Latest news with #KansasForestService
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Yahoo
Lawrence police respond to park slashing incident
LAWRENCE (KSNT) – The Lawrence Police Department (LPD) is investigating an incident that resulted in knife injuries for two people. Police were called just after 6 a.m. on May 15 to a report of a woman 'covered in blood' at Clinton Park near West 6th Street and Maine Street. Officers found a 35-year-old woman with slashing injuries. Later, police found a 20-year-old man a couple of blocks away who also had wounds consistent with being slashed by a knife. The LPD said nobody else was involved in the incident. Both individuals required medical attention, according to the LPD. 'Everyone is overwhelmed': Kansas Forest Service at risk of 80% funding loss, layoffs with proposed federal cuts The LPD said investigators aren't looking for any other people involved with the incident. The police department said investigators are talking to witnesses to find out what happened. For more crime news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track Weather app by clicking here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘Everyone is overwhelmed': Kansas Forest Service at risk of 80% funding loss, layoffs with proposed federal cuts
TOPEKA (KSNT) – Kansas forestry officials are sounding the alarm this week as looming federal cuts could impact their ability to fight wildfires and help support the state's green spaces. The Kansas Forest Service (KFS) issued a press release on Wednesday, May 14, calling on the state's residents to support the agency as it faces dire straits. The source of the KFS's anxiety comes from the federal Fiscal Year 2026 proposal, which contains a big change that could seriously impact some of its critical services. President Donald Trump unveiled the new 'Skinny Budget' on May 2, highlighting increased spending on defense and border security while reducing non-defense discretionary budget by $163 billion. Trump has made major pushes to reduce government spending since he retook the White House in 2025, going so far as to form the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Included within it are cuts in the hundreds of millions of dollars to conservation and the U.S. Forest Service (FS). National Forest System Management – decrease of $392 million from Fiscal Year 2025. Forest Service Operations – decrease of $391 million from Fiscal Year 2025. State, Local, Tribal and NGO Conservation Programs – decrease of $303 million from Fiscal Year 2025. Forest and Rangeland Research (Except Forest Inventory and Analysis – decrease of $300 million from Fiscal Year 2025. Kansas parks shut down amid federal staffing shortage The KFS said the Trump Administration's budget proposal would eliminate all Forest Service State, Private and Tribal Forestry (SPTF) programs. These programs help the KFS with wildfire prevention, support local fire departments, assist private landowners with management of forests or windbreaks, community tree planting and care, along with habitat restoration. 'If Congress agrees to this proposal, the impact in Kansas would be detrimental. It would mean fewer resources to reduce wildfire risk, protect homes and communities, and keep our forests and woodlands healthy and productive.' KFS press release excerpt Kansas State Forester Jason Hartman told 27 News it is difficult to put an exact dollar amount on how these proposals will impact the KFS. He said that doing some comparisons to the budget from the previous fiscal year, the KFS is looking at around an 80% reduction in funding. 'Everyone is overwhelmed with the scope and changes of the proposed plan,' Hartman said. Found an arrowhead in Kansas? Archaeologist urges you to leave it alone Hartman said the KFS would have to support itself off of state funding and money it generates on its own if the Trump Administration's proposed budget takes effect. He indicated that a 75% reduction in KFS services would come as a result of the cuts, including a possible reduction in staff. The agency currently employs 42 full-time workers and 50 part-time staff. 'It wouldn't be right away that we'd have to lay people off,' Hartman said. The KFS reports the federal budget proposal would bring an end to a federal-state partnership that has been around for more than a century. Hartman said the KFS is facing cuts to various programs such as supporting landowners, forest stewardship, helping local fire departments, pest management and more that total more than $2 million in funding. Programs the KFS reports are at risk with these cuts include: Support for Kansas fire departments in the form of training, grants and equipment donation programs. Landowner assistance programs in forestry such as helping landowners access cost-share programs like the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). Wildfire response, community wildfire protection plans and private landowner trainings on prescribed fire and fire safety. Tree City USA programs that support local trees and those who manage them. Blackout license plates available for purchase in Kansas starting on July 1, 2025 Funding and Map PDF by Matthew Self on Scribd 'It isn't just funding, it's people,' Hartman said. 'It's livelihood, it's service that we are all very committed to.' The KFS calls on Kansans to advocate on behalf of the agency in an effort to help it keep its funding and prevent it from having to make difficult decisions with cutting staff, ending projects and eliminating landowner and client support. The agency encourages people to reach out to Kansas' representatives in Congress as soon as possible. You can find more resources provided by the KFS on this issue by clicking here. How to spot and avoid poison ivy growing wild in Kansas For more Kansas news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track Weather app by clicking here. Follow Matthew Self on X (Twitter): Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
03-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Invasive species found at national wildlife refuge in Kansas
PLEASANTON (KSNT) – Kansas wildlife researchers have confirmed that an invasive pest has invaded the wooded areas of a national park in the eastern part of the state. The Kansas Forest Service (KFS) and Kansas Department of Agriculture (KDA) report that emerald ash borer insects have been found in Linn County at the Marais des Cygnes National Wildlife Refuge. KFS staff found an adult inset on April 24, confirming long-held suspicions the insect is now present at the refuge. 'Although we are pleased to have confirmed ongoing suspicions, the detection of emerald ash borer in Linn County marks another step in the insect's steady spread across Kansas,' said Shad Hufnagel, the forest health program coordinator with the Kansas Forest Service. Federal hiring freeze spreads fear of Kansas lake campgrounds closing Emerald ash borers are beetles that come from eastern Russia and northeastern Asia that are now becoming more common in the U.S. as they infest different forested areas of the nation. The beetles are a big problem as they threaten North America's ash tree species and their cultivars. The KFS notes that 16 counties in Kansas now have confirmed populations of emerald ash borer going back to the first positive identification in 2012. These include the following counties: Wyandotte – 2012. Johnson – 2013. Leavenworth – 2014. Douglas – 2015. Jefferson – 2015. Atchison – 2016. Doniphan – 2017. Shawnee – 2017. Miami – 2019. Jackson – 2019. Brown – 2022. Osage – 2022. Franklin – 2023. Lyon – 2024. Nemaha – 2024. Linn – 2025. 'With this detection, it is important to encourage property owners to begin assessing which ash trees they wish to retain as untreated specimens will likely succumb to future infestations,' Hufnagel said. Kansas men win Alabama fishing tournament with 83-pound catfish The KFS and KDA encourage people, especially landowners, to check local trees for signs of emerald ash borers in their local ash trees such as thinning canopies and D-shaped holes. People can report suspected emerald ash borer activity to the KDA or to the KFS. The Marais des Cygnes National Wildlife Refuge is home to wetlands, prairie and hardwood forests which provide a natural environment that is home to a wide variety of plants and animals., according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). The 7,500-acre refuge was established in 1992 for the restoration and protection of bottomland hardwood forest. For more Kansas Outdoors, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track Weather app by clicking here. Follow Matthew Self on X (Twitter): Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
30-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Life finds a way: Why the Callery Pear Tree is such a problem in Kansas
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — They're a tree you won't see in many nurseries anymore. The Callery Pear and its variations are all over the state, with ongoing efforts by environmental organizations to remove them. Imported from Asia, the trees were originally used as landscaping for their more desirable qualities. They're big and round, with white flowers blooming in the Spring. But their drawbacks quickly became apparent, with the smell being most obvious. The Kansas Forest Service says for the Sunflower State the problem grows much deeper than that. 'It also has kind of a more ominous nature to it,' Shad Hufnagel, Forest Health Director for the Kansas Forest Service, said. 'They grow so aggressively that they will push out native vegetation and disrupt natural ecosystems.' The tree was thought to be incapable of reproducing, which was part of the appeal. 'These trees that were initially … independently sterile, have found a way to cross pollinate because of these cultivars that have been developed, including the Bradford Pear,' Hufnagel said. The Bradford, Cleveland Select and Aristocrat are some of the sub-variations (cultivars) of the Callery Pear. To mitigate the spread, the Forest Service are going so far as to renew their buy-back program for Callery Pears in 2026. The tree is well-known to nurseries in Wichita, like Johnson's Garden Center. 'I hate to cut down trees, but if they're causing problems then it has to be dealt with,' Ryan Johnson, Assistant Manager at Johnson's Garden Center said. He hasn't seen any this year, but Johnson frequently deals with customers looking to replace their Callery Pears. He and the Forest Service agree that these trees and their cultivars are ill-suited for the Kansas environment. 'For Kansas, at least. It's just very structurally not sound for our winds. [With] the branching structure, you can lose half that tree in a heavy wind storm,' Johnson said. Losing your pear tree doesn't mean there aren't options. Local nurseries offer plenty of other trees, perfectly suited for your garden and for the state. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Buybacks for invasive, smelly pear trees in Kansas will not happen this spring
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — The invasive Callery (Bradford) pear trees are now in full bloom, but a buyback on the trees won't happen this spring. The Kansas Forest Service says the program will happen in spring 2026 due to a shift in partners, and a small buyback will occur in the fall in Manhattan. The Callery pear trees are notoriously stinky, weak-wooded, and prone to storm damage. They are also invasive because they have found a way to cross-pollinate. 'Those trees have been able to cross-pollinate to create fertile seed, which in turn is consumed by wildlife birds, in particular, and then redeposited throughout our pastures, woodlands, and other native green spaces,' Shad Hufnagel, Forest Health Coordinator for the Kansas Forest Service, said. What Wichita is doing to stay out of Stage 3 of drought plan Hufnagel says the trees begin to grow in areas where they had not been intended. 'They grow so aggressively that they will push out native vegetation and disrupt natural ecosystems,' he added. The Forest Service says any trees documented and removed in 2025 will be eligible for the 2026 buyback. They ask that you provide photos of your pear tree standing and removed (stump picture) or provide a bill from an arborist that notes a Callery pear tree was removed. For more Kansas news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news by downloading our mobile app and signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track 3 Weather app by clicking here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
