Branching Out is the free, quarterly, forest stewardship newsletter
published by Maryland
Cooperative Extension to provide current information to forest
landowners, natural resource professionals, and the public. The newsletter
has a simple 4-page format that provides an in-depth story on a selected
topics, along with a calendar of events, information on new resources,
and short stories of upcoming educational programs.
To view the Winter 2007 issue of Branching Out
in pdf/printable format, click
here.
Do you think the Global Positioning System(GPS) is a tool just
for the military and surveyors? While that may have been true at
one time, GPS is now being used for many everyday activities, and
it has a lot to offer forest landowners.
How GPS Works
GPS is a system of satellites, ground
stations, and receivers sending information back and forth. There
are approximately 24 satellites orbiting the Earth 11,000 miles overhead
at any one time. The ground stations know precisely where in space
the satellites are located and make corrections to the satellites'
measurements as needed.
Satellites are constantly sending out radio
signals to be picked up by the GPS receivers on Earth. The signals
include information about the satellite it was sent from, the exact
location of the satellite, and the exact time the signal was sent.
Each satellite has an atomic clock, so time-stamped information is
precise down to the nanosecond. The quartz clock in the hand-held
GPS receiver is constantly updated by the satellites. The time the
signal was sent is important for calculating your distance from that
satellite.
To find out your location, your hand-held receiver picks
up radio signals sent out by satellites. The receiver figures out
how far it is from each satellite by multiplying the radio signal
speed (186,000 miles per second) by the time it took to reach the
receiver (distance = speed x time). Once the receiver has picked up
at least 3-4 satellites, a fairly accurate location can be determined.
At this point, your position can be identified with an accuracy of
about 15 feet on most units. The more satellite signals your receiver
picks up, the greater the accuracy of your position.
GPS and You
You may be wondering at this point what GPS has to do with forest landowners
and natural resource stewardship. There are three basic functions
of a GPS receiver: marking waypoints, tracking, and routing-all of
which can be useful to foresters and landowners.
When you want to mark the location of something like a corner of your property, you
would create a waypoint. A waypoint is like a global address. It records
the latitude and longitude coordinates of a particular spot so that
it can be found on a map or used in a computer program. By marking
a waypoint at your favorite hunting location, you'll easily find your
way back to that spot from your vehicle or home-just tell the GPS
unit you want to go to that waypoint and follow the arrow on the unit.
Routes help you go to multiple waypoints by programming them all at
one time. If you have a number of hunting locations to visit, you
can create a route to take you from your home to the various locations
without having to enter each waypoint separately. You may want to
create waypoints for the corners of your property, then make a route
using those waypoints.
Tracks record your movements. Every couple
of seconds, the GPS unit records a point, so by the time you are at
the end of your walk, there is a breadcrumb-like record of your path.
By recording tracks as you walk around your property or elsewhere,
you can find out the length of the perimeter, the distance traveled,
changes in elevation, and even the acreage of the area you walked
around. More importantly, you won't get lost because you can always
backtrack along the tracks you saved and find your way back out of
the woods.
In case of emergency, keeping a GPS unit with you while out in the
woods could greatly speed up rescue efforts. If you are able to tell
a dispatcher your coordinates or those of an injured friend, rescue
crews would know exactly where to look. And if you don't have a cell
phone or can't get a signal, a GPS unit with mapping software like
MapSource
could guide you to the nearest road or hospital.
Using a GPS receiver and free software, you can make detailed topographic maps of your
property, print out aerial photographs with your property lines marked
out, and accurately record changes in your land.
Available Software
When choosing software to use alongside your GPS unit, consider your
personal needs. There are many free programs available online that
allow you to store, manipulate, and work with your GPS data.
USA PhotoMaps is a
free program that is tremendously useful. With an internet connection,
you can access aerial photos (not always current) and topographic
maps of almost anywhere in the country! You can download waypoints
you created in your travels onto aerial photographs or topographic
maps. You can also create waypoints by clicking on the map or photo,
then transfer these points to your GPS unit for field verification.
Programs such as EasyGPS
allow you to store and transfer waypoints, tracks, and routes between
your GPS receiver and computer. This is very helpful for backing up
GPS information and entering information about GPS data. (We've found
that it is a lot quicker to type on your home computer than punch
buttons on the GPS unit while out in the field.) Terrain Navigator
software is not free, but if you want to be able to print high-quality
topo maps or obtain accurate topographic information, it's worth the
price. There is even a feature that allows you to view three-dimensional
topographic maps (3-D glasses included)!
Receiver Features
GPS receivers available to the public run the gamut from the wristwatch-style
for under $100 to GPS surveying equipment costing over $25,000. Most
people will find their GPS needs met with a unit costing between $200
and $500.
Features vary, but if you plan on using your GPS receiver
unit under any cover such as in a stand of trees, it is important
that the unit has a SiRF chip. This allows the unit to pick up more
satellites under cover, and will provide your location more quickly
than units without the chip. Another thing to consider is whether
there is a color mapping function-black & white displays can be more
difficult to use. Having a mapping function on your unit is important
if you plan on using it while traveling or for finding roads, waterways,
or terrain features. Consider a unit that has a memory card for storage
of maps which increase it usefulness.
Instructional materials about GPS and how to use GPS receivers are
now available for free online. The materials were created for a course
recently offered to foresters and loggers, but the instructions are
of value to anyone wishing to learn about using GPS. The materials
include presentations on the workings of GPS, what to look for when
shopping for a GPS unit, and how to use the unit for a variety of
applications. Instructions are based on using the Garmin GPSmap 76Cx,
which can be purchased from a number of online vendors for about $350.
To find out more about future training sessions, and to access training
materials and free software, go to www.naturalresources.umd.edu/GPS.cfm.
Don't Travel with Firewood
The emerald ash borer - an insect that was recently found in Prince
George's County - is a major threat to millions of ash trees in Maryland
forests and neighborhoods. The emerald ash borer can be moved to new
areas on infested firewood. For these reasons, there is a quarantine
making it illegal to take ash products and any firewood out of Prince
George's Co.
What can you do?
Don't take firewood out of Prince George's
County-use local firewood.
Don't plant ash trees south of Route 4
in the county.
Report signs of the emerald ash borer, and tell others
to do the same.
The General Forestry Correspondence Course is an excellent program
for someone who knows little or nothing about their forest or forestry.
There are no pre-requisites and all that is needed is access to a
woodlot and a desire to learn. Individuals, particularly Maryland
forest landowners, will increase their understanding of forests and
forest management. Participants from across North America have benefited
from the course. Since this non-credit course began in the spring
of 2000, nearly 300 participants have enrolled.
The General Forestry Correspondence Course is offered in both Spring
and Fall. The next course will be held February 1 - May 20. The
registration fee is $300 and all the materials are provided. Materials
consist of the text, appendices, and supplemental readings. A wide
array of subjects are covered, such as forest history, physiology
and ecology, tree identification, silviculture, forest health and
the use of fire, forest inventory, taxes, and the elements of a forest
management plan. Ultimately, you will design your own forest management
plan. A certificate of completion is awarded when all assignments
are completed. For those preferring to use the computer, an internet
version of the course will be available in 2007.
Based upon surveys, response to the forestry course has been overwhelmingly
positive and participants have recommended this course to others.
Additionally,
nearly 3/4 of the management plans have been initiated or updated,
potentially impacting over 5500 acres.
more than half of the responding landowners changed or adopted new
forestry practices.
over three-quarters of the participants talked with their family about
their forests and half sought the advice of a professional forester.
Furthermore, participants expressed a desire to continue in their
pursuit of forestry knowledge or, as one forest landowner so eloquently
stated, "The more I learned, the more I wanted to know."
Register by February 1! Contact Nancy Stewart at nstewar1@umd.edu
or call 410-827-8056x112.
Have Questions about Using Pesticides around the Home?
The National Pesticide Information Center (NPIC) is available to help
people make informed decisions about pesticide handling and use. When
you call NPIC, you will speak to pesticide specialists who can answer
your questions and decipher confusing labels for you. They can also
recommend possible alternatives if you are uncomfortable using certain
chemicals.
So before you launch a chemical attack on the dandelions
invading your lawn or the ants you found in the kitchen, call NPIC
and be informed about how to safely fight those pests. NPIC specialists
can be reached by phone at 1-800-858-7378 seven days a week, 9:30-7:30
(except holidays), or through their website: npic.orst.edu.
Forestry Tax Tips for 2006
Are you unsure about whether to deduct timber management expenses
or capitalize them? Did you know that you can deduct outright up to
$10,000 of reforestation expenses on your 2006 taxes?
What you need to know if you own, are thinking of buying, or are just interested in woodland.
Everyone is invited to attend this new forestry lecture series sponsored
by University of Maryland Cooperative Extension. Lecture classes will
be held at the Frederick County Extension Office located at 330 Montevue
Lane, Frederick, MD. The field exercises will be held at the Stronghold
Property at Sugarloaf Mountain.
There will be a $10 fee for each class or you can enroll into all
classes with a fee of $75. Pre-registration is required. Your fee
will enable us to purchase quality handouts and provide some refreshments
prior to the event. Dates are listed under Upcoming Stewardship Events.
For more information,
contact Terry Poole at tepoole@umd.edu or call 301-631-3577.
The Woods in Your Backyard Materials and Training
Owners of 1-10 acres of land who are interested in making the most
of their property can greatly benefit from using the newly published
manual, The Woods in Your Backyard: Learning to Create and Enhance
Natural Areas Around Your Home. The book helps you to identify your
goals for your land, and walks you through the steps to achieve them.
Whether you are interested in converting lawn to forest, enhancing
an existing natural area, creating wildlife habitat, or providing
a useful outdoor space for your family, this book is for you. To order,
go to www.nraes.org.
Two trainings
for those who are interested in learning more about this resource
or teaching others about it will be held in January and February.
The two-hour evening class will include an overview of the manual
and workbook, and tips on how to share this resource with others.
A training will be January 23rd from 7-9 pm at the Frederick County
extension office 330 Montevue Lane, Frederick, MD 21702. To register,
contact Wilma Holdway at wholdway@umd.edu or 301-631-3576.
On February 6th from 7-9 pm, a training will be held at the Wye REC
at 124 Wye Narrows Drive, Queenstown, MD 21658. Contact Nancy Stewart:
nstewar1@umd.edu or 410-827-8056.
Pre-registration is required to attend one of these training sessions.
The cost is $15 per person or $20 per couple, which includes a Woods
in Your Backyard manual and CD (a $25 value!).
The Woods in Your Backyard is a self-assessment manual that uses lessons,
activities, and a case study to help the landowner identify their
interests in the land, inventory the property, apply ecological principles,
and put their knowledge into practice by choosing land management
techniques that help them reach their objectives. A self-guided workbook
enables landowners to assess their property and achieve their goals.
Completed examples of each workbook activity are provided for additional
guidance.
Published four times a year
and distributed to forest landowners, resource professionals, and
other interested in forest stewardship. Issues are posted online at www.naturalresources.umd.edu/BranchingOut.cfm.
To sign up for online updates, e-mail listserv@listserv.umd.edu.
In the body of the message, type SUB branchingout your name (ex:
SUB branchingout John Doe). For a hardcopy subscription ($10 per
year - make checks payable to University of Maryland) or to send
news items, e-mail cmason@umd.edu;
call 301-432-2767x338; or mail
Branching Out
Maryland Cooperative Extension
18330 Keedysville Road
Keedysville, MD 21756-1104.
The sponsoring agencies' programs are open to all
citizens without regard to race, color, gender, disability, religion,
age, sexual orientation, marital or parental status, or national
origin.
Educational Programs
GPS is a system of satellites, ground
stations, and receivers sending information back and forth. There
are approximately 24 satellites orbiting the Earth 11,000 miles overhead
at any one time. The ground stations know precisely where in space
the satellites are located and make corrections to the satellites'
measurements as needed.
Two trainings
for those who are interested in learning more about this resource
or teaching others about it will be held in January and February.
The two-hour evening class will include an overview of the manual
and workbook, and tips on how to share this resource with others.
