News
Expanding Agroforestry Project Launches Third Cycle
Currently, agroforestry accounts for less than 2% of agricultural lands in the United States. The Expanding Agroforestry Project aims to establish tens of thousands of acres of new agroforestry plantings across 30 states over the next three years (see map below). The Expanding Agroforestry Project brings together leading businesses, academic institutions and non-profit organizations working…
Rethinking Tree Planting Design
By Phil Woolery Introduction The traditional model for tree planting has remained largely unchanged for decades: trees planted in evenly spaced rows at relatively close intervals. While there have been adjustments in spacing to balance self-pruning and growth rates, the core approach has stayed consistent. This design offers clear advantages, including straightforward maintenance and flexibility…
Walnut Council Announces 2025 National Meeting in Warsaw, Indiana
The Walnut Council invites landowners, forestry professionals, and natural resource enthusiasts to gather in Indiana’s scenic Lake Country for its upcoming national meeting, a multi-day event focused on forest management, education, and community. Set in a region known for its glacial lakes and one of the largest Amish communities in the United States, the program…
The Hardwood Tree Improvement and Regeneration Center is Seeking Research Proposals
The Hardwood Tree Improvement and Regeneration Center (HTIRC) supports research thatadvances the Center’s Strategic Directions and Objectives described in the HTIRC StrategicPlan. Funding is available to support research proposals that directly address these priorities,with particular interest in 1) mixed-species planting strategies that integrate companion species,including nitrogen-fixing trees and shrubs, with desired species (e.g., white oak…
Missouri Chapter of the Walnut Council Announces their Spring Field Day
The Missouri Chapter of the Walnut Council will be having their spring field day on March 20 and 21 in New Florence and Callaway County. It will feature a tour of the Independent Stave Mill where participants will see a demonstration of log scaling and walk through the flow of the production in a stave…
A New Era in Conservation: Healthy Genomes Accelerate the Next 30 Years of American Chestnut Restoration
[Asheville, NC] — A major new paper published this week in Science marks a turning point in how endangered species can be restored. The research demonstrates that approaches informed by detailed genomic information, long used in agriculture and animal breeding, can be applied at scale to conservation and restoration of wild species, accelerating progress toward…
Congress Prioritizes Parity For Forest Landowners Through Easement program
WASHINGTON, D.C. (February 17, 2026) — A coalition of conservation, hunter, angler, and forest management organizations and companies applauded inclusion of the Forest Conservation Easement Program (FCEP), with mandatory funding, in the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026 introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives. As the nation’s first comprehensive private and tribal…
2025 Illinois Forest Health Highlights
The report released by Frederic Miller, Illinois Forest Health Specialist gives an update on some insect and disease issues that are effecting the trees in Illinois. This issue highlights some new invasive species like elm zigzag sawfly, spotted lanternfly, and laurel wilt. Other items covered in the report are herbicide drift, weather related issues and…
Black Walnut book for sale
The book “Black Walnut: The History, Use and Unrealized Potential of a Unique American Renewable Natural Resource” by Walnut Council member Bob Chenoweth, is now available for sale for $15 (incl shipping) through the office. Contact walnutcouncil@gmail.com to obtain a copy. In 2021 new members receive a complimentary copy as part of their membership (while…
Walnut Council Co-Hosting Carbon Webinar
A webinar on a new carbon program for hardwood landowners will be hosted live on June 15, 2021 at noon ET. Learn more and register.