Forest Her: The Next Wave of Conservation

[ANNOUNCER] Funding for this documentary was provided in part by the Maryland Forestry Foundation.

Stewardship is caring.

(Lilting piano music) ♪ ♪ Forest Her: The Next Wave of Conservation.

(Piano music continues) ♪ ♪ [NARRATOR] Mother Earth is communicating with her waters and trees.

Our ecosystem depends on trees to filter water, reduce sedimentation, provide oxygen, and grow food.

(Trees rustling in the wind) [LYDIA MARTIN] Back in August 2010, we decided to move to Southern Lancaster County to this property and it's called "Hidden Valley."

The pawpaw groves that we had here were previously cut all the way down.

Uh, the prior landowner didn't understand what they really had.

Which was like a treasure trove of this beautiful native tree.

It produces a really nice size fruit and then also it's great for wildlife.

I spent a lot of time really caring for the land and to restore the ecology that belongs here.

I did a lot of uh, journaling and documenting with photos.

Uh, we counted 76 birds that migrate through this area.

Uh, thanks to having a pond and a wetland, there's all kinds of toads and frogs.

There are a lot of snakes here and I love snakes.

Um...little ring-necked snakes, and uh, milk snakes.

They get a lot of credit in natural areas, uh, but they don't often get credit in the backyards of people who own private lands.

And so, knowing that I was building a forest that's going to help to support all of these really cool species, was just, to me, it was empowering.

I've had a lot of tours here.

[PRODUCER] So, this is like, your own demonstration forest?

[LYDIA] Exactly, exactly, yep.

Typically, when I would invite crowds over, sometimes anywhere from 10 people to 80 people at a time.

I would, uh, first probably take them to our pond and show them just the aquatic wildlife, the plants, the beautiful native trees, and the native shrubs.

It was always one of the most special things to be able to show people that you can have a lot of pawpaws.

They can help to build your forest.

In my case, I use pawpaws like a ground cover.

Because it is edible, it does a great job of, of absorbing storm water run-off, especially if you're in a valley.

And it's not just pawpaws, I have American persimmon; I have a lot of native plants that are edible.

That once upon a time they were used as valuable resources to Native Americans.

Uh, to the communities that, that lived, and worked here.

(Pensive piano music) ♪ ♪ [BRENDA SIEGLITZ] Mira Lloyd Dock was the first woman to serve on an Advisory Board before women could vote at the state level.

And she helped establish a lot of the urban beautification and forestry standards in the area of her time.

She was just really instrumental, during her time, in showing that anyone could be a value to the conservation, uh, community.

But the fact that she achieved those things as a woman in her time when she had no right to vote is simply outstanding.

Our office in Harrisburg is actually located just down the block from where her home was.

So, we have a deep connection, uh, to her story.

We honor an awardee every year for the Mira Lloyd Dock Partnership Diversity Award.

[NARRATOR] Two recent recipients of the Mira Lloyd Dock Partnership Diversity Award are Kiasha Huling for planting trees to cool the heat island effect in Philadelphia and Shawna Yorty for growing community connections in a Lancaster neighborhood.

The Pennsylvania Forestry Association presented its Mira Lloyd Dock Outstanding Woman Conservationist Award to Marci Mowery for her work with the Pennsylvania Parks and Forests Foundation.

[BRENDA] Our mission is to plant 10 million trees by 2025 and it's specifically focused on reducing the nutrient load heading into the Chesapeake Bay.

The next wave of conservation with watershed science, I believe will have a lot to do with how we innovate the industry, especially in regards to forestry.

So, nursery development is one of the things that we're working on right now trying to increase the number of trees available; the biodiversity.

We found that streamside trees in particular can really help keep the nutrient load here in Pennsylvania.

Keep it in its banks and hopefully, slow the progression of the sediment heading downstream.

So, the nutrient load that's heading into the bay is made up of nitrates, phosphorus, sediment.

So, it's really concerning to us when those things head downstream into the bay.

It reduces the amount of oxygen in the water, which means we have less fish, less oysters, and generally the health of the bay goes down.

Invasives here really struggle for the native tree to survive.

And then, when we have diseases come through, like, Elm Disease or looking at the plight of the American Chestnut, you see these entire species being completely eradicated.

So, by having biodiversity, it allows us to bring more species into the mix.

So, if we have a tree disease or if we have something that comes in to threaten the trees, we have more trees to choose from, and hopefully...less die off.

The Susquehanna River feeds into the Chesapeake Bay.

It's actually the largest freshwater source of water that goes into the Chesapeake Bay.

They are one in the same.

So that's why there's so much concern on Pennsylvania because the Susquehanna River is located in both New York and Pennsylvania.

(Reflective piano music) [NARRATOR] Private consulting foresters and public service foresters work together with landowners on shared forest stewardship goals.

[ANDREA FERICH] This is a Quaking Aspen Tree and with this organic method, we use this...mat.

It is a great weed suppression mat.

And this Quaking Aspen is very quick growing and it connects all of the root systems of the trees and shrubs of everything that grows.

As this Quaking Aspen grows, when it becomes mature, if we cut it down, it will send up 600 to 800 baby Aspens all around.

So, this an early successional method.

Quaking Aspens are one of my favorite for really transitioning the soil from agricultural land into a forest.

[ANDREA] This is an island that's 12 feet wide and 40 feet long.

According to the U.S.

Fish and Wildlife Service, if we cage off this area with a four-foot high fence, it's too narrow of an area for the deer to actually jump inside; and too far apart for the deer to jump over both.

So, it's actually this island-type planting, we're implementing a Japanese style of high intensity deep-root preparation called the "Miyawaki" plot.

In this rectangular area, there is going to be approximately 750 trees and shrubs planted.

(Crunching noises as Andrea breaks soil with hoe) [NELL HANSSEN] We knew we wanted to plant the areas around of our little tributary stream to improve the buffer.

There is a bit of a buffer here and some mature trees, which we are very lucky to have.

This first phase of the project encompasses 4-acres on the south side of our stream.

And uh, that seemed like a manageable chunk to, to bite off in this first phase, um, that we could accomplish.

In addition to planting those trees, we also want to get rid of some of the invasive species that have taken over, um, parts of our buffer, such as multiflora rose and the Japanese honeysuckle.

These invasive species tend to be quite aggressive, that's why they've gotten the status of invasive.

So, they are able to spread really rapidly through various means--seed distribution or root runners.

And they can quickly colonize a disturbed area.

I've always worked with food systems and done classes that help women and others become more self-sufficient in growing their food.

Our vision for this property is turning it into a learning center.

(Motor sounds of cars on a road) [ANDREA] The landowners here work very closely with some of their neighbors.

They allow the neighbors to farm corn and soybeans on their 50 acres.

(Grass rustling) [ANDREA] This switch grass, we're working with some of the neighboring landowners who are possibly interested in planting switch grass on their land.

So, we are looking at a large landscape scale restoration plan.

Community-based forest management, not just in this parcel, but again, looking beyond our boundaries and sharing our opportunities to improve water quality and wildlife.

(Noise of stream with water moving quickly) [BARBARA GARRISON] By working with Andrea, a professional, uh, forestry consultant, she introduced us to a huge array of experts; free services.

She's the one that wrote the proposal.

There is no way we would have undertaken this project without working with Andrea.

Find some source of expertise that can, can guide you.

One of the most rewarding aspects of this project, both the riparian buffer and clearing out the woods, using forest management practices to cut down some of the locust.

And we have a bridge down there on the stream that's from our own locust wood.

It's just...to me, feeling really good that I am doing something for the land...and for the nature around me.

(Melodic piano music) ♪ ♪ [MELISSA NASH] In 2020, I was selected as the Northeastern Area Cooperative Forester of the Year.

To my knowledge, I'm the third person in Maryland and the first woman from Maryland that's been selected for that award.

We're here on Green Ridge State Forest, that's open to hunting, camping, fishing, hiking.

I work with landowners primarily to develop forest stewardship plans.

That's a set of written recommendations to help them manage their forest land property.

Our plans are written by the Forest Service.

We do have some landowners who work with private consulting foresters and come to us for uh, various other programs such as the Tree Farm Program or different cost share programs that we offer.

So, I do work with several cost share programs.

Our state cost share program is the Woodland Incentives Program, also known as WIP for short.

Uh, and it offers, uh, cost share assistance for a variety of management practices anything from tree planting to um, timber stand improvement, which could be various levels of thinning, invasive plant control.

We recognize tha...that presents a cost to the landowners.

So, we have programs in place to help reimburse them for that.

Similarly, on the federal side, uh, there's the EQIP Program, Environmental Quality Incentives Program that offers cost share practices.

And also, the CREP Program, the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program.

CREP is primarily geared towards tree planting, specifically, but it offers some added incentives for landowners who are interested in taking land out of active agriculture and planting a streamside buffer.

(Paper rustling) [MELISSA] So, every plan that I write has a very detailed set of written recommendations for each, each management area.

The landowner can take this, read it, learn about their forest, and then have a plan for what to do going forward to manage it to meet their goals.

(Insects chirping, sounds of the forest) (Soft piano music plays) ♪ ♪ [MELODY STARYA MOBLEY] All my uniforms and forestry tools are in the National Museum of African American History and Culture, managed by the Smithsonian Institute.

My name is also on the Wall of Honor in the National Museum of the American Indian.

Really, I was interested in forestry much younger than my teenage years because my mom died when I was 15.

But before that, when I was 9, 10, 11, she would take us out, in the countryside, in our '63 Falcon.

All the kids would pile in--there were three kids.

And we would just go out in the country and find a pretty spot and look at leaves, or, or salamanders, or crayfish, or whatever.

And mom really instilled that love of nature in me.

I have pictures of myself when I was two and three years old, hugging a tree with my mom near me.

I wanted to be a zoologist.

But...because mom had died and there were a lot of bills, and then grandmother died, and there were even more bills to pay, I had to find a permanent job.

And the Forest Service wouldn't allow me to be a wildlife biologist.

They wanted the first Black female forester.

So, I switched my major to forest management.

And I love the Forest Service, I really do, it's a great agency, but I don't always agree with its management practices.

You have to be tough like my middle name "Starya" that is derived from a Cherokee word because I'm a quarter Cherokee.

It just says, "stay strong" and I think my momma knew when I was in her tummy that I need to be strong.

Time and again, I would be asked, "Are you a real forester? "

And I'd have to tell them where I went to school, what classes I had took, all kinds of things to justify my just being there; let alone my knowledge, skills, and abilities.

There's a lot of math that we have to do when we're trying to figure out the volume of wood on a project.

I say, "we're" because I worked for USDA Forest Service for 28 years.

Well, there were two of us who were African American women foresters in the Forest Service when I retired in 2005.

So, I asked Forest Service Personnel around 2012-2014, how many Black female foresters there were.

They said, "They couldn't tell me."

And I said "Why not?"

And they said, "Well, nobody tracks that data."

So, I ended up having to go to my Congressmen Don Beyer to get him to ask the Forest Service the question of how many Black female foresters there were.

And he was able to determine, during that time, there were six African American women foresters in the Forest Service.

So, last year I went to my Senator, Senator Warner, and he was able to get an answer to the question which is still they have only six Black female foresters out of about 1,500 foresters in the Forest Service.

It's very important to recognize the science in forestry.

And it means, so much to be on this property where the first African American scientist, who is recognized at least, but a lot of the Black history, the contributions made by African American people are not known maybe, but certainly not recognized.

Because we were completely left out of history, and not taught anything about African American scientists or mathematics people, or chemists, or any kind of science in our history.

I do outreach projects where I'll take a bunch of urban or inner city kids to a place like this where there is just some wood lying on the ground.

And maybe I'll pick up a piece.

I can talk about what kind of soil there is and the soil layers and that each kind of soil has a name.

And I would show them the A layers, the B layers, the parent material layer.

It doesn't take going to a huge national forest or national park to instill that love of nature.

(Soft piano music fades up) ♪ ♪ [HENASHENA HAYES] This, it's alive, all this is alive.

You take this down, we're taking apart of our self down.

When I moved here, I said, "you know, I want to be a part of this" to preserve and protect the land.

The trees will give you energy, fresh air, you know, good for your health.

People don't know, they don't realize, but the Native Americans realized, you hug a tree, you get energy from the tree.

When I come here...I find peace.

The water, the birds, nature itself is healing to me.

I lived on a ranch and was taught how to hunt, how to respect the earth.

Young people haven't had that experience.

And they need to be taught that experience.

So, we came out here, when Green Space started, we started with the community.

People coming out little by little.

And they enjoyed, you know, clearing the pathway and doing...really find enjoyment.

Wilson Park got their name from Harry O. Wilson and the, the real estate all the things that he did to help the community, Blacks in particular.

Uh, I got my home through his son, uh, and I didn't know anything about Wilson Park at the time.

So, I learned, you know, the history of the Wilson Park and what they did as a banker, real estate, and all that.

We had people that came from prisons, you know, parole, what not, to help with our woods, and that's the Wilson Park Woods.

And we were educating them while they were out there in the woods.

They had no idea of Wilson Park.

They had no idea about the animals, some of the animals and things that they saw.

And so, that was a part of the education and they really enjoyed what they were doing.

And we'll show different birds, different animals that are in the woods, and I even tell them some of the birds that I have seen.

I've seen eagles, hawks, falcons, uh, it was a woodcock.

Green Space saved our woods.

Because they were going to tear it down.

They were going to cut down the trees, and Green Space came in, it helped.

[KATIE LAUTAR] So, Springfield Woods is a 100-year-old forest, uh, which we are standing in with a spring fed stream.

This woods wouldn't be here without the community that cares for it.

They reached out to us.

In 2012, then we started lending our, uh, environmental expertise to helping the community reach its goals in the forest.

So, when we work with community leaders in the forest, we treat them like the landowners of that space.

And they make all the land management decisions and we support them.

Prior to that, we had only protected community gardens and pocket parks, and we understood what we needed to know in order to do that.

So, we worked with our partners at UMBC, and our partners at the U.S. Forest Service; all helped us to come up with what is it, we would need to look at in order to understand the health of a forest patch.

So, we created a Forest Health Research Protocol that we since published.

We performed this health protocol in over 50 forests.

And what we've learned is that Baltimore's tree canopy is more than 80 percent native, actually closer to 85 percent and up in some forests.

Forests have a better cooling effect than any other type of tree canopy.

So, street trees or trees over grass don't have as, as strong as cooling effect the for surrounding neighborhoods as a patch like this does.

And um, what we learned over time is that more than 20 percent of Baltimore's tree canopy is in forest patches like this outside of parks.

The benefits of forests, well I will always start with the community.

So, they are great resources for community engagement, and events, and health, and wellness.

Forests.

People just spending time seeing nature, really increases their emotional health and well-being.

Every pathway that exists here was created uh, with the hearts and hands of neighbors, and particularly Butch Berry, the forest steward here.

Look, how big this Tulip Poplar is, it's giant.

See, urban environments have old trees too (laughs).

(Reflective piano music) ♪ ♪ [BETHANY DELL'AGNELLO] I was invited to join the Forestry Board because of my boundless enthusiasm I think that was part of it.

And the, the, um, the men who came out on the measuring team saw how excited I was about big trees and so they, uh, asked me if I wanted to start coming to some meetings, and so then I became part of the Maryland Forest Conservancy District Board and I began working on the measuring team for the Big Tree website.

So, on Hood campus, we have 14 trees.

One of the things I find most exciting is when I can nominate or measure a tree that is in a publicly accessible place.

That's why I was so excited to find so many trees to nominate here on Hood Campus.

This bark is so beautiful.

It's got these deep valleys, and then you've got the mesas; its almost like a mountain range, it's so textured.

I just love that about this bark.

And anytime I go somewhere, if they're interpretive signs, I'm on it.

'Cause I always want to learn.

And I think that everybody should know their trees.

Because if you know something and you seek to understand it and its uniqueness, then you value it more.

And if we value things, then we protect them.

It's really, um, ironic that I would become involved with The Big Tree Program in Maryland.

Um, whenever, uh, Fred Besley, in Maryland, um, our first Forester - First State Forester Fred Besley was the one who started the Maryland Big Tree Program.

He was the one who knew and understood that the circumference was going to be really objective, so therefore, that should be the data point that really...has...holds the most uh, weight in the...of the three data points that you collect.

And now, you know, every state in the country uses Fred Besley's program.

And then, there's a National Tree Program as well that um, showcases the champions from each state.

So, this beautiful, old bigleaf magnolia tree, we believe is one of the first trees planted as part of Gertrude Apple's master plan to beautify Hood College campus.

So, Mrs. Apple was the wife of, um, one of the first presidents of Hood College, then it was a women's college, and she had a vision for this campus that, um, included, you know, planting as many interesting and, um, beautiful trees as possible.

You can see a historical photo of this tree when it was just a wee little baby tree, um, on the Hood College Tree Walk website.

Right now, the leaves are just fuzzy little babies, they're not even half way to the length that they will eventually get to and the blooms on the bigleaf magnolia are this big.

So, it's just a stunning tree.

(Reflective piano music) ♪ ♪ [NARRATOR] The wisdom of improving our planet's natural resources and community perspectives takes flight, as Forest Hers cultivate: The Next Wave of Conservation.

♪ ♪ [ANNOUNCER]Funding for this documentary was provided in part by the Maryland Forestry Foundation.

Stewardship is caring.