SantaFeToday.com Santa Fe’s Hometown News
Coming up in 2024: Smokey Bear turns 80: A fire prevention legacy unmatched80 years is a tremendous milestone—for anyone. To make it to 80 means you have overcome life’s greatest challenges and you truly become the elder, the sage, the one who knows a thing or two and should be listened to. Being the spokes-bear, if you will, of the longest running and most successful advertising campaign in American history, at 80 years old, I think Smokey Bear would agree. Read more… |
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| The Vision Aerial Switchblade can be fitted with a mirrorless camera. This camera takes a series of overlapping photos which can later be processed as a 3D image. (USDA Forest Service photo by Andrew Avitt) |
An aerial eye on the forest: Enhancing the work of forestersGathering a deep understanding of a forest, from the roots to the treetops, was once only possible after months of walking the landscape. But soon U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service employees could be using their thumbs and a mechanical friend to help get the job done in days. Meet the Vision Aerial Switchblade. With a top speed of 62 mph and weighing in at just over 7 pounds, this uncrewed aerial system or UAS can fly over a landscape while gathering data on the terrain. It sees the big picture and the little picture — from the broad health of the forest, down to specifics on an individual tree — which informs land management decisions. Read more… |
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| A custom seed mix created to reseed a fuel break on the Pine Valley Ranger District of the Dixie National Forest. (USDA Forest Service photo by Lindsey Winkel) |
Planting seeds of prevention: Custom seed mixes to restore habitat in fuel breaks on the Dixie National ForestIn a large climate-controlled warehouse in central Utah, hundreds of thousands of pounds of seed in white feed bags are stacked to the ceiling on industrial shelves like a rangeland Costco. In mid-September, the peak of their busy season, employees from the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources create custom seed mixes at the Great Basin Research Center for landscapes in need of habitat restoration. Read more… |
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| A family of elephants cross the roadway, a common occurrence in the Okavango Delta. (Forest Service photo by Elisa Osborne) |
Living with elephants: Fostering coexistence in the Okavango Delta of BotswanaYoung Daniel Sekunja whooped, yelled, and banged sticks before three large African elephants. He employed the best tactic he knew – make noise—to deter the hungry pachyderms from destroying his family’s crops. The intelligent elephants, wary of humans and their often-violent responses, viewed his antics as a threat and charged. Daniel narrowly escaped with his life by diving into a downwind bush. His family’s livelihood was trampled. He realized he needed a better method to protect his family’s crops. Read more… |
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| After 25 years of sacrifice and triumph, Debbie Beard now serves as the first woman to lead an incident management team in the Southern Area. Under her command, the Southern Area Gold Complex Incident Management Team supports firefighters across the country, and sometimes in other parts of the world. (USDA Forest Service photo) |
Breaking barriers through smoke and stereotypesOne firefighter’s journey of sacrifice and triumph to become the South’s first woman incident commanderWhen her daughters were younger, Debbie Beard would pick them up regularly from school. Self-described as “always the late mom,” she was more likely one of several moms who didn’t get their children on time. However, she was certainly the only mom who pulled up to the school dirty and smelling like wood smoke. Read more… |
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| Miranda Hutten, Urban and Community Forestry Program Manager in the Pacific Southwest Region, shows her support for urban trees with Miru Osuga and Tien Wieber at the California State Fair. (USDA Forest Service photo) |
The grassroots of our urban forestsFor a moment, imagine your neighborhood… your big city downtown or smalltown main street. The trees, vegetation and green spaces are likely a part of these pictures. But they probably aren’t the focus. “It’s actually pretty common,” said Pauline Ordonez, Urban and Community Forestry Program Specialist with the Forest Service’s Pacific Southwest Region. “People tend to not realize the trees and all of the benefits that they provide until they are gone.” Urban forests have the power to cool environments, boost economies and are shown to be an important part of human wellness. Read more… |
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