I. Featured News

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

1. Bracing for Beetle Wars in Oklahoma Forests

NewsOK.com (September 19) - A dreaded beetle has devastated Oklahoma pine forests in the past. With drought and wildfires a major problem this year, state forestry experts are hoping landowners start thinning their trees to control another round of the southern pine beetle.

2. Housing Starts Hit 3-Month Low

Atlanta-Journal Constitution (September 21) - Builders began work on fewer homes than forecast in August, showing an industry that's languishing more than 2 years into the US economic recovery.

3. From Fire: Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Forest of the Future

Star-Tribune (September 20) - The fire burning in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness is a routine event in the history of Minnesota's wilderness. This time, however, a different kind of forest is likely to emerge from the ashes-one that will reflect the impact that climate change is working on all of Minnesota's famed North Woods.

4. Texas Wildfires Largely Controlled, but Risks Remain

LA Times (September 19) - The Texas Forest Service says wildfires that began more than 2 weeks ago in Bastrop County have been 95 percent contained. Across the state, other major fires had also been brought under control by [September 19], but risks remained, fire officials said.

And in other Texas wildfire news:

Texas Forest Service Suspects Wildfire Started with Power Line Sparks

Associated Press (September 20) - According to fire officials, sparks from electric power lines likely started the blaze that became the most destructive wildfire in Texas history.

5. National Fire News

According to the National Interagency Fire Center, as of September 21, five states-Idaho, Minnesota, Mississippi, Oregon, and Texas-have reported large fires, and the number of acres burned by active fires totals 156,803.

For more information, visit the National Interagency Fire Center website.

Two Cousins Charged with Causing Largest Wildfire in Arizona History Appear in Court
Washington Post (September 19)

Cleaning Up the Lots on Wintergreen to Prevent Forest Fires
NBC29.com (Virginia, September 20)

Crews Contain Border Blaze
BCLocalnews.com (September 20)

Federal Lands Management

6. Timber Sale Seen as Step for Pilot Project

The US Bureau of Land Management has made its first timber sale in a forest restoration pilot project under way in the Applegate Valley.

The 1.5-million-board-foot Pilot Joe sale was sold for $230,606 to Boise Cascade Wood Products, one of three qualified bidders at the auction. There were no administrative protests to the sale, which covers about 250 acres.

Pilot Joe is the first sale for the project since it was proposed last year by forest ecology professors Norm Johnson at Oregon State University and Jerry Franklin at the University of Washington. The goal is to preserve the largest trees and improve forest health, including northern spotted owl habitat, while producing wood for mills and reducing wildfire danger.

7. Lawsuit over Seeley Timber Sale Reveals Split among Environmental Groups

Missoulian (September 21) - The Alliance for the Wild Rockies, Friends of the Wild Swan, Montana Ecosystem Defense Council, and Native Ecosystems Council all sued the Forest Service over the Colt Summit Forest Restoration and Fuels Reduction Project, which would thin trees and remove roads on more than 4,000 acres between Lake Alva and Summit Lake along Montana Highway 83.

The lawsuit has angered members of several groups who support a collaborative effort to achieve both commercial logging and habitat restoration in the Seeley-Swan area.

8. A Caucus of Its Own

Biomass Power & Thermal (September 20) - US Reps. Charles Bass (R-NH) and Peter Welch (D-VT) have taken their support for the biomass industry a step further by co-chairing the first caucus focused directly on biomass. With the inherent need to promote and educate the masses on Capitol Hill, Bass and Welch hope the first Congressional Biomass Caucus can put the industry on the front burner of policy and legislative change.

Forest Products Industry

9. Nearly 783,000 Acres of Newly Certified Forestland Give Boost to Alabama's Paper Industry

American Tree Farm System (September 21) - The American Tree Farm System® (ATFS), a program of the American Forest Foundation (AFF), announced that 782,489 acres of privately owned Alabama forestlands have been certified by AFTS for their sustainable management practices.

According to AFF, the newly certified forestlands give Alabama forest owners access to timber markets not available to them before, and will help the state keep timber-related jobs in a highly competitive global market that increasingly demands certified wood.

The certification of thousands of acres-representing 1,313 different forest properties-was made possible thanks to a pilot project involving the Alabama Forestry Commission, the Alabama Forestry Association, the Alabama Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) Implementation Committee, and ATFS.

10. New Hampshire Investor Group Poised to Buy Closed Maine Mills

Businessweek (September 15) - A New Hampshire-based investment group is ready to reopen a pair of idled paper mills and revive the Great Northern Paper Co. name that the mills held during their glory days.

11. Biomass News

South Carolina Group Fighting Biomass Pollution

The State (September 20) - The South Carolina Coastal Conservation League, one of the state's largest environmental groups, says the federal government should not exempt biomass plants from pending carbon dioxide rules.

The EPA says the matter needs more study before applying the rules to biomass plants.

Betting on Biomass

Biomass Power & Thermal (September 20) - The United Kingdom, along with all members of the European Union, is evolving its energy base to meet the ambitious target of 20 percent of fuel originating from renewable sources by 2020. The Conservative-Liberal coalition government believes that the biomass market is worth taking a bet on.

II. Publications, Resources, and Items of Interest

1. Case Studies on Biomass Use in Minnesota

Dovetail Partners (September 21) - Dovetail Partners has compiled a set of biomass fuel case studies on sites located throughout Minnesota. The sites include public and privately owned buildings, ranging from a lumber mill, to an environmental learning center, and greenhouse operations. Each site utilizes biomass in a slightly different manner, specific to its location and site-specific needs. The case studies dive into funding and operating details, explaining each site's challenges as well as the pros and cons of biomass heating systems.

2. New Book Addresses Importance of Early Successional Habitats in Upland Hardwood Forests

US Forest Service (September 19) - Sustaining Young Forest Communities: Ecology and Management of Early Successional Habitats in the Central Hardwood Region, a recent publication by the US Forest Service's Southern Research Station, addresses a variety of concerns raised by Forest Service managers and natural resource professionals regarding early successional habitats.

An in-depth look by ecologists, conservationists, and land managers, the book defines early successional habitats and explains why the plants and animals associated with these habitats may be declining. The book's focus is the Central Hardwood Region of the United States, an area stretching across 10 eastern states from the New England coast to parts of Missouri and Arkansas.

3. Montana Man Shaped Wildfire Behavior Research A remembrance of Harry Gisborne, the first full-time wildfire researcher hired by the US Forest Service after the 1910 fires charred 3 million acres across Idaho, Eastern Washington and Montana. Some of his wildfire prediction models are still in use.

III. Science and Technology

1. Study Outlines Stream Temperature Changes following Oregon Timber Harvests

Oregon State University (September 21) - One of the largest and longest studies done in Oregon on the impact of timber harvest on stream temperatures has found no average temperature increases on state forestlands, but a 1.3 degree increase on private timber lands.

Stream temperatures are a particular concern for cold-water fish such as trout and salmon, and the Oregon Department of Environment Quality mandates that forest management activities should not increase temperatures by more than 0.5 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Should this Owl Be Killed So Another Owl Can Live?

Sacramento Bee (September 21) - Northern spotted owls, which depend on the lush, old-growth forests of the Pacific Northwest, are threatened with extinction thanks to habitat loss and the barred owl—a rival bird getting a critical claw-hold in nesting areas.

3. Whitebark Pines Dying

KULR8.com (Billings, Montana, September 20) - The highest forests in the northern Rocky Mountains are dying. Recently, a group of scientists and citizens explored the forests in the Beartooth Mountains to see what they could do to save the trees.

IV. SAF News

1. ATFS, SAF, and ACF "Partner for Better Forests"-and Help Foresters in the Process

The "Partners for Better Forests" initiative, a collaborative effort among the American Tree Farm System, the Society of American Foresters, and the Association of Consulting Foresters (ACF), aims to increase the number of engaged inspectors across the United States to provide landowners with the tools they need for on-the-ground support, and promote better forest stewardship.

Because members of ACF and SAF have traditionally been those who have volunteered their time to work as Tree Farm inspectors and committee members, Partners for Better Forests is rewarding participating foresters with membership dues support to their respective professional association.

In return for completing two reinspections or two initial inspections, the program will give foresters $100 to be applied toward the annual dues of ACF or SAF. The money will be paid directly to SAF or ACF and will result in a $100 dues reduction for the member forester.

For more information, visit the SAF website.

2. National Committee Positions Now Open

SAF currently has openings on 12 National Committees. National committees work with the SAF Council and the staff of the national office to help shape policy and guide the future development of SAF. For information about available openings, see the August issue of The Forestry Source.

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. Foresters' Fund Deadline September 15

The final 2011 Foresters' Fund deadline is fast approaching. Regular grant proposals are due September 15. Remember: the fund supports local unit projects that help educate the public about forest management.

For more information, visit the SAF website at: http://www.eforester.org/members/forfund.cfm.

Foresters and Science Funds Raffle and Auction at 2011 National Convention

The national raffle 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 and Science Fund Donation Form.

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