media mentions

Dec 22, 2021

NC State Researchers Are Working on the Perfect Christmas

PBS North Carolina
Researchers are studying Fraser fir Christmas trees to improve qualities such as needle retention after they’ve been cut, as well as their overall smell and shape.

Dec 20, 2021

Millennials Drive Unprecedented Demand for Tree Growers

GSA Business Report
Demand exceeded even what “optimistic and hopeful producers could imagine 10 years ago,” said North Carolina State University’s Christmas tree specialist Jeff Owens.

Dec 17, 2021

The Great Danger of the Tiny Bark Beetle

WIRED
As the climate warms, this insect’s population is booming. That’s bad news for the ponderosa pines of the Sierra Nevada, according to Zachary Robbins, a researcher in the Dynamic Ecosystems and Landscapes Lab at NC State University.

Dec 14, 2021

Outdoor Recreation Has Historically Excluded People of Color. That’s Beginning to Change.

CNN
The truth behind the gap in outdoor recreation, like so much in the U.S., has its roots in systemic racism, said KangJae "Jerry" Lee, an assistant professor at NC State University, who studies race and outdoor leisure.

Dec 8, 2021

As Christmas Tree Lots Get Up and Running, Shoppers Cautioned to Buy Early, Prepare to Pay More

Carteret County News-Times
Jeff Owen, forestry extension specialist with NC State University who specializes in Christmas trees, said Nov. 19 those shopping for trees will find a great selection, but he, too, recommended shopping early and being prepared to dig a little deeper into pocketbooks.

Dec 6, 2021

From the Ashes: At Pilot Mountain, Destruction, Rebirth, Glimpse of Future

Winston-Salem Journal
Warmer temperatures tied to climate change have and will continue to cause deeper droughts and drier conditions like those that contributed to the Pilot Mountain Fire in Surry County and a 40-acre blaze at Sauratown Mountain in Stokes County on Nov. 9-14, said Robert Scheller, a professor in N.C. State University’s Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources who is studying the potential impacts of climate change on forests in North Carolina.

Dec 4, 2021

How Did Less Time Around Nature As a Result of COVID-19 Impact Young People?

World Economic Forum
Two new studies link declines in outdoor activities and park use during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic to reductions in mental health measures for teens and young adults from middle school through college.

Dec 3, 2021

NC State Researchers Work to Create the Perfect Christmas Tree Using Genetics

WRAL
NC State researchers are using genetics to create the perfect Christmas tree -- one that doesn't shed and doesn't need to be watered as often.

Dec 2, 2021

A Campfire Sparked the 1,000-acre Pilot Mountain Blaze. Climate Change Will Fuel More Wildfires, Experts Say.

Winston-Salem Journal
Future droughts, intensified by rising temperatures caused by climate change, will fuel an increase in wildfires and expand the footprint of areas most susceptible to burning, experts caution.

Dec 1, 2021

A Once Common Salamander Species Found Only in North Carolina is Under Threat From Development

INDY Week
The Neuse River waterdog was upgraded to federally threatened status this summer. The species has nearly disappeared from waterways surrounding urban areas and development may be to blame.