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Feb 22, 2018
The emerald ash borer (EAB) has killed millions of ash trees in Ohio, the Midwest and eastern North America, including possibly yours. But there are ways to help your woods bounce back. For starters, you should scout for invasive plants on a regular basis, said Kathy Smith, forestry expert at The Ohio State University. If you find any, you should root them out. With fewer trees in your woods and more gaps in the canopy, “the concern is that non-native invasive species can quickly get out of hand,” Smith said. She named buckthorns, honeysuckles, garlic-mustard and kudzu as a few of the many invaders you should watch for.Woods hit by ash borers also may need selective thinning, seedling planting and changes in the owner’s management goals, Smith said, all depending on how many ash trees died and what kinds of trees remain. Harvesting timber may need to be reduced in some cases. Smith will speak on the topic at the Ohio River Valley Woodland and Wildlife Workshop near Cincinnati on March 17. The event offers 15 sessions on subjects including birds, bats, trees, bees, ponds, and timber and wildlife management. It’s for landowners in the Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana tri-state region. It’s also for anyone else interested in conservation.
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Dec 6, 2015
Just in time - tips for keeping a Christmas tree fresh from forestry expert Kathy Smith and information on Christmas tree species commonly sold in Ohio.
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Apr 10, 2014
Kudzu, the “plant that ate the South,” is now in Ohio. And experts want people to know it. A new identification poster featuring the climbing, entwining, engulfing invader is available. “Kudzu is in scattered spots in Ohio. One of the reasons for the poster is to get a better idea of where and how much of a problem it is,” said Kathy Smith, director of OSU Extension's Ohio Woodland Stewards Program. “We’re hoping to raise awareness of kudzu specifically and of invasive species in general."
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Feb 18, 2014
Most woodland owners will sell timber from their land only once, maybe twice, in their lives, said Kathy Smith, forestry specialist with Ohio State University’s College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences. So they should learn all they can before they decide to do it. “They should make sure the choice they make is both good for them and good for their woods, both today and into the future,” said Smith, who coordinates the college’s Ohio Woodland Stewards Program.
Two upcoming workshops sponsored by the program will help people do just that.
