Your National Forests Winter/Spring 2017

YOUR NATIONAL

The Magazine of the National Forest Foundation

Winter | Spring 2017

Enduring Technology HUMANKIND’S OLDEST TOOL

Find Your Fourteener A NEW PATH FOR COLORADO’S HIGH PEAKS

There’s An App For That ADVENTURE MEETS TECH

Board of Directors Executive Committee Craig Barrett, NFF Chair Retired, CEO/Chairman of the Board, Intel Corporation (AZ) Lee Fromson, NFF Treasurer Executive Vice President, Products & Operations, Simms Fishing Products (MT) Timothy P. Schieffelin, NFF Secretary Senior Wealth Director, BNY Mellon Wealth Management (CT) Caroline Choi, Vice President Integrated Planning & Environmental Affairs, Southern California Edison (CA) Peter Foreman, Sirius LP (IL) Rick Frazier, President & Chief Operating Officer, Heartland Coca-Cola Bottling Co. (GA)

Board of Directors David Bell, Chairman, Gyro, LLC (NY) Mike Brown, Jr., General Partner, Bowery Capital (NY) Coleman Burke, President, Waterfront Properties (NY)

SUPPORT YOUR NATIONAL FORESTS Donate today to ensure these resources last for tomorrow. $50 will plant 50 trees — helping ensure the health and vitality of our remarkable National Forests and Grasslands.

Aimée Christensen, CEO, Christensen Global Strategies; Founding Executive Director, Sun Valley Institute for Resilience (ID) Robert Cole, Partner, Collins Cockrel & Cole, P.C. (CO) J. Alexander M. Douglas, Jr., Executive Vice President, The Coca-Cola Company and President, Coca-Cola North America (GA) Bart Eberwein, Executive Vice President, Hoffman Construction Company (OR) Robert Feitler, Chairman of the Executive Committee, Weyco Group, Inc. (IL) Barry Fingerhut, CEO/Owner, Certification Partners, LLC (AZ) Beth Ganz, Vice President, Public Affairs & Sustainability, Vail Resorts Management Company (CO) Roje S. Gootee, Co-Owner & Manager, Rush Creek Ranch, LLC (OR) James K. Hunt (WY) Andie MacDowell, Actress & Spokesperson (CA) Thomas McHenry, Partner, Gibson Dunn (CA)

$100 will send 10 students to a Friends of the Forest® volunteer day.

Jeff Paro, President & CEO, Outdoor Sportsman Group (NY)

$1,000 will restore up to one acre of forest.

Mary Smart, President, Smart Family Foundation (NY)

Visit www.nationalforests.org/give to contribute today.

Thomas Tidwell, Ex-Officio, Chief, U.S. Forest Service (DC)

Patricia Hayling Price, President, LiveWorkStrategize, LLC (NY)

Chad Weiss, Managing Director, JOG Capital Inc. (WY) James Yardley, Retired, Executive Vice President, El Paso Corporation (TX)

welcome letter

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rom the very beginning, our games were about encouraging people to go outside and see interesting places, so I have mixed feelings about people looking at their screen while we’re trying to lead them out into the park where they can see the statue and trees and nature.

—John Hanke, CEO, Niantic Developer of Augmented Reality Game, Pokémon Go The Paradox of Nature and Technology

By Bill Possiel, NFF President technology offers: ready access to information, accurate directions while traveling, and being able to talk to friends, family and colleagues with literally the touch of a button. I have enjoyed using the app “Strava” when mountain biking, and I love my Apple Watch when trail running or hiking at my favorite destination, the Rattlesnake National Recreation Area of the Lolo National Forest. But I A paradox involves two elements, love being there, experiencing the truths, principles or perspectives changing seasons and the shifting that seem contradictory but are light, even more than I like knowing both true. The philosopher Adam how far I ran or how high I hiked.

Smith defined the paradox of value We are now entering the era (also known as the diamond–water of artificial intelligence and virtual paradox) as the apparent conand augmented reality, and a new tradiction that although water dilemma is emerging, one that is, on the whole, more useful for really comes down to personal survival than diamonds, diamonds choice. There is a growing body command a higher price in the of research about the mental market. Another paradox, more and physical health benefits of relevant for the National Forest spending time in nature, but it Foundation, is that nature is best seems counterintuitive to posit enjoyed when you have a sensory that technology enhances those experience, but (depending on the benefits. Even if they help us get type of experience you are seeking) back to the trailhead or track our technology can actually enhance workouts, there are simply times your time in nature. when devices are distractions This issue of Your National from enjoying the sights, sounds Forests focuses on technology. and smells of a walk in a natural Modern society loves what environment.

With well over 80 percent of the United States population residing in urban or suburban areas, we in the conservation community recognize that we have to reach people where they are and demonstrate that people benefit from natural areas and conservation wherever they live. It is important to recognize that nature can be enjoyed in an urban park or strolling along a tree-lined street. Yet the benefits of nature go far beyond health and well-being; natural systems provide clean air and water, a sustainable supply of wood fiber for the nation, and habitat for a myriad of species that could not persist but for the scale necessary to maintain the processes so vital to their very survival.

As I write this on Thanksgiving week, I reflect on the impact natural places have had on my life, and I am reminded that these places are central to our national identity and natural legacy. These are the places that quite literally ground us in reality. So, take a walk with your family and friends this holiday season… and consider leaving your devices behind. There are times when just being in nature is enough to augment reality.

Winter | Spring 2017

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inside

this edition

1

Welcome Letter

3

Where in the Woods?

The paradox of nature and technology

4

Forests by the Numbers

5

Kids and Nature

6

Ten years of giving back equals a lot of restoration

The best apps for getting kids into nature

10

There’s an App for That Enhancing your fun and safety with technology

Field Reports Youth create a better future in Kentucky The NFF and Coca-Cola return a billion liters of water to nature

8 14

Forest News The National Forests’ Christmas gift to the nation

Voices from the Forest Instagram photos from our friends that will make you want to quit your job and hike

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16

A Life More Grand The NFF charts a sustainable path for Colorado’s beloved Fourteeners

22 The Axe

Conservation

Storied, Steady, Seductive: The tool that has withstood the test of time

Tech in the Trees: New technologies advancing conservation

26

Tree Spotlight A Horticultural Sleight of Hand: A bright future for the imperiled whitebark pine tree

29

Ski Conservation Fund Celebrating the 10th Anniversary of the NFF’s Ski Conservation and Forest Stewardship Funds

on the cover A rock ptarmigan in its winter colors. See the story on page 16 to learn more about its cousin, the white-tailed ptarmigan.

Photo: © Mark Medcalf. Shutterstock.com

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Your National Forests

Photos: Shutterstock.com, USFS, Ray A. Foote

features

How well can you identify your National Forests?

where in the woods Thanks to high elevations and 34 lakes and reservoirs, this southwestern National Forest seems out of place in its home state.

See page 32 for answer.

Photo: USFS

National Forest Foundation

National Forest Foundation

Building 27, Suite 3 Fort Missoula Road Missoula, Montana 59804 406.542.2805

President William J. Possiel Executive Vice President Mary Mitsos Executive Vice President Ray A. Foote Edward Belden Southern California Program Associate Sheree Bombard Director, Administration Rebecca Davidson Director, Southern Rockies Region Karen DiBari Director, Conservation Connect Hannah Ettema Digital Communications Coordinator Dorian Fougères California Program Manager Robin Hill Controller Adam Liljeblad Director, Conservation Awards Zia Maumenee Conservation Programs Officer Luba Mullen Associate Director, Development Emily Olsen Conservation Connect Associate Marlee Ostheimer Philanthropy & Partnerships Coordinator Greg M. Peters Director, Communications Lee Quick Accountant Patrick Shannon Director, Pacific Northwest Program Emily Struss Event Planner & Coordinator Vance Russell Director, California Program Marcus Selig Vice President, Field Programs Mark Shelley Director, Eastern Region Deborah Snyder Development Services Manager Wes Swaffar Director, Ecosystem Services Dayle Wallien Director, Conservation Partnerships

®2016 National Forest Foundation.

No unauthorized reproduction of this material is allowed.

Your National Forests magazine is printed on recycled paper with 30% post-consumer content. This magazine’s use of FSC certified paper ensures the highest environmental and social standards have been followed in the wood sourcing, paper manufacturing and print production of this magazine. To learn more log on to www.fsc.org.

Your National Forests The Magazine of the National Forest Foundation Editor-in-Chief Greg M. Peters Contributors Rebecca Davidson, Michelle Z. Donahue, Hannah Ettema, Ray A. Foote, Marlee Ostheimer, Greg M. Peters, Bill Possiel, Wes Swaffar Graphic Artist Marci Mansfield, Mansfield Communications

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forests by the numbers

2,630 miles of trail improved – 500 more miles than the entire Appalachian Trail!

4,222

i e Sk h t d ip rdsh nche a u a w l e e NFF st St e e r te th h o t a F , r 7 b d 0 le n an o ce In 20 o t i t reat d a g e v t e r i s e se xc Con of th ’re e d $8 e y e r t W a a . s r s d er gene Fun e nniv v a a r g for h a n e i h y d c i ten fun nds. a , wh l n s s o i s m a at ra d Gr es 29-31 of stor n e prog r a s n est rams on patgime, take a r ion i o l l F i an m ve al rog tion about the pts. In the mnee to improortunities a N o p e es mor ional For ng has d ional op our arn

acres of habitat restored or maintained – about 800 New York City blocks, or a third of Manhattan Island.

le ndi Nat reat can Your at this fu and rec f You o e h at issu ee w fe habit this li t to s d n l i e mom health, w Forests. l t fores Nationa r u o on

Ski Conservation & Forest Stewardship Funds

29,890 257

volunteers engaged, including thousands of youth – you’d need 623 school busses to get all those volunteers to a work day.

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Your National Forests

campsites restored – enough to go camping at a different spot every weekend for two-and-ahalf years.

35,030 162 trees and shrubs planted – you’d have to plant one tree every minute for three straight weeks to achieve that result.

acres of wetland or riparian areas restored – that’s enough to cover the Denver Bronco’s Mile High Stadium, twice!

291,361

volunteer hours – it would take you 7,248 weeks, or 140 years of working every week of the year to put in that kind of time.

kids and nature Four of Our Favorite Outdoor Apps for Kids

By Hannah Ettema

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ids today expect an app for everything, so why not one for the forest? A variety of free apps can enhance and inform your family’s visit to the forest. From treasure hunting to stargazing, we selected a few of our favorites for you to download for your next trip to a National Forest. .

Discovery Agents— discoveryagents.net Similar to Pokémon Go, Discovery Agents encourages kids to unlock geo-located challenges that can only be solved through observation of their surroundings. Once a “mission site” has been downloaded to the app, you won’t need cell service to complete the mission. In addition to dozens of state and regional parks, the Forest Service has created more than 20 National Forest “mission sites” to explore with your kids!

Project Noah— projectnoah.org Do you have a budding scientist in your family? Project Noah offers them the opportunity to become a citizen scientist and document wildlife observations. The photos they upload will be added to the app database that research organizations may someday use.

Two more apps we love for kids: OhRanger ParkFinder ohranger.com/app/parkfinder Audubon Bird Guide App audubon.org/apps

Geocaching—geocaching.com/ account/welcome If walking in the woods doesn’t provide enough entertainment for your kids, turn the adventure into a treasure hunt! Geocaching uses GPS-enabled devices to help users navigate to a specific set of coordinates to find the “geocache,” a container filled with small treasures. National Forests provide excellent geocaching opportunities across the country, but always be aware of property boundaries and safety when out in the woods!

Skyview—terminaleleven. com/skyview/iphone/ Simply point and look! Skyview brings stargazing to you without a telescope. As you hold your device in the night (or day) sky, the app will tell you what stars, planets, satellites or even constellations are right in front of you. If your little astronomer needs more details, the app also provides in-depth information and graphics about each sky object.

Hannah Ettema is the NFF’s digital communications coordinator. When she’s not managing the NFF’s digital communications or lending her design skills to fellow staff, she spends her free time exploring Montana’s National Forests and stage managing local theater productions. Reach her at hettema@nationalforests.org.

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field

reports

A Better Future for the Daniel Boone

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With funding from the NFF, the Ohio River Foundation recruited a youth conservation team of six high school students to lend a hand on the Daniel Boone, including removing Chinese silvergrass. Through the five-week-long program, the students participated in a variety of projects while gaining exposure to careers in conservation.

Chinese silvergrass prefers full access to sunlight, making roadsides an ideal habitat throughout the forest. Unfortunately, these tall grasses, growing five to ten feet, outcompete native species for sunlight, water and space. In order to prevent the grass from returning, the students dug up the entire root system of each plant and then planted native ryegrass seeds to reduce the chances of another outbreak.

These students not only removed vast amounts of Chinese silvergrass, they also assisted on a trail restoration project that improved recreational access to the forest while also reducing harmful erosion for wildlife and plants. They dug postholes, transported lumber to the site and worked on a new staircase on the Double Arch-Court House Rock Trail.

Photos: Ohio River Foundation

tretching nearly the length of Kentucky, the Daniel Boone National Forest features lush rolling hills, dramatic natural arches and scenic rivers and lakes. Unfortunately, the Daniel Boone also features a robust population of the invasive species Miscanthus sinensis, or Chinese silvergrass.

The students also spent a day with Forest Service staff to clean up four miles of the Red River.

In addition to picking up general litter and debris, they also pulled 42 tires, a TV, and dryer and stove parts from the popular waterway.

One day each week was set aside for education as Forest Service staff invited the students along to take forest measurements, soil samples and wildlife surveys.

In five short weeks, the students participated in ecological restoration, trail and recreational infrastructure improvements and learned about careers in public lands conservation. It all added up to a chance for the students to help ensure the forest’s future while they explored opportunities for their own.

The six members of the Daniel Boone’s Youth Conservation Team.

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Your National Forests

field reports A Billion Liters of Water Back To Nature

Photos: USFS

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s the nation’s single largest source of fresh water, our National Forests supply water to millions of people in thousands of communities across the country.

Recognizing this invaluable service, the NFF works closely with the U.S. Forest Service and our partners to improve and protect these critical watersheds.

Deeply eroded streams add sediment to the waterway and prevent ground water recharge.

Since 2012, the NFF and Coca-Cola have teamed up to improve the health of our National Forest watersheds. In fact, Coca-Cola has pledged to return to nature an amount of water equal to what is used in their beverages by 2020.

The Comanche Creek watershed restoration effort on New Mexico’s Carson National Forest is a great example of how this partnership is improving water conditions on our public lands. Wetland areas like those in Comanche Creek are a rare and vital feature in the arid southwest, helping to regulate streamflow and reduce erosion as water flows toward the Rio Grande River. Communities in both the U.S. and Mexico depend on this water for agriculture and other uses.

Unfortunately, Comanche Creek has suffered the fate of so many other western watersheds. Sheep and cattle ranching have eroded streambanks and increased sedimentation, and historic mining practices further degraded water quality. Between 2015 and 2016, the NFF and New Mexico Trout Unlimited got to work improving the watershed, restoring a total of 286 acres of wetlands within Comanche Creek and returning an estimated 200 million liters of water back to this ecosystem.

The newly stabilized meadows will help control floods and curb erosion for communities downstream and will also provide important habitat for unique wetland species to thrive. The threatened Rio Grande cutthroat trout that calls Comanche Creek home will benefit from more regular streamflows as well.

Through our work together, the NFF, the Forest Service and Coca-Cola have replenished more than one billion liters of water to high-value watersheds across the country! At a September 2016 event celebrating this milestone, Coca-Cola North America President Sandy Douglas said, “We could not accomplish the milestone we celebrate today without the expertise, guidance and resources of the USDA, the U.S. Forest Service, the National Forest Foundation and many other organizations and community partners.”

That’s something we can all raise a glass to celebrate.

This tributary creek has cut a deep channel into the meadow. It is disconnected from the flood plain and is not benefiting neighboring plant communities.

By plugging the creek and creating a pool, water now floods onto the meadow to benefit plant and animal communities.

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forest news

OUR NATIONAL FORESTS’ CHRISTMAS GIFT TO THE NATION While we may all worry if our Christmas tree is too tall, the U.S. Capitol doesn’t have that problem. This year’s Capitol Christmas Tree from Idaho’s Payette National Forest will stand 80 feet tall on the West lawn of the U.S. Capitol.

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Your National Forests

Photo: James Edward Mills of the Joy Trip Project

A crane carefully places the Capitol Christmas Tree on the semi-truck at the cutting site.

forest news Capitol Photos: Whitehouse.gov

To find that perfect tree, Forest Service staff turned to a unique group of professionals on staff—smokejumpers. And while they didn’t jump out of a plane to find the tree, they did help narrow down the selection for the final decision. After months of searching a forest larger than Delaware and an on-site consultation with the Capitol Architect, the Forest Service selected an 80-foot-tall Engleman Spruce, a high-elevation evergreen found throughout Western North America.

Most trees never travel in he Capitol Christmas their lifetime. However, once it Tree tradition began was cut, the Capitol Christmas in 1964 when then Tree began a 2,000-mile journey Speaker of the House, to Washington, DC. The tree, John W. McCormack traveling in a specially designed (D-MA), placed a live Christmas tree trailer, was accompanied by the on the Capitol lawn where it lived Great Idaho Potato Truck carrying for three years (see photo above). the 70 additional Christmas trees In 1970, after a request from the from the Payette. As the celebrity Capitol Architect, the U.S. Forest that it is, the tree made more than Service provided the first official 25 stops across the country so Capitol Christmas Tree and has communities could see the tree continued to do so every year since. and visit with the accompanying The Forest Service selects a Forest Service staff. To keep such different National Forest each a large tree green during the year to supply not only the journey, the Forest Service has towering tree on the Capitol lawn, developed a special watering but also dozens of smaller trees system that provides the tree with for federal government offices 40 gallons of water every day. throughout Washington, D.C. The For the past five years, the Capitol Christmas Tree celebrates tour has been organized and a season of hope and giving and managed by Choose Outdoors, a helps to showcase the diverse nonprofit partner of the Forest landscapes of our National Forests Service. Choose Outdoors’ while also celebrating the unique President Bruce Ward is one of communities that are connected the tour’s biggest fans: “There’s to these special places. nothing quite like the whistlestop While the Payette National tour we do each year to bring Forest is home to millions of trees, out the best of people across the finding the Capitol Christmas country celebrating the Christmas Tree is harder than it sounds. The spirit and the many benefits of tree must be 60-85 feet tall and a our National Forests.” perfect cone-like shape. Perhaps Of course, it wouldn’t most limiting is the accessibility be a Christmas Tree without for a crane and large truck needed ornaments. Each year, the tree’s to safely cut and transport the tree. home state also works with

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communities to create thousands of hand-made ornaments to decorate the tree. In 2014, senior citizens and school groups sent ornaments and tree skirts to decorate the Capitol Christmas Tree and accompanying trees from the Chippewa National Forest. To decorate the 2015 Capitol Christmas tree from Alaksa’s Chugach National Forest, one artist crafted ornaments out of marine debris.

In addition to the trees and ornaments, the state of Idaho is also supplying a Tree Lighting Helper. One lucky elementary school student will travel to Washington, D.C. to stand with the Speaker of the House and other officials to flip the switch and turn on the thousands of twinkling lights. This year, Senator Mike Crapo (R-ID) sponsored a contest to find the Tree Lighting Helper.

Students were invited to create an original piece of art supporting the theme of this year’s tree, “An Idaho Mountain Gem.” It’s a true team effort for the Capitol Christmas Tree to arrive in Washington, D.C. each December.

From forestry professionals and ornament crafters to transportation specialists and media outlets, the Capitol Christmas Tree connects Americans across the country, clearly living up to its nickname, “The People’s Tree.”

Photo: Marci Mansfield

Thousands of well-wishers sign the sides of the truck at stops on its 2,000-mile journey.

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unforgettable experiences

THERE’S AN APP FOR THAT

By Greg M. Peters

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he early evening winter light had faded to dusk. Snow started to fall in light fluffy flakes. John, Aaron and I huddled together under a small stand of trees. We’d spent the day skiing on the Bitterroot National Forest and were ready to get back to the car.

Unfortunately, we’d pushed the day too far and the falling darkness made it impossible to tell exactly which direction we needed to go. We weren’t lost, but we weren’t confident we knew where to go.

Photo: Shutterstock.com

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unforgettable experiences I pulled out my cell phone. Of course, we didn’t have reception, but I wasn’t planning to call for a rescue. My cold fingers worked the phone, and in a moment, we knew precisely where we were and how to get back to the car. A $20 app turned my phone into a sophisticated GPS unit, and an hour later we skidded to a stop at Aaron’s car.

New technologies, like GPS apps, are rapidly changing how we enjoy our public lands. From booking campsites online to apps and websites that detail hikes, runs, rides and climbs, outdoor recreation is more accessible than it has ever been.

Trick Out Your phone Curious where to hike this weekend? Want to know how far you rode your mountain bike? Interested in that bird or plant? There’s an app for that.

GPS One of the best ways to add some safety to your next trip outdoors is through a mapping app that turns your smart phone into a GPS unit. By downloading topographic maps in advance of your trip (while still on wifi), these apps will display your precise location, waypoints, tracks you’ve set and any routes you’ve uploaded on the screen’s digital map even if you don’t have cell service. One of my favorite uses is the route function which allows me to accurately plot how long a hike, ride or paddle will be well before I actually hit the trailhead or put in.

Of course, relying only on your phone as a map is foolhardy, but combining a GPS mapping app with a tried-and-true paper map can make navigation a lot easier if darkness falls or you’re navigating offtrail. Added bonus, many of the apps track elevation gain and loss and a host of other useful metrics. My favorite is Gaia (iOS and Android, $20), but there are many options.

Field Guides I used to pack several field guides for any given hike: a guide for animal tracks, one for birds, one for plants, one for mushrooms…you get the idea. These days, lighten your load and simply download field guide apps. Some, like LeafSnap (iOS, free), allow you to snap a photo of a leaf which it will then identify.

Be sure to learn how to use the app before you’re in the field. Do you have to download specific datasets for use offline? Is the free version limited to just a couple dozen species? Are there social sharing options so you can let all your friends know you just saw a western tanager? Generally paid apps offer the most information and functionality.

Trails, Rides, Climbs and More Apps like AllTrails (iOS and Android, free), MTB Project (iOS and Android, free), and Trail Run Project (iOS and Android, free) offer both curated and user-generated information on trails and other recreational pursuits. Some, like MTB Project, are sport-specific (mountain biking in this case), while others, like Bivy (iOS, Android coming soon, free), are multi-sport. Many allow you to connect with friends and other users and to comment on the trail, paddle or climb you just completed. Some also have in-app purchases, which increase functionality or allow you to download and print maps at home.

Get Social Want to share your adventures with like-minded explorers? Apps like Yonder (iOS and Android, free) connect users to communities who share the same passions. The Outbound Collective’s app, Outbound (iOS, free), allows users to browse and save trip ideas to a list, share experiences and even submit a trip write up to the site for others to enjoy.

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unforgettable experiences These apps are useful, but they are not failsafe!

It’s critical to bring extra power, fresh batteries or a solar charger if you’re going to be using these apps for long days in the field. Most importantly, none of them replaces the 10 Essentials that every outdoorist should bring on every adventure, big or small. Having an app that explains how to bandage a bad scrape isn’t very useful if you don’t have a first-aid kit with you. All this to say, have fun experimenting with these apps but use common sense and be prepared.

The World Wide Web The internet has broadly impacted how we recreate outside. Online campsite booking sites allow you to be sure you’ll have a spot to pitch your tent for the night (if you plan in advance). Inspiration and new trip ideas are a Google search away, while YouTube and Google Earth can give you a feel for the terrain you’ll be encountering.

Get Inspired Outdoor sites like Outdoorproject.com and RootsRated.com offer reliable and ground-truthed information from paid contributors. Gear manufacturers like Marmot and Outdoor Research have blogs that are loaded with trip stories and adventure ideas and even humorous essays like “The Ski Bro’s Guide to Dating.”

Book a Campsite Sites like Recreation.gov and ReserveAmerica.com offer online camping reservation options for all federally managed lands (downside—there’s usually an additional fee to book online; upside­—you can pull in at 9:00 pm knowing that you’ll have a site).

State parks and local public lands typically offer online booking options as well. A simple Google search should turn up all the info you need for booking your night under the stars. Hipcamp.com is a new web-based campsite finder that combs public and private campsites to give you loads of options.

If you have some space and want to host campers, you can sign up on the site for that too.

Maps, Maps, Maps The U.S. Forest Service recently updated its interactive visitor map (www.fs.fed.us/ivm/index.html), which provides a wealth of information on roads, trails, rivers, campgrounds and cabins. Through a partnership with Yonder and geo-located Forest

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Service Twitter feeds that automatically populate the map, you can get up-to-minute data on where you’re interested in exploring.

National Geographic maps have long been the go-to choice for the outdoorsy set. This summer, the venerable organization started offering free 7.5 minute topo maps that have been formatted to print at home on standard printer paper. These are the same USGS maps that NatGeo has been selling for decades, so you know the details are as accurate as they can be. Visit natgeomaps.com/trail-maps/pdfquads to print out maps for your next trip.

Get a Peek Before You Go Google Earth is a great resource for learning what type of terrain you’ll be encountering, for plotting a route through said terrain, or for seeing if the road that’s on the map is actually on the forest. Recent updates to Google Earth imagery provide improved detail and function, which makes it even better for researching your next outdoor adventure.

YouTube is another great tool for researching your next trip. Even though some of the videos are poorly edited GoPro footage, they can help you pick the right line on a paddle trip or glean other snippets of info that will make your trip safer and more fun. YouTube is definitely a “buyer beware” spot for sourcing data. Just because a YouTuber labelled their video as coming from a particular place, doesn’t mean that it’s actually from that place.

Staying in Touch Means Staying Safe Backcountry adventuring always involves risk. But today’s communications tools provide some assurance that if a real emergency strikes, you can summon life-saving help. Satellite phones have been around for a long time, but they’ve long been cost-prohibitive and bulky. Fortunately there are new technologies that make keeping in touch much easier.

DeLorme’s inReach device allows users to send up to 160-character text messages to cell phones or email addresses from anywhere in the world (text messages may vary by country, email works globally). It also allows users to send SOS messages with GPS coordinates from anywhere on earth. With additional functionality like tracking, a companion app and the ability to receive up-to-date weather forecasts, the inReach is a compelling new product that adds a significant margin of safety for backcountry explorers. Importantly, inReach does require a subscription to a satellite communication service, but there are yearly or monthly plans to provide

unforgettable experiences flexibility for users. The inReach starts at about $300, a bit pricey, but well below the cost of a rescue.

SPOT offers a simple and fairly inexpensive device called the SPOT GEN3 ($150) that allows users to send one-way, pre-programmed messages to cell phones or email addresses, tracks and uploads your coordinates to Google maps, and sends both emergency SOS and “assistance needed” calls to rescue agencies or friends and family. SPOT also offers a $500 satellite phone that has even more advanced capabilities. Like the inReach, the SPOT devices require a service plan, but the peace of mind these devices offers is priceless.

We’d have to devote an entire issue of Your National Forests to cover all of the apps, maps and other new resources available to outdoor enthusiasts. We aren’t endorsing any of these in particular, but we are endorsing the idea of being prepared. Build some redundancy into your plans and gear when you head out. Always let someone know your route and when you expect to be back. No amount of technology can supplant good thinking, good planning and common sense.

My ski day with Aaron and John could have turned nasty, but I had made sure to download the map layers I needed before we headed out, had monitored my battery use all day and knew how to use the app efficiently. Did we push it a bit far? Yes. Did we have the tools and resources to get home if darkness fell? We sure did.

Learn something useful Need to tie the perfect knot?

Check out Knot Guide (iOS and Android, free and pay versions) for a helpful knot tying guide.

Want to brush up on your survival skills or first aid? The Army Survival for iPhone/ iPad (iOS, $1.99) contains lots of Armystyle tips for things like lighting a fire, how to find water and other survival tips (the app is not produced by the U.S. Army).

Need to make sure you’re packing the right gear for your trip? Backpacker Checklist (iOS, $0.99) and Backpack Planner (Android, $0.99) can help make sure you don’t miss a key piece of gear on your next adventure.

Greg M. Peters is the NFF’s communication director. When not lost in a mountain of paperwork on his desk, he can be found in Montana’s mountains, rivers and wild places.

Reach him at gpeters@nationalforests.org.

C O R P O R AT E PA R T N E R The Exelon Foundation is excited to continue supporting the NFF’s work at Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie. Our support ensures that inner-city youth have a chance to gain skills and experience the prairie while also restoring this unique landscape.

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voices from the forest

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eginning in March, the NFF offered our Friends of the Forest the opportunity to have their Instagram photos shared via the NFF’s Instagram page (instagram.com/nationalforests). In just nine months, the response has been incredible: we’ve received nearly 500 submissions and our Instagram following has grown to almost 15,000. We wanted to share some of our favorites in this issue of Your National Forests and encourage all the Instagrammers out there to submit their amazing National Forest and Grasslands photos at nationalforests.org/Instagram.

s on the f the God inois Garden o #Ill at t IL # se n st u S fore 0203 #national y @kat07 Shawnee b to o h p | rs u o llY #ItsA ) Ferguson (Kathleen

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Your National Forests

Good morning from Ala ska’s Tongass #nationalforest #AK #Al aska #sunrise #ItsAllYours | photo by @ahonerbrink (Adriane Honerbrink)

ered pa I discov lematis cris at Long Point C ul tif au “A be rt road o by ong the di rest.” | phot growing al #nationalfo an at ro C Brickhouse cy an in the (N er wildflow @pocosin_ Pelletier)

Chugach #nat ionalforest, loo king towards Portage Glac ier. Our Natio nal Forests are absolutely breathtaking! #ItsAllYours #Alaska #AK | Photo by @k atieercanbrac (Katie Ercanb k rack)

voices from the forest

Nationalforests I’m sorry, did someone ask for epic? | “Almost to Goat Lake. Gifford Pinchot #nationalforest” #WA #PNW #ItsAllYours #OptOUtside | photo by @mentalfloss1 (Mike Little)

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featured forest

By Rebecca Davidson

I

n the early 1900s, long before Gore-Tex jackets and Vibram soles, adventurous men and women risked life and limb for the right to stand at the top of some of the highest peaks in the Rocky Mountains.

Adorned in long skirts and wool clothes, with layered newspapers protecting against icy winds, these early thrill seekers had a true love of the mountains. While the clothes and gear have changed in the past hundred years, the desire to conquer Colorado’s iconic 14,000-foot peaks hasn’t.

C O R P O R AT E PA R T N E R Treecycler is a proud partner of the NFF. Together, we’ve planted thousands of trees in Idaho, Oregon, Washington and Colorado. These efforts help improve wildlife habitat, provide clean water and improve recreational experiences.

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Your National Forests

Photo: Chamberlain, W. G. Original source: Robert N. Dennis collection of stereoscopic views.wikimedia.org

Colorado’s Beloved Fourteeners

featured forest

Photo: iStock.com

With 54 peaks in Colorado above 14,000 feet, 48 of which span six of the state’s National Forests, the opportunities to feel like you’re touching the sky are almost endless. These Fourteeners are widely recognized as a bucket list activity for visitors around the world, while local “peakbaggers” flock to the adventure and challenge these peaks offer. And flock they do: today, an estimated quarter million hikers seek the experience of standing on top of a Fourteener every year.

how plants and animals adapt their life cycles to thrive in a harsh environment.

Cushion plants, like the hardy moss campion (Silene acaulis) escape the strong winds blowing just a few inches above them. Moss campion is one of the most easily recognized tundra plants, and when in flower, the pink cushions brighten the rocky terrain. Moss campion must cross-pollinate in order to form seeds, so it contains a lot of nectar to attract insects. This nectar lies down deep in the flower, however, and can only be reached by bees Life Above Tree Line and butterflies that have long Most hikers complete their proboscises. The “cushion” of this summit attempts in the summer, moss species provides its own beginning in the conifer forests “nursery habitat” for its seeds to that flank the lower-elevation germinate without being blown mountainsides. As hikers ascend off the mountain. Although it’s past 11,000 or 12,000 feet, the considered fast growing for a trees disappear, yielding to a low-lying tundra plant, it expands tundra-like alpine plant comin diameter only six to ten inches munity of wildflowers, mosses every twenty years or so. and succulents. Weary mountain Many flowering plants of climbers focused on reaching their the tundra have adapted to the high-elevation destinations may severe conditions in other ways. not notice the diversity of stunted, Some have evolved dense hairs scrubby habitat that clings to on stems and leaves that provide life in the thin alpine air, but this wind protection, while others have ecologically-rare and valuable pigments capable of converting the tundra community exemplifies

sun’s light rays into heat. One of the most iconic flowering plants on the tundra is Colorado’s state flower, the Rocky Mountain columbine (Columbine aquilegia). Columbine’s adaptation, growing quickly when the snow melts, transforms dull, rocky slopes into green carpets of life. The plant’s gorgeous flowers produce vast numbers of seeds, which fall to the ground or blow in the wind and create seed banks for future seasons.

For mountaineering “bird nerds,” a watchful eye and a set of field glasses can provide a peek into the world of the White-tailed Ptarmigan (Lagopus leucura). This medium-sized, ground-dweller is the only bird to make the alpine and subalpine zones its home for most of the year, and as such, it’s representative of the specialized life cycle required by wildlife to thrive in the icy tundra conditions.

During the cold, snowy months, it has white feathers that are adapted to keep it warm and hidden under the snow. It also uses stored layers of fat for warmth and energy, although it often stays still for long periods to save these precious energy stores.

In late spring, it molts and grows

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featured forest Photos: USFS

A White-tailed Ptarmigan in its summer colors.

An errant foot can damage tundra plants, in this case, the vulnerable Harbour’s Beardtongue, a type of penstemon.

speckled grayish-brown feathers that provide such effective camouflage that hikers may almost step on the birds before they notice their presence.

Ptarmigans need to eat lots of seeds, flowers, plants and insects over the short summer to build up a new layer of fat for the next winter. When the snow returns, the Ptarmigan grows a brand new set of its specialized white feathers, keeping it warm and hidden.

Extreme conditions may suggest such tundra vegetation and wildlife are almost indestructible, but in reality, they are quite fragile. Ptarmigan evolved without ground-dwelling predators like foxes or coyotes, so they don’t have the skills to avoid a canine whose presence is facilitated by people: dogs.

It’s critical that dog owners leash their pets to help protect these threatened alpine denizens.

to the sensitive plant and animal communities, these user-created trails degrade watersheds and disrupt ecosystem function when they deliver heavy sediment into tributary streams and reduce food and cover for wildlife.

A Rogue Start

Your National Forests

In response to the growing need for restoration and repair, the NFF is launching the Find Your Fourteener campaign. The campaign is bringing together the Forest Service and nonprofit partners to help ensure sustainable access to and enjoyment of the Fourteeners on National Forests throughout Colorado.

Maintaining and improving trails on Colorado’s Fourteeners is not a new idea; groups including the Colorado Fourteeners Initiative (CFI), the Rocky Mountain Field Institute, Colorado-based youth corps, and many other conservation and volunteer organizations have been involved with these trails for decades. These groups are now coming together to more strategically address the needs of Fourteeners statewide.

Currently, Fourteener stewardship efforts are limited by funding and Forest Service and nonprofit partner capacity. Thus, the primary objectives of this campaign are to: (1) develop partnerships and funding for stewardship activities on Fourteeners; (2) build capacity for increasing the number of individuals with the right skills needed to build and maintain trails in fragile ecosystems; and (3) to increase the pace and scale of on-the-ground trail improvement projects. The campaign will also incorporate hiker

“The vast possibilities of our great future will become realities only if we make ourselves responsible for that future.”

—Gifford Pinchot

As the number of visitors to these sensitive areas increases so do networks of user-created social trails.

These rogue “trails” are not purposefully designed, and they cause serious ecological impacts. Off-trail footsteps trample the fragile alpine plants, leading to paths devoid of vegetation. When fellow hikers follow these seemingly-innocuous short-cuts, more plants are damaged, leading to soil erosion as rain and snowmelt run down the routes. The resulting “trail” often ends up a deeply-eroded gully that requires substantial time, money and resources to repair. In addition to being unsightly and damaging

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Traversing a More Sustainable Path

featured forest education to help reduce the impacts these users have on the fragile alpine ecosystem.

A Shared Vantage Point In 2015, the CFI released a “Colorado Fourteeners Report Card,” noting that more than $24 million in baseline investments are needed to create sustainable routes to the summits of all of Colorado’s Fourteeners. Through the Find Your Fourteener campaign, the NFF and its partners will tackle many of these projects in a tiered and strategic effort.

Over the next several years, the NFF will collaboratively improve recreation infrastructure and alpine ecosystems on Colorado Fourteeners, including “front country,” “mid country,” and “back country” peaks. The variety of project types will provide tremendous opportunities for community engagement, allowing citizens to find the volunteer experience that is right for them. For instance, stewardship efforts on front country Fourteeners, such as Mt. Bierstadt, Mt. Evans and Pikes Peak, can involve residents from urban areas like Denver and Colorado Springs. Work on more remote Fourteeners can be accomplished via multi-week hitches by seasoned and committed volunteer stewards.

The NFF has also been working closely with the Forest Service Rocky Mountain Region Office and nonprofit partners to identify “pinch points” that currently limit improvements to these high peaks.

The NFF will work with partners to enable improved trail design, project oversight and volunteer training.

The NFF will also work with partners to expand A Colorado Fourteeners Initiative crew improves a trail on Mount Columbia.

or add to the number of pack strings (mules and horses) that can move gear and equipment into remote basecamp locations. Finally, the NFF will support expanding the very short twelve-week youth corps field season, adding an additional week to increase the amount of work that can be accomplished on each peak.

Sustainable Peaks Require Sustained Action When people first began climbing these sky-scraping peaks for fun, Colorado had about a half-million residents. Now, more than half that many people reach the summit of the state’s Fourteeners every year. Those early adventurers likely didn’t worry about fragile alpine plants or watershed impacts.

But today, swelling numbers of hikers make it critical that we restore and protect these special places. Doing so will ensure that one-hundred years from now, new generations of adventurers can ford the same pristine creeks, skirt trout-filled mountain lakes and feel the same sense of accomplishment that those early peakbaggers did.

The NFF’s Find Your Fourteener campaign is a long-term effort to ensure that these enduring peaks remain healthy, accessible and inviting for decades to come. As Gifford Pinchot, the first Chief of the Forest Service said, “The vast possibilities of our great future will become realities only if we make ourselves responsible for that future.” That future is now and the responsibility is ours.

A trail crew celebrates after a hard day of work on Mount Columbia.

Photos: Left: Lloyd Athearn/Colorado Fourteeners Initiative. Right: USFS

Rebecca Davidson is the NFF’s new Southern Rockies Region Director. Although she is a self-proclaimed desert-rat, hiking a Fourteener is on Rebecca’s bucket list as she supports the launch and implementation of the Find Your Fourteener campaign. Reach her at rdavidson@nationalforests.org.

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conservation

By Michelle Z. Donahue

T

en years ago, Mark Ford was chasing bats in northern Georgia.

Like the proverbial needle, these bats were proving exceptionally hard to find, especially since they were nowhere near where Ford expected them: around the rocky, cliff-hanging forests near Pigeon Mountain, Georgia. But there he was, scouring 7,000 square miles of Georgia for a dark gray, fist-sized, nocturnal species.

Working at the time for the U.S. Forest Service Northern Research Station, Ford was collaborating with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and West Virginia University to document gray bat habitat use and movements across northwest Georgia.

Gray bats typically stay relatively close to their roosting sites, usually within a 10-mile radius. So when they picked up gray bat calls more than 20 miles away from known roosting sites, Georgia wildlife researchers used Ford’s recordings and analysis to discover two previously unknown gray bat cave roosts.

That revelation helped forest managers determine how to best manage the area for the endangered species.

He laughs now to think about it: the acoustical detectors he used to record the endangered gray bats’ ultrasonic calls in real time, were super cutting-edge technology. “Everyone was running around, going out in canoes with our laptops, trying not to flip into the Tennessee River, then driving furiously to the next place to sample everything in the landscape,” he recalls.

Ford is still chasing bats, but today instead of a handful of detectors and arduous weeks of data analysis with clunky computer tools, he uses 150 detectors

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Your National Forests

and software that crunches individual species’ sonar signatures in minutes.

“I think back to my Forest Service days, with my five little detectors, and how I thought I was such a big shot.

It’s astounding what we can do now.”

Ford’s application of high-tech gadgetry is not just for bats: these cutting-edge tools and innovative data analysis programs are an increasingly necessary way to quickly collect, analyze and interpret high-quality data across vast swaths of land—data that are used to inform a bewildering array of on-the-ground decisions for forest and wildlife management.

Now at Virginia Tech, Ford’s current work collecting data on the location and activities of the endangered Indiana bat and threatened northern long-eared bat is helping inform decisions about timing of timber harvests or prescribed burns. His acoustic mapping allows land managers to see or predict when bats will enter hibernation, for instance, resulting in known “safe” periods when management activities won’t affect the bats.

As Ford says, “If the Forest Service knows what the conditions are that make a good landscape, then they can plan for how to maintain them.”

Making Maps For Owls In Oregon, Forest Service biologist Todd Wilson studies factors that impact threatened northern spotted owls, especially their prey and habitats. The owl relies on northern flying squirrels and woodrats as two of its primary food sources.

Wilson has been using lidar (laser-based radar imaging) to create images of forest plots in different wavelengths. He and his research partners made 360-degree scans of areas with healthy flying squirrel populations, curious to learn what it was about the mid-story levels of the forest that was so important to the squirrels.

Their scans revealed a highly detailed, quantifiable view of the forest Wilson had never had access to before —a direct way of measuring the forest’s structure that could be compared to other study plots.

Bat photo: Cody Jordan-wikimedia.org. DNA testing photo: 123RF.com. All other photos: wikimedia.org

TECH IN THE TREES

conservation For decades, lidar equipment was too expensive and rare for use outside of military or meteorological work, but commercialized lidar is now accessible enough to use in broader applications, including wildlife research.

“When you’re dealing with wildlife, so much depends on how things are arranged in space,” Wilson says. “Lidar gave us a picture of the [forest] stand we never had before, and because we know the midlayer is so important for the squirrels, we could start to look for some defining thing that establishes high-quality forest for squirrels.”

Though he is still analyzing the lidar data to determine which characteristics of each midlayer section make it so attractive to squirrels, he can already say that scans of each forest type result in distinct, distinguishable signature patterns when charted as graphed data.

“Previously we could say, here’s a young managed forest that we want to make more structurally complex, more like old growth,” Wilson said. “But we didn’t have any good metrics to say we’ve achieved what we wanted to. Now we can actually scan these forests and use these digital signatures to give us benchmarks as we go through time, as well as benchmarks to work towards.”

Information like this is already having real-world impacts for spotted owl management, such as when and where to thin in the Siuslaw National Forest along Oregon’s central coast. “If you have a young stand that’s scheduled for thinning that has a lot of squirrels, should we be thinning there if the owls might need those squirrels? They’re making decisions like that now, based on our findings on the ground.”

Who’s Who? E-DNA and Wildlife Populations Advances in genetic and genomic data capturing are also providing an eagle-eyed look at animal populations, densities and even identities and relationships.

One technique becoming increasingly valuable is analyzing e-DNA, or environmental DNA, mitochondrial genetic material that is released into the environment via feces, urine, shed hair and other sources.

In Montana’s Bitterroot National Forest, citizen scientists are working with the Forest’s biologists to use camera traps and e-DNA analysis to determine exactly how many wolverines are roaming the forest’s snow-covered peaks. Traditional camera traps can

help show that there are wolverines, but it can be difficult and inaccurate to rely on photos alone to differentiate between individuals. E-DNA makes these individual distinctions extremely reliable.

To date, the team has discovered at least four individual wolverines on the forest. Previously, there were no reliable data that indicated even a single wolverine living on the forest.

Drones, Tiny GPS and More Plenty of technologies exist today that are close, but not quite ready for wildlife primetime. Drone flights for research are still essentially banned on Forest Service lands, but once they do gain approval there, Wilson says it could be transformative. He ponders how drone-borne lidar could zip down a steep transect of old-growth forest, stitching that imagery and data together quickly in the lab.

Tracking individual animals via tiny GPS tags is another dream of the wildlife conservation community. While GPS technology works great for animals above a certain weight—larger birds and bats, for instance—it’s still not small enough to safely be used on some of nature’s smallest creatures such as hummingbirds and butterflies.

Roland Kays, an associate professor of forestry and environmental resources at North Carolina State University, has been researching animal movement and behavior with camera traps, as well as refining methods for how citizen scientists can help collect more and better wildlife data. He’s also part of Project Icarus, an initiative led by Martin Wikelsi at the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, to shrink GPS satellite tags down to five grams, then eventually a single gram. This “shrinking” is critical if researchers want to track the ruby-throated hummingbird for example, which weighs between two and three grams.

Scientists may be prone to experimenting (and inventing) new technologies that can help them with their work, but these new sensing, mapping, identification and tracking techniques have real world applications for forest managers.

“Technology lets us learn more stuff, faster, over larger areas,” Kays says. “There are so many ways that can help us make more informed conservation decisions.”

Michelle Z. Donahue geeks out on sci-tech on a regular basis for Smithsonian.com and National Geographic News; her work has also appeared in Popular Science, Wired, PC Mag and Audubon. Her story about National Recreation Areas appeared in the Winter-Spring 2015 issue of Your National Forests.

Reach her at michelle.z.donahue@gmail.com.

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treasured landscapes

Storied, Steady, Seductive:

THE ELEMENTAL AXE

By Ray A. Foote

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Your National Forests

unforgettable experiences Photo left: Ray A. Foote. Photo right: courtesy of the Foote family

America Heads Outside

O

ur family’s forest-green, metal Coleman cooler with the big silver thumb latch withstood the tests of time and six rowdy boys. On countless family camping trips this sturdy box formed the camp’s centerpiece. It served as table, seat, and of course, the place to sneak snacks if the rusty metal hinges didn’t betray us with their telltale squeak.

A relic now, that old beloved cooler is eclipsed by today’s fancy plastic polymer models sporting far better seals and insulation and (a boon for modern candy bar thieves) hardware less prone to rust.

Other gear has evolved as well. Even the venerable camp stove bears little resemblance to its modern counterparts. Lightweight, collapsible, nesting elements make for easier packing while still delivering controllable BTUs needed to cook elegant camping meals.

My recollection from Boy Scout days was a big suitcase-sized stove that we lugged into camp along with our heavy army-surplus canvas tents.

Technical innovation is rapidly reshaping the outdoor gear industry as new fabrics, polymers, lightweight alloys, and even nanotechnology revolutionize how items perform. Tents grow steadily lighter, fabrics more breathable, and bicycles stronger, even as they too shed pounds.

The recent surge in innovative watersports rests on inflatable craft with fiberglass-like rigidity.

By employing a special “drop stitch” design with tens of thousands of tiny threads connecting two pliable sheets, these new watercraft become rock hard when inflated. In just a few years, an entire class of standup paddleboards, kayaks and other waterborne gear has come to market.

With its genesis in the 1950s, the entire consumer outdoor gear industry is relatively young. After World War II, rising American incomes and mobility, beckoning public lands, the emergence of regular family vacations and a plethora of inexpensive military surplus gear coalesced as “outdoor recreation.” Refinements that made possible everything from car camping to backpacking to rock climbing soon followed, and the industry embraced innovation as newer, lighter, better became the marketing buzzwords that drive sales today.

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unforgettable experiences

Bronze Age Stone Age

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Your National Forests

Does anything stay the same? In an industry where gear made six months ago is considered outdated, it’s easy to wonder. One tool that has changed perhaps less than any other is a truly elemental device: the axe. As early as 10,000 BC, our ancestors used primitive “hand axes,” simple sharp stones grasped tightly. Four thousand years later, a handle, or a “haft,” was added. Around 2,000 BC, metal heads appeared.

From that point forward, basic axe design has changed remarkably little: just a head and a haft. Interestingly, our nomenclature has evolved in far more varied and colorful ways. The haft is comprised of the belly, throat, knob and grip. The seemingly-simple head features its own anatomy of cheek, toe, heel, beard and more.

While the shape hasn’t changed much, the axe is not entirely immune to modern innovations. The metallurgy in the head has advanced with today’s high-quality steel that holds a better edge longer. Some of the finest axes today are being made in Australia, New Zealand and Sweden where a renewed focus on craftsmanship, and metallurgy in particular, has emerged. Traditionally, hafts in the U.S. have been made of hickory.

“Hickory is simply best for strength and durability; it has proven itself,” explains Bob Beckley of the U.S. Forest Service’s Technology and Development Program in Missoula, Montana. Since the 1960s, synthetic handles have come on the market, though many prefer the feel of wood because it dissipates the energy of the blow better and can be shaped to fit the user’s hands. Energy dissipation is also why all the metal behind the cutting edge (all the way back to the flattened “poll” end) is softer; it transfers less vibration down the haft.

Beckley, an author and expert on traditional skills, brings to life this ancient tool’s history. Prior to the American Revolution, axe patterns were distinctly European. “As America was born, so was the American style of axe we know today. Hundreds of distinctive axe patterns or modifications emerged in the young nation: the hewing axe, the ice axe, and many with regional names” like the Puget Sound Falling Axe with its long 44-inch handle (standard is 36 inches). The longer handle would reach farther across and deeper into the huge conifers of the Pacific Northwest. These were handmade tools, each adapted to its particular environment.

Beckley describes himself as “specializing in those skills that at one time everybody who worked in the woods knew.” He notes that the axe’s “heyday was between 1850 and World War II, after which virtually all American industries changed, and few returned to making simple hand tools in low demand,” particularly as chainsaws gained favor.

Axe photo: GränsforsBruk.com. All others Wikicommons.org

Iron Age to present

A Head and a Haft

unforgettable experiences Axes have always been a key tool for the Forest Service; the agency still maintains an axe manual.

Up through the 1980s, every Forest Service vehicle going into the woods was required to carry an axe, shovel and bucket. Beckley adds that axes “remain integral to the Forest Service mission, including work in Wilderness Areas,” where policy requires crews to use traditional methods.

Enduring Connection A mystical magnetism draws people to the simple act of driving a forged blade into yielding wood. I know people who split wood even though they own no fireplace.

Lumberjack competitions are perennially popular. Canada, which gave us the term “lumberjack” more than a century ago, has a Backyard Axe Throwing League that hosts events and parties, boasting nine venues and more than 150,000 throwers to date. They describe themselves as “a casual urban venue to experience the thrill of axe throwing.”

The trend appears to be moving south.

In Philadelphia, Urban Axes welcomes walk-ins or parties up to 24 to try their hand at throwing.

Sociologist Tonya Davidson notes that such axe throwing “might allow alienated urbanites to feel like they have something at least symbolically connected to nature in their hands.”

And this isn’t just for the guys: Karen Heller of the Washington Post recently reported that on some league nights at Urban Axes, nearly half of the throwers are women.

This connection between urbanites and axe work is not new. Paul Bunyan, the genial axe-wielding giant of American folklore, emerged in the late nineteenth century during a period of rapid urbanization and social change. The oral tradition—by most accounts from Wisconsin logging camps—was appropriated by advertisers starting in 1916, when Bunyan came to reflect a

nostalgic, idealized image of manly work as millions of jobs shifted to more indoor, clerical and technical roles. Recent years have even seen an urban lumberjack aesthetic reprised in men’s fashion built around boots, flannel and beards (all parodied mercilessly by Internet memes).

“All good men love an axe,” wrote ecologist John Stewart Collis in The Worm Forgives the Plough. Leo Tolstoy regarded axe work as a religious discipline. George Bernard Shaw declared that it kept him sane. Having experienced the deep reward of using this simple but powerful tool to good effect, I can relate to Shaw’s claim.

Few of us are lumberjacks today, but many of us enjoy using an axe. Having grown up splitting logs with my dad for our fireplace, it felt natural to continue the backyard tradition with my own children, even if our suburban D.C. neighbors look askance at our exertions. I taught our boys the aphorism that “splitting wood warms you twice.”

We would try our hand at sharpening the bit. (Abraham Lincoln said, “Give me six hours to chop down a tree, and I’ll spend the first four sharpening the axe.”)

We would argue the merits of axe versus maul versus other tools. The axe won out each time for smaller pieces, and of course for felling. Sledge and wedge was a winning combination for years until we discovered the maul, its broader, heavier head working wonders on larger diameter stock.

I suspect each of us amateur backyard axe wielders harbors momentary self-images of the rugged lumberjack. Perhaps we know at some deep level that we are using a simple tool for the ages, sharing a visceral experience across millennia.

“The axe was the first tool known to man,” explains Beckley of the Forest Service. “At one time, everybody had one. It is such a fundamental tool.

Probably the most cherished one.”

Ray A. Foote is Executive Vice President at the NFF’s Washington, DC office. His outdoor interests include hiking and nature photography. Having broken three axe handles in a recent season of splitting firewood, he has tempered his dreams of axe proficiency. Reach him at rfoote@nationalforests.org.

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tree spotlight

By Wes Swaffar

Photo: Lee Rentz

A Horticultural Sleight of Hand

S

tanding about six inches tall, the Clark’s Nutcracker spends its day foraging in the canopies of whitebark pine trees. Diligently hopping from branch to branch, the grey and black bird uses its specialized beak to extract the nutritious seeds from the tree’s large cones.

Once it has filled a special carrying pouch in its neck, the Clark’s Nutcracker flits down to the forest floor and stores the seeds in a cache buried about an inch underground. The whitebark pines, meanwhile, sway gently in the high mountain air, unperturbed by the bird’s antics.

Having co-evolved together over thousands of years, these two species now enjoy a symbiotic relationship: the Nutcracker gains valuable calories in an otherwise food-barren landscape, while the pines’ seeds are dispersed and “planted” by the bird. Over the course of a year, a single Clark’s Nutcracker can cache an amazing 100,000 whitebark seeds.

A Clark’s nutcracker extracts a whitebark pine seed.

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Your National Forests

tree spotlight The bird will recover the majority of these caches, but many will remain in the ground. Buried at the perfect depth, the forgotten seeds are the sole means of establishment for the slow-growing whitebark pine. While this relationship has allowed the whitebark to regenerate for millennia, the Clark’s Nutcracker’s busy, if forgetful, behavior may not be enough to ensure the tree’s survival in an uncertain future.

The Standing Dead

Buried at the perfect depth, the forgotten seeds are the sole means of establishment for the slow-growing whitebark pine.

Well known for its importance as a keystone species in western subalpine environments, the whitebark pine is declining perilously across most of its range. This quick and precipitous change—as much as 90 percent in some ranges—represents the loss of an entire generation of the species, which provides food for nearly 150 other types of wildlife beyond the Clark’s Nutcracker.

Whitebark pines have been impacted by fire suppression, mountain pine beetle and a pathogenic fungus called white pine blister rust. The white pine blister rust, an invasive fungal disease from Europe, has spread so rapidly that many of the most vital high elevation whitebark pine forests have been reduced to “ghost forests” of standing dead trees. Fortunately, even amid stands that are dead or dying, there are occasional survivors —healthy trees that show a stubborn resistance to the invasive disease.

An Important First Step

Photo: Wikicommons.org

spread of white pine blister rust, suggesting a genetic resistance to the pathogen. Knowing these trees hold the key to the species’ survival, Jenkins and her Forest Service colleagues are using these plus trees to implement innovative restoration strategies they hope will save the beleaguered species.

The 2009 Skyland Fire burned thousands of acres of the Flathead National Forest near the Continental Divide. Standing amidst subalpine shrubs and grasses, Jenkins points out young whitebark pine seedlings that were planted three months ago, part of an NFF-sponsored tree-planting project. Fires like these, she explains, create ideal conditions for the seedlings, which are carefully hand planted by professional tree-planting crews. The special care is merited; these seedlings are the products of an intensive, two-years-long regeneration process.

First, Jenkins and her colleagues collect seed-bearing cones from the plus trees she has recorded in a database. Second, the seeds are mechanically extracted from their cones and transported to a state-of-the-art Forest Service nursery in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. Nursery staff grow them for two years in a climate-controlled environment to increase their hardiness—a must if they’re to survive in their harsh subalpine environment.

Finally, once they are a few inches tall, they are planted back in their home forest.

The twenty-five thousand seedlings planted at the Skyland Fire site represent an important first step in whitebark pine restoration.

While they’re not guaranteed to be “rust-resistant,” their genetics should give them a leg up in the battle against the pathogen. But Jenkins and her team aren’t banking solely on this presumed resistance;

Flathead National Forest Silviculturist Melissa Jenkins keeps tabs on these rare disease-resistant trees in a remote corner of Northwestern Montana. Referred to as “plus trees,” these survivors have withstood the

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tree spotlight

Scions and Orchards Staff first collect “scion” material, a small portion of a cone-bearing branch, from the top of a mother plus tree. This branch, which still “thinks” it is located high on a mature tree, is then grafted onto the rootstock of the five-year-old whitebark pines that have proven their resistance to blister rust.

Once the cone-bearing scion material is successfully grafted, the new trees are moved to an outdoor seed orchard located on the nearby Lolo National Forest. By combining this grafting technique—a centuries-old method popularized by apple growers—with the selective breeding program that produces the most rust-resistant rootstock, these orchard trees will produce truly rust-resistant pine cones well in advance of the typical whitebark pine life cycle.

Photos: USFS

they’re combining age-old horticulture techniques with modern innovations to produce a quantity of rust-resistant seeds at a pace nature simply can’t match.

Given whitebark pine’s slow growth rate and limited ability to propagate, Jenkins acknowledges she may not even be around to see cones from her planting efforts in her lifetime. “Mature whitebark pine trees typically don’t produce cones until they are least 50 years old,” Jenkins explains. “It’s great that we’re planting these seedlings with higher levels of rust resistance, but those trees aren’t going to produce seeds with improved rust resistance for five decades.” For a species that’s losing its race against time, 50 years is too long to wait.

Fortunately, there is a plan to speed up this natural process. While most of the whitebark seedlings grown at the Coeur d’ Alene nursery are planted on sites like the Skyland Fire, some are kept at the nursery and exposed to dense concentrations of the blister rust fungus. Silvicultural experts then transfer the exposed seedlings into climate-controlled monitoring plots where they stay for five years. Just like generations of farmers have done with agricultural diseases, the silviculturists then select the seedlings that show the greatest resistance to the pathogen for the next step of the process.

Above: Recently grafted whitebark pine seedlings.

Left: Fresh conelets on grafted whitebark pine seedling.

When the seed orchard was established using this technique in 2009, the timeline for success was unknown. Whitebark pine is a slow growing species, so Jenkins expected that it could take as much as a decade for the grafted trees to bear cones. But, thankfully for the fate of whitebark pines, Jenkins observed a “conelet” on a young tree just a year after grafting.

The process is working, shaving roughly 45 years off of nature’s timeline. Soon, rather than sending tree climbers into remote, high-elevation forests to collect seeds from plus trees that show some natural rust resistance, silviculturists like Jenkins can harvest cones from the orchard with full confidence that their seeds are equipped to withstand blister rust. This horticultural sleight of hand is making the future of whitebark pines a lot brighter that it was a decade ago.

No doubt, the Clark’s Nutcracker would sing its appreciation if only its throat wasn’t full of seeds.

Wes Swaffar is the NFF’s Director of Ecosystem Services, a key component of which is the NFF’s tree-planting program. When not working to improve our public lands, Wes can be found exploring Montana and beyond.

Reach him at wswaffar@nationalforests.org.

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unforgettable experiences Photo: Ipatov. Shutterstock

CELEBRATING TEN YEARS OF GIVING BACK

By Marlee Ostheimer

T

his winter marks the 10th Skiing and snowboarding are some of the most popular ways people enjoy their National Forests each winter. From Alaska to New Hampshire, our year of forest restoration National Forests offer amazing skiing and riding. projects funded by the Roughly half of all skier visits in the U.S. happen at resorts located on National Forests. The resorts National Forest Foundation’s Ski that partner with the Ski Conservation Fund Conservation and Forest Steward- include some of the best known slopes in the country like Vail in Colorado and Jackson Hole in Wyoming and others such as Waterville Valley in ship Funds. These programs have New Hampshire and Cooper Spur in Oregon. generated more than $8 million We quickly realized that non-skiing businesses also benefitted from, and wanted to give back for conservation projects on to, their local forest, so we introduced the Forest Stewardship Fund. We are thankful for all of the National Forests across the guests who have made these programs such a country since their 2007 inception. success for the last ten years.

How It Works Join us as we celebrate their By making a small, voluntary donation on top of a decade of impact on America’s room night, lift ticket, jeep tour or other purchase, guests and patrons support conservation projects on National Forests. their local National Forest. Stretching dollars even

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unforgettable experiences

further, the NFF provides a 50 percent match on all guest donations to the Ski Conservation Fund. The funding is invested on the National Forest where the resort, lodge or other businesses operate. With additional in-kind and monetary leverage from the local grantees and the Forest Service, the projected value of restoration accomplished through these programs increases to an incredible $21 million.

The Funds do more than simply restore our National Forests. Because the money is granted to local conservation groups, the programs strengthen local capacity for stewardship and conservation. In many locations, these funds are an integral source of support for community-based stewardship.

Truly a Win-Win-Win These Stewardship Funds highlight how innovative fundraising programs can make a real difference for public lands. By collecting small donations and leveraging that funding with additional money, in-kind and volunteer support, the real value of the programs becomes clear. The Funds support important conservation, forest health and recreation projects on heavily visited National Forests. NFF grantees appreciate a stable and reliable source of funding that allows them to recruit volunteers and engage local citizens in worthwhile restoration projects.

And resort partners love that their guests have some “ownership” in the surrounding National Forest that serves as a draw for so many of their patrons.

Sha Miklas, the senior manager of guest services and sustainability at Arapahoe Basin Ski Resort in Colorado, likes how the program connects Arapahoe’s guests with the White River National Forest: “Not only does the NFF help ensure the natural beauty of Arapahoe Basin, but it serves as a conversation starter with our guests. Our partnership with the NFF provides us an opportunity to talk with visitors about recreating on federal lands and the importance of maintaining these lands for future generations.”

The simple fact that the program has not only endured for ten years but has grown despite the Great Recession, the consolidation of the ski industry and other external factors is testament to its success. Sean Wetterberg, the Winter Sports Program Manager for the Forest Service is a big fan: “The best part about the Ski Conservation Fund is that it provides an opportunity for visitors and local businesses to participate in the improvement and protection of the National Forest areas that they enjoy.”

In 2016, guests contributed over $704,000, showing that together we really do make a meaningful difference! We can’t wait to see what we accomplish together in the next ten years.

To learn about the 2016 award recipients and past projects, please visit our website at: nationalforests.org/grant-programs/past-awards/ ski-conservation-and-forest-stewardship-fundspast-awards-3.

Marlee Ostheimer is the NFF’s Philanthropy & Partnerships Coordinator, which keeps her pretty busy. When she’s not supporting the NFF’s partners, including Ski Conservation and Forest Stewardship Fund businesses, Marlee stays equally busy managing her young son, Ellis. Reach her at mostheimer@nationalforests.org.

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Your National Forests

unforgettable experiences Photo: Shutterstock.com

Current Ski Conservation Fund Partners 1. Arapahoe Basin (CO), partner since 2011 2. Copper Mountain Resort (CO), partner since 2007 3. Cooper Spur Mountain Resort (OR), partner since 2010 4. Jackson Hole (WY), partner since 2007 5. Loon Mountain (NH), partner since 2014 6. Monarch Ski and Snowboard (CO), partner since 2016 7. Ski Apache (NM), partner since 2008 8. Snowbird Resort (UT), partner since 2007 9. Snowpine Lodge, Alta Ski Resort (UT), partner since 2013 10. Stevens Pass (WA), partner since 2012 11. Sugar Bowl (CA), partner since 2010 12. Timberline Lodge (OR), partner since 2007 13. Vail Resorts (CO), partner since 2007 14. Waterville Valley Resort (NH), partner since 2013 15. Winter Park (CO), partner since 2007

Current Forest Stewardship Fund Partners 1. Beaver Run Resort & Conference Center (CO), partner since 2014 2. Lake Quinault Lodge (WA), partner since 2010 3. Pend Oreille Shores Resort (ID), partner since 2013 4. Pink Jeep (AZ), partner since 2015 5. Skamania Lodge (WA), partner since 2007 6. Sunriver Resort, LP (OR), partner since 2009

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where in the woods Thanks to high elevations and 34 lakes and reservoirs, this southwestern National Forest seems out of place in its home state.

Answer from page 3: Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest Photo: Mike Boening

A C O R P O R AT E PA R T N E R Edison International has been a proud partner of the NFF since 2010, supporting the Angeles National Forest and San Gabriel Mountains National Monument that benefit the millions of people who live in Southern California.

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t two million acres, the ApacheSitgreaves National Forest provides desert dwellers with ample space to escape the summer heat or enjoy some of Arizona’s best skiing come winter.

The Mogollon Rim defines the southwestern edge of the forest and offers spectacular views of the high limestone and sandstone cliffs.

Along the eastern edge of the forest and state, the White Mountains reach elevations of more than 10,000 feet and include the headwaters of the Black, Little Colorado and San Francisco Rivers. A popular destination for visitors, the Big Lake Recreation Area in the White Mountains reminds visitors of the state’s incredible diversity. With five campgrounds and a 450-acre lake, Big Lake is a perfect place to relax and cool off on your National Forests!

NFF CELEBRATES

23 YEARS OF SPORTING CLAYS The NFF’s Annual Sporting Clays Invitational is a great opportunity to connect with friends and celebrate all that America’s National Forests provide.

We invite you and your company to join us next May for the 23rd Annual Sporting Clays Invitational in upstate New York.

Our special thanks go out to last year’s sponsors: TITLE SPONSOR GATEWAY CANYONS RESORT & SPA

EVENT SPONSORS PAUL & SONIA JONES CRAIG & BARBARA BARRETT INTERMEDIA OUTDOORS / SPORTSMAN CHANNEL FRITZ & ADELAIDE KAUFFMAN FOUNDATION POLARIS SIRIUS FUND WATERFRONT NY RANDY & CATHY WEISENBURGER

STATION SPONSORS BAILEY FOUNDATION DAVID BELL BETTERIDGE JEWELERS BOWERY CAPITAL BLAIR CRUMP ROBERT FEITLER

For the past 22 years, many generous sponsors and friends of the National Forest Foundation have gathered for a memorable shoot in New York.

This event is a vital fundraiser for the NFF’s conservation mission and we are deeply grateful for the participation and generosity of all.

THE VIRGINIA SPORTSMAN

PLEASE JOIN US IN MAY 2017 FOR THE 23 ANNUAL SPORTING CLAYS INVITATIONAL. Contact Emily Struss at estruss@nationalforests.org to learn more about participating or sponsoring a team. rd

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