Winston County Tree Give-Away Held in Haleyville

The first ever Tree Give-Away was held in Haleyville, Alabama, in response to the Tree Recovery Campaign for areas affected by tornadoes.  The Tree Give-Away was sponsored by the Alabama Forestry Commission, the Winston County Natural Resources Council, and the City of Haleyville. Thousands of free tree seedlings were given to local citizens.

Attached are some photos of the event that was held at the Haleyville Neighborhood Facilities Building. 

Callery Pear: Out of the Landscape and into the Wild

https://sites.aces.edu/group/forestry/blog/Lists/Posts/Post.aspx?ID=54

580,000 Jobs in Alabama from Ag and Forestry

Al.com is reporting on the study released today about the economic impact of agriculture and forestry in Alabama:

http://blog.al.com/wire/2013/02/alabamas_agriculture_forestry.html

The study from the Alabama Cooperative Extension System and the Alabama Agribusiness Council states that Agriculture, forestry and related industries have a $70.4 billion economic impact and creates 580,000 jobs.

Key findings of the report include:

The agricultural and forestry industries generate an additional 77 cents in the state economy per dollar of output.

On average, one out of every 4.6 jobs in the state is related to agriculture and forestry.

The output impact of the agricultural and forestry industries translates to $10,770 per capita.

Agriculture, forestry and related industries account for the second largest number of jobs in the state.

Read the full report.

Tree Recovery Campaign in Haleyville

The Alabama Forestry Commission (AFC) and the Winston County Natural Resources Council is encouraging citizens to join in this year’s Alabama Tree Recovery Campaign. The free trees will be given out on Tuesday, February 19, 2013, at the Neighborhood Facilities Building in Haleyville starting at 9:00 a.m. and continuing to noon or until all the seedlings are gone. This link has a map to the Neighborhood Facilities Building.  The address is 1205 10th Ave, Haleyville, AL  35565.

Winston County is one of the areas to receive seedlings in an effort to reforest the state’s communities damaged in the April 2011 tornados. In an effort to restore the state’s urban tree canopy and the many environmental, economic, and social benefits those trees provide.  All citizens are encouraged to take part even if they did not have storm damage on their property. 

Seedlings available will be:  Chickasaw plum, Nuttall oak, overcup oak, cherrybark oak, Shumard oak, sawtooth oak, persimmon, Japanese maple, green ash, pond cypress, blackgum, bald cypress, red maple, red bud, oak leaf hydrangea, crape myrtle, black willow, flowering dogwood, American hophornbeam, and sycamore.

In addition to the free trees, there will also be a limited supply of “tree rings” made from landscape fabric, and educational materials on proper planting techniques.  

Bankhead Liaison Panel Meeting

The Bankhead Liaison Panel will meet on Thursday, February 7 at 6 PM at the First National Bank in Double Springs.  This regular quarterly meeting of the Liaison Panel is open to the public.  Agenda items include an update from the Restoration Monitoring Team, a precommercial thinning proposal, a proposal for forest health and restoration projects in the Collier watershed, and Slick Ford tornado salvage.

Private Pesticide Applicator Permit Training to be held in Double Springs on February 19

The Alabama Cooperative Extension System will hold a training  and exam session needed to get a new permit or renew an existing permit.  This program will be held on Tuesday, February 19, 2013, at the Traders and Farmers Bank Bernice Hilton Walker Building upstairs meeting room in Double Springs.  The meeting will begin at 6:00 p.m.  No pre-registration is required.  There will be no charge for this program, but the three-year permit from the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries costs $25.  At this program, we will cover the basics needed for the exam.  Producers also have the option to use a take-home self-study packet at any time of year; however, most people find it more convenient to take the test at this class.  Most farmers in Winston County get this permit so that they can buy Grazon (2,4-D+picloram) for pasture weed control.  This herbicide does an excellent job on dogfennel, which is also known as summer cedar.  The 2012 growing season was a severe fall armyworm year, and many of the more economical insecticides used on fall armyworms are restricted.  This permit will allow the holder to buy any restricted use pesticide, including those needed for fall armyworms. For more information, call Mike Henshaw at (205) 489-5376.