Experience Earth Day with USDA

USDA Blog Post:

Posted by Kathryn Sosbe, Office of Communication, U.S. Forest Service; Donna Johnson-Bailey, Outreach and Social Media, Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, on April 22, 2014 at 2:00 PM

The Appalachian National Scenic Trail stretches 2,175 miles from Mount Katahdin in Maine to Springer Mountain in Georgia. Hikers who choose to explore the entire stretch will go through 14 states and on eight national forests. (U.S. Forest Service)

Earth Day is a reminder that some of our best moments can be spent in the great outdoors.

Getting outside is one of the best ways to feel re-invigorated, whether on a short hike to the Crags Trail on Pike National Forest or on a longer exploration of the 2,175-mile Appalachian Trail, which winds through 14 states and across eight national forests.

The range of outdoor activities run the gamut from hiking, camping, boating, bird watching, and experiencing wildlife to photographing nature, hunting and fishing.

However long you want to spend outdoors, the U.S. Forest Service and the Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion offer a few ideas to help you stay healthy while enjoying activities of your choice.

Choose MyPlate Outdoors

Going on a day trip to any of our 154 national forests or 20 national grasslands? Pack a picnic lunch, some snacks, and drinks to keep everyone hydrated and satisfied.

Plan to have plenty of water with you and ready-to-eat foods such as mini-carrots, oranges, 100 percent whole wheat bread, and a container of peanut butter. Toss unsalted nuts and dried cranberries in small containers for easy grab-and-go snacks.

Visiting national forests and lands also provide an opportunity to experience foods readily available from local farmers markets. Use the USDA National Farmer Market Locator Directory to find a market near you. (USDA Flickr Image)

Planning meals and snacks for several days of outdoor activity may require a little more thought. Consider ahead of time which foods to take, ways to keep your food safe, and how to prepare easy meals. Rely on paper plates and include just a few cooking tools like a skillet or small pot for meats or soups.

Mix quick-cooking oats with low-fat dry milk powder, walnuts, and raisins for a fast breakfast. Chop veggies like onions and peppers in advance to use when cooking over the campfire.  Bring cans of low-sodium soup or tuna fish that you can quickly re-heat or mix with vegetables for lunch or dinner.

Also, think about cooking local foods. Enjoying nature means appreciating and eating what’s available to you. If you’re near the ocean, find a place to buy fresh fish. Visit a local farmers market to find fresh veggies, eggs, meat, or local cheeses.

Savor your outdoor experience. Eating outside near a lake or under the stars is a special event that you will want to repeat. With just a little planning you can figure out how to have healthy, delicious meals that make it easy to get away and enjoy your public lands.

We have one request: Please abide by the Leave No Trace seven principles of outdoor ethics so the beauty you see when you are there will be there when you return.

Unplug and take your kids outside, where they can view though world though a different lens - away from televisions, cell phones and other electronic gadgets. Grab a pair of binoculars and see how many different species of birds they can find. (U.S. Forest Service)

Restoration Efforts May Mean More 'Chestnuts Roasting....'

USDA Blog Post:

Posted by Ryan Johnson, North Carolina, U.S. Forest Service, on December 6, 2013 at 10:30 AM

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire, a popular line from a holiday song, are a tradition that at one time seemed imperiled by the decreasing population of chestnut trees. (USDA photo)

“Chestnuts roasting on an open fire,” is a line from a song that conjures up fond holiday memories for some Americans. For others, the joy of roasting chestnuts has yet to be experienced. But the lack of American chestnuts could change in the coming years, thanks to some very dedicated people.

The U.S. Forest Service and its partners may be one step closer to restoring the American chestnut tree to parts of the mountains and forests of the southern United States. Since 2009, they planted close to 1,000 potentially-blight resistant American chestnut trees on national forests in North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.

To date, more than 80 percent of the American chestnut backcross hybrid saplings planted in the national forests have survived. Most of the trees are healthy, growing steadily and showing differing levels of resistance, a sign of encouragement to the hopeful community of people working to return the tree to its native range.

The once-young seedlings have reached an average height of 8 feet and have overcome what Stacy Clark, a Forest Service scientist at the agency’s Southern Research Station, calls “planting shock” by developing a strong root system and adapting to their new environment.

Before the introduction of the chestnut blight in the early 20^th century, American chestnut trees dominated forests of the eastern United States. Known as the Redwood of the East, they often reached towering heights of 150 feet. At one time, one in every four hardwood trees in the East was an American chestnut, according to estimates.

By the 1950s, the blight had killed billions of trees and left the species virtually non-existent. Today, any chestnuts found in the Eastern forests never grow beyond a few feet tall and rarely flower. Chestnut trees have reached a “genetic dead-end” in the United States because of their inability to reproduce.

“One level of success is to develop a tree that will survive long enough to naturally pollinate and reproduce,” said Bryan Burhans, president of The American Chestnut Foundation. “The Forest Service and its scientists work with the foundation on a number of different levels, in the field and with planning and monitoring. There are all kinds of ways that we have worked together.”

Burhans says he is optimistic about the future of the American chestnut hybrid, but admits that the trees planted in national forests face challenges in the coming years. As the trees continue to mature, their blight-resistance will be put to the test.

Meanwhile, Clark, foundation scientists and others will continue to look for conditions and other useful information that will help to return chestnuts to the East.

“There is still a lot to learn about these trees,” said Clark. “And there is a lot more work to be done in restoring the American chestnut.”

With ongoing refinement of the hybrid trees, collaboration with partners and with hope, widespread restoration of the American chestnut may become a reality in the next 100 years.

It may also offer opportunity for a favorite holiday pastime to re-emerge as part of celebrating the season with song and sustenance.

A University of Tennessee research technician measures a chestnut tree planted in 2011. (U.S. Forest Service)

Secretary's Column: Taking New Steps to Care for the Land and Water

USDA Blog Post:

Posted by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, on September 13, 2013 at 3:00 PM

Natural resource conservation is paramount to the ongoing strength of our nation. Healthy soil contributes to agricultural productivity. Healthy forests clean our water and air. Vibrant waterways are critical for our health, for transportation and for trade. Investments into conservation spur job growth and community development, particularly in rural areas.

This is an uncertain time for USDA conservation activities. Congress has not yet passed a comprehensive Food, Farm and Jobs Bill that would continue to invest in conservation efforts, while providing rural America with certainty regarding many other important programs.

As we continue urging Congress to provide a new Food, Farm and Jobs Bill, USDA this week took several new steps to strengthen conservation across the country.

We invested in innovation by awarding new grants under USDA’s Conservation Innovation Grants program.  New technologies and tactics are constantly emerging that help producers and landowners care for the environment.  These 33 new awards will help organizations across the country carry out advanced new conservation strategies and share them with producers. For example, several projects will investigate the benefits of cover crops, which could help producers grow more while mitigating the impacts of a changing climate.

These new project awards are part of more than 260 projects funded since 2009, including a special group of Conservation Innovation Grants to help agriculture adapt to drought.

We also invested this week in the future of renewable energy from wood products. USDA announced a partnership with industry to work toward additional wood-to-energy projects, while awarding more than $1 million in grants for five statewide teams that will further develop these efforts.  This builds on past work that has resulted in more than 230 wood-to-energy projects created under the Obama Administration.

Advanced wood energy provides a wide range of benefits for our nation. It encourages forest restoration by providing a new way to use wood byproducts. It contributes to an “all-of-the above” energy strategy, giving folks an alternative to costly energy sources. And it helps to create good jobs in energy and forestry for rural Americans. Renewable wood energy holds tremendous promise for rural America, and the new investments made this week are yet another step forward for this technology.

To cap off a week of positive new developments for USDA conservation efforts, we announced today that the U.S. Forest Service will partner with Coca-Cola, the National Forest Foundation and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation in a long-term effort to restore and clean waterways in our National Forests.

National Forests provide drinking water for more than 60 million Americans – and working together, USDA and Coca-Cola will undertake a range of projects in the coming years to restore forest waterways. These include working on the Angeles National Forest in California to prevent erosion caused by wildfire; restoring a stream in New Mexico that was previously impacted by industrial activity; and enhancing waterways within the Lake Michigan watershed.

Our hope is that these restoration projects will stand as an example for the benefit of public-private partnership to deliver results for the American people, even in a time of tighter budgets.

These new efforts complement the wide range of work we will continue to do with a focus on delivering record conservation results for Americans. With the right tools, including a new Food, Farm and Jobs Bill, there is much more we can achieve in the years to come.