IFAW’s Post

Over the last 90-days, I had the privilege of managing an AS350B3 to support Mississippi’s prescribed fire efforts by treating 31,000 acres throughout the Northern portion of the National Forest in Mississippi. Furthermore, our team effectively managed the treatment of 6,000 acres in North Carolina, while concurrently lending support to wildfire suppression efforts in both North Carolina and Virginia. This achievement stands as a testament to the unwavering dedication and commitment of my team, without whom this success would not have been attainable. Prescribed fire in Mississippi offers several benefits: 1. Ecosystem Health: It helps maintain the natural balance of ecosystems by promoting native plant growth, reducing invasive species, and recycling nutrients. 2. Wildlife Habitat: Many species in Mississippi depend on fire-maintained habitats. Prescribed burns create diverse habitats that support a variety of wildlife, including game species like deer and turkey. 3. Reducing Fuel Load:By burning off accumulated vegetation, prescribed fires can reduce the risk of uncontrolled wildfires, protecting both human communities and natural areas. 4. Forest Management: Controlled burns can mimic natural processes, such as lightning strikes, which historically maintained the health of forests. This helps improve overall forest resilience and productivity. 5. Agricultural Benefits: Prescribed fire can be used for pest control, and improving soil health by returning nutrients to the soil. #forestmanagement #foresthealth #aviation

It's World Habitat Day! North Carolina has so many critical ecosystems and habitats! Here on the coast, we have maritime forest habitats, estuaries, brackish water and saltwater habitats, and freshwater habitats. Many freshwater turtles like yellowbelly sliders, red-ear sliders, eastern river cooters, and even spiny softshell turtles make homes in various freshwater habitats like ponds created by beavers. You can find these turtles in our Beaver Dam Creek Habitat! These habitats have soft bottoms perfect for digging into, sunken trees for cover, floating logs for basking upon, and the shade keeps the water nice and cool. Like most wildlife, turtles suffer from pollution and habitat loss. Expanding road systems and motor vehicles are a threat to their survival. During the spring and summer, be on the lookout for these animals crossing roads.

We’re meant to work the land- Genesis 2:15. But when we have left the land go fallow and “natural” for so long, sometimes the best decision is to start over. This isnt an easy decision, but sometimes best. Unmanaged pine forests generally are: - Overstocked and stressed - Increased risk for significant wildfire damage - Increased risk of invasive plants and forest health diseases - Reduced wildlife habitat quality And although clearcutting seems contrary to the “right” decision… Many times you have to get rid of whats “okay” to truly create a “better” environment. Can you just thin and selective harvest? Sure! But my go-to recommendations are typically clearcutting… DEPENDING on your goals and objectives. An early successional habitat created from a clearcut is just as beneficial for wildlife as a mature forest… its just for DIFFERENT reasons or DIFFERENT species its helpful for! Making profit is CRUCIAL from your timber: otherwise youll never be able to afford future management needs or even to keep up with rising property taxes! Money - Wildlife habitat - Good land stewardship are not contradictions. The steps and actions may simply look different at different stages and seasons of life… If you want to learn how to navigate your best next steps, give me a shout! Id love to learn more about you, your land, and your vision. #youronlineforester #landandladies #womenempoweringwomen #inheritance #land #timber #christianliving #faithbasedbusiness #forests #landstewardship #conservation #succession #forester #environmentallyfriendly #generationalwealth

🌲✨ Forests: Beyond Just Trees ✨🌲 Forests are living networks that provide more than just scenic beauty. From purifying our air and water to supporting biodiversity and mitigating climate change, they play an essential role in maintaining life on Earth. The USDA Forest Service highlights that forests support critical habitats, protect watersheds, and act as natural carbon sinks, capturing CO₂ and helping balance our climate. 🌍💧 However, wildfires can drastically impact these ecosystems. When forests burn, streams and waterways are left vulnerable to erosion and sedimentation, which can harm aquatic life and degrade water quality for surrounding communities. The interconnected balance of forest and water ecosystems makes it vital to focus on fire resilience and restoration efforts to protect not only trees but the watersheds that flow through them. Let’s continue to protect and restore these invaluable resources for future generations! 🌱💚 #MoreThanTrees #ForestConservation #WildfireResilience #ClimateAction #Biodiversity #USDAForestService #EcosystemHealth

"This blanket of shrublands and dense juniper woods gobbling up grassland leads to wildfires with towering flames that dwarf those generated in prairie fires. It also eats into ranchers’ livelihoods. It smothers habitat for grassland birds, prairie fish and other critters that evolved for a world that’s disappearing. It dries up streams and creeks. New research even finds that, across much of the Great Plains, the advent of trees actually makes climate change worse." The tallgrass prairie is disappearing before our very eyes. While the planting of trees and shrubs across the Great Plains started with good intent, it has now turned into a destructive force, killing a biome critical to the North American ecosystem. Plainlands are important to the people of Midwest, particularly in my native Kansas. The Green Glacier, as it has been termed, is coming to change the face of beautiful areas of open plains such as the Flint Hills in Central Kansas. We need more responsible stewards, like those mentioned in this article, to help curb the disappearance of one of America's true natural treasures. #environment #Kansas #GreatPlains #Midwest #ecosystem #conservation

Where rivers meet the sea, young wild Atlantic salmon 'smolts' begin the ocean phase of their epic lifecycle. Here they will grow to maturity before returning home as adults to spawn. 🌊 We know that our smolts and 'post-smolts' face challenges in the marine environment at present, with marine survival rates having declined markedly in recent decades. As we work to identify the reasons for this, and what the manageable pressures are, there is much we can do immediately in freshwater to better prepare our young wild salmon for their journey ahead. Evidence indicates that fit and healthy wild smolts have a better chance of overcoming these challenges at sea and a better chance of returning home as adults. What we do in our freshwater systems is linked to how well our fish fare at sea. That's why providing cold, clean water in river catchments is so important, ensuring that young wild salmon are protected from elevated temperatures and pollution which can hinder growth and affect their condition, and giving them access to good feeding in a rich, biodiverse riverside zone. By giving them this type of environment in freshwater, we can give them the best start to their ocean journey. #atlanticsalmontrust #wildsalmonfirst #salmonconservation #biodiversity #freshwater #ocean

The #Pacific Birds Coastal Wetlands 10-year Strategic Plan (2024-2034) is a joint venture that addresses the critical need to conserve coastal #wetlands along the North Pacific Flyway, which have been significantly reduced and degraded outside of Alaska and northern British Columbia due to agricultural conversion, development, and urbanization. It outlines five core strategies: protecting and restoring coastal wetlands, building climate resilience, strengthening monitoring and research, increasing awareness and engagement, and boosting funding and capacity. The plan was developed collaboratively with various interested parties, including Tribal partners, and is intended for regional agencies, Tribes, organizations, communities, and individuals interested in coastal wetland conservation. It can be used to form regional partnerships, pursue funding opportunities, and guide conservation priorities at various scales. This initiative emerged as a means to address the need for better regional coordination among conservation programs, and align conservation priorities, while acknowledging the growing challenges of climate change impacts like sea level rise, flooding, and storm surge. Importantly, the plan emphasizes a cross-boundary, ecosystem-level approach that transcends political and jurisdictional boundaries to ensure effective conservation outcomes for both wildlife and human communities.

Our Environmental Team has braved the cold and mud for their annual #PotamogetonCompressus (Grass-wrack Pondweed) rescue! The species is threatened and nationally scarce, in the UK, making our efforts crucial. During #BroadsIDB watercourse maintenance, we carefully return any #turions (overwintering buds🌱) to the water to help sustain the population. Grass-wrack Pondweed thrives in still or slow-flowing water 💦, but faces threats from invasive #ElodeaCanadensis (Canadian Waterweed). By rescuing turions, we’re helping this early coloniser flourish. Check back in the summer to see the impact of our work! #EnvironmentalConservation #AquaticPlantRescue

I have a new (as in posted last week) story out in Oregon Capital Chronicle on a phenomenon called “post-fire delayed tree mortality.” The jargony term is exactly what you would expect: trees are dying years after being initially damaged by wildfires. The problem: most agencies assess a fire's damage to trees just one year after a fire burns. Consequently, the implications are also exactly what you would expect: post-fire restoration efforts, including tree planting, might be coming up short, and, perhaps more consequentially, we might be overestimating the carbon-capturing potential of our forests.

How seagrass and salt marshes can protect our coastlines. And save us money in the long run. I used to think protecting the planet was all about land. Rainforests. Trees. Soil. But nature has another defense system. Seagrass meadows and saltmarshes. They stabilize coastlines, reduce flooding, and even absorb carbon. This weekend, my family and I took part in the Intertidal survey. It’s part of the Solent Seascape project, run by the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust. The project is helping restore these vital ecosystems—and our coastlines. Restoration is tough. But it’s essential. It protects our coastlines. Boosts biodiversity. And helps secure our future. Here’s what works: Protecting and restoring seagrass meadows. Rebuilding saltmarshes to defend against erosion. Creating long-term, sustainable change. Want to learn more? Watch the video and see how we’re making a difference! 🙋🏻♂️ Antoni 📩 DM me to discuss how we can improve your facility’s cleaning operations ♻️ Found this valuable? Share with your network!