I. Featured News

All of these items and more appear in the "Featured News" section on the SAF home page

1. Forestry Expert: Forests Must Be Thinned

KTAR.com (June 22) - Bruce Greco, a Northern Arizona University forestry expert, says conditions that touched off this year's devastating wildfire season have built up for decades and that massive wildfires could become the rule rather than the exception.

2. Emerald Ash Borer Spreads in New York, Maryland, and Toronto, Canada

Cornell Confirms Emerald Ash Borer at Upper Falls Park

Irondequoit Post.com (June 22) - Rochester, New York's Upper Falls Park was recently confirmed by Cornell University researchers as being one of two new spot infestations of the emerald ash borer in the state.

Infestation of Emerald Ash Borer in Buffalo

WKBW.com (June 16) - An infestation of emerald ash borer was discovered in Buffalo, New York, this week. Experts say about a dozen trees within the city's South Park have been infested with the beetle. In 2009, the state's Department of Environmental Conservation discovered an infestation of the beetle in Randolph and is still treating trees down in the Southern Tier.

Emerald Ash Borer Detected in Baltimore Suburbs

Baltimore Sun (June 15) - The emerald ash borer, an invasive Asian insect deadly to ash trees, has turned up in trees and traps in three locations in Howard County, Maryland, accelerating the threat to hundreds of thousands of valuable shade trees in Baltimore and its suburbs.

Toronto's Ash Trees Face Extinction

CBC News.ca (June 20) - The emerald ash borer, first detected in Toronto in 2007, has since spread across the city, notably in the northeast, central, and eastern parts of Toronto.

A city study found the borer will likely wipe out most of the 860,000 ash trees currently in the city by 2017. Ash trees make up 8.4 per cent of Toronto's urban canopy.

3. Harvesting Part of Great Cypress Swamp Preservation

DelmarvaNow.com (June 22) - Delaware Wild Lands has embraced sustainable forestry and started to selectively harvest some of trees in the Great Cypress Swamp-mostly mature loblolly pines-and investing the money in reforestation and other projects at the massive holding near Gumboro, Delaware.

The Great Cypress Swamp covers about 12,000 acres on the Delmarva Peninsula.

4. Invasive Asian Long-Horned Beetle Found in Ohio

Columbus Dispatch (June 17) - Another tree killing beetle from Asia has been found in Ohio-the Asian long-horned beetle. State and federal agriculture officials reported this afternoon that they found the pest in Bethel, located about 30 miles southeast of Cincinnati. The discovery was prompted by a resident who reported unusual damage to three maple trees.

5. National Fire News

According to the National Interagency Fire Center, as of June 22, a total of 58 large fires are burning in 12 states-Alaska, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, and Texas. In sum, these active fires have burned 1,451,966 acres.

For the latest national fire information, visit the NIFC website.

To read news articles about some of the nation's recent fires, see the following:

Fires Burn 1.4 Million Acres in 12 States
United Press International (June 22)

Firefighter Wears Helmet Cam, Heads into Blaze (video)
First Coast News.com (June 21)

Southeast

Wildfire in Pender Co. Grows to 5,000 Acres
Associated Press (June 22)

Deaths of North Florida Firefighters Renew Safety Concerns
Daytona Beach News Journal (June 22)

South

Woods Fire Burns 825 Acres along I-10
Sun Herald (June 21)

Pacific Northwest

Fire Season Officially Will Begin at Start of July
Mail Tribune (June 22)

Southwest

Fire Lines Growing as Forests Burn
KRQE.com (June 22)

Rain Helps Firefighters Battle East Texas Blazes; Hundreds Remain Evacuated
Associated Press (June 22)

Federal Lands Management

6. Ag Committee Approves Pesticide Legislation

Benzinga.com (June 22) - The US Senate Agriculture Committee has approved the Reducing Regulatory Burdens Act of 2011 (HR 872), which affirms that pesticide application for activities such as forest management, crop protection, and public health is effectively regulated through the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act and does not require a duplicative NPDES permit.

In response, David P. Tenny, president and chief executive officer of the National Alliance of Forest Owners, said that the committee "took positive action" to "[ensure] America's agriculture and forestry sectors remain the most productive and sustainable in the world."

7. Officials Approve Monsanto Phosphate Mine in Idaho

Associated Press (June 22) - Federal officials have approved Monsanto Co.'s plans to expand mining operations in southeast Idaho's phosphate patch after concluding that a $30 million liner and drainage system would adequately protect nearby streams and rivers from selenium and other harmful minerals.

The US Bureau of Land Management's decision comes after years of environmental analysis and review of the agricultural company's plans in a region still dealing with the side effects of pollution caused by historic phosphate mining operations.

8. US Forest Service Awards nearly $3 Million for Renewable Energy Projects

USDA (June 22) - Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has announced the award of nearly $3 million in grants to 17 small businesses and community groups to develop wood-to-energy projects.

According to the agency, these projects will use woody material removed from forests during projects such as wildfire prevention, and that woody biomass will be processed in bioenergy facilities to produce green energy for heating and electricity. The awardees will use funds from the Woody Biomass Utilization Grant program to further the planning of such facilities by funding the engineering services necessary for final design, permitting, and cost analysis.

The Forest Service Woody Biomass Utilization grant program has been in effect since 2005 and has provided more than $33 million toward a variety of projects.

Forest Products Industry

9. Weyerhaeuser Selling Tacoma-Based Hardwoods Unit

Bizjournals.com (June 22) - Weyerhaeuser Company has announced it will sell its Tacoma-based hardwoods and industrial products division, which employs 1,000 people, to American Industrial Partners for an undisclosed price.

According to an American Industrial Partners statement, the Federal Way-based timber giant division will operate as Northwest Hardwoods Inc., with headquarters remaining in Tacoma.

10. Forest Industry Campaigns for More Wood

CBC.ca (June 22) - New Brunswick's forestry industry is cranking up a letter-writing campaign to pressure the Alward government not to cut the amount of wood companies can harvest on Crown land.

The Department of Natural Resources plans to reduce the amount of wood forestry companies can cut on public land over a 5-year cycle starting next year.

11. Sino-Forest Plunges further as Bad News Multiplies

Reuters Canada (June 21) - Sino-Forest's recent "meltdown" in the wake of news about accounting fraud within the company has prompted investors to ditch the company's stock and bonds, and resulted in one of the most dramatic corporate collapses in years.

II. Publications, Resources, and Items of Interest

1. Minnesota's First Champion of Forestry

Duluth News Tribune (June 22) - At a time when Minnesota was clearcutting most of its native forests, Christopher Columbus Andrews brought the first concepts of sustainable forestry to the state.

And in a related article…

Minnesota's Forestry Service Turns 100

Duluth News Tribune (June 22) - A century ago today, Minnesota lawmakers succumbed to common sense and public outrage, and established the Minnesota Forest Service-the first state agency assigned to battle incessant wildfires and manage logging in the state.

2. SFI Funds Community-Based Education and Green Building Projects

Sustainable Forestry Initiative (June 20) - The Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) has awarded a total of $35,200 in grants to nine community-based projects to support forestry education activities and green building for low-income families.

The projects are an extension of the SFI Conservation and Community Partnerships Grant Program, which has committed more than $1 million to date to help build knowledge, support landowner outreach, strengthen global supply chains, and deliver benefits in forests and communities across the United States and Canada.

3. International Forestry News Senegal Farmers Fight Desertification with Trees

Reuters (June 22) - The people of Khatre Sy, a city about 130km north of Senegal's capital, Dakar, have pooled their farmlands together and zoned off sections to allow trees-mainly varieties of the African acacia-to regenerate.

The result of the initiative is growing hectares of land devoted to agroforestry, which some researchers see as vital in providing a barrier against desertification in the semi-arid Sahel region.

New Congo Law Demands Environmental Impact Studies

Reuters (June 22) - Companies working in Democratic Republic of Congo will soon be forced to submit environmental impact reports or be fined, according to a law passed by the country's parliament.

Details of what the law requires still need to be finalized by ministers, but the legislation will apply to existing and future projects in sectors ranging from oil and mining to infrastructure, forestry, and farming.

III. Science and Technology

1. Moldy Mess? Maybe Not

US Forest Service (May 5) - Scientists at the Michigan Technological University have launched a research project that incorporates seedlings from the J.W. Toumey Nursery into a study to look at how nutrients are drawn up from the soil through ectomycorrhizal fungi and then used by trees.

2. Tree Planting Is a Risky Business

Record Eagle (June 13) - SAF member Bill Cook explains why tree planting is a risky business that represents a hope for the future and a promise of hard work.

"By now, the spring planting is largely done, or should be. While getting those seedlings in the ground is a significant accomplishment, there remains a lot of work to keep most of those trees alive."

3. Professor to Study Flooding in Southern West Virginia

The Daily Athenaeum (June 22) - Nicolas Zegre, assistant professor of forest hydrology in the Division of Forestry and Natural Resources at West Virginia University, has received a national award to study the effects of flooding in southern West Virginia.

The 2011 Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award was given to Zegre by Oak Ridge Associated Universities to fund a series of tests on a watershed in the southern coal river basin of West Virginia.

IV. SAF News

1. Consulting Forestry Track at the 2011 National Convention

One of the numerous tracks at the 2011 SAF National Convention will be devoted to consulting forestry and the unique challenges and opportunities consulting foresters face, such as

• Factors Influencing Family Forest Owner Participation in Forest Carbon Markets
• Evolving Impacts of Sale Characteristics on Stumpage Prices in the US South
• Tools for Engaging Landowners Effectively: Case Studies in Social Marketing
• General Formula for Assessing the Value of Land and Trees

For more information about the science and technical program at the SAF National Convention, or to register, visit the convention website.

2. Breakfast with the Chief—2011

The annual "Breakfast with the Chief" at the 2011 SAF National Convention will take place on Saturday, November 5, from 6:30 to 7:45 am.

This is a popular event and seating is limited, so register early so you don't miss out on hearing the Chief's views on issues affecting the nation's forests and grasslands, the agency's priorities for the coming year, and, of course, his responses to questions and comments from the audience.

To register, or for more information, visit the SAF National Convention website. www.safconvention.org

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. 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.

5. 2011 Ben Meadows Scholarships

The Society of American Foresters is pleased to announce two new scholarships offered by Ben Meadows and administered by SAF.

All scholarship candidates must be enrolled, full time, as a junior or senior in a natural resource program working toward a Bachelor of Arts or Science degree, which includes, but is not limited to, agroforestry, urban forestry, environmental studies, natural resource management, natural resource recreation, wildlife management, wood science and fisheries management.

The scholarships, one for academic achievement and one based on leadership, are each worth $2,500.

Applications are due by June 30, 2011. Eligible students are encouraged to apply. Instructions, complete requirements, and the application form can be found on the Ben Meadows website.

 

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