Natural Resources

Our staff works to engage with the community to solve and respond to key environmental challenges, reduce and make more equitable our collective use of the Earth's resources, and inspire respect for natural systems and our reliance on them.

Maple syrup collection from a sugar bush.

Beginning Maple Production

Join Aaron Wightman, Maple Specialist and Co-director of the Cornell Maple Program on January 26, 2022.

shiitake mushrooms on sale at a farmers' market in NYC

Forest Farming

Shiitake mushrooms are one of the valuable crops that forest owners can cultivate in their woods, along with fruits, nuts, and berries.

Forest Botanicals

Collecting forest plants for medicines, flavoring, or nutrition is one of the oldest uses of forests. Growing these plants in your woods can be a source of added income.

Woodlot Management

Visit our section of pages on Woodlot Management for resources that can help you make your woods healthier and more productive.

Contact

Russell Welser
Senior Resource Educator
rw43@cornell.edu
(585) 394-3977 x 436

Last updated March 14, 2025

Natural Resources

Ideas for Enjoying Birds at Home

There is lots of interesting information about birds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Check out All About Birds and eBird

Don't Move Firewood!

Firewood Transport Rules were revised August 2012 to improve regulatory compliance and enforcement. The existence of this regulation helps prevent firewood infested with invasive insects such as emerald ash borer and Asian longhorned beetle from being transported throughout the state, destroying trees from one place to another.

Cornell Cooperative Extension Department of Natural Resources and Environment

The Cornell Cooperative Extension in the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment is excited to announce our NEW online publication catalog <https://blogs.cornell.edu/ccednrepub/.

Here you can browse through resources generated from decades of research and extension expertise. From forest management practices, to wildlife activity booklets, this catalog spans dozens of topics for educators, landowners, and volunteers to utilize. To order resources from the catalog, simply use the order form on the website.

We hope that you enjoy looking through our collection of publications and consider supporting the department's extension work by purchasing some of your favorites. If you have questions, please contact: Andrew Scott Glaspell.