Public Furniture Project Webinar Offered

Posted on February 11, 2013 by

The Public Furniture Research Project will host a project webinar on Tuesday, February 26th, 2013 at noon Eastern time to discuss the results of this project that is directed to learning how local governments and school districts buy furniture and furnishings in an effort to support the growth of sales of wood products by these public entities.

Local governments and school districts currently are buying little locally made wood products for classrooms and government buildings. This project interviewed twenty purchasing departments in West Virginia, North and South Carolina to learn what issues are important for buyers of public furniture and how the wood products industry can better serve this important market.

More information about the webinar can be found at the project website at www.cnr.ncsu.edu/publicfurniture. Webinars are interactive discussions with a PowerPoint slide show and comments by moderators and participants. Participants can communicate via microphones and text chatting.

There is no charge to participate in the webinar. A recording of the webinar will be available on the project website after the webinar is completed.

Harry Watt of NC State University’s Wood Products Extension Program is the project leader for the USDA USFS Public Furniture Research Project.

This research project is sponsored by the Princeton Forestry Sciences Lab in Princeton, WV and the Wood Products Extension Department at North Carolina State University.

For more information contact:
Harry Watt- email: harry_watt@ncsu.edu, cell 704-880-5034.

The work upon which this project is based is funded through a grant awarded by the Princeton Forestry Sciences Lab in Princeton, West Virginia, which is part of the Northern Research Station of the USDA Forest Service.

2013 NC Arbor Day Celebration Planned

Posted on February 7, 2013 by

The public is invited to participate in North Carolina’s Arbor Day Celebration to be held at the State Farmers Market in Raleigh, March 16, 2013, 10am to 2pm. Exhibitors from a wide variety of forest-related organizations will be on site in the Farmers Building to share information and materials about how trees improve our quality of life.

In addition to exhibits, demonstrations, and hands-on activities for youth, the Triangle Chapter of the Society of American Foresters will be giving away 1000 seedlings. The North Carolina Arbor Day Photo Contest winner will be announced at 1:30pm.

Arbor Day is celebrated in state observances across the country to show just how much trees are appreciated. According to the NC Division of Forest Resources website, the NC state legislature ratified a bill in 1967 stating in part, “Whereas, it is desirable that the planting of seedlings and flowering shrubs be encouraged to promote the beautification and conservation of the vast and varied resources of North Carolina, and whereas the designation of a particular day each year as Arbor Day would encourage and draw attention to a concerted effort by North Carolinians to beautify and conserve the state’s resources by planting young trees and shrubs.”

As host to the NC Arbor Day Celebration, the NC State University Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources honors that spirit, encourages community involvement, and would like to express our thank you to all participating organizations.

North Carolina’s Arbor Day Celebration is free and open to the public.

For more information, visit go.ncsu.edu/arborday2013, or contact Renee Strnad at 919-515-5518 or renee_strnad@ncsu.edu.

Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology December Newsletter Released

Posted on December 6, 2012 by

Don’t miss the December issue of the NCSU Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology program newsletter.
In this Issue –

Nature Research Center in Raleigh highlights FWCB research
Wildlife surveys in South Mountain State Park
wMammal project documents wildlife with citizen science
Dr. Paul Krausman delivers 2012 Barkalow Distinquished Conservationist Lecture
and more exciting FWCB news!

Read the complete issue (pdf)

NC sees bumper crop of Christmas trees this year

Posted on December 3, 2012 by

Christmas tree research and extension programs at North Carolina State University cover all aspects of production and marketing and are collaboratively conducted across several departments in both the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) and the College of Natural Resources (CNR).

Have you selected the perfect Christmas tree yet? Did you know that when you purchase a tree you are making a difference to North Carolina’s and the nation’s economy? According to the News & Observer…

“Farm income from Christmas trees totaled $85 million last year, though analysts say prices have been trending down for several years due to competition from fakes. Real-tree dealers face heavy competition from artificial trees, which coupled with the down economy has put pressure on lower prices, said John Frampton, forestry professor at N.C. State University. But the industry expects the same slow uptick that much of the economy is seeing.”

Read the complete article in The News & Observer

Christmas tree economy: More than just ornaments

Posted on December 3, 2012 by

William Clark trims the trunk of a fraser fir tree. Photo by NCSu Student Media

William Clark trims the trunk of a fraser fir tree Nov. 26. “I’ve been working at the market for 20 years,” Clark said, “we come down here from Ashe county for three weeks a year and we try to sell 1,500 trees.” Photo by NCSU Student media

Christmas trees may be a whimsical addition to holiday decorations, but the Christmas tree industry is a serious business. Lining the highways of western North Carolina are more than 25,000 acres of Christmas tree farms, full of rows of firs that are ready to be harvested, shipped off and sold Thanksgiving weekend and after for the holidays.

“The North Carolina Department of Agriculture reports that last year there were over $85 million in Christmas tree receipts,” said Jennifer Greene, the executive director of the North Carolina Christmas Tree Association.

North Carolina is second in the nation for Christmas tree production, behind only Oregon, mainly due to the state’s monopoly on what is considered by many to be the perfect species of Christmas tree — the Fraser fir, indigenous to the state. About 5 million are harvested each year.”

And no one knows this better than NC State University’s Christmas Tree Research and Extension program!

Read the complete article in technicianonline.com.