Treesearch

These tools will help you turn the features of your products and services into benefits. A feature is defined from your point of view; a benefit is defined from the customer's point of view. The potential customer has to be helped to understand why you are the right choice for him or her. In this way, you lead them to the decision you want them to make, that is, choosing your product or service.

British Columbia's entrepreneurial silviculture sector provides a reliable just-in-time service delivery of forestry activities from planting trees to fighting wildfires. Transient, and seeming to rely often on improvisation, contractors actually run logistically sophisticated businesses that are able to match varying field conditions to the biological and administrative imperatives of their forest company and government clients. The sector has adapted well to keeping up with the next surprise.

A brief review of the published proceedings from meetings of nursery managers over the past 30 years reveals a high level of consistency with respect to topics of interest from year to year. Seedling quality, defined as seedling capacity to effectively compete after outplanting, has been the unifying theme. Production issues, including collection, storage, and sowing of seeds, planting density, irrigation, nutrition, pest control, and lifting, have been commonly featured. Soil management, with emphasis on organic matter and nutrition, occupies a prominent position among the individual...

Exponential nutrient loading was used to build nutrient reserves in northern red oak (Quercus rubra) and white oak (Q. alba) seedlings during standard bareroot nursery culture at the Vallonia State Nursery, Indiana. Nursery grown seedlings were outplanted the following year onto a mine reclamation site in southern Indiana to evaluate effects of prior nursery treatments on field performance. At the nursery stage, exponential nutrient loading improved plant dry mass production. Nutrient loading increased nitrogen uptake 40% in red oak and 35% in white oak when compared to controls. When...

Red pine (Pinus resinosa Ait.) seedlings were topdress-fertilized with granular ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3) at the rate of 0, 11, 22, 44, or 89 kg/ha (0, 10, 20, 40, or 80 lb N/ac) during fall of 2005 in Badoura State Forest Nursery, Akeley, Minnesota. Seedlings received either a single (September 16) or double (September 16 and 23) application of fall fertilizer. Seedling morphology and cold hardiness were evaluated in November of 2005(1+0s) and 2006 (2+0s). Seedling morphological attributes were the same regardless of application method (single versus double). Seedling height and number of...

The devastating consequences of Hurricane Katrina demonstrate how ill-prepared people are when it comes to extreme weather events and potential changes in climate. The hurricane itself cannot be directly ascribed to climate change, but the likelihood of stronger hurricanes can be. The more energy the atmosphere has as it warms because of increasing concentrations of greenhouse gasses, the more energy it needs to shuffle around. Hurricanes are one way of doing just that. The potential risks from just such an event had been described in the region's major daily paper, yet the response to the...

A search for opportunities to use pinyon pine is currently being conducted at Colorado State University by the Colorado Wood Utilization and Marketing Program as part of an effort to improve financial feasibility of forest restoration and hazardous fuel reduction work in pinyon-juniper stands. The properties of pinyon wood reveal that it is suitable for a range of traditional and value-added products. However, significant utilization challenges must be overcome, including the economics of harvesting, transporting, and processing pinyon, supply inconsistencies, lack of market development,...

As a forester one of the best and worse things about my work is the time involved to grow a forest. Most benefits of my work will be realized long after my last steps are taken on this earth. It's comforting to me to know that 3 generations from now, people will be harvesting trees that I have planted, or that have regenerated from cuttings that I have made in the forest.

Diagnosing Christmas tree problems can be a challenge, requiring a basic knowledge of plant culture and physiology, the effect of environmental influences on plant health, and the ability to identify the possible causes of plant problems. Developing a solution or remedy to the problem depends on a proper diagnosis, a process that requires recognition of a problem and determination of the cause or causes.

Viewpoints will vary in regards to the best alternative to methyl bromide (CH3Br) fumigation. In some cases, crop value will determine the best alternative. As the value of the crop increases, the rate (and cost) of the "best" treatment might increase as well. In addition, the recommendation will depend on if the individual has a "vested interest" in the production of high quality seedlings. An individual with no economic incentive might recommend an uneconomical, impractical, or unreliable alternative. In contrast, an individual who intends to make a profit might recommend an alternative...