PPFS-GEN-14: Don't Eat Those Wild Mushrooms

Ellen Crocker, Nicole Gauthier | February 1, 2016 (New)

Mushrooms are strange and wonderful things--some are beautiful, some are ugly, some are delicious, and some are deadly. Mushroom hunting is a fun and rewarding hobby that can turn a hike through local woods into a puzzle-solving adventure. Many people are drawn to mushroom hunting and the potential to forage for food. Unfortunately, there is a dark side to mushroom foraging: poisoning. Each year, wild mushrooms lead to numerous illnesses and even a few deaths.

FOR-125: Distinguishing Softwoods from Hardwoods

Terry Conners | December 21, 2015 (New)

Softwood and hardwood trees are made up of different types of cells. With just a little magnification, it's easy to see that softwood growth rings look different from hardwood growth rings. Additionally, growth rings don't look the same for all of the trees, and the growth ring appearance is one of the things we will look at to identify wood.

FOR-123: Introduction to Wood Structure and Characteristics

Terry Conners | December 21, 2015 (New)

Knowing how to identify unknown pieces of wood using a hand lens is the only skill you will need for most situations---and that's the purpose behind most of this manual. A section at the end about how to identify wood using a microscope is available should you want to develop your wood identification expertise.

FOR-127: The First Separation of Softwood Species

Terry Conners | December 21, 2015 (New)

Just making the separation between softwoods and hardwoods doesn't help much in identifying wood species; that would be sort of like identifying children by their hair color. Let's look at the next level of wood features that you need to be able to recognize.

FOR-126: Grain Patterns and Growth Rings

Terry Conners | December 21, 2015 (New)

Frequently you need to be able to observe wood cells from a particular perspective, and you will need to know where to look for different features on your sample. It's also very helpful to develop a kind of "visual vocabulary" that will let you match a term with a corresponding mental image, and the information in this chapter will start you on your way.

FOR-124: First Steps in Identifying Wood

Terry Conners | December 21, 2015 (New)

Wood samples need to be identified for all sorts of reasons, and they come in all shapes, sizes and conditions. I've received samples that were sound, samples that were waterlogged, samples that were rotted or otherwise degraded, painted samples, furniture samples, even samples containing wood preservatives. Most of the samples I receive have a North American origin, but I also receive pieces from art museums and antique dealers that can originate from just about anywhere. This sometimes means that identifying the sample by a common name alone doesn't provide enough information.

ID-210: Midwest Blueberry Production Guide

Tom Barnes, Cheryl Kaiser, Chris Smigell, John Strang, Nicole Gauthier, Dwight Wolfe, Shawn Wright | May 12, 2014 (Reprinted)

Blueberries are one of the few fruit crops native to North America. Wild blueberries were utilized by Native Americans for making medicines, dyes, and flavorings, as well as for direct consumption. Once a small-scale crop produced within limited regions, blueberries are now grown throughout the United States and the rest of the world.

HENV-205: Residential Rain Garden: Design, Construction, Maintenance

Rick Durham, Brad Lee, Brad Lee, Ashley Osborne | May 1, 2014 (New)

This publication covers the design, construction, and maintenance of residential ran gardens. Rain gardens are one of several stormwater management practices that homeowners can use to reduce their property's negative impact on water quality and flooding.

FOR-62: Managing Urban Pest Bird Problems

Tom Barnes | May 7, 2013 (Minor Revision)

FOR-91: Growing Forest Botanicals and Medicinals

Deborah Hill | March 15, 2013 (New)

If you are interested in producing some of Kentucky's native medicinal plants, the first step is to gather as much information about them as possible. This publication includes useful information including a list of helpful books, contacts, and organizations.