Match Expires at Midnight GIVE NOW The Appalachians are a refuge for wildlife Scientists are researching how to make the forest more resilient Illustrations by Zoe Keller | Text by Kelsey Barnett-Fischels | Issue 1 Bill Finch pauses on a densely wooded hillside in The Nature Conservancy’s Sharp-Bingham Mountain Preserve in northeastern Alabama He points out a number of tree species as though he’s sharing the names of old friends Clad in a flannel shirt, jeans and a straw hat, white hair tumbling to his shoulders, Finch nods to cedars, maples, butternuts, beeches, roughly a dozen species of oaks and the area’s once-historically expansive short-leaf pine. Nearby tower about five species of elms, all with genetics immune to the devastating Dutch elm disease elongated-lobed leaves that hasn’t been described as a new species in the lab—yet Finch leads the Paint Rock Forest Research Center Alabama A&M University and a few other nearby universities to conduct a census of more than 100,000 trees on a 148-acre tract of land at the preserve researchers will map and track the development of this temperate forest in a study that is part of the Forest Global Earth Observatory an international network of long-term forest research sites They will re-census the trees every five years to gain a better understanding of how forests function and evolve in the face of changing conditions They’re investigating these questions as conservationists in the Appalachians rush to fortify these forests for the future. Often thought of as a steadfast refuge that extends well over 2,000 miles from Alabama to Newfoundland, the Appalachian Mountains—and the valleys and landscapes surrounding them—are not immune to the effects of climate change and conservationists are concerned about their future overnight temperatures are averaging warmer and winter freezes are trending fewer with a dangerous combination of longer droughts and higher-intensity rainfall more-energized climate is producing massive natural disasters more often—dramatically illustrated by the catastrophic amounts of water that Hurricane Helene dumped on Tennessee and North Carolina last September And far-traveling people and goods are spreading invasive plants and pathogens That’s not to mention the unchecked 19th- and early-20th-century logging and mining industries large deer populations nibbling up future trees and urban sprawl and rural development fragmenting forests less than 21% of the range is protected from construction and development conservationists across the length and breadth of the Appalachians are working to support and encourage biodiversity—because even as biodiversity is at risk in the face of many environmental threats it offers a way to boost the resilience of forest ecosystems and their ability to respond to new challenges where TNC is working to connect wild spaces like Sharp-Bingham to corridors linking up into the Appalachians Finch and Tassin can both see a future in this forest “There’s this really high biodiversity of species on the southern end of this,” Tassin says so protecting that seed bank and base would be really critical.” “Diversity represents our options for the future,” Finch adds In the high-elevation forests of the Central and Southern Appalachians, the red spruce is king—the foundation of a regionally rare ecosystem and the key to a mutually beneficial forest relationship Symbiotic fungi in the soil near tree roots help young red spruce grow which soar between the spruce’s upper branches dig for the fungi’s fruiting bodies (or truffles) eat them and deposit their spores throughout the forests Roughly 1,000 miles away in New Hampshire, near the state’s border with Maine, the forest in Green Hills Preserve faces a problem similar to those of its neighbors in the Northern Appalachians. Over the years, Jeff Lougee, director of land management for TNC in New Hampshire has watched this transitional hardwood forest losing what little species variety it had The Earth’s past climatic swings have left northeastern forests more vulnerable than those farther south glaciers had smothered out life in a large portion of the United States northward of present-day Cincinnati and Philadelphia The Central Appalachians were spared the worst of the ice ages but resembled a tundra—frigid and dry scientists are testing ways to diversify beech-dominated forests They fell some trees to let more light hit the forest floor and establish shade-intolerant species They also plant some trees that may be better adapted to a future climate Amid the fallen trees in these experimental plots a host of flora and fauna take root and refuge in the newly decaying matter hardwood and spruce forests that repopulated the North had a high tolerance to cold But because there was a small number of hardy pioneers that could survive a newly available environment Without this variation coded across their genes species have fewer chances to adapt to changes—something they need now as the climate goes a bit haywire and diseases spread more rapidly Lougee’s team has partnered with the University of Vermont and Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science to set up a forest management experiment in 1,300 of the 5,500-plus acres of Green Hills They strategically cut down trees to open up the forest canopy which encourages a greater diversity of shade-intolerant species The team leaves behind some large felled trees to support diversity as wood decays and pushes over dead trees to create “tip-up mounds,” which create microclimates for a range of organisms The team is also planting a variety of tree species some of which they’ve culled from regions farther south known as “forest-assisted migration,” has at times been a controversial method generating debates among conservationists about how much to intervene on nature’s behalf and what unknown consequences may ensue The diversity of people and wildlife throughout the Appalachians is unlike any other on the planet Researchers hope that future resilient forests will be able to more rapidly recover from climate-driven threats on their own. Many of today’s plants and animals must head northward or to higher elevations (or both) to survive as their habitats change and the Appalachians offer a natural highway to do so have even been reported moving an average of 6 miles north and 7 miles west per decade since the 1980s During periods of intense climate change in Earth’s past plants and animals had a greater ability to trek across landscapes than they do today making it challenging for life such as trees which grow in specialized conditions and have limited control of seed dispersal Lougee’s team is expanding the northern range of some select saplings in their experimental plot “The idea here is not to [cut down and] replant the future forest,” Lougee says “but really just get a few species established that can be a source of seeds in the future.” But Lougee’s team has its eyes trained ahead as it tests how conservationists and forest managers can support diverse forests in the Northern Appalachians that can better adapt to the future climate And as the plight of the tree species that repopulated the Northern Appalachians shows diversity isn’t just about a greater variety of many species—it’s also important to encourage genetic diversity within individual species so some might have a chance to endure the changes to come More than 100 species rely on the mighty hemlock forests—including many birds and bats in migration corridors like Pennsylvania—but a fast-moving microscopic invasive pest called the hemlock woolly adelgid threatens their survival invasive pests with few predators can spread rapidly land managers must rely on pesticides to battle pests like the adelgid Farther south, in the central Appalachians of West Virginia, among steep hillsides of lush forest, conservationists have been focused on restoring a keystone species that’s struggled to rebound after loggers in the late 1800s and early 1900s felled swaths of these elevated giants: red spruce Because this species is the backbone of entire ecosystems in the Central Appalachians, “having more red spruce forests across its historic range adds to the biodiversity of the whole [Central Appalachian] region,” says Katy Shallows, the forest restoration manager for TNC’s Appalachians Program they have a chance of building resilient ecosystems makes a forest resilient could be challenging noticed his peers at TNC and government agencies talking about resiliency—but all with different meanings Lorber wanted to collaborate on a shared definition of resiliency in Central Appalachian forests for TNC’s teams to work toward together he built a scoring framework to rate forest resiliency in landscapes identified as potential havens for biodiversity ecological function and adaptive capacity in each location Lorber’s team graded major forest communities in the Central Appalachians and identified the greatest issues facing these forests His team is now using this work to guide on-the-ground conservation The Southern Appalachians are the most biodiverse region in the world for amphibians Numerous frog and salamander species—some extremely rare—rely on these tracts of land where vernal pools Conservationists are working to ensure the diversity of trees in the oak-hickory forests of this region by using controlled burns and other methods to reduce faster-growing poplars and other trees that crowd and shade out the mighty oaks “We all inherently know the variability of ecosystems within just the Central Appalachians,” Lorber says “But here’s a chance to use the same filter of climate resilience to look at different ecosystems’ strengths and weaknesses That could begin to guide the type of work we prioritize.” this framework highlights their lower biodiversity and climate-adaptive capacity as risks for climate resilience even a single species like red spruce can have a range of genetic diversity Shallows’ team is now drawing on that potential diversity within red spruce to increase the resilience of the region’s forests In partnership with researchers at the University of Vermont and Central Appalachian Spruce Restoration Initiative Shallows’ team has been planting a genetically diverse stock of red spruce seedlings nearly every year since 2019 primarily on public lands like the Monongahela National Forest in West Virginia and the Clinch Mountain Wildlife Management Area in Virginia The foresters intentionally select seed stock from sites with greater genetic diversity to enhance its climate-adaptive capacity—and give it a greater chance of survival—at restoration sites And University of Maryland researchers have built a computer model to identify ideal seed sources from different ranges and regions in another aspect of assisted migration called “assisted gene flow.” This model looks at the future climate period the estimated greenhouse gas emission level and location details like latitude and elevation to pinpoint seed stock that can likely survive in altered future conditions Shallows’ team plants a combination of these seedlings knowing some individuals may thrive and some may fail with hopes that the ecosystem as a whole survives and adapts over time point to the region becoming drier and hotter overall but it’s not known how seasonal rainfall patterns will change “Plants will need to adapt to increased variability in their environment,” she says what we’re trying to do is buffer the system as best we can for all the unknown factors.” It’s hard to predict something as complex as a forest’s future Lougee waits to see which seedlings take advantage of the opportunities his team is creating to build a shield of diversity in the northeast overstory Shallows’ team looks out at millions of red spruce seedlings with varying genetics trying to envision the towering giants that could survive hundreds of years from now Finch tries to imagine the possibility of decades ahead when the heat- and pathogen-resistant individuals of the Southeast’s forests have once again wandered northward filling in the holes left by the ghosts of today’s trees On the census plot at Sharp-Bingham Mountain Preserve in Alabama no woody stub larger in diameter than a pencil goes unnoticed by Finch He’s seen how beech trees distribute themselves in distinct seams and how water flowing in the cave systems below pops up unexpectedly throughout the forest piecing together the deep connections of an ecosystem he feels uneasy about the fate of our forests as development invasives and other threats continue to encroach on our natural areas indicating the stash of biodiversity around us “we lose the future of our eastern forests.” Yet at one point in the forest census plot Finch had pointed out signs of past human disturbance from some hundred years ago The expansive crown structure of a multihundred-year-old white oak suggested that a portion of the forest around it had once been cleared likely for a small holding of corn and grazing The now-robust forest around Finch is not pristine with the right seed stock and a functioning forest system and protections in place It’s a glimpse of what resilient ecosystems are capable of Kelsey Barnett-Fischels is a writer based in Huntsville whose work focuses on biodiversity and the environment Zoe Keller is an artist based in upstate New York who uses graphite digital media and other forms to illustrate at-risk species and vanishing ecosystems Aerial view of a rock forest in Moshi Park Known as the "Bermuda Triangle of Chinese Geology," Moshi Park has gained popularity with its unparalleled geologic formations of mylonitic rocks Spanning 4.8 square kilometers at an altitude of about 3,500 meters the park brings visitors into the world of an "exotic planet." Photo: China News Service Sherbrooke firefighters were called to the Centre de valorisation de l’aliment (CVA) in Rock Forest on Wednesday morning after reports of an explosion within the building According to Sherbrooke Fire Chief Stéphane Simoneau and the first teams on the scene found several walls to be unstable and blast debris within a 300-metre radius of the building “It is clear that there was a significant explosion,” he said Although the fire itself was considered largely under control by midday Simoneau said that he expected the work to completely extinguish it would take the better part of the day The section of Bourque Boulevard between du Parc Avenue and Saint-Roch Road was closed for the duration of the operation a self-described “food hub” was created in 2019 to bring together regional food producers in a space that offered commercial kitchen and food storage facilities The fire chief said that the building was considered a class three risk in past inspections He speculated that either propane or natural gas might be part of the cause of the explosion and ensuing fire although he emphasized that everything is hypothetical until an investigation is completed EZ Newsite platform by Textuel and TolléWeather information by OpenWeatherMap Thanks for clicking on our special We Are Austin "Out and About" show LIVE from Round Rock! Grab your clubs and your cleats because it's tee time! Enjoy some time on the green at Forest Creek Golf Club joined hosts Trevor Scott and Chelsey Khan to share why their course is a hole-in-one for everyone in your family and every level of experience and TikTok @WeAreAustin and find us on Facebook at We Are Austin Lifestyle Show 2025 at 4:04 pm CT.css-79elbk{position:relative;}Forest Preserve District staff will be on hand to help load with a tractor at both sites Non-District machinery to load is not permitted Residents should bring their own shovels and containers (Kane County Forest Preserve )KANE COUNTY IL — The Forest Preserve District of Kane County is offering free wood chips to the public on Sunday Wood chips will be available for pick-up at Burnidge Forest Preserve in Elgin and Big Rock Forest Preserve in Big Rock from 8 a.m Forest Preserve District staff will be on hand to help load with a tractor at both sites and non-district machinery to load is not permitted Residents should bring their own shovels and containers and the public is welcome to take as many wood chips as they can haul away The chips are from hardwood trees removed throughout Kane County because of storm damage or clearing efforts Burnidge Forest Preserve is located at 14N035 Coombs Road in Elgin and Big Rock Forest Preserve is located at 46W072 Jericho Road in Big Rock Signs within both preserves will direct people to the pile location Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts. Table Rock State Park has been on fire for nearly a week yet another tremendous blow to South Carolina's state parks which have suffered terrible damage from Mother Nature in the past year major progress was made in the battles against two separate forest fires burning in the Upstate wilderness The statewide burn ban has lifted in 41 counties major progress was made in the battles against two forest fires burning in the Upstate wilderness — one of which has set state records About a half-inch of rain fell in northern Pickens County on March 30 giving fire crews time to focus their plan of attack for the coming days which could bring another half-inch of rain to the smoldering mountainside — but also the threat of severe winds that could stall crews' work coupled with the strong firefighting efforts over the last several days allowed us to make great progress on the fires,” said Mike Brod operations section chief trainee of the Southern Area Blue Team I want to point out that the fires have not grown over the last 24 hours.” The Table Rock Fire has reached 13,765 acres and was 30 percent contained as of March 31 The nearby Persimmon Ridge Fire is 2,078 and 64 percent contained The two fires are being referred to as the Table Rock Complex fire as emergency crews respond to both in a coordinated effort Forestry Commission lifted the burn ban at 6 a.m The amount of personnel and equipment "has potential to strain the capacity of local response to new wildfire ignitions,” the commission said in its announcement who are entering their 11th day battling the Table Rock Fire will largely focus on its northern and eastern sides limiting the fire's opportunity for growth by bringing previously established fire breaks closer to the active fire “We want to keep the fire from moving down into Matthew’s Creek so that’s our goal is to catch the fire at that (eastern) end and use the rain to our advantage," Brod said The Persimmon Ridge Fire is looking “really good,” Brod said Heavy machinery will be used to break down some of the large debris fields from Helene that have been smoldering and holding heat They’re racing against the threat of severe weather in the afternoon though the chance for additional rainfall is a welcome addition to the workday The Table Rock Fire was started March 21 and the Persimmon Ridge Fire the next day becoming the third-largest in state history and the largest in Upstate history Pickens County Sheriff Tommy Blankenship said four teens have been identified in the ignition of the Table Rock Fire and their charges will come at a later date The Upstate is under a severe thunderstorm watch on March 31 as a cold front moves through the area in the mid-to-late afternoon though there’s a chance for hail and strong storm cells that could produce a tornado Wind gusts will range from the upper teens to low 20s as the storm passes and dry weather returns to the Upstate on Tuesday Follow Caitlin on Twitter/X @CatHerrington News tips/online questions: greenville@postandcourier.com Subscription questions: subserve@postandcourier.com Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.We recommend switching to one of the following browsers: Escape to nature and experience the beauty of the Forest Preserve District of Kane County’s campgrounds Check-in time for all campsites is at 3 p.m With the aim of providing greater convenience and flexibility, campers can secure their preferred campsite at either Paul Wolff Campground in Elgin or Big Rock Campground in Big Rock via our online system at www.kaneforest.com/camping Online reservations are required and are open now located within Burnidge Forest Preserve in Elgin There are 89 improved sites complete with 50/30/20-amp electrical service There are 10 primitive sites for tents-only camping; primitive sites do not have electricity ADA-accessible camp sites are available upon request The surrounding Burnidge Forest Preserve contains more than 700 acres of rolling hills and woodlands along with nine miles of trails including a 2.25-mile multi-purpose trail suitable for hiking Paul Wolff Campground is located at 38W235 Big Timber Road in Elgin located within Big Rock Forest Preserve in Big Rock There are 96 improved campsites with 50/30/20-amp electrical service There are also ADA-accessible camp sites available upon request Daily fees for the improved camp sites (with pad water) at both campgrounds are $26 for Kane County residents and $41 for nonresidents Primitive/non-electric camp sites are $18 per day for Kane County residents and $24 for nonresidents Equestrian camp sites are $21 per day for Kane County residents and $31 for nonresidents The campgrounds operate on a cashless system and Discover for your convenience for online reservations They accept cash/check for firewood and dump station fees Online reservations should be booked prior to your arrival If you need to modify or cancel your reservation it will be credited to your patron account and remain valid until Dec To book an equestrian site, call the campground hotline at (630) 444-1200. International travelers can call (630) 444-1200 to reserve your campsite. For more information, visit www.kaneforest.com call our campground hotline at (630) 444-1200 and find the district on social by searching @forestpreserve Two large wildfires in Western North Carolina have continued to grow over the past several days with both now exceeding 800 acres and at containment levels of 10% or less Forest Service provided updates on the wildfires which are burning in Pisgah National Forest land in McDowell County and Nantahala National Forest land near Robbinsville The news releases noted that both wildfires have grown since last reports with firefighters and rangers working daily to contain and control the blazes Here's what we know on the Bee Rock Creek and Haoe Lead fires in Pisgah and Nantahala national forests as of Friday Two large wildfires are currently burning in WNC: North Carolina wildfire mapSee our interactive wildfire map for WNC and the region It is updated hourly and provides information on the fires The April 18 news release from the Forest Service warned that the Bee Rock Creek Fire, which is burning in steep terrain and storm debris in McDowell County, has grown to 856 acres with 10% containment. This marks significant growth since April 17 when reports showed the fire at 504 acres with 10% containment helicopters dropped water to slow fire growth in support of firefighters working on the ground There are currently 180 personnel working to suppress the fire and stop the spread McDowell County and Woodlawn Fire Department Firefighters on April 18 were focused on preparing and protecting homes in Wild Acres and Roses Road as well as the Armstrong State Fish Hatchery Crews have cut brush and blown leaves away from structures and will be mopping up along Armstrong Creek Road extinguishing hotspots to secure containment lines Crews are also prepping the Blue Ridge Parkway as a potential containment line by removing debris left behind by Tropical Storm Helene McDowell County Emergency Management has issued an evacuation order for residences on Wild Acres Road off of N.C. 226 A. A live evacuation map is available burning within the Joyce Kilmer-Slickrock Wilderness on the Cheoah Ranger District of the Nantahala National Forest was measured at 1,010 acres with 0% containment according to an April 18 news release from the U.S This marks growth from an April 16 update from the Citizen Times that reported the fire was at around 800 acres with 0% containment fire personnel strengthened containment lines further on the southern portion of the fire near the Joyce Kilmer Memorial Loop Opportunities were explored to engage the fire near State Road 1127 Firefighters on April 18 continued to focus efforts on southern and eastern portions of the fire with potential strategic firing operations occurring along a portion of Maple Springs Overlook Road to reduce unburned fuel near the road There are no evacuation orders in place at this time More: 4.2 million cubic yards of Helene debris has been removed. What to know about debris deadlines Iris Seaton is the trending news reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times How to find every secret boss in Chapter 1 of Black Myth: Wukong In true soulslike fashion the intricate landscapes and levels of Black Myth: Wukong hide plenty of secrets and some of the bosses in Chapter 1 are very difficult to find without some additional guidance if you're looking to tick off every Yaoguai Chief and Yaoguai King in your Journal read on for a full breakdown of all 11 bosses in Chapter 1 of Black Myth: Wukong There is a total of 11 bosses in Chapter 1 of Black Myth: Wukong, although only 9 of them are listed in the player's Journal. Of these, 5 are Yaoguai Kings, and 4 are Yaoguai Chiefs. Moreover, 2 bosses - the Elder Jinchi and the Red Loong - are secret bosses which can only be unlocked and fought by following the steps laid out below in this guide To help you easily find out which Black Myth: Wukong bosses are missing from your Journal here are all the Yaoguai King and Yaoguai Chief bosses you can find in Chapter 1: Below we'll go over all 11 of these Chapter 1 bosses The first boss enemy you'll fight in Chapter 1 of Black Myth: Wukong is the Bullguard, a Yaoguai Chief blocking your way a short distance into the Forest Of Wolves. To reach him, start at the "Front Hills" Keeper's Shrine and follow the path across the bridge continue along the path as it curves right around the rock and you'll approach a gate with the Bullguard standing guard in front The Bullguard is a slow and lumbering foe which is designed to get you used to dodging Its attacks with its polearm are all clearly telegraphed so take this as an opportunity to practice your perfect dodges Halfway into the Bullguard fight you'll trigger a cutscene which unlocks the Immobilise Spell after which you can continue the fight with the help of the spell to make an easy fight even easier The Wandering Wight, curiously, isn't listed in your Journal as a Yaoguai. Possibly this is because it is an offshoot of a later boss, the Elder Jinchi. In any case, you'll find the Wandering Wight a short way beyond the "Outside The Forest" Shrine, just past the Bullguard Cross the bridge on the most direct path forward from the Shrine and you'll come to a clearing where the Wandering Wight does what he does best Be warned: this boss is startlingly tough for players just starting out and it may take you a few attempts to beat him You can feel free to run past the Wight when you first encounter him and return later when you're more powerful although it seems the Wandering Wight will disappear if you defeat the Elder Jinchi boss so make sure you return to defeat the Wight before entering that secret area containing the Elder Jinchi Guangzhi is a Yaoguai Chief found on the opposite side of the "Outside The Forest" region from the Wandering Wight start at the region's Shrine and take the left-hand path in front of you Pass by the chest (open it if you haven't already) and cross the bridge guarded by the Wolf Archer follow the path curving left and you'll enter a clearing where you can fight Guangzhi Lingxuzi is your first Yaoguai King boss fight. This giant wolf creature can be found inside Guanyin Temple, at the end of the Forest of Wolves beyond the Wandering Wight The path there is very linear and straightforward so you should have no trouble finding this boss encounter your friend the Keeper will warn you that you have no chance against this boss But don't worry - he vastly underestimates your skills Linxuzi only really has two attacks to watch out for - a quick two-part swipe combo especially with Immobilize and Red Tides (if you have it) Baw-Li-Guhh-Lang is a giant amphibian that hangs out in a very pretty part of the river running through the Bamboo Grove then follow the path until you start heading down a wooden sloped platform Then turn around and head into the larger area of the river Guangmou is another Yaoguai Chief who can be found in the "Snake Trail" area of the Bamboo Grove. Thankfully though, and unlike Baw-Li-Guhh-Lang so you're pretty much guaranteed to cross him Just follow the main path out to the large area littered with Skeletal Snakes and you'll find Guangmou's arena directly adjoining this area and poison sprays to attempt to whittle down your health I'd recommend a mix of careful dodging and Staff-spinning to block ranged attacks where appropriate (though keep an eye on your Stamina!) Close the distance between you where possible be sure to absorb his Spirit using the Blessed Gourd for a handy little ranged attack in future battles Continue along the main path and at the bottom of the "Marsh Of White Mist" region you'll come to a watery arena containing the Whiteclad Noble boss This is another enemy that appears in the Journal as neither a Chief nor a King Aside from the fact that he has an annoyingly long reach and launches himself about like nobody's business; he also has two health bars and a second phase where he transforms into a merman-like creature The Pillar Stance is very useful against the Whiteclad Noble, I found. Use it whenever it's safe to do so, and evade his attacks while charging your own. Just be careful you don't run out of stamina. After you've beaten him, you'll hear a bit of dialogue about the three Bells hidden in the land, and you'll find one of them adjoining this arena (more on this in our section about Elder Jinchi) You will fight him inside the Black Wind Cave which is a fair old trek beyond the "Marsh Of White Mist" area of the Bamboo Grove The Black Wind King is waiting for you just beyond the double doors next to the "Cave Interior" Shrine I won't lie, the Black Wind King is the toughest enemy so far. He can break easily out of your Immobilize Spell; his attack combos are annoyingly lengthy; and he has a special ability where he turns into an invulnerable gust of wind and repeatedly charges you, requiring some very specifically timed dodges to counter. I'd encourage you to go back and defeat Guangzhi and the Wandering Wight if you haven't done so already because their respective abilities (Red Tides Spell and the Wandering Wight Spirit) are very helpful when it comes to bursting down the Black Wind King before he has a chance to wreak too much havoc with your health bar The final story boss of Chapter 1 is Black Bear Guai - the superior second form of the Black Wind King you fought earlier The Black Bear Guai is found outside the other end of Black Wind Cave It's a linear (albeit very stairs-heavy) path up the mountain so you'll have no trouble finding this particular Yaoguai King This fight is tough, and I'd highly recommend you first unlock Chapter 1's secret area (explained below) and defeat Elder Jinchi before tackling the Black Bear Guai, because the prize for defeating Elder Jinchi is an item that it incredibly useful against the flame-heavy Black Bear The most dangerous aspect of this fight is when the Black Bear turns into a gust of (this time flaming) wind These attacks deal massive damage and require very carefully timed dodges Look for the burst of air just before the charge as a telltale sign of when you should dodge you'll defeat the Black Bear and complete your journey through Chapter 1 The Elder Jinchi Yaoguai King resides in a secret area of Chapter 1; to unlock this area you need to find and ring all three Bells scattered about the three regions of Chapter 1 Here are the locations of the three Bells: You can ring the three Bells in any order you like you'll automatically be transported to a new secret area: the Ancient Guanyin Temple This place is a memory of the Guanyin Temple and in its centre you can face the secret Elder Jinchi boss The Elder Jinchi looks and acts a lot like the Wandering Wight that you encountered earlier in the Forest Of Wolves The main difference here is that the arena is also filled with small shambling corpse enemies Most of the time you can ignore them while you fight Elder Jinchi the boss will rise into the air and call the corpses to him You must kill the corpses before they reach Elder Jinchi because each corpse that reaches the centre will heal Elder Jinchi Defeating the Elder Jinchi will transport you back to the location of the Bell near the Whiteclad Noble arena, and you'll be rewarded with the Fireproof Mantle Vessel - a fantastically useful item against all fire-wielding enemies. Most notably, this item will help you in the fight against Black Bear Guai The most secret Chapter 1 boss of all is The Red Loong This Yaoguai King cannot be accessed until you've obtained a certain item from Chapter 2 after which you need to return to Chapter 1 to face this boss you must obtain the Loong Scale (a secret item from Chapter 2) and then interact with the waterfall in the "Outside The Forest" area of the Forest Of Wolves Below I'll explain how to obtain the Loong Scale To get the Loong Scale in order to unlock the Red Loong boss fight you need to progress through the first region of Chapter 2 past the first Yaoguai Chief fight against the Rat King and the Second Rat Prince head down the left-hand path and face the First Rat Prince inside the cave On the left-hand side of the First Rat Prince arena you can interact with the crack to squeeze through it and into a small secret room Inside this room there is a chest containing the Loong Scale an item which you can use to unlock various secret areas throughout the game including the one in Chapter 1 housing the Red Loong boss The Red Loong itself is found inside a secret area adjoining the Forest Of Wolves and then take another left once you reach the chest and then immediately turn left and go up the well-hidden slope into a new part of the river with a giant waterfall and if you have the Loong Scale in your inventory you will receive a prompt to interact with the waterfall once you're near enough allowing you to pass through the crack in the stone beyond You'll then load into a new boss arena where you'll face The Red Loong Despite being a Chapter 1 boss, the lightning-infused Red Loong is very much Chapter 2-esque in its power scaling, and you'll need all of the skills you gain in Chapter 2 to defeat it The key to victory in this fight is to target the vessels on the Red Loong's back when it stumbles Enough damage to these vessels will cause them to explode dealing massive damage to the creature and considerably shortening the fight That concludes our guide on how to find every single boss in Chapter 1 of Black Myth: Wukong! If you're looking to continue your rampage, check out our list of all the Chapter 2 bosses No part of this website or its content may be reproduced without the copyright owner's permission Rock Paper Shotgun is a registered trademark of Gamer Network Limited ExpandKane County Forest Preserve District (Shaw Local News Network) Recreational camping opens for the season at the Forest Preserve District of Kane County’s campgrounds on May 1 Campers can secure their preferred campsite at either Paul Wolff Campground in Elgin or Big Rock Campground in Big Rock online at www.kaneforest.com/camping. Online reservations are required and are open now. Paul Wolff Campground, located within Burnidge Forest Preserve in Elgin, contains 104 total camp sites. There are 89 improved sites complete with 50/30/20-amp electrical service, water access, parking pads and fire rings. There are 10 primitive sites for tents-only camping; primitive sites do not have electricity. There are also five equestrian camp sites. ADA-accessible camp sites are available upon request. The surrounding Burnidge Forest Preserve contains more than 700 acres of rolling hills and woodlands along with 9 miles of trails, including a 2.25-mile multi-purpose trail suitable for hiking, biking or equestrian use. There is also a picnic shelter, fishing ponds and a climbing rock. Paul Wolff Campground is located at 38W235 Big Timber Road in Elgin. Big Rock Campground, located within Big Rock Forest Preserve in Big Rock, contains 109 total camp sites. There are 96 improved campsites with 50/30/20-amp electrical service, water access, parking pads and fire rings. There are nine primitive, tent-only sites without electric access. There are four equestrian sites. There are also ADA-accessible camp sites available upon request. Daily fees for the improved camp sites at both campgrounds are $26 for Kane County residents and $41 for non-residents. Primitive camp sites are $18 per day for Kane County residents and $24 for non-residents. Equestrian camp sites are $21 per day for Kane County residents and $31 for non-residents. Dump stations are included with camping, or $15 for single use. Firewood is available for $10 per bundle. The campgrounds operate on a cashless system, accepting Visa, Mastercard, and Discover credit cards online. Cash or check is accepted for firewood and dump station fees. Online reservations should be booked prior to your arrival. To book an equestrian site, call the campground hotline at 630-444-1200. Copyright © 2023 Shaw Local News Network Table Rock Tea Company, a tea farm at the base of Table Rock Mountain posted this photo of the forest fire on March 22 A wildfire on Table Rock mountain has burned over 1,000 acres prompting voluntary evacuations for nearby residents in the blaze set by what authorities say were “negligent' hikers on March 21 PICKENS — A wildfire burning on Table Rock mountain has engulfed over 1,000 acres prompted evacuations for mountain residents and has hikers facing potential charges for what authorities say were "negligent" actions that caused the fire With a forest floor littered with dead trees from Hurricane Helene and powerful wind gusts coupled with dry conditions the fire spread quickly from the iconic mountain peak on March 21 The spread slowed some March 22 with relatively higher humidity and weaker winds The rain that arrived early on March 24 brought minimal precipitation to the area “just enough to wet the ground,” National Weather Service meteorologist Andrew Kimball said the rain gauges were at 0.003 inches around 9 a.m The National Weather Service in Greer issued a warning that said "the combination of low relative humidity and drier fuels will increase fire danger March 25-29 “There’s a front coming through (Tuesday) afternoon or evening and there might be some showers heading for us from the west but it probably won’t survive across the mountains,” he said The Upstate’s next forecasted chance of rain is March 30 A fresh burn scar on the western side of Table Rock mountain continued to smolder on March 24 after light morning rains slowed its spread With about 1,400 acres burned and the fire gaining speed as conditions dry out forestry commission spokesperson Anneta Pritchard said the Table Rock blaze could grow to be around 5,000 acres before it’s contained The Persimmon Ridge fire has burned around 350 acres as of March 24 Those numbers will continue to fluctuate as burnouts and more accurate infrared readings take place with a Chinook helicopter dropping 2,000 gallons of water in 5-minute loops The Federal Emergency Management Agency declared both the Table Rock and Persimmon fires eligible for a federal grant that helps with fire disasters The designation by FEMA will allow South Carolina to receive federal funds that can cover up to 75 percent of the cost to fight the fires — which include costs for personnel as well the forestry commission and state fire support set up their mobile incident command at the nearby Table Rock Wesleyan Camp and Retreat Center Firefighters and emergency response personnel are able to stay in the cabins on site take advantage of the cafeteria and have large morning briefings in the recreation pavilion Officials set up a shelter at the nearby Holly Springs Community Center after asking residents of about 100 homes to evacuate A 150-acre backburn — an intentional fire set to create a barrier between the out-of-control blaze and homes — was underway March 23 on the mountain’s eastern side and expected to bring additional smoke to northern Pickens County though it was also slowed by the morning rain Forestry Commission public information officer Roughly 3 miles of fire break were burned on March 23 The increase in humidity allowed crews time to focus on building the fire break box around the blaze using lines established in the 2016 Pinnacle Mountain Fire — which became the largest in state history — and natural barriers like the Saluda River then they're also going to do burnout operations to remove the fuel that's closest to the fire break creating an even larger fire break and more protection," Pritchard said Pickens County Sheriff Tommy Blankenship asked residents to avoid the area of S.C to keep traffic flowing rather than parking on the side of the road to look at the fire The highway will be closed nightly from West Gate Road to New Hope Road to prevent traffic congestion near the park The fire was first spotted March 21 around 5:45 p.m. — 15 minutes before a statewide burning ban went into effect — as sheriff’s deputies were searching for missing hiker Stephanie Womacks inside the park their search was cut short due to the negligent act of some hikers that led to the forest fire,” Sheriff Blankenship said in a video posted to Facebook “Our deputies actually barely escaped the fire.” The suspects have been identified and appropriate charges will be discussed with the S.C Planes and helicopters that had been collecting water from Lake Jocassee and dumping it on the Table Rock fire are also responding to a nearby fire on Persimmon Ridge in Greenville County The Forestry Commission is treating them as one incident due to their proximity Jones Gap State Park and Caesars Head State Park are all closed because of the fires The statewide burn ban that went into effect at 6 p.m Those who would like to donate to the emergency responders can bring plastic utensils disinfectant wipes and foam plates to the Holly Springs Fire Department at 2239 Moorefield Memorial Highway in Pickens The fire engulfing the Ella Rock forest reserve continued yesterday with more than 600 acres of a total extent of 4,447 acres The fire had spread towards the Rawana falls on Friday night Winds and steep inclines are hampering efforts by the army Forest Conservation and the fire services of the Bandarawela [...] Forest Conservation and the fire services of the Bandarawela Municipal council reptiles and small animals have been destroyed in the fire Police warned that boulders could fall onto the main road Air Force helicopters were not called in to assist deputy minister of tourism told the Sunday Times that using helicopters has not been effective in controlling such fires in addition to the high cost involved He said NPP members in each of the divisions will be reined in to prevent such fires in future Pix by Prasad Rukmal and Palitha Ariyawansa The best way to say that you found the home of your dreams is by finding it on Hitad.lk. We have listings for apartments for sale or rent in Sri Lanka no matter what locale you're looking for Print Edition – The Sunday Times, Sri Lanka Volume 7 - 2019 | https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2019.00159 Mineral nutrient cycling between trees and the forest floor is key to forest ecosystem nutrition well-drained landscapes the forest floor experiences permanent nutrient loss in particulate form by plant litter erosion and as solute after plant litter decomposition a replenishing mechanism must be in operation that we suggest to be sourced in the subsoil and the weathering zone beneath it provided that atmospheric input is insufficient we quantified deep (up to 20 m depth) weathering and mineral nutrient cycling in two montane temperate forest ecosystems in Southern Germany: Black Forest (CON) and Bavarian Forest (MIT) shallow “organic nutrient cycle” deep “geogenic nutrient pathway” We found that the finite nutrient pool size of the forest floor persists for a few years only foliar nutrient concentrations in Picea abies and Fagus sylvatica do not indicate deficiency We infer that ultimately the biologically available fraction in the deep regolith (CON: 3–7 m MIT: 3–17 m) balances nutrient loss from the forest floor and is also decisive for the level of the forest trees' mineral nutrient stoichiometry although the nutrient supply fluxes from chemical weathering at CON are twice those of MIT nutrient uptake fluxes into trees do not differ The organic nutrient cycle apparently regulates the efficiency of nutrient re-utilization from organic matter to cater for differences in its replenishment by the deep geogenic nutrient pathway and thereby ensures long-term forest ecosystem nutrition weathering-derived nutrients are considered to sustain long-term ecosystem nutrition even though they present only a small fraction of the net nutrient source to forest ecosystems the deep weathering zone gains increasing interest in advancing our understanding on how chemical and physical processes both operating at depth are coupled to biotic processes operating in the upper Critical Zone Yet this field has not advanced further because we lacked the means to establish the budgets involved Suggesting such novel strategies for quantifying nutrient cycling into and within forest ecosystems is the aim of this study Key to this attempt is introducing metrics designed in weathering geochemistry into the fields of ecology and pedology As the suite of geochemical metrics presented in this paper integrate over timescales that differ substantially from those over which ecological properties are measured we do not draw refined conclusions from these comparisons and thus evaluate them mainly by comparing orders of magnitude We provide quantitative means to assess the importance of the slow “geogenic nutrient pathway” through which fresh material is uplifted into soil, and that is coupled to the fast “organic nutrient cycle” on long-term forest ecosystem nutrition similar to the conceptual model of Buendía et al. (2010) While on short timescales the organic nutrient cycle appears to be highly efficient nutrient losses from the organic nutrient cycle must be balanced by nutrient uptake via the geogenic nutrient pathway we have undertaken a case study to parameterise all components of the system in two mountainous catchments These sites were chosen because even though they strongly differ in their nutrient supply fluxes through rock weathering they are characterized by similar forest primary productivity We quantified nutrient cycling in forest ecosystems across several reservoirs of the Critical Zone: these extend from the unweathered bedrock that was accessed at up to 30 m depth by drilling As a prerequisite for the way by which we apply these geo- and biogeochemical measurements for hypothesis evaluation we developed a conceptual framework including a series of simple mass balance equations that combine nutrient fluxes For the geogenic cycles we assume steady state of fluxes and hence compartment sizes that do not vary with time This requirement is integral to the method used to determine fluxes But even if this assumption is not strictly valid deviation from steady state will be minor given the slow response times that are ca for the organic cycles we do not assume steady state and thus allow the inbound flux to differ from the outbound flux for a given compartment Hence the resulting turnover time estimates may depend on the respective flux some form of quasi-steady state is required to prevent ecosystem limitation that might develop if a compartment were to run into depletion The geogenic nutrient pathway is characterized by the conversion of bedrock into regolith—defined here to comprise weathered rock This pathway encompasses regolith production nutrient release from primary and secondary minerals by chemical weathering lateral and vertical transport of dissolved species through the regolith and groundwater aquifers which ultimately drain into a stream or lake and for the remainder nutrient utilization by forest trees At the weathering front unweathered bedrock is converted into regolith by regolith production (RP). At steady state RP is coupled to the total mass loss from the weathering profile (e.g., Heimsath et al., 1997; Lebedeva et al., 2010) so as to maintain a constant thickness of regolith Total mass loss comprises both particulate matter (physical erosion E) and dissolved material (chemical weathering and the combined mass loss flux is the denudation flux D (Equation 1) by cosmogenic nuclides such as in situ 10Be (section Calculation of Fluxes and Inventories in Forest Ecosystems) The chemical weathering flux can be disentangled from total denudation by multiplying the CDF by D (Riebe et al., 2003) (Equation 3) E can be calculated from the difference between D and W (Equations 1 Absolute mass fluxes can be expressed as elemental fluxes which form the basis to assess the cycling of mineral nutrients between forest ecosystem compartments RP is expressed as RPX by multiplying RP with the concentration of the element of interest (X) in unweathered parent bedrock (Equation 4) The elemental chemical weathering flux (WregolithX) provides the time-integrated dissolution flux of element X from primary minerals minus the incorporation flux of X into secondary minerals and (oxy-)hydroxides formed in the regolith WregolithX is inferred from the total denudation flux the mass transfer coefficient (τXiX) and the concentration of element X in unweathered parent bedrock by multiplying Equation 4 with the negative of Equation 5 (Equation 6) The fraction of WregolithX which is not involved in secondary mineral or (oxy-)hydroxide formation is either drained into the stream or utilized by vegetation from which it can also be drained into the stream after solubilisation from litter The inventory of element X provides a metric on the total stock of element X in the regolith or the biologically available fraction of regolith (bioav) is calculated by the integral of the depth interval's concentration of element X in compartment j ([X]j) the soil density (ρ) and the thickness (dz) of the respective depth interval (Equation 7) Following the terminology suggested for terrestrial ecosystem ecology by Sierra et al. (2017) and Spohn and Sierra (2018) the turnover time is a quantification of the capacity of an ecosystem to store and cycle an element the turnover time of element X in compartment j represents the mean time an element X remains in a given compartment before being transferred from this source compartment into another compartment In this sense it may be considered analogous to the concept of a residence time in hydrology or geochemistry Turnover time can thus be defined as the ratio of the inventory of a compartment (pool) to the input flux into the pool or output flux from the pool We do not require the balance of inbound and outbound fluxes and thus do not assume the steady state of inventories over the timescale of a few turnover times the fluxes must attain some balance to avoid total depletion The total turnover time in the compartments we consider is governed by several in- and outbound fluxes We do not consider total turnover (or residence) times for these compartments we calculate turnover times with respect to one specific flux (denoted by the second subscript) Tbioav,WX represents the mean time element X spends in the biologically available inventory with respect to supply from dissolution of primary minerals and secondary precipitates (WregolithX) (Equation 8) Tbioav,WX provides the minimum turnover time estimate as some fraction of WregolithX could be directly drained via groundwater into streams instead of arriving in the biologically available fraction by e.g. the organic nutrient cycle incorporates nutrient uptake from forest trees nutrient return to the forest floor followed by either nutrient re-utilization or nutrient export from the forest ecosystem by the stream The total nutrient uptake flux of the entire forest ecosystem (UtotalX) can be quantified from estimates of gross primary production (GPP). As GPP includes the release of carbon by plant mitochondrial respiration, which accounts for 50% of the GPP flux (Chapin et al., 2012) GPP must be converted into net primary productivity (NPP) where [X]tree is the bulk tree nutrient concentration in dry biomass and [C]tree is the carbon concentration of bulk tree of 50 wt.-% Equation (9) converts the carbon-based NPP flux into a total annual dry biomass production flux of the element of interest After nutrient utilization, nutrients are returned to the forest floor by litterfall (LX)–comprising non-woody foliage (leaves and needles), woody foliage (twigs), dead roots and whole trees after windthrow. Subsequently these nutrients can be utilized directly from plant litter by animals such as earthworms (Resner et al., 2014) within the context of this study this consumption represents a soil-internal cycle that does not impact fluxes between compartments such flux is generated when nutrients are re-utilized by tree roots after plant litter solubilisation (SorgX) or are lost from the forest ecosystem in particulate form by plant litter erosion (EorgX) or in solute form after plant litter decomposition In the absence of difficult field-based measurements of the elemental plant litter erosion flux (EorgX) a rough estimate of this flux can be calculated from the product of the cosmogenic in situ 10Be-derived erosion flux (E) in units t km−2 yr−1 the concentration of element X in the litter layer and a density ratio of bedrock to plant litter that converts the annual 10Be-derived mass per area erosion flux of bedrock into an annual mass per area erosion flux of plant litter This estimate likely provides a minimum flux as the low-density litter is removed more readily than the higher-density quartz minerals measured for cosmogenic nuclide-based erosion rates WorgX can be estimated from the product of the nutrient concentration in deep lateral subsurface water and discharge provided that deep lateral subsurface flow contributes to groundwater recharge which ultimately drains into the stream The turnover time of element X in the forest floor with respect to loss by plant litter erosion and solute export is Tff,lossX (Equation 10) We note that Tff,lossX merely presents a rough estimate as neither EorgX nor WorgX can be estimated with certainty both parameters depend on the time X is cycled through forest trees which prevents it from loss (see section Calculation of Fluxes and Inventories in Forest Ecosystems) The turnover time of element X in the forest floor with respect to the outbound nutrient uptake flux by forest trees is Tff,UffX (Equation 11) (where UffX represents the major fraction of the total nutrient uptake flux see section Coupling the Geogenic Nutrient Pathway with the Organic Nutrient Cycle) The turnover time of element X in the forest floor with respect to the inbound litterfall flux (LX) where LX is annual nutrient return from forest trees to the forest floor We note that LX represents only a minimum estimate of annual nutrient return as measurements of LX account mostly for fine litterfall only In our conceptual forest ecosystem, the fluxes of EorgX (plant litter erosion flux) and WorgX (dissolved plant litter export flux) must be balanced by a replacement flux to preserve the ecosystem from nutrient limitation that would otherwise develop on the long-term. Following the terminology in Cleveland et al. (2013) we term this nutrient uptake replacement flux that stems from fresh nutrients “new” (UnewX) as it comprises nutrients that are utilized by forest trees for the first time and are not re-utilized from the forest floor Such new nutrients could be sourced from external atmospheric wet and dry deposition or if these external fluxes are negligible relative to WregolithX We have no a priori means to assess how much of WregolithX is used for nutrient uptake by forest trees as some of the weathering flux is likely drained via groundwater into the stream By assuming that UnewX at best balances nutrient losses from the organic nutrient cycle we instead equate UnewX with the sum of nutrient loss from plant litter erosion and dissolved plant litter export by Equation 13 the total uptake flux of X reflects both the fraction of element X utilized from the forest floor (UffX) and the ‘new’ nutrient (UnewX) The fraction of nutrient X that is returned to the forest floor by litterfall (LX) and is neither eroded as plant litter nor lost into the stream after being leached from plant litter can be re-utilized by forest trees We term this re-utilization process “nutrient recycling” and assess the efficiency of the nutrient recycling loop with the “nutrient recycling factor” (RecX) RecX is a metric that quantifies the efficiency of uptake of a nutrient relative to its release by weathering We parameterise this nutrient recycling factor by the ratio of the total nutrient uptake flux of element X (UtotalX) relative to UnewX (Equation 15) Because over millennia the replacement flux for EorgX and WorgX must originate from the geogenic pathway we parameterise RecX by dividing UtotalX by WregolithX (Equation 16, Uhlig et al., 2017) This parameterisation of RecX circumvents the impossibility of measuring UnewX directly and the challenges involved in estimating EorgX and WorgX (see section Calculation of Fluxes and Inventories in Forest Ecosystems) Note that RecX therefore represents a minimum estimate of the number of nutrient uptake and re-utilization cycles of element X through forest trees This is because not all of the weathering release flux may be available to forest trees In a conceptual forest ecosystem in which the organic nutrient cycle is coupled to the geogenic nutrient pathway the inventory of the biologically available fraction of the regolith represents a source for the forest trees' UnewX The turnover time of element X in the biologically available fraction of the regolith with respect to new nutrient utilization by forest trees is Tbioav,UnewX (Equation 17) the combination of vertical and lateral subsurface flow leads to the rapid transport of water and solutes through the subsurface Evidence for such preferential flow was provided during the drilling campaign were water containing rock flour from drilling rapidly emerged from a spring about 100 m downslope Characteristics of the study sites in the Black Forest (CON Dry core-drilling was performed at CON from 0 m depth to the regolith-bedrock interface at 7 m depth which is not the regolith-bedrock interface but where the abundance of fragmented rocks increased significantly Diamond core drilling using creek water as drilling fluid from the neighboring watersheds was used to sample bedrock at both sites from drill-cores At MIT diamond core drilling was also performed within regolith above the regolith-bedrock interface This practice could have led to alteration of regolith properties such as soil pH and the chemical composition of the easily exchangeable fraction and so where possible samples from hydraulically-drilled regolith sections were taken from the interior of coherent core pieces samples were taken from wet cuttings integrating over ~2 m depth Schematic depth distribution of drill cores and soil profiles (left hand side); stacked photographs of drill core sections with labeled sampling points and sampled depth intervals (right hand side) at CON (a) and MIT (b) Arrows and cycles illustrate sampling points and depth intervals Sampled depth intervals were selected to correspond to drill sections and changes in regolith appearance Polyethylene bags at CON between 6 and 7 m depth contain coherent regolith Cw: soil horizons according to IUSS/ISRIC/FAO 2006 Boundary of soil to saprolite is defined to be represented by the boundary between Bw horizon to Cw horizon Color scheme of schematic drill cores is used in subsequent profile figures to assign data to soil leaves and needles were sampled from representative mature trees of the prevailing species European beech (Fagus sylvatica) and Norway spruce (Picea abies) Living wood was sampled by using an increment borer Leaves and needles were sampled from young branches nearest the forest floor in September 2014 Element concentration and radiogenic Sr isotope analyses were performed at the Helmholtz Laboratory for the Geochemistry of the Earth Surface (HELGES) at GFZ Potsdam (von Blanckenburg et al., 2016) X-ray fluorescence spectrometry was performed with the Isotope Geochemistry section at GFZ Potsdam Phosphorus Hedley sequential fractionation was done at the University of Bonn The international reference material SRM 1515 (apple leaves NIST) was processed with each sample batch oxidized and analyzed at the University of Cologne Center for Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) Procedural blanks were run with each sample batch and subtracted from the samples this should not compromise our interpretation of these data Including these shallow sections has no effect on WregolithX* beyond uncertainty for most elements except for Mg but the relative proportions of fine to coarse roots are largely unknown given the relatively high uncertainty in the bulk tree nutrient concentration averaged from leaf foliage and wood we nevertheless suggest that the nutrient content in roots is adequately estimated Gross primary productivity (GPP) was not measured at our study sites mean annual (1982–2008) GPP data from a global empirical upscaling model For both study sites this equates to about 1,260 g m−2 yr−1 ± 60 (SE GPP and element concentrations of bulk tree at CON and MIT EorgX was estimated from the cosmogenic in situ 10Be-derived erosion flux (E), the concentration of element X in the litter layer and a density ratio of bedrock to plant litter, and reported in Table 3. Data on the density of the litter layer was taken from Supplement 2 in Lang et al. (2017) Because the metric EorgX includes the cosmogenic nuclide derived denudation rate (D) that integrates over millennia the litter erosion flux represents an underestimation of EorgX The reason is that the litter layer is of lower density than the soil beneath it that contains quartz on which D was measured meaning that the litter layer requires less erosional forces to be eroded than do quartz minerals WorgX was estimated from the product of the nutrient concentration in deep lateral subsurface water and runoff. We assumed that most of the nutrient concentration in deep subsurface water originates from plant material. At CON, lateral subsurface water was sampled [method see Sohrt et al. (2018)] over the course of 1 year. At CON, annual runoff of about 600 mm (Sohrt, 2019) was used Because deep lateral subsurface water was sampled only at CON WorgX from CON was also used for MIT as both sites are very similar with respect to pedogenesis and environmental conditions IjX was calculated from Equation (7) for each of the compartments: the biologically available fraction (IbioavX), forest floor (IffX) and bulk regolith including nutrients contained in fragmented rocks (IbulkX). IjX are reported in Table 5 and recycling factors (RecX) at CON and MIT The biologically available fraction comprises the water-soluble and exchangeable fraction that is weakly adsorbed to soil minerals and organic matter In the case of P the biologically available fraction refers to the inorganic products of the Hedley sequential P fractionation method IbioavX was estimated for two depth intervals mainly for reasons of sampling depth resolution and the presence or absence of periglacial slope deposits: from 0 m to 3 m (called “ <3 m,” high sampling depth resolution (20 cm depth sections) presence of periglacial slope deposits) and from 3 m depth until the interface of saprolite and weathered bedrock (called “>3 m,” low sampling depth resolution (0.5–1 m depth sections) The >3 m depth intervals range from 3 to 7 m at CON and 3 to 17 m at MIT we believe that both depth intervals are principally accessible to tree roots because the chemical composition of the Oh horizon indicates that the dissolved sample contained not only organic material but also silicate minerals accidently dissolved during microwave digestion To evaluate the significance of the various geogenic and organic nutrient reservoirs and cycles for long-term forest ecosystem nutrition we use the sequence of metrics developed in our conceptual framework (section Conceptual Framework) we follow this sequence to guide through the values obtained for them and second we discuss their contribution to the entire system To shed light on the nutrient availability we quantified the degree of chemical alteration along the regolith profile the weathering rates are 71 t km−2 yr−1 at CON and only 8 t km−2 yr−1 at MIT (Equation 3) In terms of nutrient availability to the forest ecosystem we conclude that CON apparently lost a higher fraction of nutrients relative to bedrock than MIT; yet they are also supplied at much higher rates by chemical weathering at CON than at MIT Figure 3. Depth distribution of the chemical depletion fraction (CDF, a) and the radiogenic strontium isotope ratio (87Sr/86Sr, b). Solid lines illustrate soil horizon boundaries and the interface of weathered rock to unweathered rock. Dashed lines indicate soil horizon subdivision (see Figure 2). Colored bars at the right site of panel a refer to color coding of drill core sections from Figure 2 For ease of display we changed the y-axis spacing with depth At MIT some CDF-values are negative; these are not displayed for simplicity 87Sr/86Sr of bulk regolith is only at CON substantially more radiogenic than bulk parent bedrock implying a high degree of chemical alteration relative to parent bedrock and thus more nutrient loss at this site both being indicators of bulk mass loss from the regolith do not per se inform on nutrient availability where the erosion rate is sufficiently high to keep the nutrient stock of minerals that transit vertically through the weathering profile at moderate levels The higher nutrient depletion of the regolith at CON is attributed to (i) the complete dissolution of cordierite and hornblende and (ii) the presence of a slowly altering anorthite-poor plagioclase at MIT Importantly, CDF, 87Sr/86Sr, and τZrX-values all inform about the depth of the weathering front. At CON, all these indicators point at the weathering front to be located beneath 7 m depth, within the diffuse saprolite/gneiss boundary (Figure 2) τZrX of the most soluble elements Ca and Na indicate a weathering front at > 7 m depth the intriguing possibility arises that nutrients are indeed released at these depths and are transported into the rooting zone for uptake into forest trees To begin an evaluation of this possibility we convert these elemental loss and gain fractions into elemental fluxes and we note that these present upper flux limits of nutrient transfer from rock into forest trees as some nutrient may be lost into the stream The weathering supply for the most plant-essential mineral nutrient phosphorus WregolithP is similar between both study sites and amounts to 84 mg m−2 yr−1 at CON and to 65 mg m−2 yr−1 at MIT. For the other nutritive elements, the fluxes of WregolithX (Equation 6) are considerably higher at CON, where the regolith experiences more chemical alteration (Table 3, Figure 5) WregolithX of the second most essential mineral nutrient potassium (K) amounts to 1,000 mg m−2 yr−1 at CON but only to 240 mg m−2 yr−1 at MIT These geogenic supply fluxes exceed atmospheric supply fluxes (DepwetX) by an order of magnitude at CON and by several times at MIT as at MIT atmospheric supply is dominated by anthropogenic sources today (see section Study Sites above) Forest trees are thus considered to be nourished from a nutrient stock fed by chemical weathering some of which is sourced at substantial depth To quantify whether this stock is a reservoir of sufficient size and also accessible to tree roots we proceed to quantify the inventories of these regolith nutrient stocks Chemical weathering fluxes (WregolithX) and ecosystem nutrient uptake fluxes (UtotalX) for macronutrients (a) and micronutrients + Na (b) at CON (squares) and MIT (circles) Contour lines illustrate the nutrient recycling factor (RecX) which is the ratio of UtotalX to WregolithX Uncertainty bars show one standard deviation (see section Calculation of Fluxes and Inventories in Forest Ecosystems) The first and most simple assessment is to quantify the maximum amount of nutrients by means of their inventories in bulk regolith (IregolithX). For most elements inventories are substantially higher at CON than at MIT (Table 5). The exceptions are Ca and P. IregolithCa is an order of magnitude higher at MIT than at CON because at CON most of the more soluble anorthite-rich plagioclase has been depleted (Table 2) IregolithP is higher at MIT than at CON because of the 2 to 3-fold higher concentration of P in unweathered bedrock (MIT: ~2,000 μg/g CON: ~950 μg/g) and fragmented rocks (MIT: ~2,900 μg/g CON: ~470 μg/g) at MIT relative to CON potentially providing another reservoir of biologically available nutrients most likely have been released by chemical weathering within the saprolite and are subsequently adsorbed onto clay minerals These nutrients contribute to the suggested geogenic nutrient pathway and Al suggests the adsorption of these nutritive elements onto organic matter (as humus exhibits the highest CEC) Figure 7. Depth distribution of the soil pH (a) and depth distribution of total carbon concentrations (b) at CON and MIT. Soil pH is analyzed in 0.01 M CaCl2. Solid lines illustrate soil horizon boundaries and the interface of weathered rock to unweathered rock. Dashed lines indicate soil horizon subdivision (see Figure 2). Colored bars at the right site of (a) refer to color coding of drill core sections from Figure 2 Concentrations in the organic fractions, featuring similar depth distributions to the exchangeable fraction, support this interpretation. However the concentrations of some organic-extractable nutritive elements (mainly Ca, K, Mg, and Mn) do not mirror the pattern of Ctotal that steadily increases from depth to topsoil (Figure 7) where organic carbon of true biological origin is present only in the Bw horizon and above Note that Ctotal at depth can be attributed to lithogenic sources such as graphite One potential explanation is that the oxidative extraction step partially attacked residual phyllosilicates such as biotite The chemical form of the biologically available fraction of P differ from the other elements. Concentrations of biologically available Ca-bound P increase with depth and approach maximum concentrations in the lower regolith (>3 m) where it dominates over the entirety of P species (Table S2e in Uhlig and von Blanckenburg, 2019) Figure 8. Elemental concentrations in leaves, needles, heartwood (dead part of wood) and sapwood (living part of wood) of Picea abies (a) and Fagus sylvatica (b) at CON and MIT. We did not illustrate data of sample MIT-V-7 and MIT-V-8 as P and S were not analyzed in these samples. “normal range” denotes the critical leaf and needle concentration at normal range [data from Göttlein et al. (2011)] Elements on x-axis are sorted from left to right by macronutrients We consider the first explanation as less likely because nutrients released from plant litter are usually directly re-utilized by forest trees to minimize nutrient loss and prevent nutrient deficiency concentrations of the biologically available mineral nutrients in the >3 m deep regolith fraction exceed those in the <3 m interval by one order of magnitude even though root density is highest at shallow levels we regard it as likely that the first-order stoichiometry of the biologically available regolith fraction is set by a deep weathering source whereas physiological demand adds deviations from the patterns of the bioavailable fraction that are smaller than one order of magnitude Ecological stoichiometry shown by element concentrations of bulk tree (average of Fagus sylvatica and Picea abies) vs element concentrations of the biologically available fractions above 3 m depth (<3 m) and below 3 m depth (>3 m) and regolith above and below 3 m depth at CON (a) and MIT (b) Zn concentrations of the biologically available fraction were below the limit of detection but in detail depend on water flow and microbial abundance We conclude that all elements lost from the forest floor are balanced by fresh nutrients released by weathering we speculate that for those elements of which WorgX + EorgX is lower than WregolithX a fraction of WregolithX is lost via groundwater into drainage without being utilized by forest trees and that in turn those nutrients in highest demand like P and K are transferred with the highest efficiency from their weathering source into trees We guide the discussion by two important questions (1) How is nutrient loss from the forest floor balanced to prevent nutrient deficit (2) How is a healthy nutrient status maintained when nutrient supply fluxes from rock differ the second-most important mineral nutrient Units of the metrics are given in left panels (RecX is dimensionless) This residence time suffices for P to experience continuous nutrient loss by WorgP and EorgP unless another nutrient inventory exists that provides a flux that permanently replaces the continuous nutrient loss from the forest floor over decadal timescales IffP would run out P in the forest floor would be depleted on a timescale shorter than the life cycle of a forest tree The fact that the turnover time of the biologically available fraction of P from weathering (Tbioav,WP) is so similar to the “new” P required to balance P losses (Tbioav,UnewP) strongly suggests that UnewP can be supplied from IbioavP over millennial timescales that for the less essential mineral nutrients Ca and Mg a substantial fraction of weathering fluxes is potentially directly drained via groundwater into the stream the actual supply of these nutrients to forest trees presents a maximum flux and the calculated RecX provides correspondingly a minimum estimate We conclude that forest trees persist with similar primary production through the adjustment of the nutrient re-utilization loop toward higher efficiency under conditions of lower nutrient supply from chemical weathering in the organic nutrient cycle nutrient loss is minimized to an extent that depends on nutrient supply by WregolithX With this efficient nutrient use the physiological needs of forest ecosystems are sustained We found that even though the nutrient supply fluxes from rock weathering differ substantially among the two study sites different efficiencies of nutrient recycling from the forest floor regulate nutrient uptake fluxes to similar levels We explored the mechanisms that regulate the uptake fluxes by considering the forest ecosystem in a mass balance comprising the shallow organic nutrient cycle and the belowground geogenic nutrient pathway We found that the nutrient inventory in the forest floor is of finite size that lasts only for decades to nourish forest trees because continuous nutrient loss through plant litter erosion and dissolved plant litter export occurs Because an additional inorganic nutrient supplying flux in the form of atmospheric inputs is negligible this permanent nutrient loss is balanced by fluxes from a reservoir in the deep regolith Even though only a minor fraction of the nutrient inventory in soil and saprolite is biologically available its inventories in the upper regolith (<3 m) and even more so in the deep regolith (>3 m) exceed the nutrient inventory in the forest floor by orders of magnitude This reservoir of geogenic-derived nutrients lasts for centuries to millennia replaces the nutrient loss from the forest floor in the organic nutrient cycle The reservoir of the biologically available fraction is in turn replenished through chemical weathering The stoichiometry of this deep biologically available regolith nutrient reservoir might also set the stoichiometry of the forest trees to within an order of magnitude we found that adjustment of the efficiency of re-utilization cycles from plant litter ensures sustained forest ecosystem nutrition even when nutrient supply or loss vary Although the timescales over which the metrics used to derive our observations inevitably differ by orders of magnitude this study adds to the increasing evidence for the importance of a geological cycle that sustains forest ecosystem nutrition over centuries or longer The datasets for this study are deposited in the Data Repository accessible under the reference Uhlig and von Blanckenburg (2019) This work was funded in the framework of DFG Priority Program (SPP 1685) Ecosystem Nutrition: Forest strategies for limited phosphorus resources (grant no The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest We are grateful to the DFG Priority Program (SPP 1685) Ecosystem Nutrition: Forest strategies for limited phosphorus resources for funding and Friederike Lang (Albert-Ludwigs-University of Freiburg) for its coordination and discussion We also thank the Bayerische Landesanstalt für Wald und Forstwirtschaft (LWF) and the Forstliche Versuchsanstalt Baden-Wuerttemberg (FVA) for providing wet deposition and litterfall data For X-ray fluorescence analyses and X-ray diffraction analyses we are thankful to R For phosphorus Hedley sequential fractionation we are grateful to A Wittmann (GFZ) are acknowledged for analytical support and R Kapannusch (GFZ) is acknowledged for sample preparation Henehan (GFZ) is thanked for a review of an early version of this paper Stinchcomb for their detailed and constructive reviews The Supplementary Material for this article can be found online at: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feart.2019.00159/full#supplementary-material Dust outpaces bedrock in nutrient supply to montane forest ecosystems PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text Nutrient resorption from senescing leaves of perennials : 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This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited in accordance with accepted academic practice distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms *Correspondence: David Uhlig, ZC51aGxpZ0Bmei1qdWVsaWNoLmRl orcid.org/0000-0002-0954-689X ‡Friedhelm von Blanckenburg orcid.org/0000-0002-2964-717X Institute of Bio- and Geosciences (IBG-3) Agrosphere Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher 94% of researchers rate our articles as excellent or goodLearn more about the work of our research integrity team to safeguard the quality of each article we publish Table Rock Complex fire staff are calling for voluntary evacuations to the northeast of the Persimmon Ridge Fire Table Rock Fire operations chief Trey Cox said fire breaks created by bulldozer were connected with hand-dug lines on March 24 Crews will work on containment lines on the North Carolina side on March 25 Pickens County authorities are mandating evacuations north of State Hwy 11 to the Greenville County line as wildfires spread from Table Rock State Park and Persimmon Ridge near Caesar's Head PICKENS — The wildfire that has engulfed areas around Table Rock State Park and other hotspots nearby could grow to more than 5,000 acres by the time it's contained and authorities are now issuing mandatory evacuation orders as persistent winds create a threat to homes and businesses a mandatory evacuation has been ordered for all areas north of Highway 11 to the Greenville County line," Pickens County said in an evening update March 25 "Residents in the affected area should evacuate immediately for their safety." Firefighters are battling two blazes that officials say they are combining into one coordinated response — the Table Rock fire that started at the summit and the Persimmon Ridge fire South Carolina Forestry Commission spokesperson Anneta Pritchard said the Table Rock blaze could grow to be around 5,000 acres before it’s ultimately contained After a small reprieve of light rain the day before winds on March 25 pushed the flames further east toward homes and businesses A state of emergency was in place over the weekend as more than 1,000 acres burned at Table Rock Mountain Authorities say the blaze was caused by "negligent" actions by hikers Wind gusts reached 40 mph in isolated incidents and should be in the 20 to 25 mph range on March 26 National Weather Service forecaster Clay Chaney said Humidity values are expected to remain low throughout the week with winds picking up again on Friday Heavy machinery has been used to create some fire breaks though some of those lines had to be connected through hang-dug trails because of the steep terrain Crews were going to the North Carolina side of the park today to reopen fire breaks created during the 2016 Pinnacle Mountain Fire The Federal Emergency Management Agency declared both the Table Rock and Persimmon fires eligible for a federal grant that helps with fire disasters The designation by FEMA will allow South Carolina to receive federal funds that can cover up to 75 percent of the cost to fight the fires — which include costs for personnel The Kenney Fort Boulevard Segments 2 and 3 project in Round Rock has reached substantial completion and opened to the public on Friday The new roadway extends Kenney Fort Boulevard southward from Forest Creek Drive to State Highway 45 creating a six-lane divided roadway with installation of a traffic signal at the Gattis School Drive intersection The project also included installation of a new pipeline to expand the City’s water reuse program to serve new and existing developments in the area and integration of continuous sidewalk and a shared use paths to connect neighborhoods along the route to the existing Brushy Creek Trail System and Old Settlers Park The project faced delays due to material and labor shortages during the pandemic followed by contractor performance issues.  “The journey to completing this extension wasn’t without its challenges and our staff worked closely with the contractors staying engaged and persistent to ensure the project was completed successfully without further delay,” said Round Rock Mayor Craig Morgan “We’re excited to deliver a new roadway that is going to provide significant relief for our residents especially as we embark on other major projects to improve connectivity and capacity in our community.” The completion of Segments 2 and 3 are a major step in the full realization of Kenney Fort Boulevard which aims to offer an alternative to Interstate 35 that connects Round Rock with Pflugerville and Georgetown Below is a timeline of all segments of this road which have been in the City’s Transportation Master Plan since 1999.  Below is a list of the City of Round Rock’s major upcoming road projects The City of Round Rock is currently in the construction phase on the Wyoming Springs Boulevard extension and Gattis School Road Segment 3 projects with the remaining expected to break ground in early 2025: For more information on the City of Round Rock’s transportation projects, visit www.roundrocktexas.gov/transportation Round Rock’s digital newsletter providing residents news events and general information regarding city government Staff DirectoryMobile AppsAlerts Sign UpE-Subscribe City of Round Rock221 East Main StreetRound Rock Crews began fighting the Table Rock and Greenville County wildfires five days ago; there is no end in sight Wind gusts dramatically increased fire activity Tuesday afternoon, resulting in greater visible fire intensity and much more smoke, according to a press release from the South Carolina Forestry Commission Hurricane Helene's abundant downed timber remains dry due to the lack of significant rain contributing significantly to extreme fire behavior Wednesday allowing the fires to spread rapidly and making containment efforts more challenging a resident near Highway 11 in the Table Rock Complex area plans to evacuate due to the intense conditions She described how the smoke and red embers from the fire are visible both on the mountain and throughout the valley and hilltop areas making the air so smoky it's difficult to see clearly she is taking precautionary measures as the wildfire grows "I believe it's a good idea to evacuate if necessary," Owens said but I don't want to risk being caught in the fire." According to a press release from the South Carolina Forestry Commission the South Carolina State Fire has also ordered evacuations in certain areas The South Carolina Forestry Commission reported that extreme fire behavior in both incidents prompted immediate mandatory evacuations in Greenville and Pickens counties This escalation in fire activity has led to a significant expansion of both fire perimeters further threatening nearby communities and resources Evacuation orders have been issued for communities to the east and northeast of the Table Rock Fire and for regions surrounding the Persimmon Ridge Fire Additional evacuation orders have been issued for residents living along Oil Camp Creek Road east to River Falls Road Residents should report to the designated evacuation shelter at Marietta First Baptist Church Officials are urging everyone in the affected areas to prioritize their safety and follow evacuation orders promptly This precautionary measure is in response to the rapid spread and intensity of the wildfires which have compromised safety in these areas Here is what you should know about wildfire shelter accommodation both Greenville and Pickens County Emergency Management services coordinated simultaneous evacuations ensuring that residents were informed and assisted promptly Shelter accommodations are set up to provide safe havens for those displaced by the fires Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) notifications are being sent to residents in the affected areas providing crucial updates and instructions to ensure their safety Residents seeking shelter can head to Marietta First Baptist Church at 2936 Geer Hwy The weather forecast for overnight Wednesday and Thursday remains concerning with wind gusts expected to reach around 30 mph tonight The minimum relative humidity is predicted to be around 20% on Wednesday According to a press release from the South Carolina Forestry Commission these conditions will continue to challenge containment efforts More than 100 combating firesMore than 100 personnel from various agencies no injuries were reported among the firefighting crews Here is what you should know about containment efforts The South Carolina Forestry Commission reported good progress in fortifying containment lines on the fire's eastern edge This includes a successful burnout on the northeastern perimeter that prevented further spread eastward the fire expanded significantly in the opposite direction presenting new challenges for firefighting crews The South Carolina Forestry Commission said the Table Rock Fire had moved significantly Its northern edge previously lay just south of Table Rock Reservoir The fire extended westward along the forested watershed and looped back east skirting halfway around the lake's northern perimeter Additionally, the South Carolina Forestry Commission said the Table Rock Fire whose northern edge Tuesday was just south of Table Rock Reservoir burned westward along the forested watershed and eventually back east halfway around the lake’s northern perimeter This movement complicates containment efforts requiring crews to adjust their strategies and extend containment lines in uncovered areas The fire is estimated to have burned through the southern slopes of Rocky Mountain and Buzzard Mountain eventually reaching Brushy Knob at the last report the South Carolina Forestry Commission said containment lines on the southern portion of the fire were connected by hand crews today littered terrain where heavy equipment cannot operate An effective burnout in the southern section removed most of the fuel between the firebreaks and the active fire significantly reducing the potential for rapid advancement According to the South Carolina Forestry Commission efforts have been crucial in preventing the fire from advancing further south and threatening additional areas Despite ongoing efforts, the South Carolina Forestry Commission confirmed that the Table Rock Fire remains at 0% containment The South Carolina Forestry Commission reported that the Table Rock Fire has expanded to an estimated 2,293 acres posing a significant challenge for firefighters the Persimmon Ridge Fire has also grown significantly now covering 996 acres after expanding its eastern the blaze spread due to dry conditions and high winds Emergency services are working to contain the fire and protect nearby communities Reinforcements are coming in to help fight wildfires According to a press release the South Carolina Forestry Commission has called for 40 more engines and 10 brush trucks due to new fire growth and threats This reinforcement will supplement the deployment of six engine companies and four brush trucks already on the scene These additional resources are critical to safeguarding homes and infrastructure as firefighters work to contain rapidly spreading wildfires Wildfires grow and call for additional resources: What you need to know a complex incident management team (CIMT) has been ordered to join firefighting efforts This team will collaborate with firefighters and other cooperating personnel to suppress the Table Rock Fire and the Persimmon Ridge Fire The integration of the CIMT is expected to enhance strategic planning and operational efficiency in responding to these challenging wildfires where they will begin shadowing current Incident Management Team (IMT) personnel this collaborative approach will allow both teams to integrate effectively and form a larger command team incident officials have ordered eight 20-person hand crews to assist with constructing firelines well outside of the planned firebreaks These crews will focus on creating additional barriers to slow the fire's progress and protect vulnerable areas While good progress was made earlier in the day on strengthening firebreaks on some portions of both fires the South Carolina Forestry Commission has ordered evacuations to continue in certain areas This decision comes as a precautionary measure to ensure the safety of residents in the path of potential fire spread Authorities are urging affected communities to remain vigilant and follow evacuation orders promptly Here is what you should know about the Persimmon Ridge Fire the Persimmon Ridge Fire expanded its eastern The rapid growth is attributed to the same conditions fueling the Table Rock Fire Here is a summary of ongoing efforts to contain the Persimmon Ridge Fire In a statement, the South Carolina Forestry Commission said on Tuesday two large air tankers (LATs) began making multiple fire retardant drops on the Persimmon Ridge Fire around 2:40 p.m This aerial intervention aims to slow the fire’s spread particularly if it jumps established fire lines or continues to encroach west and south According to the South Carolina Forestry Commission the first several drops were made along the northern perimeter specifically targeting Oil Camp Creek Road and the western perimeter LATs can carry between 2,000 to 4,000 gallons of retardant which alters how the fire burns by decreasing its intensity and slowing its spread consisting of salts (usually fertilizers) and water help ensure uniform chemical dispersal over the targeted area Drops continued throughout the afternoon along other edges of the fire as an intensive effort was made to contain it within a “box” ringed with retardant two SCNG Chinook helicopters were deployed earlier to drop water on the fire This action helped slow the fire's advance protecting the surrounding communities and minimizing the fire's impact the South Carolina Forestry Commission confirmed that the Persimmon Ridge Fire remains at 0% containment Here is what you should know about evacuation orders Here is a list of areas affected by the wildfires residents in affected areas are urged to leave immediately and seek shelter in designated evacuation centers to ensure their well-being All relevant information has been posted on the South Carolina Forestry Commission’s Facebook page for those needing directions or updates on road closures. If you are affected by the Table Rock or Persimmon Ridge Fires you can obtain evacuation information by calling 864-467-3428 Here is a reminder from the South Carolina Forestry Commission about the statewide burning ban In a statement, the South Carolina Forestry Commission reminded the public that a statewide burning ban issued Friday This State Forester’s Burning Ban prohibits all outdoor burning and other recreational fires in all unincorporated areas of the state Compliance with this ban is crucial to preventing additional fires and reducing the risk to communities and firefighting personnel the ban will remain in place for several reasons Fire danger is expected to be elevated over the next several days due to low relative humidity and higher-than-normal winds the drying fuels from the lack of significant rain further increase the risk of wildfires the burning ban will help ease the strain on statewide firefighting resources with many personnel from the Forestry Commission and local fire departments already committed to the Table Rock Complex The South Carolina Forestry Commission reported that officials would reevaluate the conditions on Thursday to determine if the ban needs to be extended or modified visit scfc.gov or the official county social media pages Travis Rose covers Anderson County for the Independent Mail. Reach him via email at trose@gannett.com Red Rock Canyon can be reached on foot from either the Borrego Parking Lot on Portola Parkway with a $3 parking fee or from the North Gate on Santiago Canyon Parkway Bicycles are not allowed on the Red Rock Trail. Please do not climb the rocks and stay on trail A spectacular but little-known slot canyon in extreme northern Nevada with sheer walls nearly 500 feet high and a perennial stream This often-overlooked canyon dazzles and intrigues with its many layers of colors The rocks exposed at Valley of Fire State Park also occur in a much less known but equally spectacular area a few miles to the southwest This balancing rock is one of Utah's most unusual geological formations These modest Midwestern formations are kin to Niagara Falls' impressive cliffs Unusual white sandstone formations in the Los Padres National Forest Colorful outcrops and cliffs just north of Reno provide a scenic backdrop for hiking and mountain biking A wildfire at Table Rock State Park has already consumed over 1,000 acres and continues to grow The Pickens County Sheriff's Office reported that four teenage hikers started the fire The teenagers allegedly ignited the blaze out of negligence Authorities are investigating the incident and assessing potential charges against the individuals involved Deputies said they initially discovered the blaze while conducting a search operation for missing hiker Stephanie Womacks they spotted smoke rising from the vicinity The wildfire has since complicated the search for Womacks but officials said they remain dedicated to controlling the fire and locating the missing individual On Friday, March 21, the South Carolina Forestry Commission issued a State Forester's Burning Ban for all counties Forestry Commission officials said the current weather conditions dramatically increase the risk of wildfires These conditions led to the issuing of a Red Flag Fire Alert signaling the severe potential for fire spread extremely low relative humidity—below 30% in most areas—increases fire danger SCFC Fire Chief Darryl Jones said gusty winds and low relative humidity create ideal conditions for wildfires to ignite and spread quickly late-winter fuels on the ground exacerbates the situation making it crucial for residents to adhere to the burning ban The chief urged everyone to exercise extreme caution and avoid activities that could inadvertently start a fire For real-time updates and to monitor the situation, click here to view the Table Rock Webcam. According to a press release from the Pickens County Sheriff's Office fire crews from multiple agencies have been mobilized to combat the blaze with more than 100 personnel actively working on the ground Resources from the South Carolina Forestry Commission and local fire departments have been deployed These teams are utilizing a combination of ground and aerial strategies to contain the fire and protect nearby communities The statewide burning ban issued Friday at 6 p.m Here is what we know about evacuations in the Table Rock State Park area voluntary evacuations of approximately 100 residences remain in effect just east of the park though no further evacuations are necessary Residents in the surrounding areas are advised to stay informed through local news and social media if the situation changes Emergency services are closely monitoring the fire's progress to ensure public safety but residents are advised to stay vigilant Here is what you should know about trail systems closed at Table Rock State Park Table Rock State Park has closed all trail systems including the popular White Oaks Campground and day-use visitation areas until further notice according to a press release from the Pickens County Sheriff's Office Heavy traffic along SC Highway 11 has significantly hampered response efforts and caused hazardous driving conditions according to a Pickens County Sheriff's Office press release The presence of heavy smoke along the road has further complicated travel along the route making it a challenging area for emergency responders and regular motorists Residents and motorists are advised to avoid the area Here is what you should know about the recycling centerin the Table Rock area The recycling center near Table Rock will be closed on Monday due to the ongoing wildfire Here is what you should know about additional wildfires in South Carolina which officials have determined to be human-caused began on March 22 in the Mountain Bridge Wilderness Area According to a press release from the South Carolina Forestry Commission this incident has increased concerns about the region's human activity and its impact on the natural environment More: More than 800 acres burned as fires engulf northern parts of Greenville County Authorities urge visitors to exercise extreme caution and follow all guidelines to prevent further incidents The South Carolina Forestry Commission reported that containment efforts for the Table Rock Fire and the Persimmon Ridge Fire remained at 0% and no structures are considered in immediate danger The commission continues prioritizing firefighters' and residents' safety while working diligently to manage these fires the public information officer for the Table Rock Complex stated that the rainy weather the mountainous area experienced early this morning would not stop the fire Pritchard explained that firefighters today focus on indirect and direct attack strategies firefighters engage the flames head-on to suppress the fire at its source," Pritchard said an indirect attack involves creating a perimeter or 'box' around the fire using controlled burns and natural barriers to limit its spread." Pritchard said they are utilizing fire breaks initially constructed during the Pinnacle Mountain fire in 2016 Here is what you should know about fire breaks According to the South Carolina Forestry Commission fire breaks are cleared areas of bare ground or fire-resistant material designed to act as barriers to stop or slow the spread of wildfires Pritchard explained that these breaks are being re-established and connected to the Saluda River to help contain the Table Rock Fire firefighters aim to prevent fires from advancing and protect the surrounding communities "Similar tactics are being employed for the Persimmon Ridge Fire," Pritchard said human activity ignited both the Table Rock and Persimmon Ridge fires Here is what you need to know about the Persimmon Ridge Fire Pritchard noted that the indirect attack strategy on the Persimmon Ridge Fire involves utilizing existing roads and the nearby creek to establish a containment box "We have used aerial resources extensively to combat these fires," Pritchard said The South Carolina Forestry Commission has contracted two single-engine air tankers to help suppress fires These planes have helped slow the fire's progress by directly dropping water and fire retardant onto the affected areas "The water won't stop the fire," Pritchard said it slows the fire's progression and allows that fire break to be constructed more effectively."  Tropical Storm Helene left a massive amount of debris significantly increasing the fuel load in the affected areas Pritchard said this additional fuel has made it more challenging for firefighters to access certain regions and effectively contain wildfires an indirect approach is necessary due to the steep terrain and heavy fuel remnants left by Hurricane Helene," Pritchard said but the challenging conditions required a shift in strategy."  This adaptation involves creating strategic fire breaks and utilizing natural barriers to effectively manage fire spread "We sent hand crews up there to construct a hand line but the downed debris made it extremely challenging," Pritchard explained "The crisscrossing and overlapping large trees blocked their path making it nearly impossible to create an effective line "Firefighters are continuing their efforts to control the wildfires," Pritchard said Travis Rose covers Anderson County for the Independent Mail FILE - People line up to go down Sliding Rock in the Pisgah National Forest one of the most popular tourist destinations in Pisgah National Forest The recreation area sustained "minimal damage" from Hurricane Helene and is on schedule to reopen for the 2025 season which manages recreation areas in the Pisgah National Forest "Despite the widespread impact of Hurricane Helene we were fortunate that Sliding Rock was spared from major damage Our team has worked diligently to prepare for the reopening and we're grateful to be able to welcome visitors back to this cherished natural landmark," said Brian Johnson FRIGID TEMPERATURES TRANSFORM PISGAH NATIONAL FOREST INTO A WINTER WONDERLAND Sliding Rock will welcome visitors starting on Friday The popular natural landmark's daily operating hours will be 9 a.m.-6 p.m the gatehouse at Sliding Rock will be staffed restrooms will be open to guests and lifeguards will be on duty BOTTOMLESS PIT — An estimated 3 million cubic yards of rock — up to 900 Olympic-sized pools — will be required to build back the collapsed slopes of I-40 in the Pigeon Gorge This aerial image shows one of multiple I-40 slide sites The prevailing strategy in the works to fix I-40 will take lots of rock There’s nothing left of the mountainside that once held up I-40 after Pigeon River scoured away the slope Hauling in enough rock to pile behind a retaining wall that high and that long will be a massive operation And there just may be a source of rock nearby in the Pisgah National Forest it’s gonna mean the project happens more cost effectively and probably in a third the amount of time,” said U.S Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy whether it is the right kind of rock or if it can be extracted were not shared “The forest service has access to rock that’s only a mile or three away as opposed to rock that’s 25 to 30 miles away,” Duffy said Despite crow-flight proximity of the rock source trucks would have trek back and forth on I-40 from the slide site to the forest service entrance and then along gravel roads in the forest to the site The other option Duffy referred to was likely the Allens Creek rock quarry in Waynesville — arguable a further distance for a months-long convoy operation of rock-hauling trucks While the mystery forest service rock would be closer securing environmental permits to quarry in the national forest is another matter “We’ve asked the forest service to streamline and fast-track the process Hopefully we get a positive answer so we can get I-40 open that much quicker,” Duffy said that’s the main message Duffy hammered when visiting Haywood County last week to visit the site of the I-40 damage for himself “Getting access to the local rock would be incredibly important It’s way closer to this project,” Duffy said Lobbying is already underway to bypass a drawn-out regulatory process under some kind of emergency order “If we can quarry the materials we need closer we could get this open even sooner,” said U.S who was part of the I-40 dignitary entourage last week “We are locking arms to do this as quickly and economically as we can.” The forest service at the local level appears to be on board according to WNC Congressman Chuck Edwards who was also onsite in the I-40 gorge last week “The feedback I am getting right now is they are going to be able to cooperate,” Edwards said But that could come down to whether there’s a loophole to legally fasttrack or even waive environmental permitting requirements “I am not sure what resistance they may get,” Edwards said of the forest service Email notifications are only sent once a day Account processing issue - the email address may already exist Get quarterly updates Check here to sign up Be a WNC insider with The Guide’s e-newsletter and you’ll always have plans Invalid password or account does not exist Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account At UKC/UKH we are all experienced internet users and as such we understand why some people want to use Ad Block to remove annoying and distracting advertising that proliferates on some web sites We don't feel that UKC/UKH should be considered as such a site We have developed a site that has subtle and appropriate advertising; we don't use pop-ups we don't force you to read adverts before you can see content and we don't use third party ad servers dishing up totally inappropriate advertising We have worked incredibly hard over the years to make sure that we keep a good balance between advertising and editorial content Please could you consider disabling Adblock when visiting UKC/UKH Orrin Coley has completed his project at Forest Rock, naming the line The Wizard King (9a) and suggesting a grade of 9a The steep cave route is the culmination of multiple extended boulder problems finishing up a new section of bolted climbing.  We sent Orrin some questions about his project.  somewhat voiding the relevance of my previous extension there's plenty of routes there and if I found a way What motivated you to try the first extension of Black Art in 2020 It was always something I wanted to try and explore but logistically it was quite awkward to work After lockdown I came back to the cave to start working what's now become Ultra Instinct but realised I was way too out of shape for that level of climb So I decided that something a bit easier and more exploratory would be fun I think I spent two sessions working out a way to a somewhat obvious ending point further up the roof but was too exhausted to finish it so had to come back another day to finish that off Black Art is a crazy roof climb in itself involving almost exclusively knee bars with some small holds only made usable through extreme kneebarring (that's a thing right) into a huge throw for a side-facing jug Around here is where I chose to finish that climb as you can get into a bit of a sketchy no-hands kneebar and it felt logical at the time I wasn't totally satisfied with Black Art Extension as although the finish in the cave isn't out of the ordinary it certainly left something to be desired in my opinion So I got hold of a ladder which let me climb up the sidewall with less faff and get stuck into the next section of the roof At this point you're maybe four metres off the deck so working out moves was no simple task and after several sessions I worked out a sequence which - if it was its own climb closer to the ground - would be a fantastic boulder in its own right the sequence is incredibly daunting involving a big heel hook above your head and a cut-loose on some pretty poor holds This then leads you to an OK jug that felt like a nice place for a boulder to end it's the sort of thing where technique and power endurance come first But on top of that I've known this cave like the back of my hand my grade-dar has clearly become biased due to muscle memory I initially graded it 8A+ but I'd say it's likely harder than that based on most other stuff I've done around the world at a similar level Did you do any specific training for The Wizard King away from the crag I spent way too much time on the circuit board Having not spent much time training endurance in a while I noticed that when I hit the pump So I needed to find a way to relearn how to make it more of a gradual build up that I could push though I did a mix of non-stop climbing on mid to low level circuits until failure then other sessions more about max limit redpoints just so I'd get a mix of both types of fatigue My background was mostly sport climbing as a kid and although I've lost that base through lack of exposure I've found that at least temporarily I build it back up very fast when I need to Can you describe what this new section is like and how much difficulty it adds I've been increasingly unsure of difficulty in the cave Initially I thought maybe it wasn't that hard but it's a crazy steep section of roof/overhang with some pretty powerful moves It's about six moves on small crimps and pinches but having to do it after the first half of the route without rest is no joke Working it proved quite awkward just because of the angle of the wall but due to the bolts needed it wasn't really feasible How did it feel to finally tick the project I found I got a lot of joy out of working it turning up to a crag I've been to hundreds of times and doing the same thing I was lucky that I slowly made positive progress and didn't have to deal with the negative emotions that perceived regression gives you sometimes Have you got any other projects on the go at Forest Rock I've almost always got ideas of things I'd like to try or do there But as time goes on I've found it better to wait until it happens naturally rather than decide "this is what I'll do next".  What is the history of the bolts above the cave There was an old aid route called Top Slice but the in-situ gear was pretty poor so was equipped by Dave Hughes Unfortunately he never quite finished it and someone chopped the bolts chopped again and then finally Robin Richmond (who made the second free ascent of Top Slice) bolted it with stainless steel coachbolts which have remained since.  People see the grade of a climb and think "Oh that's it But it's a consensus that evolves over time and even then grades are so subjective you almost always have to take it with a pinch of salt anyway My reasoning for suggesting 9a is fairly simple I think it could be on the cusp of 8c+ or 9a based off conversations with peers who actually sport climb regularly However with my experience at Forest Rock and a few recent instances showing how frequently I've under graded things here I've decided to go for the higher suggestion and see what sticks with time I'll take no shame if it gets downgraded (or upgraded I suppose?) Because all I've done is suggest an idea on something I'm a lot less experienced with Perhaps the audacity of that suggestion in the UK is enough to get people's attention to try it since it's actually a pretty great route regardless of difficulty Has this line got you hooked on doing any more sport climbing?  There are too many boulders I'm inspired and excited by to be honest So unless some friendly peer pressure wins over I don't have any imminent plans earning some money and seeing if I can afford to climb outside somewhere further away with nicer weather rather than 10 minutes down the road in a cave Orrin Coley is in superb form at the moment having ticked New Base Line (Font 8B+) in Magic Wood and Monk Life (Font 8B+) at Kyloe-in-the-Woods in Northumberland Orrin Coley has made the first ascent of a Font 8B+ at Forest Rock Orrin Coley has repeated Voyager Low Start (8B+) at Burbage North He quickly dispatched the stand start in October of.. Orrin Coley has climbed a long standing project at Forest Rock in Leicestershire Recently a group of young British climbers descended on Magic Wood There doesn't appear to be a link to the route The Wizard King (9a) IL — Campgrounds in Kane County will be opening soon for the summer season The Forest Preserve District of Kane County’s campgrounds open for the year on May 1 with campsites available to book through Oct The forest preserve runs campsites at Paul Wolff Campground which is located in the Burning Forest Preserve in Elgin which is located within the Big Rock Forest Preserve in Big Rock You can book sites at other campground online here. public information officer for the forest preserve district said reservations opened on April 1 and the forest preserve district is nearing capacity for the opening weekend at Paul Wolff "Weekends are typically busier than weekdays Paul Wolff Campground reaches full capacity most peak weekends Big Rock Campground will occasionally reach full capacity on holiday weekends," she said there were 17,578 sites reserved at Kane County campsites "We have experienced a steady growth in popularity at both locations consistent growth percentages over the last 10 years," Swanson said located at 38W235 Big Timber Road in Elgin including 89 improved sites that have 50/30/20-amp electrical service There are ten primitive sites for tents-only camping and that do not have electricity and there are also five equestrian camp sites located at 46W499 Granart Road in Big Rock including 96 improved campsites with 50/30/20-amp electrical service The surrounding Big Rock Forest Preserve is a 1,100-acre preserve containing several sandy hills that overlook the valley filled with woodlands and crystal clear streams Fishing is permitted at the campground pond and kayaking is also permitted on Siegler Lake There are more than nine miles of hiking trails suitable for hiking and two picnic shelters for campers to utilize Daily fees fore improved camp sites at the campgrounds are $26 for Kane County residents and $41 for non-residents Primitive/non-electric camp sites is $18 per day for Kane County residents and $24 for non-residents To book an equestrian site, you can call the campground hotline at (630) 444-1200. International travelers, please call (630) 444-1200 to reserve your campsite. For more information, visit www.kaneforest.com call our campground hotline at 630-444-1200 and find us on social by searching @forestpreserve Columbia researchers are decoding the natural world in order to conserve it deep-green wilderness fifty-five miles north of Morningside Heights where the New York–New Jersey Highlands meet the Hudson River basin a turtle climbs onto a rock to bask in the sun yellow light filters through the canopy of red oaks to the decomposing leaf litter of the forest floor Hidden amid the wooded slopes are white-tailed deer and sixty-five species of trees — mostly oak “We do long-term science — that’s our business,” says Isabel Ashton ’98CC who is the executive director of the nonprofit consortium Black Rock Forest (BRF) a plant ecologist with twenty years of experience in land management presiding over an organization whose constituents have produced hundreds of scientific papers and dozens of master’s and PhD theses on such topics as the impacts of potential oak-tree loss; the effects of mercury on red-winged blackbirds; and seasonal and topographic variation in water supply Researchers benefit not just from the laboratories and dormitories of the two-building BRF campus but also from nearly a century’s worth of detailed records of the forest’s flora and fauna which allow them to trace changes in the forest over time And through its grade-school and college programming and graduate-study grants BRF has brought thousands of students into direct contact with the wonders of the woods The importance of healthy forests can hardly be overstated: trees provide oxygen absorb carbon dioxide through photosynthesis and store it in their tissues In a world struggling with the buildup of CO2 in the atmosphere intact forests are a key carbon “sink,” or repository: plants and soil absorb an estimated 30 percent of human-made carbon emissions But even well-kept forests like BRF face serious threats “There are so many extremes with climate change: storms the forest was hit with an unprecedented rainstorm that caused flash flooding and destroyed an outbuilding on the property but “the biggest challenge is to understand how these changes are affecting forests and to keep the forest healthy.” In 2020 Black Rock lost almost all its native ash trees to an invasive insect “Life as a tree is getting more and more stressful,” says Ashton stressed trees are more susceptible to sickness.” notes that the forest was cleared for charcoal in the nineteenth century (with the arrival of European immigrants nearly all old-growth forests in the eastern US were cut down and that most trees at Black Rock are between eighty and 120 years old The green-gold forest has a light-blue pedigree established Black Rock Forest on his vast property and bequeathed it to Harvard upon his death in 1949 Harvard sold the forest to William Golden ’79GSAS Golden had counseled President Truman on science policy helped create the National Science Foundation and earned his master’s in biology from Columbia at age seventy It was Golden’s idea to form a dues-paying consortium of universities and science centers that would support the forest as a living laboratory while preserving its infinitely complex web of life Today there are nineteen institutions in the consortium they know they can tag trees that have been around for decades which helps when you’re trying to understand the natural world,” Ashton says “If you did the same study in Central Park you couldn’t be sure that next year your tree or marker or equipment would still be there stable place for researchers to do their work.” “It’s funny,” says Claire Levesque as she steps over a moss-coated log at the edge of a lush green marsh where frogs and turtles swim among sun-splashed lily pads and grasses “I came to New York City to study wildlife.” who grew up in Tulsa and whose parents are wildlife biologists She has been living at the forest for five weeks part of a group of researchers led by Matt Palmer a biodiversity scientist from the American Museum of Natural History is on a mission to track three kinds of turtles: the spotted turtle the smallest of the five turtle species found here (there are also wood turtles and snapping turtles) Spotted turtles have black shells speckled with yellow dots and grow to three and a half to five inches long their numbers have dwindled due to habitat loss are ectotherms — meaning their body temperature is dependent on the temperature outside — they might be more sensitive to climate change Levesque’s work will allow forest managers and biologists to track the distribution of spotted turtles “And that makes it easier to advocate for conservation,” she says making the study of multiple animals prohibitively expensive for many organizations Team Turtle’s main goal is to develop affordable tracking tools that can be built from off-the-shelf components is “to democratize the technology” so that any nature center with the proper permits can study the movements of animals With help from IT experts including Jeremy Hise ’17GS lightweight attachments they call backpacks which can be customized to hold devices that take such measurements as an animal’s location “We know turtles move across the forest to get from pond to pond,” Palmer says “But we don’t know much about how often or how far they move across the landscape The backpacks will allow us to track individuals at a much greater spatial and temporal resolution and start to fill in the gaps: we’ll know a turtle’s route and how long it took With a device that can register its location every ten minutes for a year we can create an incredibly detailed model.” Team Turtle is testing wireless technology that can communicate with Black Rock’s network of towers and access points throughout the forest This would allow researchers to log in from anywhere in the world and pinpoint the location of animals practically in real time But before Team Turtle can fasten backpacks on a rare species like the spotted or box turtle it must first demonstrate to the state wildlife authorities that the technology works on the more common painted turtle — another milestone in their multiyear project Levesque pursues the spotted to perform a more traditional sort of tracking she has captured six spotted turtles from this marsh — a decent sample size One problem with aquatic turtles is that they spend a lot of time underwater And so Levesque is using VHF (very high frequency) radio telemetry since the signals can be transmitted through water Team Turtle wants to put both an old-school VHF transmitter and a high-tech backpack on the turtles to get the fullest picture of their movements hourglass-shaped tree trunks that mark the presence of beavers “Black Rock is a hot spot for wildlife,” she says We get a wide array of friends.” She plunges into the tea-colored water to check on the small cylindrical net just offshore Once I got a snapping turtle the size of a housecat.” Levesque wants to know which habitats the spotted turtle is selecting around the forest Her plan is to capture more spotted turtles from other ponds nearby and compare the data “Spotted turtles are picky about their microhabitats,” she says “so it’d be interesting to see if their preferences vary within the different populations in the forest Levesque carries the net to the dirt road twenty yards away where Palmer and Macey are waiting with gear holding it by its shell and apologizing to the delicate creature as it works its legs and twists its neck (All animal-handling protocols have been approved by the American Museum of Natural History and New York State.) The researchers measure the palm-sized specimen and determine its sex (male) Then Levesque swabs the shell with alcohol and makes tiny V-shaped notches at three different points on the edge of the carapace “The outer part of the shell is kind of like a fingernail,” Palmer puts in “It doesn’t have nerves.” The locations of the notches correspond to a mapped lettering system so that any future researcher who recaptures this turtle can identify it and compare data Levesque glues a VHF transmitter with a tiny antenna to the shell “One big concern about putting a tracking device on an animal is that it might change its behavior,” Palmer says “You don’t want the device to make the animal more susceptible to injury or more likely to be killed by a predator or less attractive to a mate So it’s an open question: what does it mean to put it on?” For Palmer “A slight inconvenience to the animal,” he says “means we can learn an awful lot about its movements which in turn can allow us to better manage and conserve the populations.” Levesque takes the outfitted turtle back to the water and releases it and the creature quickly disappears into the placid pool of the quiet marsh in the wooded highlands “This forest is an incredible resource,” says Kevin Griffin a professor in E3B and former president of the consortium “It’s hard trying to teach ecology in an urban setting If you want people to appreciate how the natural world works there’s nothing better than to stand in the middle of it BRF gives us the ability to take students to the woods and say Take it in and ask yourself: How does that work?’” a plant physiologist who studies the role of trees in the carbon cycle has lately been attaching dendrometers — devices that measure infinitesimal fluctuations in tree-trunk diameter — to dozens of trees in the forest and for his first class he took students to the forest His first graduate students did their dissertations here and he and his students continue to study how the forest absorbs and stores carbon Black Rock is considered a “mature” forest meaning that it is in its period of peak carbon accumulation (according to Griffin the forest is still storing carbon at about the same rate as it did in the 1930s) “We think one reason why North America absorbs a lot of carbon is because young forests remove more CO2 than older ones,” Griffin says While Griffin looks at CO2, Duncan Menge Nitrogen accounts for 78 percent of the atmosphere and is vital to all life which require it in other forms such as ammonia But plants can’t transform nitrogen themselves — they need other organisms to do it for them “There are unicellular organisms called nitrogen-fixing bacteria that can take nitrogen from the air and convert it into ammonia,” explains Menge “Some of those bacteria live inside root structures called nodules forming a symbiosis: they help nourish the plants the plants give the bacteria a place to live and feed them sugar made from photosynthesis kept the nitrogen cycle at a balanced level.” and found that 60 to 90 percent of the nitrogen in Robinia came from its symbiotic bacteria even when there was more than enough usable nitrogen already in the soil “It’s strange: the trees have access to usable nitrogen yet they still pay the bacteria a lot of energy to fix more nitrogen which they don’t need.” This seeming inefficiency has consequences: when there’s too much fixed nitrogen other bacteria in the soil release it in the form of nitrous oxide “Why would these trees fix so much nitrogen Symbiotic relationships are the rule of the plant world which exists between most land plants and the fungi that colonize their roots It’s a sweet deal: the plant provides the fungi with sugars through photosynthesis help the plant absorb essential nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorous by the Canadian forest scientist Suzanne Simard suggest that these networks transport not just nutrients but also electrical and chemical signals that enable a tree “Some in the media have extrapolated to say that trees are communicating via these common mycorrhizal networks,” Carreras Pereira says Mycorrhizal fungi come in two main types: one is dominant in tropical forests; the other prevails in boreal and Arctic ecosystems the two types coexist — sometimes within the same tree species Carreras Pereira wants to know how a red oak seedling’s neighbors influence what type of fungi the seedling acquires because “the two mycorrhizae have different strategies for nutrient acquisition That affects the forest biogeochemistry and could also impact the climate Her work also raises questions about tree agency: can the tree switch between the two types — implying something like an active role in the decision — or is it simply colonized Or put another way: which organism is in control Carreras Pereira has planted two batches of seedlings: one in the forest and the other in the Arthur Ross Greenhouse at Barnard where she can manipulate the connections between trees to see how they transfer resources “As tree species with one mycorrhizal type migrate northward into forest areas that have primarily the other mycorrhizal type we want to know what will happen to the plants that are already there.” It’s critical that they have passageways.” It’s yet another elegant example of the first tenet of ecology attributed to the biologist Barry Commoner ’37CC one of the architects of the modern ecological movement: Everything is connected to everything else No one knows this better than William Schuster ’78CC As Black Rock’s first executive director (from 1992 to 2022) Schuster oversaw the construction of the BRF campus as well as the educational programs and created paths for disabled people among the forest’s twenty-six miles of public hiking trails he produced a landmark survey of the forest’s trees and found that northern species like black spruce and paper birch had disappeared and that more than half a dozen southern-range species had moved in says his greatest passion is for a very literal connectivity: wildlife corridors that would offer animals safe passage across a landscape tangled with highways and subdivisions a former Columbia postdoc who tracks bobcats and fishers (a carnivore in the weasel family) using radio collars “Bobcats can’t cross major freeways,” says LaPoint or at least connected areas,” Schuster says they are not going to survive.” BRF has been acquiring parcels around the perimeter of the forest necessary for passage and Schuster and LaPoint are working with the New York State Thruway Authority on a proposal for a wildlife overpass (There are an estimated sixty to seventy thousand collisions between deer and vehicles each year in the state so will the range of many animals,” says Schuster My hope is that we will see a network of corridors as well as larger-scale models for connectivity across North America.” Three days after capturing her seventh spotted turtle She enters the still waters in a kayak and homes in on the turtle’s location and marks it on a map in a plot between the lyrically named elevations of Honey Hill and Hill of Pines Aria Carreras Pereira’s seedlings extend their roots into the fungi-rich soil retrieve the contents of a funnel-net trap: it’s a painted turtle with brilliant red and yellow stripes and orange belly recruited in the name of science and conservation to wear a Team Turtle backpack And up in her office in the BRF Science Center Isabel Ashton conducts the daily business of long-term research — managing the consortium and meeting members’ needs She still recalls the day in college when her professor H a biochemist who pioneered studies of water pollution asked her if she’d like to work on a project involving tree rings and the effects of acid rain at a place called Black Rock Forest and it’s also the home of a great panoply of life Decoding the mysteries of that life is an endless task This article appears in the Fall 2023 print edition of Columbia Magazine with the title "A Lab in the Woods." A powerful new microscope could enable more scientists around the world to conduct cutting-edge biomedical research Novel materials could eventually power electric vehicles and more experts touted the technology’s promise and agreed that robots still have a long way to go General Data Protection Regulation Columbia University Privacy Notice An official website of the United States government The Table Rock State Park fire started March 21 two related forest fires in the Upstate have grown exponentially prompting officials to order mandatory evacuations in both Greenville and Pickens counties and use planes to drop water PICKENS — Two massive forest fires in the Upstate mountains have grown exponentially in what is nearing a week of a frantic effort to stop the blaze from overtaking homes and businesses authorities issued evacuations that are mandatory in both Greenville and Pickens counties as the fires spread March 26 — reaching the shores of the Greenville Water System's Table Rock reservoir that's used to draw drinking water Forestry Commission issued another call for the evacuations in the afternoon as it proved to be another day of "extreme fire behavior." Extreme behavior is categorized by moderate-to-long-range spotting independent spot fire growth and otherwise violent fire behavior according to the National Wildfire Coordinating Group Despite the jarring video of the embers around the reservoir's banks Greenville Water Commissioner Deb Sofield said the water is safe to drink Fire crews can't drop retardants in the watersheds using only water to fight the fires in those areas "If either of those (reservoirs) are compromised we would pull from Keowee," Sofield told The Post and Courier The Table Rock Mountain fire doubled to 2,293 acres while an associated wildfire nearby The fire ignited on March 21 at the summit of Table Rock after authorities say a group of hikers acted negligently 10 brush trucks and eight more 20-person hand crews to create fire breaks where heavy machinery can't operate on the mountain The Table Rock fire recently escaped the boundaries crews tried to create after high winds pushed flames up into a ridge where it's difficult to have a direct attack on the blaze The Table Rock Fire saw more aerial attacks operations chief Trey Cox said in his March 26 morning update in an attempt to buy more time as conditions dry out and wind gusts continue "There’s no escape routes or any way to get out of there if we send crews in here trying to open roads up We’re just putting everybody in a really bad spot and homes are going to be second priority." Slowing the fire means crews have time to dig more breaks and potential backburns to increase the buffer between nearby homes and the ever-growing blaze the second in what the Forestry Commission is calling the "Table Rock Complex," escaped a fire line on March 25 and crews were on site to hold that line overnight It was headed toward its northern containment line In the November 2016 fire from Pinnacle Mountain — which is also in Table Rock State Park and was the largest longest and costliest fire ever in the Upstate — fire crews were stationed near residences to help remove "fuel" like leaves sticks and dead trees from rooftops and around structures Greenville County Deputy Director of Emergency Management Pierce Womack said The 2016 fire grew to 10,623 acres in Pickens County make it the third-largest in state history Commission officials have said the Table Rock Fire could grow to 5,000 acres before it reaches containment lines Greenville Water employees were evacuated when the fire "jumped the water" at the Table Rock Reservoir's edge but no other changes have been made to daily operations The water sourced from Table Rock and North Saluda reservoirs is safe to drink as it's still treated at the L.B Stovall processing plant before going out to customers the biggest impact was an influx of scorched acorns — which turned out to be a treat for the fish The ash will eventually turn into dust and dirt and be removed through regular water treatment processes This story will be updated as new information becomes available The Table Rock Complex Fire became the largest mountain wildfire in South Carolina history According to data from the South Carolina Forestry Commission the fires had grown to more than 12,000 acres surpassing the November 2016 Pinnacle Mountain Fire while the Persimmon Ridge Fire was 24% contained The Greenville News will bring you live updates on wildfire conditions throughout Sunday The Table Rock Complex remains the nation's No according to the City of Greenville's social media --Foggy conditions halted air drops but increased moisture in the air Thunderstorms could make conditions too dangerous for air and ground crews --$60,000 of economic impact from the park closures is estimated 10:25 p.m. -- Highest priority wildfire in nationPickens County's social media page reports that the Table Rock Complex Fire is now considered the highest priority wildfire in the nation An estimated 600 people are engaged in response Statewide Burning Ban to be lifted Monday for 41 counties and Spartanburg counties are to remain under the ban according to the South Carolina Forestry Commission The State Forester’s Burning Ban will be lifted for all but five South Carolina counties at 6 a.m Pickens and Spartanburg counties will remain under the burning ban until further notice The Forestry Commission is lifting the ban in the other 41 counties because the dangerous combination of low relative humidities and gusty winds that prompted the March 21 outdoor burning prohibition are expected to subside substantially statewide over the next week The ban is being placed in the remaining counties for several reasons The sheer amount of Forestry Commission and fire department personnel/equipment dedicated to the Table Rock Complex in Greenville and Pickens counties which includes two wildfires that have grown to a combined 13,000-plus acres has the potential to strain the capacity of local response to new wildfire ignitions Forestry Commission resources continue focusing on mop-up and strengthening firebreaks around the Myrtle Beach-area Covington Drive Fire “Burning bans are not intended to be extended solutions to wildfires,” said SCFC Fire Chief Darryl Jones “Prescribed burns in particular are necessary tools for forestry and agriculture but we can’t emphasize enough the importance of using fire prudently and respecting the weather.” underlying conditions still warrant extreme vigilance when burning outdoors Above-average fire danger and activity are expected through April Anyone who burns outdoors and allows their fire to escape will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law Citizens who may plan to conduct outdoor burning of residential yard debris or prescribed burns must still notify the Forestry Commission before doing so Notification procedures, as well as mandatory precautions for conducting burns, may be found on the SCFC website: https://www.scfc.gov/protection/fire-burning/ As the only state agency responsible for wildfire suppression in all unincorporated areas the South Carolina Forestry Commission protects nearly 13 million acres from wildland fire and volunteer fire departments operate more than 1,100 fire stations in South Carolina The Forestry Commission cooperates with these departments to prevent and control structural and wildland fires employing highly trained firefighters and specialized equipment when fires burn into forested areas that are difficult to reach The City of Greenville wrote on social media that higher humidity and an 80% chance of rain improve firefighting conditions on the ground but not in the air --Air operations are suspended due to poor visibility They'll mobilize if there’s a break in clouds but they likely won’t fly Sunday or Monday --707 water drops so far from National Guard helicopters --Controlled burns have been successful in fire containment South Carolina Forestry Commission Fire Information Greenville County Emergency Management wrote on social media that mandatory evacuations remain in effect for portions of the Greenville County Fire Region "While some areas of Greenville County have received rain (Sunday) rainfall amounts have been variable and do not provide sufficient relief across the entire fire-affected region Due to the ongoing threat and unpredictable nature of the fire mandatory evacuations remain in effect for all affected areas The safety and security of residents are our top priority and these measures are necessary to ensure public safety "Please continue following evacuation orders and stay informed through official channels for updates." has been a constant presence at the command post for our first responders "Many of them have commented that interacting with him is the highlight of their day as they deal with the separation from their own families and pets It is an honor to have Wyatt as a part of our team and we are thankful that he can have a meaningful contribution during times like these." 7:35 p.m. -- How many wildfires are active in SC, NC? Here's what wildfire maps sayHundreds of firefights from across the U.S are battling the worst wildfires in the country taking place in Western North Carolina and South Carolina's Upstate As of Sunday morning, there were four active wildfires in North Carolina and three in South Carolina. Burn bans are still in effect across all of North Carolina and South Carolina Click here to read the story As the Carolinas face some of the worst wildfires in the country some residents are forced to leave their homes A hand full of houses have been destroyed and there has been one injury reported due to the wildfires in North Carolina. In Transylvania County, 750 homes are under mandatory evacuation, according to the Citizen Times. Officials are reassessing the evacuation orders Sunday As of Sunday morning, there were seven active fires across the Carolinas Three of them are in South Carolina while four are in North Carolina Here are some tips for those returning to their homes after the Carolina wildfires Click here to read the story Yes, the Table Rock Complex Fire was declared the largest mountain wildfire in South Carolina's history surpassing the 2016 Pinnacle Mountain Fire Table Rock has grown to more than 12,000 acres by Saturday a 2,078-acre fire on 240 Persimmon Ridge Road in Greenville County was also 24% contained Click here to read about other significant fires in South Carolina's history -- Air operations are suspended due to poor visibility • 707 water drops so far from national guard helicopters • Controlled burns have been successful in fire containment work crew leaders gathered for the morning briefing according to the Pickens County Sheriff's Office there will be a continued focus on containment lines These crews have worked tirelessly to create and clean up these lines "Our neighbors in Transylvania County need our prayers as well as the fire continues to move slowly in that direction Crews there are working just as hard to establish containment lines and monitor the fire."  11:40 a.m. --South Carolina weather radar: Are any storms expected today?Yes. Accuweather says Greensville will be "cloudy with a couple of showers and a thunderstorm with the Air Quality Index showing moderate levels The Table Rock Complex Fire is officially the largest mountain wildfire in South Carolina's history igniting thousands of acres for over a week the Table Rock Fire was 9% contained with over 11,000 acres making its way into North Carolina's Transylvania County The nearby Persimmon Ridge Wildfire is currently 2,078 acres with 24% containment The Pickens County Sheriff's Office, in collaboration with the South Carolina Forestry Commission, is leading the ongoing investigation into how the Table Rock wildfire started Investigators detailed that the massive wildfire was the result of a “negligent act” by four teenage hikers on March 21 Those involved in the incident have been identified Pickens County Sheriff Tommy Blankenship said authorities are investigating the incident “I’ve had a lot of questions about the charges for those responsible for setting the fire,” Blankenship said on Friday adding the charges will be made and announced at a later date But right now our focus is on the protection of life and property.” South Carolina Parks offers an active webcam of Table Rock State Park To view the webcam, click here Table Rock Lake Live Cam CamStreamer WeatherBug You can track the wildfires with this interactive fire map shows where the fires are and has information about their size Firefighters in upstate South Carolina and western North Carolina continue to fight massive wildfires into Sunday morning Want to get a live look at some of the fires Here are some live streams that are publicly available to view The worst wildfires in the country are burning in Western North Carolina and the South Carolina Upstate on Sunday Hundreds of firefighters from across the country are battling the wildfires around the clock in WNC and the Upstate Five hundred firefighting personnel have been battling the blazes in Polk County where some residents have faced mandatory evacuations as have residents in other counties such as Transylvania Firefighters hope for significant rainfall to tamp down on the spreading fires Sunday weather forecasts some rain for the areas impacted by the wildfires but whether it will be enough to make a dent remains to be seen Burn bans are still in effect across all of North Carolina and South Carolina a mandatory evacuation is still in place for some residents of Greenville County South Carolina evacuation guidelines have been updated from mandatory to voluntary for Pickens County residents Residents of Greenville County north of the Greenville County-Pickens County line west of Wildcat Falls on Highway 11/Highway 276 and east of the Table Rock Reservoir are still under mandatory evacuation Although the evacuations in this area are now voluntary Greenville County Emergency Management and Pickens County Emergency Management urge residents who choose to return to their homes to do so with caution and avoid outside activities due to air quality alerts Those with respiratory issues should use caution before re-entry call 803-906-9730 or email 2025.tablerockcomplex@firenet.gov The City of Greenville posted the following on Saturday night: 1 priority in the nation for wildfire resources based on a matrix that includes acres burned There was a 30% chance for rain Saturday night and an 80% chance Sunday A mandatory evacuation is still in place for some residents of Greenville County the South Carolina Forestry Commission posted on Facebook west of Wildcat Falls on Highway 11/Highway 276 and east of the Table Rock Reservoir are still under mandatory evacuation Evacuations in Pickens County became voluntary at 5 p.m the county announced in a post on its Facebook page Mandatory evacuations have been lifted as the fire moves away from the area Residents returning home are urged to stay alert in case conditions change South Carolina Highway 11 also fully reopened at 5 p.m The Pickens County Sheriff’s Office will continue patrolling the affected area to ensure public safety Polk County officials lift some evacuation ordersPolk County officials lifted some evacuation orders as crews battled the Black Cove Complex Fire and residents who live in the areas where the orders have been lifted are asked to enter from the Interstate 26 side “This will help keep the area clear for emergency crews working to protect your community,” according to a Facebook post from officials “You may be asked to show an ID with your home address at a checkpoint.” Evacuation orders were lifted in the following areas: All other evacuation orders remain in place Share on FacebookShare on X (formerly Twitter)Share on PinterestShare on LinkedInSHELL KNOB (KY3) - Nearly 300 acres caught fire over the weekend near Table Rock Lake Mark Twain National Forest crews and crews from the Central Crossing Fire Protection District worked to put out the Cane Hollow fire Officials say the fire started on Saturday morning and was completely contained by Sunday afternoon “Firefighters want to remind people in southwest Missouri that the area has been experiencing drought conditions and it is important to be very careful with any open flames in the woods,” the Forest Service said and other materials in the middle of the contained fire perimeter are continuing to put up smoke so the fire may be visible through the rest of the day Crews are still unsure of the cause of the fire and are investigating To report a correction or typo, please email digitalnews@ky3.com Please include the article info in the subject line of the email Thousands were on hand as the Central Palm Beach County Chamber of Commerce the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Palm Beach County and the Village of Wellington held the 40th annual Wellington Holiday Parade presented by Wellington Regional Medical Center Sporting the musical theme of “Rockin’ in the Holidays,” marching bands decorated vehicles and more followed the time-honored route up Forest Hill Blvd This year’s honorary grand marshal was Dennis Witkowski who was instrumental in creating the parade four decades ago Best in Show was awarded to Priority Towing Other winners were: Wellington Golf Cart Club for Decorated Vehicle Wellington Regional Medical Center for Adult Float Palm Beach Central High School for Marching Band Dance Theater for Performing Group and Skillets for Marching Group A rock shelter defined: a shallow cave or cavelike area as one formed by an overhanging cliff or standing rocks I recently made a trip up to Morgan-Monroe State Forest to hike one of my favorite trails: the Rock Shelter Trail The forest has 24,515 acres of steep forested The Rock Shelter Trail follows part of the Low Gap and the Tecumseh trails The trail is approximately 3 miles in length and is a loop trail It's considered moderate in ease of difficulty It was a beautiful day when I hiked this forest trail The sky was a deep shade of blue on the sunny day The temperature had finally cooled a bit from those endless It was officially September and I was sure ready for the cooler weather I found the trailhead in a small parking lot off the main forest road I took off down the trail to find and explore one of my favorite forest trails About a third of the trail was on rough gravel with tall pines and hardwoods along the path There were deep ravines carved into the sides of the hills on each side of me It was the Indiana forest that I had come to love and know so well The air carried the scent of fresh pine trees and a faint smell of old I passed a small pond on my right and I knew exactly where I was The trail in front of me wound down into a deep ravine and I followed switchbacks to the bottom of the hill to a place where a small creek meandered through a hollow There wasn’t much water to be found due to recent lack of rain but it was still a creek and I followed it for a while Most of the forest still held on to its summer green landscape I hoped it would rain soon to give the forest and wildlife a break "Sweedy Hollow Nature Preserve," which was part of the state forest My surroundings were tall hardwoods and a landscape in the midst of the changing seasons: still clinging to the end of summer while welcoming the first signs of autumn I finally came across the rock shelter on my left along a steep bluff It’s cave like appearance had a primitive feel about it But it was still the same rock shelter that I had grown to love The temperature under the shelter was cooler So I sat under the huge wall and tried to imagine the early inhabitants of this piece of land sitting where I was so I reluctantly left the shelter and finished the trail but not before a big climb out The climb wasn’t too steep but it seemed long I saw a fork in the trail and a very clear wooden sign giving good directions as to which way I needed to go These special places deserve our respect and protection so that future generations will get to enjoy them To get to this place: The forest is southwest of Indianapolis 35 miles south of Interstate 465 via Interstate 69/Ind 37 and is 16 miles northwest of Bloomington A quote for your week: “In a world of constant change and streaming technology I find solace in the forest where a tree remains a tree." — Angie Weiland-Crosby - American writer Download the NPS app to navigate the parks on the go Wildfires forced a mandatory evacuation Sunday in a North Carolina county still recovering from Hurricane Helene and South Carolina’s governor declared an emergency in response to a growing wildfire in that state The California Branch wildfire burns in New Jersey’s Wharton State Forest on Saturday (New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection via AP) A firefighter looks on as the California Branch wildfire burns Saturday Firefighters prepare to fight the wildfires in Polk County Smoke from the wildfires fill the sky in Polk County The North Carolina Department of Public Safety announced a mandatory evacuation starting at 8:20 p.m Saturday for parts of Polk County in western North Carolina about 80 miles (129 kilometers) west of Charlotte “Visibility in area will be reduced and roads/evacuation routes can become blocked; if you do not leave now or killed,” the agency said in a social media post A shelter had been established in Columbus There were three active fires in Polk County with one spanning 1.9 square miles (5 square kilometers) and another spread over 2.8 square miles (7.3 square kilometers) with no containment by Sunday afternoon County spokesperson Kellie Cannon said one home was lost to the larger of the two fires A third fire that had burned about 199 acres (81 hectares) with 50% containment had destroyed three homes And earlier evacuation order associated with that fire had been lifted Additional mandatory evacuations were ordered for areas of Polk County on Sunday evening according to a North Carolina Emergency Management social media post The North Carolina Forest Service’s online wildfire public viewer indicated active fires Sunday in Burke County and in Stokes County on the northern border with Virginia Henry McMaster declared a state of emergency Saturday as emergency crews in Pickens County fought the Table Rock Fire in the Blue Ridge Mountains “The State of Emergency allows us to mobilize resources quickly and ensure our firefighters have the support they need,” McMaster said in a statement that reinforced a statewide outdoor burning ban issued Friday by the South Carolina Forestry Commission Local fire officials called for voluntary evacuations Saturday of some residents near Table Rock Mountain the forestry commission said in a social media post That human-caused fire grew to more than 300 acres (121 hectares) with no containment Spot fires ignited fresh flames outside of the original fire area and the steep terrain was making it hard for heavier equipment used to contain fires to reach the area Downed timber from Hurricane Helene was exacerbating the situation Voluntary evacuations of approximately 100 residences remained in effect Sunday afternoon North Carolina’s western region already had been hit hard by Hurricane Helene in September The hurricane damaged or impacted 5,000 miles (8,046 kilometers) of state-maintained roads and damaged 7,000 private roads the New Jersey Forest Fire Service has been battling a wildfire that broke out in the Wharton State Forest on Saturday The fire had consumed about 2.7 square miles (7 square kilometers) as of early Sunday morning and was about 50% contained Emergency officials said they evacuated two campgrounds in the park but the flames were moving away from them and no structures had been evacuated The cause of that fire was under investigation The annual live concert Rock in the Forest is returning to Chateau Buskett for another lively edition on August 31 “This year’s event promises to deliver a great live rock experience performed by a team of 14 talented musicians in a unique setting,” says event founder David Perotti “We’ve worked on a great setlist for this year’s edition to suit all ages and tastes.” Performers within the festival range between 18 to 60 years of age “Good music knows no barriers or age gaps,” affirms Perotti “There’s a great mix of classic and contemporary songs including some classic ‘anthems’ which are sure to get the audience dancing and joining in.” Perotti says the forest-like setting at Buskett makes for an idyllic environment and contributes towards the unique atmosphere that Rock in The Forest provides  This year’s line-up features the Rock in the Forest ‘resident’ band which includes newcomer Max Paget (guitars) and Kristina Perotti and Franco Aloisio on drums and percussion Simaria Galea and David Ellul Mercer will be on vocals “This year we are thrilled to be joined by local celebrity musicians Wayne Camilleri (guitars) and well-known vocalist Mikaela,” continues Perotti “I’ll also be making a very small appearance on stage but that’s all I’ll say at this point.” This year’s beneficiary will be YMCA with last year’s proceeds going to support Cystic Fibrosis Fundraising Malta The anticipated annual concert is taking place at Chateau Buskett Asked why it is important for Rock in the Forest to have this philanthropic slant Perotti says this started out as a means of attracting a larger audience but transformed into an opportunity for everyone involved to feel a greater sense of purpose “The idea to include the philanthropic element was introduced some 10 years ago to generate broader interest in the event and attract a wider audience I believe this has worked but also gives the team great satisfaction knowing that the show supports a worthy cause,” Perotti explains “Rock in the Forest has therefore evolved into a popular We are very careful to keep costs as low as possible (all musicians perform free of charge) to make a meaningful donation after the show.”  Chateau Buskett was built on the site of an old hunting lodge dating back to the era of the grand masters those who wish to sit and dine can pre-book tables and chairs that are spread out on terraces that fan out from the stage The woodland itself is lit up for the occasion Amid the glowing trees and lengthening shadows one will feel as though transported to a refreshingly cool festival deep in the nature of a northern European forest Rock in the Forest is taking place on August 31 at Chateau Buskett in Rabat The event is co-hosted by YMCA and supported by Festivals Malta The on-site bar and restaurant will be open all evening early bookings for those who would like a table is advisable Diners can book a table by sending a private message on the RockinTheForest Facebook Page or by e-mail to krisper01@outlook.com please register for free or log in to your account You play an important role in our mission to protect birds & the habitats they need to survive It's an at-risk species whose population numbers are falling this small bird glows in gorgeous markings of blue and white “Ceruleans are spectacular,” says Terryanne Maenza-Gmelch a Barnard College forest ecology researcher working with the 3,830-acre Black Rock Forest Consortium's treasure trove of birds sort of navy blue and a little bit of turquoise and powder blue." on the trails you can see them and they are striking,” Maenza-Gmelch says It flies to South America every fall from here about 3,000-plus miles - then back to Black Rock in spring That's an exhausting 6,000-mile round trip by a small bird that weighs about as much as a nickel piled on a quarter This lovely bird is just one reason why Black Rock Forest was recently named an expanded Audubon Society Important Bird Area (IBA) a designation “that will help us safeguard threatened bird species,” says Black Rock Forest Consortium Executive Director William Schuster “Cerulean numbers are down and they face threats on both ends of their migrations but they keep coming back here year after year It's a great thing,” Schuster says Federal officials say cerulean warbler numbers declined at the steepest rate of any North American warbler monitored recently “But these birds are holding their own around here,” Schuster says “So it's fortunate that we're able to maintain this great forest for them.” this gorgeous bird and other birds help by gobbling Gypsy moth caterpillars Many bird species inhabiting the Black Rock research gem also “have threats at both ends of migration so fortunately we're able to maintain this large “And they keep coming back year after year People get really excited about bird preservation birds have deep emotional connections with us make us wonder and put the world in perspective As Audubon-New York Executive Director Erin Crotty says today's “IBA's are the most important places on earth.” So go down any wooded Black Rock trail and you never know which great creature you'll find "That happens to me all the time.” “I saw a male and female scarlet tanager together!” Help secure the future for birds at risk from climate change advocacy and on-the-ground conservation efforts Sign-up today to receive our monthly e-newsletter and important action alerts Find the closest Audubon Center or Chapter in your area.  Get the latest news and updates about our programs and initiatives delivered straight to your inbox.