Plants of the Winter Solstice
By Larry Stritch
Plants play an important role in many of our holiday traditions, including the season surrounding the winter solstice. Winter solstice, occurring on or around December 21st, is the first day of winter, the shortest day and the longest night of the year. To early cultures, the winter solstice was a day of both…
#Winter, #CapitolChristmasTree, #Christmas, #Holidays
Clearing the ridge: Fire for forest health and resilient communities
Wildfire is driven by three main factors — weather, terrain and fuels. When fighting wildfires, firefighters work to reduce the fuel feeding the fire, either by removing it with heavy equipment, handlines or by making it hard to burn by soaking the fuel with water or retardant.
Adam Dummer,…
#FirePrevention, #PrescribedFire, #WildfirePrevention, #Winter, #ControlledBurn, #WildfireCrisisStrategy
Let there be light: A candlelight hike, that is
On March 4, nearly 375 people participated in the Morgan Falls Candlelight Hike. Here a small group of hikers take a break to warm up and enjoy a fireside snack. USDA Forest Service photo.
WISCONSIN—A true Wisconsin gem, Morgan Falls is a popular point of interest on the Great Divide District of the…
#Recreation, hiking, #Winter, #Waterfalls
Fires of winter
Pile burning is usually a one-to-two-year process from beginning to end. First brush, or slash is collected and placed in piles. Then the pile will sit for a year drying out to be burned in wetter colder months. (USDA Forest Service photo by Andrew Avitt).
Snow melts and becomes water, and…
#WildlandFire, #ForestFire, #Winter, #Wildfire, #ControlledBurn, #PileBurning
Fathoming the snow depths
This snow-depth map, zoomed out, shows snow accumulations across the western and northern United States. Inches of snow range from blues to purples to pinks, from less to more snowpack.
CALIFORNIA—In California, the new year arrived on the wave of an atmospheric river, carrying enough water…
#Snow, #Winter, winter sports, #Maps, #Recreation
Conservation and Recreation Come Together to Create Maine’s Vacationland
Ice climbing which is one of the many unique winter experiences at Grafton Notch State Park. (Photo credit: Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands)
As the most rural state in the United States, Maine is one of the best destinations to reconnect with nature. “Vacationland” has been the slogan on Maine license…