Practice fire prevention at home.

REMEMBER:

Tractor and machinery fires are usually the result of some very common causes, such as defects in the fuel or ignition systems, improper methods of ignition systems, improper method of refueling, smoking and matches, overheated engine, sparks from exhaust, lack of grease in bearings, friction and static electricity.

To help prevent such fires:

Listed below are the telephone numbers to call to reserve the Smokey Bear costume.

Lincoln (402)472-6623 (Sandy)
Norfolk (402)370-4024 (District Forester)
Clay Center (402)762-3241(District Forester)
Scottsbluff (308)632-1230 (District Forester)

You are encouraged to contact the office nearest you to reserve a costume and don’t forget to get your reservation in early. During Fire Prevention Week (first full week in October), Smokey Bear is very busy.

Of course, the costume can always be picked up at the office and other than the deposit (which is returned to you if the costume is returned in good condition), there would be no expense.

Bob E. Vogltance
Fire Resource Manager
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
441 So. Colfax
West Point, NE 68788
Office (402) 472-6631
Home (402) 372-5665

The Nebraska Forest Service in cooperation with the Nebraska Environmental Trust Fund and the National Wild Turkey Federation has purchased a tree seed planter, tractor and trailer to help property owners establish nut tree plantings by seeding locally gathered walnut, oak, hickory and other nut seeds. Plantings will be in the fall after native nut seeds are collected in September. A $10.00 per acre user fee to establish a maintenance fund will be charged.

This equipment will be available for use by Nebraska Forest Service foresters and other natural resource professionals across the state to help establish tree plantings by seed on public and private properties. With the availability of this portable equipment, wildlife habitat plantings, timber and conservation plantings will be established in all parts of the state. For wildlife habitat, nut tree plantings are important for a number of reasons. Many wildlife species depend on nut crops each year for fall and winter food sources.

For timber / wood production, black walnut, oaks and pecans are valuable timber trees and in a managed situation provide an alternative "crop" option for the landowner in odd areas or small, difficult to farm locations. Finally from an environmental benefit aspect, nut trees like oaks, hickories and walnuts are the longest lived trees in Nebraska and are expected to live over 200 years on the better sites.

In many locations, quality oak woodlands are disappearing. Oak seedlings are difficult to establish and it is hoped that by planting the acorn nuts that survival success will be increased. Black walnut timber plantings are successfully established by planting nuts rather than seedlings. Black walnut, pecan, hazelnuts, several oak species and hickories can be planted for a mixed nut tree planting in the eastern part of Nebraska. In western Nebraska, native bur oak can be used with black walnut, northern red oak and hazelnut tried on the better soil sites. Foresters and local natural resource professionals should be consulted on the adaptability of the site for respective tree and shrub species.

Nebraska Forest Service foresters will coordinate the routing and operation of the seed planter unit. In many cases, a planting plan will be developed with the owner to outline the objectives of the planting and necessary actions needed to be taken. It is expected that the landowner will be responsible for the collection of the seeds by themselves or a local group or purchasing the seeds before hand to have ready to plant when the machine arrives at the site.

Site preparation requirements will be minimal. The single row planting machine will plant the seeds one to three inches deep. Disking or roto-tilling strips for the machine to drive down will be the necessary on heavy soils (clay) with sod. Sites with heavy vegetation and residue may need shredding, otherwise the machine should be able to plant like a no-till crop planter. Best planting time is in the fall right after the nuts are gathered and before the ground freezes.

Weed and sod control can be with contact herbicide like Roundup over the tree row before the seeds germinate and emerge (May), a grass herbicide like Fusilade or shredding high (8 inches). Foresters should be consulted on recommendations.

If you are interested in having the tree seed planter used on a project on your property or know of someone who might be, contact your local Nebraska Forest Service forester or Steve Rasmussen with NFS at (402) 370-4024.

Although this newsletter’s focus is to give technical forestry and fire related information, occasionally I have included some philosophical material. The following article is one that I thought would be good to share. It was sent to me by my state office and makes some good points to think about as we start a new millennium.

Over the last two decades there has been a substantial shift in the management emphasis of public lands in the United States. This shift has increased the emphasis on managing the biodiversity protection and amenity values, and reduced commodity outputs. Terms like "ecosystem management" and "ecological sustainability" are used to describe this change in management emphasis, which is often referred to as a "paradigm shift."

While the shift in management emphasis on public lands is occurring in response to changing societal preferences, that same public is making no corresponding shift in its commodity consumption habits. The "dirty little secret" about ecological sustainability is that, in the face of stable or increasing resource consumption in the U.S., the effect is to shift the burden and impacts of that consumption to ecosystems elsewhere. For example, shifting to increased timber harvesting from private forests in the U.S. or forests of other countries.

Over the last decade or so, federal timber harvests dropped 70 percent, from about 13 to 4 billion board feet annually. Since 1990, U.S. softwood lumber imports from Canada rose from 12 to 18 billion board feet, increasing from 27 to 36 percent of U.S. softwood lumber consumption. The increased harvesting of Quebec’s forests has become a public issue there.

Harvesting on private lands in the southern U.S. also increased after the reduction of federal timber in the west. Today, the harvest of softwood timber in the southeast exceeds the rate of growth for the first time in 50 years.

The U.S. public consumes more resources today than at any other time in our history, and consumes more per capita than almost any other nation. Since the first Earth Day in 1970, the average family size in the U.S. has dropped by 16 percent, while the size of the average newly constructed single family home has increased by 48 percent.

Today, less than two percent of Americans are farmers, and even people who live in rural areas are disconnected from any direct role in the management of land. While few people are resource producers, all remain consumers. Personal consumption is one area where individuals can act and have a positive effect on resource use, demand, and management. Yet, few people connect their resource consumption to what must be done to the land to make it possible.

If management of land has an ethical content, consumption should have one as well. Perhaps it is time for a "personal consumption ethic" to go along with Aldo Leopold’s land ethic. Ecological sustainability will never be a truly holistic approach to resource management until the consumption side of the equation becomes an integral part of the solution, rather than an afterthought as it is today. The true test as to whether a paradigm shift has really occurred in the U.S. will be whether our society begins to see personal consumption as having an ethical and environmental content as well - and then acts upon them as such.

If evergreens are part of your business enterprise or personal landscape, then plan to attend a Conference on Conifer Care set for Monday, August 21, 2000 in Maryville, Missouri, at the Hangar Restaurant. This conference is hosted by the Missouri Cooperative Extension Division in cooperation with the University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension. This is the second of a newly initiated series on conifer, or evergreen management for arborists, nursery owners, Christmas tree growers, city and cemetery forestry caretakers, and others interested in evergreen care. The initial conference was held in Nebraska City, NE on February 28, 2000.

The Northeast Arboretum at the University Haskell Ag Lab located 2 miles east of Concord, NE will have an Open House and Annual Meeting on Thursday evening, July 27. An indoor program will begin at 6:30 p.m. and will feature a presentation on "Botanical Explorers Along the Great Platte River Road" by Jim Locklear, the Director of the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum. There will also be recognitions of activities of the Arboretum, drawings for gingko, horsechestnut and oak tree seedlings, books and a wood craft wall hanging. Following a brief business meeting to elect three members onto the Arboretum Board for the upcoming year, a walking tour of the grounds of the Arboretum will be given to look at the trees and plants.

The public is invited to visit the arboretum and enjoy a night of discussions about trees and other plants. There are over 70 trees and shrubs labeled at the arboretum. Numerous activities are conducted with the members that include Arbor Day plantings, visits to neighboring arboretum sites, perennial plant exchanges and "planting parties."

The Northeast Arboretum is an affiliated site of NSA and has over 70 different trees and shrubs planted and labeled. Membership is $10.00 and can be sent to Norman Anderson, PO Box 21, Concord, NE 68728. For more information about the Open House or about the Northeast Arboretum contact Steve Rasmussen at 402-370-4024.

The National Arbor Day Foundation will host the biennial Tree City USA Conference at the Lied Conference Center in Nebraska City on September 28-30 of this year. The conference theme is Community Forestry At Its Best. This will be an excellent conference with speakers from across the entire country. You can get more details about the conference at the NADF web site the link to conferences).

The Nebraska Forest Service will offer five scholarships to this conference that will reimburse the conference registration fees. To be eligible for one of these scholarships you must meet the following criteria:

1. Live in Nebraska.

2. Be actively involved in your town's community forestry program either as an employee of the municipality or a volunteer involved in forest r resource issues (tree board member, master gardener, etc.

3. Provide a brief, written statement stating how you meet the criteria in number 2 and why you wish to attend the conference. Include a statement about how you will utilize the I information you obtain at the conference.

Send this information along with your name, address and phone number to Dave Mooter either by mail (8015 West Center Rd, Omaha, NE 68124) or email (dmooter2@unl.edu). Deadline will be August 31.