Forests
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While over time many farmers have reduced the use of windbreaks on farms to maximize the area under cultivation, they do provide some excellent benefits to crops as well as promoting refuge areas for wildlife and pollinators. They also reduce the amount of wind erosion, which can preserve fertile soil. You can read more about…
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Here is a really neat image and accompanying story on the damage to vegetation in southwest Georgia caused by Hurricane Michael last year. The winds from this storm were so strong that it blew down leaves across a wide swath of land well in advance of when they would usually fall. The impacts were so…
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Here is a very interesting story in Gizmodo Earther about the decline of a rare conifer called Torreya Taxifolia, which is found in only a few isolated spots in the Florida panhandle and southwest Georgia. These trees are remnants of the last Ice Age forest, when many tree species were pushed south by the combination of…
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In this recent story from the Panama City News-Herald, continuing impacts from Hurricane Michael are discussed. They include an increased chance of bad wildfires due to all of the tree debris in the Florida panhandle, flooding from both damming of streams by large trees and the lack of trees to soak up rain water, and…
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One of the unexpected consequences of all of the trees blown down by Hurricane Michael last year in the Florida Panhandle was that flooding of creeks has increased. The downed tress are acting as dams in creeks they cross, slowing the water and backing it up into areas that are not usually flooded. Removing the…
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The Tampa Bay Times reported this week that a large number of dead trees remaining on the ground following Hurricane Michael last year contributed to the spread of a wildfire near Panama City to almost 600 acres. Authorities note that because there is so much dead vegetation on the ground this year after the storm…
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The Weather Channel recently released this 11-minute video which talks to farmers in southwest Georgia about their experiences with the aftermath of Hurricane Michael and what it has meant for their life and future as farming families. How have they been able to cope with the economic losses sustained in the storm and what are…