News

As the Los Angeles wildfires continue to burn a more than week after they started, Star Tribune reporter Tim Harlow dives into the history of wildfires in Minnesota. He speaks with Forest Resources researcher Lee Frelich about the factors that have made such intense fires possible in Los Angeles and the likelihood of similarly intense fire occurring in Minnesota.

Research led by Forest Resources scholars and recently published in Ecological Engineering shows that heavily seeding native grasses, especially species of wildrye (Elymus sp.), alongside buckthorn removal efforts greatly reduces the number and size of new buckthorn trying to reclaim the site. 

Catch a glimpse of the beautiful scene that caught Forest Resources Researcher Lee Frelich's attention last winter.

For 40 years, Department of Forest Resources Professor and UMN Extension Specialist Charlie Blinn has helped provide an important connection between the wood supply chain and academia. This winter, he is stepping down from those positions to focus instead on family, travel, and all the other good things that come with retirement.

Sawyer Scherer is a forest ecologist at Blandin Paper Company, where he coordinates and oversees the management of UPM Blandin's 187,876 acres of forest, among other duties. He took some time out of his busy schedule to speak with us about his role.

Research Assistant Professor Irene de Pellegrin Llorente is investigating how to create a forest management plan that reduces a forest’s vulnerability to wind damage. 

The Urban Forestry and Outreach (UFOR)  Laboratory and UMN Extension Forestry planted field trials for urban-tolerant, climate-ready trees on campus in November.

The UMN Forestry Club got some hands-on forest stewardship training by helping to clear brush through pile burning at the Cloquet Forestry Center (CFC) in October. 

The Cloquet Forestry Center (CFC) forest stewardship team continues its work with local partners to restore a proactive relationship with fire and fire-loving communities.

In October, the 2024 Tree Ascension Group (TAG) officers ventured down from the canopies of our oaks and lindens to create inspirational ornaments from tree cookies that they then hung in high-traffic areas of the UMN campus in St. Paul.