#Science | US Forest Service

Tiny wood particles can have a big benefit

Research at the Forest Service's Forest Products Laboratory is finding new and innovative ways to transform these materials into nanocellulose products. From strengthening cement to extending shelf life of food, the lab is turning forest byproducts into high-performance materials of tomorrow. (Forest Service video)Forest thinning keeps forests healthier and reduces the risk of catastrophic…

#Science, #Research, #Innovation, #WoodInnovations, #TreeScience, #Cellulose

Making wood less tasty to pests

A person wearing sunglasses, holding a cut piece of wood, pointing to small white mushrooms growing on one end.

From wood walls to fence posts, we enjoy the benefits of wood products. But there are insects and fungi who enjoy it for another purpose – as dinner.The Forest Service’s Forest Products Laboratory scientists test wood products for resistance to fungal decay and insect damage.One of their big projects is testing chemical treatments for military wood packaging boxes. These boxes must withstand two…

#ForestProducts, #ForestProductsLaboratory, #Science, #ResearchAndDevelopment, #WoodInnovations, #Wood

New dashboard helps planners, others apply natural resource data

If you need to know how much lumber the nation produces, where invasive grasses are spreading across rangelands in a region, or how much water agricultural producers in a county use, you’ll want to check out a new dashboard. The Science for the Future dashboard shows status, trends and futures of natural resources now and through 2070 using maps, graphs and other interactive elements. Created by…

#Science, #Data

Air Pollution Effects on Forests: A Guide to Species Ecology, Ecosystem Services, and Responses to Nitrogen and Sulfur Deposition, Vol. II (Herbs)

cover of a publication about air pollution effects on forests

This publication is volume 2 in a 3-volume series on the effects of fertilizing and acidifying air pollutants on forest and grassland vegetation. Volume 2 explains the interacting responses to deposition, soil pH, and climate for 198 individual herbaceous species; 70 species are featured with photos and ecological and ecosystem services information.

#Pollution, #Air, #AirPollution, #Science

Indicator 1.08: Population Levels of Selected Representative Forest-Associated Species to Describe Genetic Diversity, 2017

Text that reads "Forest Sustainability Indicator Report"

Some forest species support or rely heavily on particular forest structures, patterns, associations, and processes and can therefore be used to describe the status of genetic diversity in forests. This indicator report, tiered to the 2030 National Report on Sustainable Forests, provides information on the population status of selected forest-associated species that reflect the genetic diversity present in forest ecosystems.

#Sustainability, #Biology, #Genetics, #Science

New tool can keep communities safe during floods and storms

Hurricane Helene overwhelmed culverts, triggering erosion, moving debris, and ultimately causing many to fail. Few places in Georgia were hit harder than the Tallulah River watershed in the Chattahoochee section of the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest.Hurricanes and other severe storms continue to put a strain on infrastructure, threatening community access and increasing emergency costs. The…