Chesapeake Forest Champion

 A big "Thank You" to the person who nominated me as a "Forest Champion." It is a mystery to me, but I am very honored.

A Podcast of the Dec. 2011 Radio program

The Future of our Forests Coastal Connection: 88.3 Ocean City

On the radio again

These photos are from a beautiful old forest in Montgomery County, MD, that I hope will be in the
Old Growth Forest Network for that county. It's called the Gold Mine Tract.

Two days ago I took a nice forest walk with radio reporter Bryan Russo. The story will air on 88.3 (WRAU) on Friday at noon and again at 8pm. After that it will be available online at wamucoast.org.
We visited a 14 acre forest in the City of Salisbury that is threatened by plans for a 92 unit townhouse development. The forest has giant oak trees, the tenth largest reported loblolly pine in the state, and Atlantic white cedar trees. It is a little gem surrounded by existing development. I am doing what I can to keep it there.

A tree has been named for me!

I was so thrilled and honored last week when the cofounder of the Eastern Native Tree Society, Bob Leverett, dedicated a giant old white pine as the "Joan Maloof Pine." The tree is at the William Cullen Bryant homestead forest in western Massachusetts it is 11.5 feet in circumference and over 150 feet tall!. I was in Massachusetts to attend the 7th annual Eastern Native Tree Summit. What a great group of people! Here is more info about that organization, and a link:http://www.nativetreesociety.org/

The Eastern Native Tree Society (ENTS) is a cyberspace interest group devoted to the documentation and celebration of trees and forests of the eastern North America and around the world, through art, poetry, music, mythology, science, medicine, wood crafts, and collecting research data for a variety of purposes. ENTS is the premiere tree measuring group of the eastern forest. ENTS is a discussion forum for people who view trees and forests not just as a crop to be harvested, but also as something of value in their own right.   Membership is open to anyone with an interest in trees living anywhere in the world.

Article in the Washington Post about the Old-Growth Forest Network

Here is the link to the Article in the Washington Post about the Old-Growth Forest Network

The photos of me are a little "cheese cake" if you know what I mean, but I'm glad the project is getting some press. Looking forward to my talks in DC this week...see the events section for places and dates.

500 year Forest Foundation

500 year Forest Foundation is a great organization started by Ted Harris. We met in Richmond, VA, yesterday to discuss the commonalities and differences among our organizations. Commonalities? We need more mature forests! Differences? the Old-Growth Forest Network wants to be sure mature forests are alway accessible to the public. Being in Richmond was a good opportunity to visit some family (the Wolfe clan) and stop in at the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation -- where the Old Growth Forest Network idea was well recieved.

Old-Growth Forest Network website

Schoolhouse Woods, Wye Wildlife Management Area, Queen Anne's County, MD

The Old-Growth Forest Network now has a website, thanks to intern Jameson Harrington.

Website for the Old-Growth Forest Network

Schoolhouse Woods (in photo) will be the perfect forest in the network for Queen Anne's County, MD. This forest is small -- only about 20 acres -- but it is so impressive with its massive trees of many species. This is the forest I wrote about in the first chapter of my book Teaching the Trees. I visited the forest again last week with documentary maker John Fine. He is trying to raise funds to make a documentary on Trees.