This story also appears in our University of Missouri College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources’ Agricultural Research Center Magazine. Stop by your local Research Center to pick up a copy! You can view the magazine online by clicking here: Road to Discovery. For the past 50 years, the Baskett Research Center has worked to see how its forests have…
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Great Wines and Whiskey Begin in Missouri White Oak Forests
Missouri rolls out the barrels for spirits industry
Many of the world’s finest wines and whiskeys begin in Missouri’s hardwood forests. University of Missouri Extension forester Hank Stelzer shared Missouri’s role in wine and spirit production during the recent White Oak, Whiskey & Wine tour. Due to popular demand and positive reviews, Stelzer plans to make it an annual event. Tourgoers visited the Rudolf Bennitt Conservation Area at…
Showcasing Natural Resource Management
Thompson Research Center timber harvest focuses on good stewardship
The University of Missouri CAFNR Agricultural Experiment Station is focused on showcasing strong natural resource management. At the Thompson Research Center in Spickard, Mo., they are demonstrating that management with a recent timber harvest. “In general, we want to maintain or improve the health of our forests,” said Dusty Walter, AES director of natural resources. “We also want to improve…
What Are Trees Worth?
Establishing a timber tax basis can save money
Timber is usually taxed as a long-term capital gain, so landowners can subtract their cost basis when figuring tax liability. But if landowners don’t have this basis, they have to pay tax on the full amount of the sale.
An All Points Bulletin for a Dangerous Bug
MU Extension is part of an interagency task force preparing for the arrival of the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) in Missouri. Now that he has been confirmed in the Show-Me State, a response guided by the Missouri Emerald Ash Borer Action Plan was recently implemented by the task force. It is hoped a proactive approach through education and public awareness will greatly help reduce the bug’s impact in Missouri.
A Dark and Fiery Day
Mystery of Infamous 'New England Dark Day' Solved by Tree Rings
Erin McMurry, research assistant in the MU College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources’ Tree Ring Laboratory, and colleagues base their conclusion on tree ring records from fire-damaged trees around North America. In the International Journal of Wildland Fire, the researchers report that 1780 was a big year for forest fires in eastern North America, due in part to drought around the Great Lakes.
Special Compounds
Abundant Missouri tree might have antibiotic, cancer-fighting properties
Chung-Ho Lin, research assistant professor with the MU Center for Agroforestry, has found that red cedar leaves and fruit have compounds that might help fight bacteria, fungi, agricultural pests and weeds, and malaria.
Trimming and Fertilizing History
Alumni and Horticulturalists Work to Save a Historic Missouri Bur Oak
A survivor of uncounted tornadoes and lightning strikes, the 90-ft. tall, 91-inch wide tree was stressed. Probably the second largest bur oak in the nation, the soil around it has been compacted by cars and some of its dead limbs were infested with wood decay that threatened the other branches and trunk.