be down to invading earthworms.
... Andrew Holdsworth and University of Minnesota
colleagues describe in Conservation Biology how declines in
plant diversity in two national forests—Chippewa and
Chequamegon—can be traced to the recent arrival of European
Lumbricus earthworms.
Journal Watch - WA
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More
Things to think
about with the environment
07/25/2007
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) publication came
across my desk the other day and during a quick scan came
across some interesting information and opinions. ... Some
lakes will warm up, and that will change the species of fish
that live in them. There’ll be fewer cold-water habitats
that support trout, for instance, and more lakes with carp
and other fish that live in warmer waters. (Lee Frelich,
Director of the Center of Hardwood Ecology, University of
Minnesota).
Perham Enterprise Bulletin
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More
Boaters beware:
Lakes are shrinking
07/03/2007
From Lake Superior to the lake-strewn region of east-central
Minnesota and northern Wisconsin, boaters enjoying the Independence
Day holiday should pay more attention this year. ... While
recent lake levels may seem low, they actually are near historical
norms, said George Orning, a research fellow
in the University o Minnesota's Department of Forest Resources.
Pioneer Press
Read
More
June 2007
REGENTS PROFESSOR PROFILE:
06/19/2007
PETER REICH, professor of forest resources, is known
for combining data sets from around the world and finding
patterns no one else has seen. Among his findings: a universal
continuum of plant lifestyles from fast (weeds) to slow (pine
trees) and a way to compute a key variable in models of climate
change. Read more about Reich in the first profile in a series
on five new regents professors named this month.
Read
More
Five more join ranks of regents
professors
06/18/2007
A historian who studies families, a
plant biologist and a professor of psychology who
has studied the effect of genetics on human behavior are among
the five University of Minnesota professors named as regents
professors.
PETER REICH, professor in the Department
of Forest Resources. He has been described as an international
leader in the ecological, environmental and plant sciences,
and among the most frequently cited researchers in his field
in the world. His studies of global environmental change have
contributed to a better understanding of plant species diversity,
and carbon dioxide and nitrogen pollution, among other things.
Star Tribune
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More
Governor Pawlenty Appoints
Thirteen to Explore Minnesota Tourism Council
06/15/2007
Governor Tim Pawlenty today announced the appointment of Butch
Eggen, Wayne Kostroski, Deanna Pekar, Cynthya Porter, and
Kathy Silverthorn, and the reappointment of Maureen Hooley
Bausch, Bonnie L. Carlson, Merrill “Dutch” Cragun,
Randy Gutzmann, Deborah Lloyd, Lisa Paxton, Dr. Ingrid
E. Schneider, Ph.D., and Henry “Hank”
R. Todd to the Explore Minnesota Tourism Council.
Read
More
Peter Reich Named Regents Professor
06/13/2007
Professor Peter Reich has received the University's
highest recognition for faculty. He was named a Regents Professor
today by President Robert Bruininks. Peter is an international
leader in the sciences addressing forest resources, plant
ecology and tree physiology. He is also an exceptional mentor
and teacher, and is one of the most-cited ecologists in the
world. Peter joined our faculty in 1991 and holds the F.B.
Hubachek, Sr. Chair in Forest Ecology. In 2003 he was named
a Distinguished McKnight University Professor.
Peter is the first member of the Forest Resources faculty
named to this prestigious honor. Established in 1965 by the
Board of Regents, the award serves as the highest recognition
for faculty who have made unique contributions to the quality
of the University of Minnesota through exceptional accomplishments
in teaching, research and scholarship or creative work, and
contributions to science and society.
Read
More
May
2007
Most private owners
show little interest in timber harvests
05/31/2007
A recent survey of private forest owners in Minnesota reveal
some interesting facts. ... The survey conducted by Dr.
Mike Kilgore of the University of Minnesota Forest
Resources Department was sent to 1,000 woodland owners not
enrolled in the SFIA.
International Falls Daily Journal
Read
More
Fires illuminate
need for change in northern tourism
05/29/2007
After last year’s Cavity Lake fire, a state-sponsored
sustainable development Tourism Resource Team studied how
the fire affected the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness
region and how local businesses could adapt. ... Many in the
hospitality industry don’t realize the extent of the
market demand, said Ingrid Schneider, director
of the University of Minnesota Tourism Center.
Business North
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More
Chopped trees
leave residents stumped
05/26/2007
If a tree is cut down in the middle of a community, the noise
may be more like an uproar. ... Gary Johnson, extension professor of urban and community forestry for the
University of Minnesota Department of Forest Resources, said
such disputes involving trees are more common today than 20
years ago.
Rochester Post-Bulletin
Read
More
Ham Lake Fire
05/20/2007
The biggest forest fire to hit the Boundary Waters since 1910
will rejuvenate a treasured forest from top to bottom and
could spur a boomlet in the tourist trade. ... "It's
spectacular how nature heals a fire like this,'' said Lee
Frelich, director of the Center for Hardwood Ecology
at the University of Minnesota.
Pioneer Press
Read
More
A dozen large fires
05/19/2007
The fire burning through the Superior National Forest in northern
Minnesota is one of the largest in that region in more than
a century. ... The information was compiled by forest ecologist
Miron Heinselman in his book, "The Boundary Waters Wilderness
Ecosystem" and by Lee Frelich, director
of the Center for Hardwood Ecology at the University of Minnesota.
Star Tribune
Read
More
Gunflint: A blaze with benefits
05/15/2007
It's the biggest fire to hit the Superior National Forest
in about a century. ... "That's the future forest,"
said Lee Frelich, director of the Center
for Hardwood Ecology at the University of Minnesota.
Star Tribune
Read
More
Oddly, fire is
good for the forest
05/13/2007
Seeing the pictures of a wild fire like that burning along
the Gunflint Trail this week, it might seem like we are watching
the death of a forest. ... The University of Minnesota's Director
of the Center for Hardwood Ecology Lee Frelich was camping in the BWCA when the fire began. He was actually
trapped by the blaze for two days last weekend.
KARE 11
To
view
Green Grrrls
05/11/2007
They are Ph.D.s and college dropouts. ... Eckman is an adjunct professor (and on the staff of the Office of
Water Resources) at the University of Minnesota. In discussing
the Kasota Ponds project she said, "Volunteers make this
project work. ... [St. Anthony Park Community Council] has
an outstanding environmental committee."
Women's Press
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More
Fire on the Gunflint
Trail
05/11/2007
As fires blaze across the US and in northeastern Minnesota,
the Ham Lake fire continues to burn along the far reaches
of Minnesota's Gunflint Trail--putting resort owners and their
guests, and cabin owners at risk. University of Minnesota
forest ecology and fire management expert Lee Frelich tells of his experience seeing the fire get started.
Minnesota Public Radio
Hear
More
U of M researcher
trapped by Gunflint fire
05/08/2007
While the Ham Lake fire may have started just outside of the
Boundary Waters Canoe Area, there were three campers in the
BWCA who got trapped by the wind and flames. Lee Frelich was camping and canoeing on Seagull Lake with two friends
when the fire started. Frelich happens to be the the director
for the Center of Hardwood Ecology at the University of Minnesota,
and has been planning to research the effects of fires in
the Boundary Waters.
Minnesota Public Radio
Hear
More
BWCA fires
05/08/2007
University of Minnesota forest researcher Lee Frelich spent two days in a plume of smoke, trapped on the north side
of Seagull Lake, watching the Ham Lake fire burn towards him
over the weekend.
FOX 9
To
View
Pawlenty endorses
report on changing management of natural resources
05/08/2007
Gov. Tim Pawlenty on Tuesday enthusiastically endorsed a commission
report calling for overhauling the way the state's natural
resources are managed and the way that management is funded.
... University of Minnesota professor Mike Kilgore,
chairman of the legacy council, called the recommendations
bold but achievable.
Star Tribune
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More
April
2007
Almanac: Conservation
panel has bold ideas
04/29/2007
The ideas are bold. The call for action urgent. ... "The
intent is to try to take the politics out of conservation
in Minnesota to make it science-based," said Mike
Kilgore, a University of Minnesota associate professor
who chaired the group.
Star Tribune
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More
Minnesota / Citizen
oversight sought for DNR
Pawlenty's panel proposes greater governance of conservation
strategy, funding
04/27/2007
Minnesota's current conservation efforts are failing and need
new direction from a citizen commission that would oversee
the Department of Natural Resources, according to a panel
appointed by Gov. Tim Pawlenty. ..."We had a real sense
that time is running out,'' said council chairman Mike
Kilgore, a University of Minnesota forestry professor.
Pioneer Press
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More
A warning on conservation
policy
04/27/2007
A 15-member citizens group charged with reforming Minnesota's
conservation efforts wants to remove politics from resource
management. It wants an independent agency to create a plan.
..."The intent is to try to take the politics out of
conservation in Minnesota to make it science-based,"
said Mike Kilgore, a University of Minnesota
associate professor who chaired the group of 11 citizens and
four legislators called the Conservation Legacy Council. "It's
really a new model for conservation."
Star Tribune
Read
More
Maria Ruud: Act
now to protect our environment, children
04/24/2007
Several weeks ago, an historic event took place in the House
Chamber. ... Or ask ecologist Lee Frelich from the University of Minnesota, who spoke to the Legislature
about how our forests are changing because of global warming
-- and what that means for our timber industry.
Rochester Post-Bulletin
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More
Forestry Club
named one of U's top organizations
04/19/2007
The Forestry Club and its advisor, Carl Vogt, recently received
the Outstanding Organization of the Year Award at the University's Tony
Diggs Excellence Awards. This event recognizes student
groups for their contributions to the campus and community
throughout the past academic year. The competition included
48 other nominees (student organizations) from across the
University. The plaque presented to the club is on display
in Room 115 Green Hall.
Loring Greenway to undergo
renovations
04/02/2007
The Loring Greenway will close for renovation this summer,
with construction beginning April 16 and ending in October.
... Several spruce trees with fungal canker will be removed.
As explained by Loring Park resident Lee Frelich, a University
of Minnesota forestry expert who was consulted for the project,
the disease is noticeable in dead lower branches at the base
of greenway trees, and it spreads upward.
Skyway News
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More
A cleaner, greener Palm Sunday
04/01/2007
Each year on Palm Sunday, Christians jubilantly re-enact Jesus'
entry into Jerusalem, waving a combined 300 million palm fronds
in the United States. ... The niche-market palm comes from
a method of harvesting and marketing developed at the University
of Minnesota. ... "We grew 450 percent from last year
to this year," program coordinator RaeLynn Jones
Loss said.
Alameda Times-Star - California
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More
U.S. Churches Go ‘Green’
for Palm Sunday
04/01/2007
Clutching a tiny knife in his big calloused hands, Laizon
Corzo wound his way through the thick foliage in one of southern
Mexico’s forested areas in search of living treasures.
... Dean A. Current, a professor of natural
resources management at the University of Minnesota, was called
in to study the economics of the palm industry. He discovered
that about 10 percent of the palms sent to the United States
were bought by churches.
New York Times
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More
March 2007
Halt salt damage:
Trees and shrubs are at risk
03/30/2007
Our record late winter snowfalls brought tons of de-icing
salt to streets, highways and sidewalks. ... Gary
Johnson is an educator with University of Minnesota
Extension.
Rochester Post-Bulletin
Read
More
The Dark Side
of a Good Friend to the Soil
03/15/2007
I've always thought of worms as my friends, until I started
talking to ecologists who have been studying their voracious
appetite for leaves. .. They sent a few of their worms to Cindy Hale, a scientist at the University
of Minnesota, who identified them as Amynthas hawayanus and
Lumbricus terrestris, two species that are invading the Northeast.
New York Times
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More
War of the Worms
03/01/2007
Deep in the woods of Minnesota, an army of environmental do-gooders
has gone bad. Very bad. "We all grew up learning that
worms were universally good say Andrew Holdsworth and Lee
Frelich, University of Minnesota, who studied the
impact of worms in forested areas.
New Scientist
Read
More
February 2007
Warmer Temperatures
Shifting Northward
02/26/2007
Minnesota's Northwoods are unique, a boreal forest of spruce,
fern and pines that live in extreme cold, but our climate
is shifting north and we are seeing a profound transformation
right before our eyes. ... Lee Frelich, with
the University of Minnesota, is a world-renowned expert on
trees. He sees signs of big change right now.
WCCO-TV
Read
More
Emerald ash borer
could hurt forests
02/16/07
A half-inch bug is sending chills through Minnesota foresters
and entomologists as it threatens to move into state forests.
... "I don't know if we've ever seen another disease
or insect that has done what this can do in Minnesota forests,"
said Lee Frelich, forest ecologist and director
of the Center for Hardwood Ecology at the University of Minnesota.
Rochester Post-Bulletin
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More
Chris Niskanen:
Conservation council determined to create a new, workable
model
02/09/07
Since November, at Gov. Tim Pawlenty's behest, 16 Minnesotans
have been meeting to determine a path for conservation in
Minnesota. ... "I don't know if anyone has ever taken
such a broad look at conservation,'' said Mike Kilgore,
47, a University of Minnesota professor who is chairing the
council.
Pioneer Press
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More
Emerald ash borer
could cause chaos in Minnesota forests
02/05/07
A half-inch bug is sending chills through Minnesota foresters
and entomologists as it threatens to move into state forests.
... "I dont know if weve ever seen another disease or
insect that has done what this can do in Minnesota forests,''
said Lee Frelich, forest ecologist and director of the Center
for Hardwood Ecology at the University of Minnesota."
Winona Daily News
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More
Imported Chinese
bug could destroy Minnesota forests
02/05/07
A half-inch bug is sending chills through Minnesota foresters
and entomologists as it threatens to move into state forests.
... "I dont know if we've ever seen another disease or
insect that has done what this can do in Minnesota forests,"
said Lee Frelich, forest ecologist and director of the Center
for Hardwood Ecology at the University of Minnesota.
KARE 11
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More
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