I. Featured News
All of these items and plus encore appear in l' "Featured News" section on the SAF home page
1. Seeing Trends, Coalition Works d' Help a River Adapt
New York Times (July 20) - Based on current warming trends, climate scientists anticipate that in l' next 100 years l' Nisqually River will become shallower and much warmer. Annuel snowpack will decline on average by half. To prepare pour these and d'autres potentially devastating changes, an unusual coalition of tribalgouvernement leaders, private partners, and federal and local agencies is de travail to help the watershed and its inhabitants adapt.
2. Penn State Instructor Joins Effort to Restore Chestnut Trees
Penn State (July 20) - Aaron Stottlemyer, instructor of forestry at Penn State DuBois, has joined a group of experts who are leading the charge to restore the American chestnut to eastern United States forests (a fungus known as chestnut blight wiped out chestnut populations in the early 1900s). He was invited to join The American Chestnut Foundation's Restoration and Ecology Track and recently met with the group at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. There, they discussed plans for reintroducing the tree to forests, since seeds of blight-resistant hybrid chestnut trees will be available soon.
3. Oregon Department of Forestry Implements Clatsop, Tillamook State Forest Management Plans
The Oregonian (July 19) - The Oregon Department of Forestry began implementing its forest management plans for Clatsop and Tillamook state forests, stating the department will use a cautious approach for increasing harvest.
The plans came under fire earlier this year after an independent review by Oregon State University's Institute for Natural Resources said they focused exclusively on timber production and failed to incorporate the best science.
4. Plan Seeks to Preserve Mountain Land
Morning Sentinel (Maine, July 20) - A plan to preserve nearly 12,000 acres of unique high-elevation forest in Carrabassett Valley has been picked to get a share of $7 million set aside by Maine voters last year for conservation projects.
The plan, being proposed by the Maine Bureau of Parks and Land, seeks to buy 11,800 acres from Plum Creek Timber Co., and turn about 4,500 acres into an ecological reserve, with the other land becoming state-managed forest.
5. National Fire News
According to the National Interagency Fire Center, as of July 19, 8 states-California, Georgia, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming-have reported large fires, and the number of acres they've burned totals 578,072.
For the latest national fire information, visit the NIFC website.
To read news articles about some of the fires and firefighting across the nation, see the following:
Southwestern Wildfires: The Big Picture
Indian Country Today (July 20)
Cal Fire Adapts to Reduced Crews, Supertanker Changes
Fire Rescue1.com
All of Arkansas under Moderate or High Fire Danger
4029tv.com (July 20)
Air Tanker in Medford to Help Fight Fires
KDRV.com (July 19)
Fire Alert Lifted across Alabama
Troy Messenger.com (July 18)
Federal Lands Management
6. Idaho GOP Sens. Crapo, Risch Join Northwest Democrats Seeking to Overturn 9th Circuit on Logging Roads
Idaho Statesman (press release, July 15) - A recent decision by the US 9th Circuit Court of Appeals will subject logging roads in public and private forests to some of the most stringent environmental protection laws in the United States. In response, Senators Mike Crapo (R-ID), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Jim Risch (R-ID), and Mark Begich (D-AK), recently introduced legislation-the Silviculture Regulatory Consistency Act-that seeks tooverturn that decision and return to the model of logging road management that has been successfully utilized for the last 35 years.
For more on the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals decision, see the July issue of The Forestry Source.
To read an SAF press release on the legislators' efforts, visit the forest policy website.
7. Loggers Seek National Forest Timber
Upper Michigan's Source.com (July 20) - Logging is one of the oldest industries in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, but in recent years, many jobs have been lost. Some in the timber community, who would like to harvest more timber from our national forests, say permits and regulations make that difficult.
8. Koochiching Forest Legacy Project Conserving Large Forested Areas in Minnesota's North Woods
US Forest Service, Northeastern Area (July 20) - The Koochiching Forest Legacy Project will conserve nearly 150,000 acres of working forest in Minnesota's north woods by 2012-thereby ensuring that these important forestlands will be permanently protected from conversion to nonforest uses; sustainably managed for forest products and wildlife; and will continue to provide public recreation for hunting, hiking, fishing, and trail use.
Forest Products Industry
9. Biomass Plant: Is There No Turning Back Now?
Gainseville.com (July 16) - As construction of Gainesville's 100-megawatt biomass plant gets under way, critics contend that the deal between the city and the plant is neither financially nor environmentally sound.
10. Starker Forests Takes the Long View
Corvallis Gazette Times (July 17) - When T.J. Starker bought his first 110-acre patch of second-growth forest land in the Coast Range in 1936, a lot of people thought he was crazy. But Starker, a forestry professor at the then Oregon Agricultural College (now Oregon State University), took a longer view.
11. Palfinger and Caterpillar Sign Forestry Accord
Vertikal.net (July 20) - The Epsilon Kran subsidiary of Palfinger that specializes in truck-mounted timber and recycling cranes, has signed a cooperation agreement with Caterpillar, covering loader cranes for forestry machines.
II. Publications, Resources, and Items of Interest
1. International News
Forestry Sector Sees Growth
New Brunswick Business Journal (July 20) - New Brunswick's forestry sector got some good news recently as June housing starts in the United States inched up almost 15 per cent to a 6-month high, but with economic recovery south of the border still far off, experts are urging caution.
Northern Peninsula Timber Industry Floats New Plan to Survive Tough Times
Northern Penn.ca (July 18) - Plans to temporarily barge timber from Newfoundland to Nova Scotia and keep the Northern Peninsula forestry industry alive hinge on approval and funding by the provincial government.
EU Forestry Partnerships: Rethinking Timber Trade Agreements
ICTSD.org (July 2) - Through its voluntary partnership agreements with timber producing countries, the European Union has established a new trade mechanism set to steer countries towards sustainable forestry practices.
2. Lumber Lore: Philomath Logger's Memories Recorded
Corvallis Gazette Times (July 19) - At 93, J.B. Beilman, is a bit hard of hearing and his back isn't as strong as it used to be, but he's still got his knees, a good sense of humor, and plenty of stories about his decades as a logger.3. ESF Researchers Focus on Tiny Tanzanian ToadSUNY ESF (July 19) - A species of tiny toads, which quickly became extinct in the wild after it was discovered in Tanzania, is thriving in a laboratory at the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry.
ESF scientists are studying the Kihansi spray toads to find ways to safely reintroduce the animals to the Kihansi River Gorge in southeastern Tanzania.
III. Science and Technology
1. Weeds, Herbicide Resistance Spreading in the United States
Newswise.com (July 18) - Herbicide resistance is growing. At least 21 weed species have now developedresistance to glyphosate, a systemic herbicide that has been effectively used to kill weeds and can be found in many commercial products. Some weeds are now developing resistance to alternative herbicides being used. New occurrences of resistance are being noted in varying weed species and locations, creating challenges for weed scientists.
2. Reforestation Methods Relocate Greenhouse Gas Emission Levels to Other Countries
Red Orbit.com (July 19) - The world's forests absorb one-third of the world's greenhouse gases, and could soak up as much as half of annual global carbon emissions if deforestation was halted, according to a new study published Friday in Science, a journal of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
3. Paul Smith's College Links with School in Dominican Republic
Adirondack Daily Enterprise (July 20) - Paul Smith's College is forming bonds with a school in the Dominican Republic so students and faculty at each school can learn from one another.
College officials hope to learn about ecotourism in a student and faculty exchange between Paul Smith's and the Escuela de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales- the school of environment and natural resources, which is in the Dominican town of Jarabacoa.
IV. SAF News
1. Have Breakfast with the Chief of the US Forest Service
Join the US Forest Service Chief for a breakfast chat at the SAF National Convention in Honolulu, Hawaii, on Saturday, November 5 from 6:30-7:45 am. The Chief will talk about Forest Service priorities for the upcoming year and open the discussion to your questions and comments.
CFEs will be available and seating is limited. Register now!
2. Membership Benefit: Consulting Forester's Liability and Prescribed Burn Liability Insurance Coverage
Do you need comprehensive, reliable, and affordable insurance coverage specifically designed to protect consulting foresters? If so, visit the SAF website to find out more on how SAF can help you get it.
3. Student Video Contest: Why Trees Are the Answer
Do you have talent? Do you have a video camera? Then you can be a star! Introducing the 2011 Student Video Contest. We want students and student chapters to show us why you think Trees Are the Answer. Make a 60- or 120-second video and you could win one of three awards. Winning videos will be presented at the 2011 National Convention. Submit your videos by Friday, September 30, 2011.
4. Grow the Foresters' Fund and Science Fund
The national raffle and silent auction held during the SAF National Convention is the main fundraiser for the Foresters' Fund program, which provides grants to SAF local units to educate the public about forestry and support local unit projects. In addition, the Science Fund is holding its first national silent auction during the National Convention.
All donations are tax deductible.
For more information please see the Foresters' Fund & Science Fund Donation Form.
About The E-Forester:
A Benefit of SAF Membership:
The E-Forester is sent to SAF members in good standing each week. If you are a SAF member but are not receiving The E-Forester, please send an e-mail message with your full name and current e-mail address toEforest@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.
