News stories tagged with "forest"

(08/23/11) We continue our series, the Adirondack Attic, with Andy Flynn. You may know Andy from his series of "Adirondack Attic" books on local history. He uses the objects people make, use and leave behind to tell stories about the life and times of the region. NCPR is collaborating with Andy and his sources at the Adirondack Museum and other historical associations and museums in the region to bring these stories to air. Today, Andy visits the Adirondack Museum to climb the Whiteface Mountain fire tower.

(05/25/11) As summer driving season gets underway, researchers at SUNY's College of Environmental Science and Forestry continue work on a greener alternative to power your car. Emma Jacobs took a bio-fueled test drive for the Innovation Trail. more

(06/02/10) New York's largest farm lobby group is pushing back, hard, against proposals to tighten regulation of outdoor wood-burning boilers.

The Department of Environmental Conservation wants new boilers to burn more cleanly, and wants old boilers modified to reduce pollution. The agency cites nuisance complaints about low-lying smoke from the burners, and concerns about air quality and public health.

Dean Norton, president of the New York State Farm Bureau, says the Department of Environmental Conservation's proposed restrictions will affect thousands of farmers and homeowners. He says the costs of compliance could reach into the thousands of dollars, at a time when framers are already struggling.

The first of several public hearings on the proposals is tomorrow evening in Watertown. Martha Foley has more.

(05/31/10) Callers this morning from across the Adirondacks -- from St. Regis Falls, Lake Placid, and Chestertown -- and from Ottawa are reporting a haze of woodsmoke. It's heavy in some areas. A caller at the southern end of Lake George says she can't see the other side of the lake.
State Police in Ray Brook confirm much of the smoke over the Adirondacks is drifting south from forest fires in Quebec north of Montreal.

The Canadian Press reports Montreal is covered in a dull haze this morning as well. There are more than 50 forest fires burning in the province, including eight that remain out of control. Environment Canada says the wind is expected to shift northward later in the morning. That should provide some relief.

About 1,200 firefighters, including some from Maine, New Brunswick, New Hampshire and western Canada are working to put them out. One fire, about 300 kilometres north of Trois-Rivieres, forced about 1,300 people from a Quebec reserve to spend a fifth night away from home.

Ontario's Ministry of Natural Resources reports 73 active forest fires today, mostly clustered between North Bay and Saul Ste. Marie, north of Toronto. The province rates the forest fire danger "extreme" and has declared a restricted zone in the northeastern part of the province to reduce the danger of human-caused fire.

(06/01/06) Forest rangers yesterday found a popular teacher and coach who had been missing in a remote area of the northwest Adirondacks since Monday. William Merna left for a weekend fishing trip in the Five Ponds Wilderness Area on Saturday. His family reported him missing Tuesday morning.
     Merna was found almost three miles from his campsite at Cowhorn Pond. Forest rangers in a helicopter spotted him standing in the Oswegatchie river, waving at them. He was tired and hungry but uninjured.
     Merna has taught at the Ogdensburg Free Academy for 35 years. He's one of the most successful boys' basketball coaches in the state, with over 500 wins. The Ogdensburg City School District's Board of Education officially dedicated the school's basketball court the "William B Merna" basketball court.
     State police officers and deputies from the county sheriff's office assisted in the search. Sheriff Gary Jarvis of St Lawrence County told Gregory Warner it was easy terrain to get lost in.

(03/30/06) Local fire squads and New York state forest rangers across the North Country have responded to more than a hundred grass and forest fires this spring. Light rain, combined with a thin snow pack and high winds have left many areas tinder dry. Fire experts say most of the wildfires have been triggered by burn barrels or by people setting fire to chaff in their fields. A ban on open burning went into effect yesterday in St. Lawrence County. Fire officials in the rest of the region are strongly discouraging people from setting open flames. Brian Mann has details.

(10/05/04) This week, researchers, government agencies, industry, and environmental groups are meeting in Toronto to try to assess the overall environmental health of the Great Lakes. The gathering is known as the State of the Lakes Ecosystem Conference. And as the Great Lakes Radio Consortium's Mark Brush reports, the group says there's good news about the amount of forestland in the region.

(09/27/02) Most of us think of earthworms as beneficial creatures. Gardeners are always happy to spot a worm in the flowerbed because they add fertilizer to the soil. And many anglers say they're the best thing for catching fish. But scientists are beginning to learn worms aren't so friendly to Great Lakes forests. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium's Stephanie Hemphill reports.

(07/16/01) Although it's been three-and-a-half years since a severe ice storm hit the North Country, clean up continues around the region--particularly in wooded areas. Todd Moe visited Higley Flow State Park, the most heavily damaged state park in the Thousand Islands region.

(05/10/01) In the last week, volunteer fire crews and state forest rangers have battled more than two dozen blazes across the north country. This spring's unseasonably dry, hot weather is expected to continue and officials worry that more fires are coming. As Brian Mann reports, trees damaged by the ice storm of 1998 are adding fuel to these fires.