Sasha Mitchell is Dogwood’s new Operations Coordinator! What does that mean? It means that our well-oiled machine is only as well-oiled as Sasha keeps it, and in the mere few months that Sasha has been with us, our machine is running better than ever!
If anyone reading this has been fortunate enough to experience the wonder of a mature bottomland hardwood swamp, then place yourself in a category with few other people. Bottomland hardwoods in the Southern United States have been reduced to a small portion of what they once were for reasons anywhere from disease prevention to pine plantation development.
Half of the world’s forests have already played their part in that story. Today, more than 11 million hectares disappear annually, accounting for 11%-20% of all human-caused carbon emissions. The act of deforestation itself accounts for a staggering 17% of all carbon emissions on the planet. There are so many ways you can help.
Dogwood Alliance is lucky to partner with the CAYLA (City of Asheville Youth Leadership Academy) Program each year to welcome a new youth leader as an intern. This year, we have the privilege to work with Kimberly Vargas.
Our new report “Wood Pellet Manufacturing: Risks for the Economy of the US South” sheds much needed light on the economic downsides of this rapidly expanding new industry. The bottom line? The wood pellet export market is simply not a very smart 21st Century economic development strategy for our Southern rural communities. We can and must do better to support the economic well-being of the South’s rural communities.
