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January 22, 2010
I. Forestry News
State and Local
1. Local Officials Encourage Landowners to Certify Forests
2. Emerald Ash Borer Threatens National Pastime
3. Cowls Sawmill Closes
4. Oversight Panel Sees Biofuel Crops Helping Chesapeake Bay Cleanup
5. Officials: Pine Beetle Infestation Has Peaked
Federal Lands
1. Marbled Murrelet Remains Threatened
2. USDA Adding $4 Million to Arkansas' National Forests Funding
3. House Approves Timber Contract Bill
4. Environmental Groups Sue over Tongass Timber Sale
Forest Products Industry
1. Forecast Calls for Slow Recovery for Northwest Lumber Industry
2. Weyerhaeuser Introduces Pro Series Lumber
3. Georgia-Pacific Announces Acquisition of Certain Grant Forest Products Facilities
Biomass
1. The Unintended Ripples from the Biomass Subsidy Program
2. Biomass Seen Fueling California Economic Revival
3. $250 Million "Green Diesel" Plant Planned in Park Falls
Science & Technology
1. Researchers Learn Why Invasive Plants Are Spreading Rapidly in Forests
2. Seeing the Forest through the Trees and Seeing the Trees through the Leaves
3. Study: Wood Exports Carbon Friendly
4. Study: Trees Invading Warming Arctic Will Cause Regional Warming
Resources
1. Stream & Wetland Crossings and Erosion Control Options
2. SFI Issues Comparison Report
3. Funding Available for Environmental and Energy Technology Demonstrations
4. ODNR Accepting Applications for Forestry Legacy Program
5. Research You May Be Missing
II. SAF NEWS
What's New?
1. National Awards Nominations Due February 28
2. Foresters' Fund Deadline February 15
3. Working Group Merger
4. New CFE Quizzes Now Available
Convention & Meetings
1. Submit Your Abstract for the 2010 Convention
2. Science Fund Loan Applications Due
3. MN SAF Joint Meeting
Media Moments & Newsletters
1. The Following SAF State Society Newsletters Are Now Available
Announcements
1. You Are the Source of Forestry Information and Knowledge
I. Forestry News State and Local
1. Local Officials Encourage Landowners to Certify Forests
According to the Times Daily (Alabama), with consumers seeking wood and paper products produced from trees grown in a sustainable manner, landowners in many states have sought to have their forests certified as being managed with environmentally friendly methods.
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2. Emerald Ash Borer Threatens National Pastime
The Ledger Independent reports that the ash trees destroyed by EAB infestations are the same tree species used to make Louisville Slugger baseball bats.
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3. Cowls Sawmill Closes
According to CBS3 in Springfield (MA), the Cowls sawmill, which has been a legacy at Cowls Building Supply since the company started in 1741, has been forced to shut down.
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4. Oversight Panel Sees Biofuel Crops Helping Chesapeake Bay Cleanup
The New York Times reports that, according to a report by an intergovernmental panel overseeing the cleanup of the Chesapeake Bay, farming more cellulosic biofuel crops in the bay's watershed could help improve water quality.
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5. Officials: Pine Beetle Infestation Has Peaked
According to the Associated Press, the pine beetle infestation that has ravaged more than 2.5 million acres of forest in Colorado and Wyoming may be coming to an end. State and forest officials say the tiny beetle that burrows beneath the bark of pine trees and leaves their needles a sickly red as the tree dies, may be exhausting their food supply.
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Federal Lands
1. Marbled Murrelet Remains Threatened
Citing continued declines in the population of marbled murrelets in Washington, Oregon, and California, the US Fish and Wildlife Service said on January 20 that the small seabird continues to need the protection of the Endangered Species Act and will retain its status as a threatened species.
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2. USDA Adding $4 Million to Arkansas' National Forests Funding
Arkansas Business.com has reported the US Department of Agriculture is giving Arkansas' national forest management program an additional $4 million in fiscal 2010.
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3. House Approves Timber Contract Bill
According to the News Review (OR), The US House of Representatives recently approved a bill authored by Rep. Peter DeFazio to give the Department of the Interior authority to grant one-time contract extensions to buyers of timber on Bureau of Land Management forests.
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4. Environmental Groups Sue over Tongass Timber Sale
The Associated Press reported that three environmental groups are going to court to try and stop a particularly contentious timber sale in the country's largest national forest.
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Forest Products Industry
1. Forecast Calls for Slow Recovery for Northwest Lumber Industry
Oregon Public Radio reports that, according to the Western Wood Products Association, the region's forest products industry hit bottom in 2009 and can now look forward to a slow recovery. But that outcome largely depends on one big factor-a revival of the US housing market.
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2. Weyerhaeuser Introduces Pro Series Lumber
Weyerhaeuser has developed a new lumber product for a range of building applications-Pro SeriesTM Lumber. According to the company, "proprietary technology and quality control checks remove boards that have a greater tendency to eventually crook, twist, or bow."
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3. Georgia-Pacific Announces Acquisition of Certain Grant Forest Products Facilities
Georgia-Pacific announced that it has signed an agreement to acquire Grant Forest Products' oriented strand board (OSB) facility at Englehart, Ontario, and the associated facility at Earlton, Ontario, as well as its OSB facilities at Allendale and Clarendon, South Carolina for approximately $400 million.
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Biomass
1. The Unintended Ripples from the Biomass Subsidy Program
The Washington Post reported subsidizing biomass could end up causing more economic damage than good-driving up the price of raw timber, undermining an industry that has long used sawdust and wood shavings to make affordable cabinetry, and highlighting the many challenges involved in decreasing the nation's dependence on oil by using organic materials to create biofuels.
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2. Biomass Seen Fueling California Economic Revival According to the Sacramento Bee, biomass energy advocates contend that California could tap the energy stored in wood, garbage, plants, and animal waste to fuel a job creation engine that could pull the state out of its economic doldrums.
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3. $250 Million "Green Diesel" Plant Planned in Park Falls The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that plans are moving ahead to build a $250 million biorefinery that would make diesel and wax out of waste wood and other forms of biomass next to the Flambeau River Papers pulp and paper mill in Park Falls.
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Science & Technology
1. Researchers Learn Why Invasive Plants Are Spreading Rapidly in Forests
Invasive plants are advancing into Eastern forests at an alarming rate, and the rapid spread has been linked by researchers at Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences to forest road maintenance and the type of dirt and stone used on roads. For more information, visit the Penn State University website.
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2. Seeing the Forest through the Trees and Seeing the Trees through the Leaves
Scientists have discovered that, as a tree increases in size, its total canopy-specific leaf area (SLA) decreases-that is, its total leaf surface area fails to keep pace with increases in total leaf mass. What causes this decrease in SLA as tree size increases has remained a mystery, but recent research by Cornell University scientists Karl Niklas and Edward Cobb published in the January issue of the American Journal of Botany provides an explanation for this decrease in SLA with an increase in tree size.
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3. Study: Wood Exports Carbon Friendly
A study by Daniel MacCallum for New Zealand timber producer Nelson Forests suggests that sustainable timber can be carbon positive over the life-cycle of its production and distribution to market-even when transported long distances by sea. The study also concludes that sustainably produced wood compares well in carbon footprint comparisons with other construction materials such as steel, concrete, and aluminum.
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4. Study: Trees Invading Warming Arctic Will Cause Regional Warming
According to new research from scientists at the University of California-Berkeley, as the Earth warms and trees move into the Arctic, they will have a greater warming effect than previously thought.
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Resources
1. Stream & Wetland Crossings and Erosion Control Options
This page on the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources website offers a wide variety of information sheets, how-to publications, and special reports pertaining to management efforts in and around water. Among the topics addressed are floodplain management and temporary bridges.
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2. SFI Issues Comparison Report
In response to questions about how the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) and the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) compare, SFI has compiled a four-page report to help answer some of those questions. To download the report, visit the SFI website. In other SFI news, the January 2010 issue of the SFI newsletter is available on the organization's website.
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3. Funding Available for Environmental and Energy Technology Demonstrations
The Department of Defense's Environmental Security Technology Certification Program(ESTCP) is seeking innovative environmental and energy technology demonstrations as candidates for funding. This solicitation requests pre-proposals via Calls for Proposals to Department of Defense organizations and federal (non-DoD) organizations, and via a Broad Agency Announcement for private sector organizations. Pre-proposals are due by Thursday, March 4, 2010. Detailed instructions are available on the ESTCP website.
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4. ODNR Accepting Applications for Forestry Legacy Program
Woodland owners in 31 northeastern and southeastern Ohio counties can apply to participate in a federal conservation easement program that provides a one-time payment in exchange for voluntarily agreeing to permanently maintain their woods as working forests. Applications will be accepted through April 23, 2010 for enrollment in the Forest Legacy Program, which is coordinated by the US Forest Service and administered in Ohio by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Forestry. For additional information, visit the Ohio Department of Natural Resources website.
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5. Research You May Be Missing
Interested in what your colleagues have been reading? Below are the top most downloaded articles from each of SAF's scientific journal publications for the month of December. Emerald Ash Borer: Invasion of the Urban Forest and the Threat to North America's Ash Resource (Journal of Forestry, Vol. 104, No. 3) National-Scale Biomass Estimators for United States Tree Species (Forest Science, Vol. 49, No. 1) Crown Class Dynamics of Oaks, Yellow-Poplar, and Red Maple after Commercial Thinning in Appalachian Hardwoods: 20-Year Results (Northern Journal of Applied Forestry, Vol. 26, No. 4) A Height-Diameter Curve for Longleaf Pine Plantations in the Gulf Coastal Plane (Southern Journal of Applied Forestry, Vol. 33, No. 4) Technical Note: Why Quadratic Mean Diameter (Western Journal of Applied Forestry, Vol. 15, No. 3) To see the complete top 10 most downloaded article lists, visit the periodicals page on the SAF website and click on the journal you wish to view, then click the Most Downloaded Articles link. Your membership in SAF entitles you to free access to all journal content from 1902 through 1999, with Journal of Forestry access extending through today, but you'll need to have registered your online access through IngentaConnect to take advantage of this benefit. Don't miss out on this valuable resource-register today. For questions or registration assistance, please contact Matthew Walls.
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II. SAF News What's New?
1. National Awards Nominations Due February 28
Nominate a colleague for an SAF National Award. Detailed information on award criteria and procedures can be found on the SAF website.
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2. Foresters' Fund Deadline February 15
The first Foresters' Fund deadline is fast approaching. Grant proposals are due February 15. Remember: the fund supports local unit projects that help educate the public about forest management. For more information, visit the SAF website. Back
3. Working Group Merger
The Forest Science and Technology Board has approved the merger of the Inventory (A1) and Biometrics (A3) Working Groups into what will be called the "Inventory and Biometrics Working Group" (A1). The officers and members attending the business meeting at the 2009 SAF National Convention unanimously voted for the merger to "bring about more synergy and participation from our respective memberships. We think this new beginning will re-energize the working group." The two new officers are: Andrew Sanchez-Meador (US Forest Service) and Eddie Bevilacqua (SUNY-ESF), co-chairs; Jingjing Liang (University of Alaska-Fairbanks), chair-elect; and Chris Woodall (US Forest Service), secretary. To join this working group, visit the SAF website.
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4. New CFE Quizzes Now Available
Need some quick CFE credits? Then take the December 2009 Journal of Forestry Quiz. And for an additional 2 CFEs take the Northern Journal of Applied Forestry quiz or the Western Journal of Applied Forestry quiz. Check out the December 2009 issue. If you don't receive the Northern or Western Journals of Applied Forestry but want too, click here. Need help? Call (866) 897-8720 x130. We can help you set up your online or print subscription. Note: Some state boards of licensure and registration do accept SAF CFE credit for state registration and licensure. Please check directly with the board to verify specific state requirements including categories, ethics training, and distance learning.
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Convention & Meetings
1. Submit Your Abstract for the 2010 Convention
You may submit your abstract for the SAF 2010 National Convention online. The deadline is February 17, 2010 for oral presentations but posters will be accepted until September 12. You will see the web site has a new look this year. There is an explanation of the changes and a listing of the track topics on the Convention web site. If you have any questions about submitting a proposal, contact Terry Clark.
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2. Science Fund Loan Applications Due
The Science Fund Committee is accepting loan applications until February 15, 2010. A Science Fund loan is intended to get a project, such a training program, off the ground. Projects could include, but are not limited to, forestry research, continuing education, and outreach and collaboration. See the SAF website for more information and to download the application.
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3. MN SAF Joint Meeting
The Minnesota SAF is uniting with its sibling natural resources societies-the Minnesota Chapters of the American Fisheries Society, Society for Conservation Biology, and The Wildlife Society-for a joint natural resources conference March 1-3, 2010, at Grandview Lodge in Brainerd for our annual MN SAF winter meeting. For additional information, including Call for Papers, visit the MN SAF website.
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Media Moments & Newsletters
1. The Following SAF State Society Newsletters Are Now Available
Oregon and Washington SAF, The Western Forester New England SAF News Quarterly Southwestern SAF and Northern Arizona Back Announcements 1. You Are the Source of Forestry Information and Knowledge The Forestry Source welcomes contributions to: * Here's How To... * Science & Technology * Commentary and Letters * Society Affairs To discuss an idea for a potential contribution for a How To article, Science and Tech article, letter, or commentary, contact Steve Wilent, Editor, at (503) 622-3033. Ideas and potential contributions to Society Affairs should be brought to the attention of Joseph Smith.
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About The E-Forester: A Benefit of SAF Membership: The E-Forester is sent to SAF members in good standing twice a month. If you are an SAF member but are not receiving The E-Forester, please send an e-mail message with your full name and current e-mail address to Eforest@safnet.org. Please be sure to write "subscribe" in the subject line.
Disclaimer: The Society of American Foresters does not necessarily endorse the views expressed in the news items and/or links to additional information that appear in The E-Forester.
Meeting Announcements: The E-Forester will no longer include announcements for forestry events, gatherings, or tours not (co)sponsored by SAF.
Feedback: Do you have a comment about The E-Forester? Send it to us at Eforest@safnet.org.
Problems? If you experience any problems with The E-Forester or you receive an error message that says, "You may have been removed from the mailing list" when you try to click a link, please let us know so we can work to resolve the problem. If problems persist, we can make arrangements to send The E-Forester to you in an alternative format.
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