News stories tagged with "logging"

(08/23/11) The Adirondack woodsman is a North Country archetype - brawny, independent, deeply versed in the ways of the North Woods. There are still loggers working in the forests of the Adirondacks and Tug Hill Plateau, though most are aided by chain saws and huge machinery today.

At Paul Smiths College, a summer school program is keeping the skills and ethos of the Adirondack woodsman alive. David Sommerstein reports. more

(03/22/11) The Adirondack Nature Conservancy has emerged in recent years as one of the largest owners of timberland in the North Country.

The green group uses certified logging methods designed to protect rivers and other sensitive ecosystems.

But a landowner in Essex County is accusing the Conservancy's tree-cutters of damaging a certified trout stream.

As Brian Mann reports, state officials have opened an investigation. more

(03/01/11) Record-setting snowfall and sub-zero temperatures in the Northeast have led to increased demand for firewood this heating season. There's also been an uptick in complaints by consumers who say they're getting less firewood than they pay for. As part of a collaboration with Northeast stations, WNPR's Diane Orson reports.

Northeast environmental reporting is made possible, in part, by a grant from United Technologies. more

(12/31/10) Brockville storyteller Deborah Dunleavy shares a midwinter tale about a young logger and a flying canoe at a lumber camp in northern Quebec.

(12/15/10) Sometimes our stories and conversations kindle memories from listeners. Andy Flynn's "Adirondack Attic" segment this month about a pair of vintage mittens at the Adirondack Museum inspired a phone call from Milda Burns, a longtime listener and local historian in North River.

For today's Heard Up North, Milda recounts how her father learned a valuable lesson as a young woodsman in the southern Adirondacks in the 1880s.

(01/08/10) Folksinger and storyteller Lee Knight will lead a program of music and stories from Adirondack logging camps and mining towns in North Creek on Sunday. Knight grew up in Saranac Lake, and has devoted his career to preserving traditional music in the Adirondacks and the Appalachians. He joined Todd Moe in the studio this morning to share old-time music and tales.

(12/30/08) New York state has purchased conservation easements on another huge swath of timberland in the northeastern Adirondacks. The $10.8 million deal was completed last week. Brian Mann has details.

(07/02/08) Two Washington county residents have been accused of logging more than $30,000 worth of trees from land they don't own. Brian Mann has details.

(05/27/08) Wildlife biologists say that New York state is home to more than 500 moose. Their population has surged in recent years. Researchers would like to know a lot more about the animals: what they're eating, where they're going, and why their numbers are growing so rapidly. A new project organized by the Wildlife Conservation Society aims to gather some of that data using trained tracking dogs. Brian Mann spent a day with a research team in the northern Adirondacks and has our story.

(02/15/08) State environment officials and the Nature Conservancy say they've struck a deal that will protect more than 134,000 acres of timberland in the Adirondacks. The plan, unveiled late Thursday, was described as historic by DEC commissioner Pete Grannis. It will affect most of the former Finch, Pruyn lands, which the Nature Conservancy purchased last year for $110 million. 57,000 acres will be added to the state forest preserve. Another 73,000 acres will continue to be logged, but all other forms of development will be blocked by conservation easements. Most of the land lies in the towns of Newcomb, Minerva, Long Lake, Indian Lake, and North Hudson. State officials say it's not clear how much taxpayers will pay for the massive preservation deal. Local government leaders have raised concerns about the impact on local economies and the lack of public hearings for the project. But backers of the plan say it strikes a balance between the needs of local communities and the environment.

Brian Mann spoke with Mike Carr, head of the Adirondack Nature Conservancy, and with DEC Commissioner Pete Grannis.