All Posts
The Landscape Management System
LMS is an evolving application designed to assist in landscape level analysis and planning of forest ecosystems by automating the tasks of stand projection, graphical and tabular summarization, stand visualization, and landscape visualization. LMS is implemented as a Microsoft Windows (TM) application that coordinates the activities of other programs (projection models, visualization tools, etc.) that…
Read MoreLetters from Readers
Dear Appalachian Voices, I recently left the Appalachian region and felt the need to commend you all on your environmental endeavors that protect the vitality of the Appalachians. I am thoroughly impressed with your effort to take action opposing the “Clear Skies Initiative.” Appalachian Voices successfully rallied environmental enthusiasts in a jovial and fun manner.…
Read MoreCHECK OUT THIS VIDEO ABOUT WIND POWER MYTHS FROM RESIDENTS WHO REALLY LIVE BESIDE THEM
Show this video to everyone who is against windpower!
Read MoreAcross Appalachia
West VIrginia: Forest Management Plan Released for Monongahela National Forest The US Forest Service has released a draft of the forest management plan that will guide all activities on West Virginia’s Monongahela National Forest for the next fifteen to twenty years. The proposed plan will triple the amount of logging allowed on the Monongahela, and…
Read MoreReturn of the kings
Chestnut tree restoration under way at Bankhead [Alabama] Researchers have planted hybrids at the Bankhead National Forest in an effort to restore the majestic American chestnut that once dominated the Southeast. Researchers at the American Chestnut Foundation are cross breeding the American chestnut with Asian and European varieties resistant to the blight. …researchers are planting…
Read MoreDominion officials quizzed by citizens, environmentalists
WISE — Officials of Dominion Virginia Power got their brains picked vigorously by local citizens and environmental activists at a recent meeting. Dominion representatives Jim Browder, James Beazley and John Ragone discussed plans to build a 500-600 megawatt coal-fired power plant in Virginia City with a group of about 30 people March 26 at L.F.…
Read MoreDominion officials field questions: Group demands alternative energy plan
WISE — Along with responding to specific questions about a proposed coal-fired power plant, Dominion Virginia Power officials confronted broad demands to boycott surface-mined coal or shun fossil fuel energy altogether. Utility representatives Jim Browder, James Beazley and John Ragone met March 26 with several local residents and activists opposed to current plans for building…
Read MoreSustainable WNC website launched
A new web portal, www.sustainablewnc.org was recently launched to connect and inform businesses, nonprofits, citizens and local governments that are working to promote the principles and practices of sustainability in western North Carolina. According to editor, Richard Fireman: Many people worldwide have come to realize that humanity is at an evolutionary crossroads. Successful transformation of…
Read MoreNCSU Receives $247,802 Federal Grant for Renewable Energy
[ North Carolina ] The Department of Forest at North Carolina State University will receive a grant worth $247,802 from the federal government for research into renewable energy and other products that can be developed from woody biomass. The grant is one of 26 awarded by the Agriculture Department on Tuesday. The grants total $6.2…
Read MoreIf you take a stand, how can you manage an ecosystem? The complex art of raising a forest
The idea of rebuilding old-growth by well planned ecosystem management has obvious appeal. Some forest plans, including the Northwest Forest Plan, assume that late seral (old-growth) forests will develop automatically when second-growth forests are placed in reserve, particularly if they have biological legacies such as standing live and dead trees and fallen trees or logs.…
Read More