ANR

  • Power equipment helps us complete lawn care tasks in less time and with less labor. Unfortunately, this convenience carries increased risk of injury to lawn mower operators, by-standers, and youthful “helpers.” Using data from 96 hospitals, the Consumer Product Safety Council’s 2018 National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) report estimates that over 91,800 people in…

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  • The flower of common purslane

    When it comes to lawn weeds, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Weed prevention is what pre-emergence herbicide products do, but effectiveness of any herbicide product depends on several factors, including the timeliness of the application, the type of weed, and the species of turfgrass in your lawn. When to apply…

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  • A large tree and root ball being lowered into a hole

    Arbor Day is a national event of over 150 years’ standing. It originated in Nebraska in 1872, where pioneers arriving and settling in the treeless plains and prairies of Nebraska participated in an April event that resulted in the planting of over one million trees. The pioneers needed trees for lumber and fence posts, windbreaks…

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  • A small bright red bird is perched on a snowy branch

    To all our nature lovers, I’m issuing a challenge: Help us double Forsyth County’s participation in the Great Backyard Bird Count this February. Why count birds? Birds are fun to watch and make a nice addition of color, sound, and motions to our yards, but what’s the point of counting them? Monitoring birds can tell…

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  • Wildfires and weather

    Photo of fire consuming pine trees

    We tend to think of hazardous weather in terms of wind, snow, ice, rain, and floods. Dry weather can cause drought, which is bad news for lawns, crops, and occasionally waterway navigation. But dry weather can also set up the conditions for wildfires. This is why the weather app on my phone has sent a…

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  • A map of the United State with vertical colored bands representing the expected temperatures during January 7-11, 2025

    University of Georgia Climatologist and Director of the UGA Weather Network Pam Knox recently reported in her weekly blog, Climate and Agriculture in the Southeast, that she received numerous questions related to media reports of colder temperatures predicted to arrive in the Southeast. Some reports included “ominous pictures of snowfall maps showing up to a…

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  • Four garden tools hanging on a frosty window

    When the weather turns cold, it’s tempting to retreat into our warm living rooms and hibernate with hot cocoa and old movies. While this is an option for getting through the winter, we can also do some things to prepare for spring gardening. One of the best garden maintenance activities for winter is cleaning and…

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  • A middle school aged girl, dressed warmly, playing in the falling snow.

    The winter holidays are behind us, but there’s still plenty of winter ahead. Cold weather presents safety concerns for people and pets who work and play outdoors.  Wind chill Wind chill is the difference between actual air temperature and how cold we feel due wind speed. Blowing wind cools our skin and bodies. The faster…

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  • Frost along the edges of strawberry leaves

    Oh, how wonderful the cool weather is! The brisk mornings roll into perfect afternoons, fire pits are crackling and marshmallows, chocolate bars, and graham crackers are flying off the shelf. Unfortunately, with the onset of this blissful sweater weather, there comes the threat of frost damage to our landscape. During the fall months, perennial plants…

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  • A medium size barn building with an awning over the front entrance

    The tradition of bringing greenery into the home during winter has a history that spans many centuries and several cultures. For most of them, evergreen branches symbolized renewal of life and anticipation of fresh fruits and vegetables in spring. So how did the tradition of bringing a whole tree indoors get started? Who knows? Maybe…

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