Webinar Spotlight ⭐

Native Forest Insect Pests of the Southern US: Biology, Management, and Impact

This webinar, led by Dr. John Nowak (US Forest Service), provides an update on key pine pests in the Southeast, including the southern pine beetle, Ips spp., and Nantucket pine tip moth. Learn about their biology, impacts on pine stands, and common management strategies to reduce damage and mortality.

NHLA Hosts Intro to Hardwood Lumber Grading at UKY

The National Hardwood Lumber Association (NHLA) Inspector Training School is offering a two-week, 60-hourcourse titled Introduction to Hardwood Lumber Grading from September 15–26,2025. The course is designed to provide foundational skills in hardwood lumber grading, and will be held at the University of Kentucky’s (UKY) Robinson Forest Center in Clayhole, KY. Taught by NHLA Inspector Benji Richards, with guest instruction from Chad Niman of the Kentucky Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, the program combines classroom learning with hands-on grading practice that will be valuable to inspectors, sawmill operators, and industry professionals. The course fee is $4,250, which includes meals and accommodations, and class size is limited to 20 students. Registration information can be found here.

UAB Leads in Urban Forest Management

The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) has been recognized for 11 consecutive years as a Tree Campus USA and for six years as a Tree Campus Healthcare by the National Arbor Day Foundation, honoring its commitment to urban forestry. UAB’s Facilities Division manages over 4,400trees, maintaining detailed data on 17 genus and 24 species. In 2022, Honors College students helped catalog 70% of the tree population. In 2024, UAB implemented Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to track each tree’s species, size, health, and maintenance history. This effort has documented over 2,540 trees and helps manage notable trees with cultural or historical value. The GIS system enhances long-term tree care by enabling detailed tracking of health, treatments, and environmental impact. Environmental stewardship is a key part of UAB’s strategic plan. To balance ongoing campus development with tree preservation, UAB evaluates the ecological value of trees. When removal is unavoidable, equivalent trees are replanted, or funds are directed to a Tree Replacement Fund. Through student involvement, advanced technology, and sustainable planning, UAB continues to protect and invest in its urban forest while enhancing campus life and contributing to community wellness. Learn more here.

2025 SE Conservation Adaptation Strategy Conservation Blueprint Update Improves Indicators for Southeastern U.S. and Caribbean Ecosystems

The Southeast Conservation Adaptation Strategy (SECAS) is set to release its 2025 Conservation Blueprint update in October. The Blueprint will include considerable improvements to its indicators to better guide conservation efforts across the Southeastern U.S. and the Caribbean.

The Blueprint's new spatial indicators can be used by conservation planners, natural resource managers, government agencies, nonprofits, and community groups to identify and target conservation opportunities.

New indicators include imperiled mammals, amphibians, and reptiles, as well as U.S.Virgin Islands imperiled species, rivercane restoration, grassland and savanna restoration, lakes and reservoirs, floodplain inundation, Puerto Rico potential access to parks, and Caribbean mangrove migration. Major updates refine grassland and savanna extent to address tree encroachment and improve classification accuracy, while landscape condition now incorporates these refinements. Minor updates include using the latest ParkServe database for potential access to parks and improved connectivity approaches for resilient coastal and terrestrial sites. All updates will be accessible via the SECAS Atlas, Blueprint Explorer, and downloadable datasets. Read the Blueprint announcement here.

Registration Open for SRDC’s “Understanding Heirs’ Property” Train-the-Trainer Workshop

Registrationis now open for the “Understanding Heirs’ Property at the Community Level “train-the-trainer workshop. The workshop will take place October 1–2, 2025at the Grand Bohemian in Charlotte, North Carolina. Sponsored by the Southern Rural Development Center (SRDC) at Mississippi State University, this workshop is designed specifically for land-grant professionals, attorneys, and nonprofit organizations that plan to use the curriculum materials to provide training to families and communities in their home states. Participants will gain practical tools and strategies to support families that are navigating the challenges of heirs’ property. Professionals are encouraged to share this opportunity with colleagues who may benefit from this specialized training. Priority will begiven to first-time attendees. Register for the workshop here and visit the project website here.

Hike into Wild American Chestnut Tree Stands

Once towering icons of the Appalachian forests, Americanchestnut trees spanned 200 million acres from Mississippi to Maine in pastcenturies. Prized for their wood and nuts, they were devastated by a fungalblight from East Asia introduced around 1904. By 1950, the species wasfunctionally extinct. For 75 years, the American Chestnut Foundation (ACF) hasworked to restore the species by crossbreeding surviving American chestnutswith blight-resistant Asian varieties. Through successive back-breeding, they'vedeveloped trees genetically close to the original but with immunity to theblight. Experimental forests now thrive in over a dozen locations across theVirginia mountains, with smaller groves in other states like Kentucky andMaine. The most mature stands, such as those in Lesesne and Matthews State Forests, are publicly accessible via short hikes and feature self-reproducing trees that offer a rare chance to taste wild American chestnuts. Visitors in the fall can collect and roast the nuts. Find out more here.

Forest Owners Research & Tech Exchange Hosting Market Collapse Response Meeting

The Forest Owners Research & Technology Exchange (FORTE), is hosting the “2025 Market Collapse Response Meeting” on October29, 2025 at The Coffee Shop in Buena Vista, Georgia. Forte is an advanced operational researchplatform that offers an opportunity for its members to directly connect withother growers and service providers in the forest business sector. Designed forforest landowners, investors, contractors, and stakeholders, the purpose of theevent is to address challenges in the Southeastern U.S. forest sector. Meetingpartners include Auburn College of Forestry, Wildlife & Environment, ForestLandowners Association and more. The meeting's objectives include understandingthe factors that contribute to market collapses, exploring opportunities forforest product business incubation, and providing updated information forbetter land management and harvesting decisions. Presentations will covertopics like forest resource history, policy advocacy, mill loss analysis, andspecies selection for the 2025–2030 period. Registration is $35 per person andmeeting information is here. To register, contact Lehanne Singleton at229-389-1843 or lehanne17@gmail.com

USDA Forest Service invests in Southern State and Private Forests

On August 20, 2025, the United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service announced a $2.1 million investment in four new projects to restore state and private forestlands across nine Southern states. These projects aim to reduce wildfire risk, boost timber production, support rural economies, and assist landowners in maintaining healthy forests. Funding comes through the Landscape Scale Restoration program, which awarded over $7million nationally. The funded Southern Region projects include Longleaf Pine Restoration in Louisiana, Florida, and North Carolina. Forestry Workforce Training in Tennessee, Kentucky, North Carolina will develop a skilled forestry workforce and is expected to produce550,000 board feet of timber. Upland Oak Restoration in Tennessee, Arkansas, Kentucky will focus on oak ecosystem restoration, invasive species removal, and disease management. Forests and Water Partnerships in South Carolina, Georgia, Texas will support watershed-level forest management with 2,100 acres under new forest plans and 50 acres of tree planting. These efforts support broader goals of forest health and sustainability across the region. Since 2018, the Forest Service has awarded 359 grants totaling $91.2 million nationwide. To learn more click here.

The PIE Center Provides Valuable Resources for Heat Related Illness

This summer, the PIE (Public Issues Education) Center is sharing resources on extreme heat related illness. Extreme heat is a leading cause of death in the U.S., and Florida’s long summers put agricultural workers at high risk. In partnership with the Southeastern Coastal Center for Agricultural Health and Safety (SCCAHS), the PIE Center offers tools to prevent heat-related illness. SCCAHS recommends workers drink 32 ounces of water per hour (every 20 minutes) and have 5–6 days to adjust to the heat. This reduces risks like fainting, confusion, or even death. To view resources on heat related illness, click here.

Benefits of Logging for California Highlighted in Recent Article

A recent article published in the California Globe (an independent California focused news site) makes the case for the huge need for logging California’s forests. Edward Ring, director of water and energy policy for the non-profit California Policy Center, cites the consequences of 40 years of decreased logging have contributed to overgrown forests, that are at high risk for severe wildfires and reduce the amount of water in the watershed. In the article, Ring highlights how managed forests also reduce wildfire severity and supply biomass for renewable energy while enhancing biodiversity. As an example, of this, Ring points to the 2020 Creek Fire where a managed buffer near Shaver Lake protected wildlife and the Sierra Pacific timberlands recorded higher spotted owl nesting. Results from a 2011 UC Merced study that found thinning40% of forests could increase Sierra runoff by 9% and add 2.2 million acre-feet of water annually and other studies confirm that forest thinning enhances species richness and abundance. Read the full article here.

Family Forest Research Center Redesigns Website & Adds New Resources

The Family Forest Research Center (FFRC) - a collaborative partnership between the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and the University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Amherst) - has launched a redesigned website to make it easier for website visitors to access information, research, and tools for understanding family forest owners in the U.S. A key feature of the new website is the expanded Resources section, which aggregates timely data and materials to offer decision support for researchers, landowners, and policymakers. The FFRC is currently conducting an analysis of the 2023 National Woodland Owner Survey (NWOS), which provided critical insights into the values, attitudes, and behaviors of private forest owners across the country, that will be available to the public once completed. The website also offers a GIS layer of national forest ownership that will enable more effective mapping and analysis for planning and management. Website visitors can also access a recent webinar on passive forest management that explores strategies for landowners interested in low-intervention approaches. Visit the new FFRC website here

Record Exotic Fruit Fly Outbreaks in 2025 Spurs Multi-Agency Response

In a recent article published in Entomology Today, a professor with the School of Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatic Sciences and the Department of Entomology and Nematology at the University of Florida shares that the US is experiencing a record-breaking surge in invasive fruit fly outbreaks this year. This spring alone, over 100 separate invasions have been documented in California. The surge is the result of gaps in biosecurity and, particularly, in the aviation customs process. The article posits that the discontinuation of passenger “blue declaration papers” has decreased traveler awareness about bringing potentially infested fruit into the country. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS) is leading the multimillion-dollar, multi-agency surveillance and prevention response. State agricultural agencies, including the California, Florida, and Texas departments of agriculture, are partnering with USDA APHIS in trapping, detection, and field-level interventions. Local governments and municipalities also are being engaged to help manage outbreaks in their communities. One suggestion for combating future surges is communicating with the public via participatory campaigns. Read the full article here.

Joint Council of Extension Professionals' Call for Proposals for 2026 Conference

The Joint Council of Extension Professionals (JCEP) is now accepting proposals for oral and poster presentations for the 2026 Extension Leadership Conference (ELC) being held February 4–5, 2026 at The Desoto in Savannah, Georgia. JCEP is a network of associations representing educators in agriculture, family and consumer sciences, 4-H youth development, and other Extension fields. The ELC provides a professional development platform for Extension educators and leaders to share innovative ideas, research, and best practices. The conference features sessions that foster collaboration, practical learning, and the exchange of knowledge among Extension professionals from across the country. Presenters are invited to submit proposals that highlight leadership, program innovation, team development, or strategies that enhance the impact of Extension work. The deadline for abstracts is October 17,2025. Learn more about the conference and proposal submission process here.

September 10 | 1:00PM

Expanding Carbon Market Access: How FFCP Brings Opportunities to More Landowners

September 17 | 11:00AM

Protect Your Hardwood Business from Tariff Impacts

September 18 | 12:00PM

Hot Topics In Pond Management

September 22 | 1:00PM

Capturing the Impact of Natural Resource Extension Programs

September 23 | 10:00Am

Tree Seed Collection Workshop for New York State and the Northeast

September 24 | 1:00PM

Watershed Planning - Basics

September 25 | 2:00PM

A Tool to Improve NRCS’s Nutrient Management (CPS 590) Practice

September 30 | 1:00PM

Urban Wood in the Wake of Disasters - Adapting, Supplying, and Rebuilding Sustainable Communities

October 8 | 1:00PM

Baldcypress Leafroller: What We Know and Where to Go

October 13 | 1:00PM

Paddling Through Paradise: Educating on the Water

October 27 | 1:00PM

Teaching with Video

November 5 | 1:00PM

Identification and Management of Invasive Vine Species

November 10 | 1:00PM

Beyond Carbon: Maximizing a Forest’s Full Benefits

Clinical Assistant Professor in the Human Health Benefits of Outdoor Spaces (Athens, GA)

The Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources at the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia,

invites applications for a 9-month,

non-tenure clinical assistant professor with teaching (50%), applied research and outreach (45%), and service (5%) responsibilities. Successful candidates could come from a variety of

cross-cutting disciplines that study the multidimensional influence of forests, the environment, and access to natural areas on human health. Read more here.

Staff Forester I - Silviculture (College Station, TX)

The selected individual will support the Texas A&M Forest Service Silvicultural Program in by performing the following major and essential duties: Provide scientific expertise on the establishment, growth, productivity, vigor, and sustainability of forests by delivering up-to-date, research-based information to agency foresters, consulting foresters, and forest industry professionals. Support landowner and public education efforts by developing and delivering educational materials and outreach activities that promote understanding of forest science, management practices, and the environmental and economic benefits of forests. Translate silvicultural research into practice by synthesizing current forest science into actionable diagnostic tools, prescription methodologies, and decision-support models that enhance forest vigor, resiliency, and productivity. Develop and implement silvicultural strategies that address a broad range of landowner objectives, with a focus on providing practical, science-based guidance suitable for small-acreage landowners and diverse forest ownership goals. Collaborate with agency staff and partners to ensure integration of silvicultural science into forest management planning, policy development, and program delivery. Support and facilitate all activities related to financial assistance programs administered by the Silvicultural Program. Assist with local and statewide incident response and support other program duties as assigned, including wildfire and all-hazard response, preparedness, and recovery activities. Apply here.

Assistant Professor: Forest Entomology or Forest Pathology

Louisiana Tech University is seeking a candidate for a nine-month, tenure track appointment with a focus on teaching (60%), research (35%), and service (5%). The salary will be commensurate with qualifications and experience, with potential for summer salary availability. Apply here.

Staff Forester II - Silviculture (Lufkin, TX)

The selected individual will support the Texas A&M Forest Service Silvicultural Program by performing the following major and essential duties: Provide scientific expertise on forest establishment, growth, vigor, productivity and sustainability by delivering current, research-based information to agency forester, consulting foresters and forest industry professionals. Support landowner and public education efforts by developing and delivering educational materials and outreach activities that promote understanding of forest science, management practices and the environmental and economic benefits of forests. Translate research into practice by synthesizing current silvicultural science into practical tools, including diagnostic guides, prescription methodologies and decision-support models to enhance forest vigor, resiliency and productivity. Develop and implement silvicultural strategies that address a wide range of landowner objectives, with an emphasis on practical, science-based guidance tailored to small-acreage owners and diverse forest management goals. Coordinate and deliver in-service training for agency Foresters and Resource Specialists on topics such as: 1) adaptive silviculture, 2) hardwood and pine production silviculture, 3) understory plant identification, 4) naturalist topics (e.g. animal ID, insect pollinators, wildlife management basics) and 5) ecosystem restoration (e.g. shortleaf and longleaf pine). Collaborate with internal staff and external partners to ensure silvicultural science is integrated into forest management planning, policy development and program delivery. Collaborate with state forest managers to establish and maintain "proof of concept" field plots primarily on state forest lands that demonstrate the effectiveness of current silvicultural strategies on forest productivity, resiliency, vigor, risk mitigation and economic return. Develop and lead outreach and marketing campaigns that effectively communicate silvicultural science using modern communication methods. Messaging should emphasize appeal, clarity, directness, brevity, credibility, transparency and memorability. Support and facilitate activities related to financial assistance programs administered by the Silvicultural Program. Assist with other Silvicultural Program needs and special projects as assigned. Assist with incident response and agency operations, including wildfire and all-hazard response, preparedness and recovery, as well as other program duties as assigned. Apply here.

Urban and Community Forestry Program Leader I

Texas A&M Forest Service is seeking a highly motivated team member who has passion for urban and community forestry. This individual will be part of an integrated team that works to deliver technical assistance to support the agency mission of assuring the state's trees, forests and related natural resources are protected and sustained. Apply here.

USDA NIFA Releases $300 million Agriculture & Food Research Initiative Foundational & Applied Science Program RFA- Divided Into Multiple Individual Program Priority RFA’s Found within Six Priority Areas

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) has released its request for applications (RFA) for its Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI). The AFRI Foundational and Applied Science Program supports grants in six AFRI priority areas to advance knowledge in both fundamental and applied sciences important to agriculture. There is a total of $300 million dollars being awarded for this RFA, however note, that these are not the same as previous years as the current RFA reflects the Administration’s priorities and Executive Orders. The RFA’s available funds are grouped by the six priority areas which are listed with their funding amounts here: 1. Plant Health and Production and Plant Products ($61 million); 2. Animal Health and Production and Animal Products ($56 million); 3. Food Safety, Nutrition, and Health ($38 million); 4. Bioenergy, Natural Resources, and Environment ($33 million); 5. Agriculture Systems and Technology ($36 million); and 6. Agriculture Economics and Rural Communities($30 million). In addition, there is $46 million dollars available for crosscutting programs which address at least two of the six priority areas. The RFA is contained in 6 priority areas plus the cross-cutting program wherein there are from 4 to 8 program priorities. The program priorities include the details of the RFA, and each program priority defines its specific RFA and deadlines. Projects related to plants includes crops, trees, and weeds, and objectives must be justified in terms of importance to agricultural food, feed, fiber, ornamental plants (including turf), planted forest, or industrial crop production in the United States. Projects focused on plant species and commodities that are important to small- or medium-sized farms/land areas are welcome. Research-only, extension-only, and integrated research, education and/or extension projects are solicited in this RFA. See Foundational and Applied Science RFA for specific details. Deadlines for these RFA’s vary from October 2 – November 13, 2025. It is strongly recommended that anyone interested in applying should talk to the program officer for the particular program of interest. Find the RFA and more information here.

EDEN Grant

The EDEN (Extension Disaster Education Network) Advancing Disaster Education Development Grant program offers up to $25,000 for innovative projects that support disaster education through research, extension, and resource development.

Application Deadline: Monday, September 29, 2025 at 12:00p.m. PT

Award Notification: October 2025

Project Period: November 2025 – August 31, 2026. Question sessions via zoom September 11th and the 25th or you may

contact Fred Schlutt at fredschlutt@extension.org.

September 8 - December 30, 2025 | Virtual

UGA Deer Managment and Forestry BMPs - Self Paced Course

September 8, 2025 - June 5, 2026 |Virtual

UGA Forest Health Series

September 16-17 |Tifton, GA

Pine Straw Production Workshop

September 18-19 | Hanover, NH

2025 Local Solutions: Bouncing Forward to Create Resilient Communities

September 23 | Valdosta, GA

Georgia Prescribed Fire Council Statewide Meeting

September 25-26 | Louisville, KY

Understanding Heirs’ Property at Community Level - Train the Trainer

September 29-October 1 | Nashville, TN

Advancing Mass Timber Construction Conference

September 29-October 2 | Auburn, AL

2025 International Conference on Forest Carbon & Resilience

October 1-2 | Virtual

Timber Market Analysis Class

October 1-3 | San Antonio, TX

National Hardwood Lumber Association Annual Convention and Exhibit Showcase

October 7 | Pittsboro, NC

Piedmont Forest Landowners’ Summit

October 14-17 | Destin, FL

ANROSP 2025 National Conference

October 20-21 | Jekyll Island, GA

2025 Georgia Resiliency Conference “Minimizing Georgia’s Risk: Maximizing Georgia’s Future”

October 17 | Kissimmee, FL

Central Florida Prescribed Fire Council Meeting

October 23-27 | Lima, Peru

Forests Livelihoods, Assessment, Research & Engagement (FLARE) Annual Meeting

October 26-29 | Biloxi, MS

SEAFWA Annual Conference

October 29 | Buena Vista, GA

Fall 2025 Market Collapse Response Meeting

October 29-30| Biloxi, MS

Fall Longleaf Partnership Council Meeting

November 4-6| Madison, WI

4th Mass Timber Research Needs Assessment Workshop

November 7 | Summerville, SC

10th Annual South Carolina Rural and Limited Resource Landowner Symposium "Rooted in Legacy”

November 16-18 | Montgomery, AL

The 83rd Professional Agricultural Workers Conference

Deadline for Proposals - October 3, 2025

November 19-20, | Henderson, NV

2025 Partners in Community Forestry Meeting

February 4-5, 2026 | Savannah, GA

JCEP 2026 Extension Leadership Conference

Submission Deadline: October 17, 2025

February 22-27, 2026 | Jekyll Island, GA

Municipal Forestry Institute Training

Application Deadline September 19, 2025

April 13-16, 2026 | Omaha, NE

National Conference on Ecosystem Restoration

March 24-26, 2026 | Reno, NV

Be a WUI 2026 Speaker: Share Your Expertise! Wildland Urban Interface Conference

May 12-15, 2026 | Wilmington, NC

Association of Natural Resources Extension Professionals (ANREP) Conference

October 25-29, 2026 | Cedar Rapids, IA

13th U.S. Symposium on Harmful Algae

Proposals Due October 31, 2025

November 7-13, 2026 | Coimbra, Portugal

International Conference on Forest Fire Research