In a federally funded grass roots project, l00 woodlot owners working with Oregon State's Extension Service planted 300,000 ponderosa pine, a native species that occupied an important niche in Oregon's Willamette Valley before European settlers arrived. The pine may resist heat and drought better than Douglas fir and other introduced species. They need drought to sprout. Pine forests are often difficult to reestablish after harvesting because new plantings succumb to severe summer droughts. The drought-induced gene expression is important in wood formation and in the regulation of other genes essential for tree growth and survival.
Peers inspire stewardship.
Forest stewardship plans in the Northeast have been written on 21,000 additional acres as a direct result of the Coverts Project. Started by university extension faculty in Connecticut and Vermont in 1985, it now includes 253 trained peer volunteers who own and manage 50,000 acres. They work with local professionals to extend their management knowledge to private individuals who own more than 80 percent of the forest land. In addition, the Forest Stewardship Program in Pennsylvania brought 750,000 acres of private forest land under sound management. The program involved more than 12,000 landowners.