Extension News: March 2011 Archives

Report underscores the importance of forests & forest landowner education to N.H. economy

New Hampshire's State Forester, Brad Simpkins, recently announced the release of The Economic Importance of New Hampshire's Forest-Based Economy.

The report offers a wealth of current data on the direct economic value of New Hampshire's forests, from the percent of forests covering the state (84 percent) to the $2.3 billion impact the forest-products industry has on New Hampshire's economy, including supporting 20,000 jobs and providing the green backdrop for much of the state's tourist industry.

In 2009, landowners received $30 million in revenues from timber sales, which in turn, generated $3 million in timber-tax revenues for municipalities.

"Many folks are surprised to learn that we have such a vibrant forest industry in New Hampshire or that 76 percent of the state's forest lands are privately owned," says Sarah Smith, forest industry specialist with Extension's Forestry and Wildlife Program. "Because we're so heavily forested, we tend to take our forest backdrop for granted, without realizing the importance of good management to keep these lands productive and profitable."

That's where Extension's Forestry and Wildlife Program comes in.

Landowner education for good forestry

"The State of New Hampshire decided back in 1925 to turn to Cooperative Extension to do what we do best--educate," Smith says.

"Unique in the nation, this partnership enables the State Forester to rely on Extension to fulfill their legislative mandate to educate landowners, public officials, forestry and industry professionals about forest laws and the importance of good forest management."

Most of the timber cut in New Hampshire comes from the more than 124,000 private forest landholdings. However, landowners make decisions about harvesting timber and often chose not to cut trees or to harvest for other than economic reasons ­wildlife (e.g., habitat improvement, recreation ). Extension forestry and wildlife staff help landowners think strategically about their land by identifying important features of their land and encouraging them to develop a forest management plan. We refer landowners to a list of almost 300 licensed foresters who act on behalf of the landowner. Those who so chose to harvest timber also receive and provide a host of private and public benefits:

• Providing income for the landowners.


• Delivering timber-tax revenues to the town.


• Creating jobs for foresters, loggers, truckers, forestry equipment sellers.


• Providing raw materials that feed New Hampshire's forest industry


• Enhancing wildlife habitat


• Maintaining the natural landscape that sustains New Hampshire's aesthetic values and makes our state a great place to live, play and visit.


• Sustaining many other values that working forests provide, including clean air and water, aquifer recharge, and buffers against flooding

Sawmills and wood-energy plants: big economic benefits

Citing the economic-impacts report, Smith notes that about 50 sawmills operate in the state, "producing well over 150 million board feet of lumber to supply the building industry, furniture and flooring manufacturers, and cabinet makers, both within the state as well as around the world with a wide variety of species including white pine, spruce, fir, hemlock, maple, oak, birch and ash.

"New Hampshire also has seven wood-fired power plants collectively producing 150 megawatts," she adds. "Five of the power plants have been in near-continuous operation for over 20 years, providing New Hampshire residents with renewable power from the state's forests.

A recent survey by Extension and the NH Timberland Owners Association reveals that the total direct economic impact of the wood energy plants is more than $70 million dollars, "most of which are spent right here in New Hampshire," says Smith.

"New Hampshire's forests are growing faster than they are being harvested," she says, adding, "The biggest threat to our forests isn't timber harvest, but conversion to other uses such as development.

Learn more

Download the report
UNH Cooperative Extension Forestry and Wildlife Program
Forest Industry page
N.H. forest landowner profiles

Extension expertise meets public needs at the local level

A vast and growing body of research suggests that good nutrition reaps health benefits for all age groups.

Eating well boosts the immune system, helps maintain a healthy weight, helps maintain emotional health, and helps prevent chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and some cancers. Well-nourished children concentrate better and do better academically.

Since its founding nearly a century ago, Cooperative Extension has engaged Granite Staters with programs, demonstrations, and publications that promote good nutrition and deliver sustained impacts.

In recent years we've stepped up our emphasis on healthy eating, more active living, and increasing the availability of locally-grown food (simultaneously promoting public health while supporting the farmers and fishermen who produce and market food locally).

There's plenty of work to do!

The recently released New Hampshire State Health Profile reveals that New Hampshire's adult obesity levels are rising (from 18 to 25 percent between 2000 and 2009); 36 percent of adults are overweight.

The same study reveals that 33 percent of N.H.'s third-graders are overweight or obese (46 percent of boys in Coos County) and 26 percent of high-school students.

With 10 percent of the state's population currently receiving food stamps, and the State Health Profile reporting that poverty in the Granite State on the rise, low-income households are also facing sharp increases in food prices. In February, the price of food rose 3.9 percent, led by a nearly 50 percent increase in the price of vegetables, the biggest gain since November, 1974.

State health data reveal that only 28 percent of New Hampshire adults and 22 percent of teens eat the recommended amounts of fruits and vegetables each day.

Nutrition Connections and the Healthy Schools NH initiative

For 42 years, UNH Extension has received U.S. Department of Agriculture funding through the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP, in New Hampshire called Nutrition Connections) to engage low-income individuals and families with programs that teach about nutrition, food safety, cooking, and stretching a thin budget to include nutritious foods.

"Our programs target individuals and families who don't have the means to learn it elsewhere," says Debbie Luppold, a registered dietitian and Extension specialist who manages the Nutrition Connections Program.

Nutrition Connections staff work from offices in each of the state's 10 counties, providing nutrition education outreach to adults and children in a variety of settings: one-on-one in homes and in group settings such as schools, social service agencies, and using a variety of methods:

"That includes families with children, seniors, children in school, after-school, and summer programs, homeless-shelter residents, and new immigrant families. In 2010, Nutrition Connections staff worked with 1,423 families and 4,823 youth."

Our data reveal that Nutrition Connections works! (Click graphic at left.)

Healthy Schools NH

Since 2003, Nutrition Connections' Healthy Schools NH initiative has offered tools, educational materials, and peer support for improving the school nutrition environment to nurses, teachers, administrators and food-service personnel in schools with a high percentage of low-income children.

The program currently has 41 schools enrolled, each actively involved in taking practical steps to offer nutrition education, improve food offerings in school and after-school environments, and increase exercise opportunities for children.

See one of our Healthy Schools NH schools in action

Read school success stories

The food-production connection: Grow (or catch) it here; eat it here
Improving nutrition also supports natural-resources businesses: farms and fisheries

If it was grown in a backyard, in a community garden or on a New Hampshire farm, or if it was caught by a New Hampshire fisherman, there's a good chance UNH Cooperative Extension staff had a hand in it somewhere along the way.

Food-producing farms contribute around $88 million to the N.H. economy, and Extension staff work with farmers and orchardists statewide.

"In addition to the hundreds of site visits Extension agricultural staff make to New Hampshire farms each year, we also engage farmers and backyard food producers with diasnogtic services, pesticide safety education, workshops, conferences, online information, newspaper articles, a toll-free Info Line, Master Gardener outreach, and more," says Amy Ouellette, the agricultural resources educator in Merrimack County.

We provide a variety of diagnostic services for farmers and gardeners: soil testing, a plant diagnostic lab, and an insect identification lab

Check out our listing of upcoming workshops and conferences

We train commercial food-producing pesticide applicators, which protects human and environmental health, while helping producers save money.

Our Agriculture and Natural Resources Business Institutes give prospective farm entrepreneurs the information and connections they need to develop and test a business plan.

We work with farmers' market vendors, including winter-market vendors.

We piloted the program and wrote the guidebook for farmers' market vendors and market managers who want to accept food stamps.

We manage an extensive web site of home and community food gardening resources, including an interactive map of community gardens statewide.

We manage a toll-free Info line in Manchester, where trained volunteers answer questions from nearly 10,000 callers each year. Most calls concern backyard gardens, food preservation and storage, and food safety.

Extension ag staff and more than 400 active, well-trained and well-supported master gardeners encourage, educate, and support a large and growing number of backyard food producers.

There's been a huge resurgence of interest in local food production. Last year in Merrimack County alone, more than 1,000 residents turned out for a series of talks and workshops by Extension staff and master gardeners on raising fruits, vegetables, poultry and other livestock for direct household consumption.

Sea Grant Extension staff support the state's beleaguered fishermen in numerous ways, which simultaneously promote sustainable fisheries, bring locally caught seafood to more New Hampshire tables, and help fishermen remain profitable.

In their extensive work with New Hampshire's commercial fishermen, Sea Grant Extension staff work to develop direct markets for local seafood.They also work with nutrition staff to promote the health benefits of eating seafood (while balancing the risks).

Learn more:

Collaborative fisheries research Seagrant research

Sea Grant Workshops

4-H (Health for better living)

Although Extension's 4-H program activities vary widely from county to county, there's an enduring emphasis on health, well-being, personal responsibility, and hands-on learning that translates into programs that teach home gardening and cooking, and encourage exhibiting at fairs and food shows.

A few examples:

Grafton County's 4-H Gardening Program

Hillsborough County's Massabesic Children's Garden

4-H Healthy Living Challenge

Food festivals like this one in Rockingham County that encourage 4-H'ers to submit their own creations for judging.

An interdisciplinary UNH Extension team focused on reducing the incidence of both child and adult obesity in New Hampshire has developed and will soon begin distributing educational materials based on the 5210 Let's Go! program.

Put some spring in your step with a visit to the University of New Hampshire Macfarlane greenhouses during the annual Greenhouse Open House Friday and Saturday, March 25 and 26, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. both days.

There's no charge to attend, but you'll find a lot to see and learn. The Open House features gorgeous plant displays, educational talks on many topics, plant sales, activities for children, and more.

If you go on Saturday, after your tour of the greenhouses, you could also attend the Little Royal Livestock Show or the Seacoast Home & Garden Show being held at nearby campus venues.

Learn more