1. New Paper Campaign to Spread Awareness about Sustainability of Print

Overnight Printes.com (January 26) - International Paper's "Go Paper. Grow Trees" campaign aims to inform readers about the day-to-day challenges private landowners and tree farmers face. It has even developed a website that will feature forestry facts as well as videos. The company further hopes that the initiative will underscore the important role the print and paper industries play in keeping forests whole and healthy.

2. New Head of Forestry Department Has 24 Years' Experience

Associated Press (January 27) - Doug Decker, the new director of the Oregon Department of Forestry, is a 24-year veteran of the agency who started as a spokesperson during battles over the northern spotted owl and then rose through the ranks to confront budget cuts that threaten to undermine state logging controls. Decker replaces Marvin Brown, who resigned last October

3. Timber Demand in Asia Helps Market, but Missoula-Area Loggers Yet to See Changes

Missoulian (January 26) - Wood Resources International LLC, a Seattle-based industry analyst, reported in January that North American log and lumber exports to China jumped 150 percent in 2010 compared to 2009. Five years ago, the region's total Chinese exports were worth about $125 million. Last year, the figure topped $1.6 billion. Yet, whereas the world timber market may finally be cutting the United States a break, Montana's loggers aren't ready to celebrate.

4. Experts: Forest Accords Not Saving Trees

AFP (January 25) - International accords on saving vulnerable forests are having little impact because they do not attack the core causes such as growing demand for biofuels and food crops, a new report said.

With Africa and South American alone losing 7.4 million hectares (18.3 million acres) of forest a year, the International Union of Forest Research Organizations said a drastic change of policy is needed by the United Nations and governments.

5. Ohio State Forests Achieve Sustainability Recognition

Ohio Department of Natural Resources (January 25) - Ohio's 21 state forests are now certified as "well-managed" and meet the standards of the national Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR), Division of Forestry. This is in addition to certification obtained for Ohio's state forests in December 2010 from the Sustainable Forestry Initiative program.

Federal Lands Management

6. Forest Management Considered Key to Fighting Pine Bark Beetles

Chadron Record (January 26) - The US Forest Service recently released its results of the 2010 forest health aerial survey, which showed 4 million acres of heavily damaged trees in Colorado, Wyoming, and South Dakota. The infestation doubled from 22,000 acres to 44,000 acres in the Black Hills last year.

7. Appeals Court Rejects US Request for Rehearing in Montana Timber Case

New York Times (January 26) - A federal appeals court today rejected a government request to rehear a case that set a precedent on how to interpret a 2008 Supreme Court ruling which seemed to limit the ability of environmental groups to halt certain government actions.

The San Francisco-based 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals, which has jurisdiction over the nine Western states and handles a lot of environmental matters, said it had denied the government's request to rehear Alliance for the Wild Rockies v. Cottrell, a case that focused on a timber salvage sale in Montana.

8. Oregon Timber Groups File Suit Over Spotted Owl Recovery Plan

OregonLive.com (January 25) - Two Portland-based timber industry groups have filed suit alleging that the US Fish & Wildlife Service improperly used outside advisors to help revise a recovery plan for the northern spotted owl. The Carpenters Industrial Council and the American Forest Resource Council contend the agency's use of advisory committees violated federal law because meetings were conducted privately, with no written notes or other records that can reviewed by the public. Agency officials have defended the modeling team, saying that industry groups have been informed of its work.

Forest Products Industry

9. Tribunal Rules in Ontario's Favor on Softwood Lumber Exports

Northern Ontario Business.com (January 24) - The London Court of International Arbitration Tribunal ruled to limit an additional tax on Ontario softwood lumber exports to the United States to one-tenth of a percent. The provincial government said it's lower than the 20 percent the United States had originally requested. The tribunal rejected American claims that pre-existing Ontario government forestry programs had a significantly negative impact on US wood producers.

10. Rayonier's Stock Hits Record Hig

Florida Times Union (January 25) - Rayonier Inc.'s stock, which was already trading at record levels, went even higher after the Jacksonville-based forest products company reported strong fourth-quarter earnings.

The company reported total net income of $59.2 million, or 72 cents a share, helped by a biofuel producer tax credit. Without that credit, adjusted net income was $35 million, or 43 cents a share-up from adjusted earnings of $33 million, or 42 cents, the previous year.

11. Sino-Forest's Lush Outlook: Higher Fiber Yields, Faster Growing Trees, More Land

Seeking Alpha.com (January 26) - Long-term, Chinese wood fiber demand is expected to grow by 10 percent annually and the current domestic production shortfall is approx 40 percent. This gap is met through imports of wood fiber, logs, and finished lumber. Sino-Forest is well positioned to take advantage of this trend by being a major wood plantation operator and a large foreign timber owner with holdings in countries such as New Zealand.

II. Publications, Resources, and Items of Interest

1. Forest Service Offers Free Guide to Managing Invasive Plants

US Forest Service - The USDA Forest Service Southern Research Station (SRS) is distributing free copies of a new guide, A Management Guide for Invasive Plants in Southern Forests, that gives homeowners, gardeners, land managers, and others information on controlling and removing invasive plants in the South.

Published by SRS, the book provides information on developing strategies for combating 56 of the most pervasive invasive species in the South such as kudzu, tallowtree, tree-of-heaven, and Japanese honeysuckle. The 120-page guide informs readers on how invasive plants spread, preventative measures that help reduce their distribution, and how to develop management plans. The guide combines 392 colorful photos with details on herbicides, application methods, biological controls, tools and mechanical treatments, grazing techniques, and more.

2. New Features Enhance Web-based Climate Change Tool

US Forest Service (January 19) - The USDA Forest Service Eastern Forest Environmental Threat Assessment Center (EFETAC) has announced recent upgrades to the Template for Assessing Climate Change Impacts and Management Options, an interactive, web-based tool that provides users opportunity to integrate current climate change science into land management planning decisions.

3. 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.

Aldo Leopold's Land Ethic: Is It Only Half a Loaf
(Journal of Forestry, Vol. 98, No. 10)

Compatibility of Stand Basal Area Predictions Based on Forecast Combination
(Forest Science, Vol. 56, No. 6)

Allometric Equations for the Aboveground Biomass of Selected Common Eastern Hardwood Understory Species
(Northern Journal of Applied Forestry, Vol. 27, No. 4)

Relationships among Diameter at Breast Height and Loblolly Pine Attributes from Local and Nonlocal Seed Sources near the Western Edge of the Natural Range of Loblolly Pine
(Southern Journal of Applied Forestry, Vol. 34, No. 4)

Evaluation of Techniques to Protect Aspen Suckers from Ungulate Browsing in the Black Hills
(Western Journal of Applied Forestry, Vol. 25, No. 4)

To see the complete top 10 most downloaded article lists, visit the publications page on the SAF wesbite, 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, but you need to register with IngentaConnect to get it.

Questions? Contact Matthew Walls.

III. Science and Technology

1. Decline of Northern Flying Squirrel Symptom of Ailing Ecosystem

Penn State news release (January 24) - Northern flying squirrels are rapidly disappearing from Pennsylvania forests and southern flying squirrels are taking over.

Although most of us would be hard pressed to notice the difference, as the two species are nearly identical, the northern flying squirrel prefers the heavy cover of coniferous forests and likes to feed on the truffle-like fungi that grow beneath red spruce and hemlock. Unfortunately, the squirrel's habitat is shrinking.

2. Study: In Warming World, Plants Move Uphill, Not Down

University of California Davis news release (January 20) - In a recently published paper appearing in the journal Science, a University of California-Davis researcher and his co-authors challenge a widely held assumption that plants will move uphill in response to warmer temperatures.

3. Immersive Data Collection, Peer Networks Among Key Elements of Effective Watershed Councils

US Forest Service's Pacific Northwest Research Station press release (January 24) - According to a new study from the US Forest Service, community watershed councils can establish a social infrastructure that facilitates successful science-based management by participating in data collection and forming neighborhood peer networks.

Findings of the study-which is featured in the January issue of Science Findings-can help watershed councils increase the effectiveness of their work.

(Note: to see the latest issue of Science Findings, click on the link and then scroll to the bottom of the page.)

IV. SAF News

1. Get $10 Off Your 2012 Membership Dues for Every New and Reinstating Member You Recruit!

Membership is all about networking. Now you can save money and help the organization by recruiting your colleagues. For every new or former professional member you recruit, you receive $10 off your 2012 national dues.

Show Them How They Can:

• Access the nation's largest listing of continuing forestry education
• Enhance their professional credentials with the Certified Forester® program
• Get discounted pricing on the NEW Forestry Mobile App
• Use the all-new Career Center and post their résumé in the online database
• Get discounted rates on Consulting and Prescribed Fire Insurance
• Get FREE online subscription to Forest Science
• Get FREE online subscriptions to the Regional Applied Journals of Forestry
• Learn about the latest developments in forest policy
• Get discounted rates on automotive insurance
• Get involved locally and make a difference

Be the Sponsor

Help them sign up by visiting the SAF website or call (866) 897-8720 x110 and make sure they list you as the sponsor. You don't pay anything but you can save a lot.

2. Meetings of Note

Allegheny Winter Meeting

The Allegheny SAF's 2011 winter meeting, titled "Maintaining and Enjoying Our Forests," will be held in Clarion, Pennsylvania, on February 16, 17, and 18. Hosted by the Plateau Chapter, the meeting is open to all members of Allegheny SAF as well as any others who may wish to attend.

Additional information may be obtained from Howard Wurzbacher at (814) 432-3187.

National Workshop on Climate & Forests

Planning Tools and Perspectives on Adaptation and Mitigation Options
Northern Arizona University
May 16-18, 2011 o Flagstaff, Arizona

Join leading scientists, foresters, and educators to learn and discuss what needs to be done today to manage tomorrow's forests. Participate in regionally themed breakouts to discuss the implementation of adaptation and mitigation options and share your accomplishments at the poster session.

Early-Bird Discounts End April 2

To register, or for more information, visit the SAF website.

3. Call for Presentations Now Open

We want a science and technical program for the 2011 SAF National Convention that appeals broadly to the forestry profession by highlighting cutting-edge, forest-focused science delivered in a way that is interesting to scientists and accessible to forest managers. To that end, we invite you to submit your presentation or poster for this exciting event.

The abstract submission deadline is February 28, 2011

For more information on submitting your presentation or poster, visit the SAF website.

4. Get the Most from Your New Membership Benefit-Free Online Access to All SAF Journals!

Beginning in January, your SAF membership now includes free online access to the Northern, Southern, and Western Journals of Applied Forestry, as well as Forest Science, SAF's premiere journal of forestry research and theory.

To take advantage of this new membership benefit, sign up for a new issue alert, which automatically sends you E-mail when new issues are available. You can also set up an RSS feed for the latest or recent issues. Simply visit our online content, select the journal for which you wish to receive an alert or feed, then click the corresponding link beneath the issue thumbnail.

Remember: if you've never accessed SAF's online journal collection, you'll need to register first to take advantage of your new benefit. Follow these simple, one-time registration instructions and then be on your way to exploring the latest science and research, as well as new techniques and practices for effective, productive forest management.

For assistance with the registration process, contact Matt Walls.

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