The Forestry Source: Previous Issue Highlights

Here are the Highlights of the December 2005 issue of The Forestry Source

Forest News

Congress to Consider Forest Emergency Recovery Bill
Salvage logging and other post-fire rehabilitation practices have been some of the most hotly debated-and litigated-forestry issues during the past decade. Last month, Congressman Greg Walden (R-OR), chair of the House Subcommittee on Forests and Forest Health, introduced a bill designed to allow federal forest managers to more quickly respond not only to wildfires but also to hurricanes, floods, and other catastrophic events.

Court Says Notice, Appeals Required for Categorical Exclusions
Is the Forest Service required to give public notice and accept comments and appeals of nearly every action it takes? Yes. Or at least that's what a judge seemed to say in a lawsuit over a Forest Service salvage sale in California.

Indiana's State Forest Plan Draws Support, Suit from Environmentalists
Viewed from afar, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources plan to increase harvesting in Indiana's 150,000-acre state forest system from an annual 3.4 million to 10-17 million board feet probably wouldn't raise many eyebrows, but closer to home, it raised quite a few.

Threatened and Endangered Species Recovery Act Offers Revision of ESA
Depending on who you talk to, the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA) is either a success or a failure-a strong and flexible law or one filled with vague language that hinders natural resource management and places undue burdens on private property owners.

Retirees' Reunion Celebrates Forest Service's Centennial, Contributions
This past September, nearly 1,200 past and present employees of the USDA Forest Service from across America came to Portland, Oregon, to attend Reunion 2005, a gathering hosted by the Pacific Northwest Forest Service Association in celebration of the agency's 100-year anniversary.

New Report Highlights Disadvantages of Diameter-Limit Cutting
Diameter-Limit Cutting and Silviculture in Northeastern Forests, a new report released by the USDA Forest Service, suggests that shifting from diameter-limit harvesting to more effective silvicultural practices could substantially increase timber yields over time while better maintaining the health and quality of northeastern forests.

Study Examines Education Requirements for Consulting Foresters
According to Tom Straka of Clemson University, students and faculty at forestry schools and colleges around the country are evaluating forestry curricula from the consultant perspective to identify ways in which students can be better prepared for working in the consultant arena following graduation.

SAF News:

McMahon Elected SAF Vice-President
John P. McMahon, CF, of Normandy Park, Washington, has been elected vice-president of the Society of American Foresters for 2006.

Oklahoma Division Holds Tour, Service Day to Create Awareness of Forestry, SAF Education, connection, and fun-to Charles Gosset, service forester with the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food, and Forestry, and chair of the Oklahoma Division of the Ouachita SAF, these are the necessary ingredients for getting inactive members involved in SAF.

Here are the highlights of the November 2005 issue of The Forestry Source

Forest News

Katrina, Rita Devastate Southern Timberlands
In addition to the homes destroyed and the people hurt or killed, the damage to the region's forests from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita is massive. In mid-September, the USDA Forest Service estimated that Katrina alone had damaged or destroyed as many as 4.2 billion cubic feet of timber spread over 5 million acres in Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana, primarily within 60 miles of the Gulf Coast.

Study Shows Forest Service Wins Most Lawsuits
Ask any man or woman on the street whether the USDA Forest Service usually wins or loses lawsuits over timber harvesting and other resource management issues, and they'd probably tell you that the agency is most often the loser. According to a new study, they'd be wrong.

IUFRO Promotes Collaboration, Technology to Address Forest Issues
More than 2,000 forest researchers from 96 countries traveled to Australia this past August to participate in the International Union of Forestry Research Organizations' (IUFRO) 22nd World Forestry Congress.

Talking with Rep. Greg Walden
The Forestry Source's Steve Wilent recently interviewed Rep. Greg Walden (R-OR) about the steps Congress can take to help foresters conduct forest restoration efforts more efficiently and effectively.

Invasive Weed "Worse Than Kudzu" Gains Foothold in Southeastern US
Much to the chagrin of ecologists and land managers, cogongrass-one of the world's 10 most dangerous weeds-has gained a foothold in the southeastern United States, where it threatens to overtake disturbed ecosystems by displacing native plant communities and the wildlife species that depend on them.

Here's How to Speak as a Professional
One certainty these days is that public policy will continue to shape the future of forestry. We need to assert more leadership in providing forestry knowledge to citizens and decisionmakers. However, information delivery is not enough; we need to be involved in the process of policy as well as its content.

Conference Highlights Challenges of Global Marketplace
If you need more evidence that forestry is increasingly a global business, consider these statistics presented at the recent International Perspectives on Forestry II conference held in September in Portland, Oregon.

SAF News

Oregon SAF, Forest Resources Institute Team Up to Enhance Forestry's Image
When most Americans hear the word "forester," their minds conjure antiquated images of flannel-shirted men felling trees with double-bitt axes. To help change that perception, the Oregon Forest Resources Institute, in collaboration with the Oregon SAF, published Oregon's Forestry Professionals, a report that uses colorful photographs and engaging text to increase awareness of the forestry profession and those who work within its diverse sectors.

SAF Launches New Credential Recognizing Candidates for Certified Forester
More than a decade ago, SAF established the Certified Forester® (CF) program to provide a consistent, national credential that would identify those foresters who demonstrate knowledge, experience, and dedication to the profession of forestry. This year, at the 2005 SAF National Convention in Fort Worth, Texas, SAF launched a new credential, Candidate Certified Forester™ (CCF), to recognize new professionals for their commitment to the profession as they work toward attaining the Certified Forester credential.

Here are the highlights of the October 2005 issue of The Forestry Source.

Forestry News:

Forest Service Crews Respond to Hurricane Katrina
The devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina affected hundreds of thousands of people in New Orleans and other communities along the Gulf Coast. In the week after Katrina hit, crews from the Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and other Department of the Interior and natural resources agencies rushed to the region to join thousands of National Guard troops, emergency services teams, and relief organizations in the rescue and recovery operations.

High Energy Costs Hit Forest Products Industry
Rising fuel prices have affected all sectors of the US economy over the past year, including the forest products industry. Just as consumers are paying more for gasoline and diesel, so are timber harvesters and log truckers. Paper and wood product mills are reeling from higher natural gas prices as well.

Greenpeace to Pay Restitution for Protest
Although it's hardly news when antilogging protesters are arrested for blocking access to harvesting sites, occupying trees, or otherwise interfering with timber sales, it's not everyday that the environmental groups that engage in these types of activities are forced pay restitution to logging companies or government agencies for the financial effects of their actions.

University of Vermont Takes Forestry Education in "New Direction"
This fall, forestry students at the University of Vermont's (UVM) Rubenstein School of the Environment and Natural Resources will begin a new program-the Green Forestry Education Initiative-founded on the teachings of John Dewey, an educational reformer, psychologist, and philosopher who believed that ideas and theories should be tested before they're declared to be true.

Here's How to Settle Timber Disputes Through Arbitration
What happens when a timber buyer and forest owner don't agree and a consultant is unable to settle the matter? If the timber sale contract includes a clause on settling disputes out of court, chances are the remedy is some form of binding arbitration.

SAF News:

National Committee Positions Now Open
Each year, the staff liaisons of SAF national committees review their committee rosters and provide the executive vice-president with a list of potential openings. Members interested in serving on a national committee should review this list and then follow the instructions for consideration.

Kentucky Foresters Conduct Leadership Program for High School Students
Throughout their public school education, young people in the state of Kentucky learn only bits and pieces about forests and forest management. To remedy this, professional foresters and natural resource managers developed the Kentucky Forestry Leadership Program.

SAF Members Bring Forestry to 2005 Boy Scout Jamboree
For the first time since the Boy Scouts of America began holding national jamborees in 1937, the Society of American Foresters took its place alongside the other conservation agencies and organizations at the 2005 National Scout Jamboree to educate Boy Scouts about the management of the nation's forests.

Here are the highlights of the September 2005 issue of The Forestry Source

Forestry News:

Wisconsin Completes Group Certification
In one fell swoop this past June, 37,000 private forest properties in Wisconsin were certified through the American Tree Farm System Group Certification Program.

International Paper May Sell Its 6.8 Million Acres
Looking to increase your timberland holdings? This fall, you may have a chance to pick up a few acres from International Paper Co.-about 6.8 million.

Gateways Help Corral Emerald Ash Borer
Unless you live in or near Michigan, you may have heard little about the Emerald Ash Borer. That will change, however, if efforts to control the pest are unsuccessful.

Timber Harvests May Be an Important Tool for Improving Songbird Habitat
Researchers at the University of Tennessee recently concluded the field portion of a 5-year study to determine how declining songbird species are responding to forest management efforts enacted to bolster their populations.

Here's How to Harvest and Sell Pine Straw
Once limited to a few areas of the United States, harvesting pine straw has become increasingly popular among forest landowners seeking additional sources of income.

Wal-Mart Promises Millions for Conservation
Wal-Mart has pledged to donate $35 million to conservation projects and to conserve at least 1 acre of wildlife habitat for every acre it has developed and will develop in the next decade.

SAF News:

Talking With the Candidates for SAF Vice-President
To help SAF members make a more informed decision in their selection for SAF vice-president, this issue of the Source contains an interview with both candidates.

More than 1,000 celebrate "Forestry Day" in Montana
The Montana SAF, in conjunction with the University of Montana Woodsman Team and the Historical Museum at Fort Missoula, recently hosted its 9th annual "Forestry Day."

SAF to Honor Field Foresters at National Convention
SAF will honor 8 foresters-from 8 SAF voting districts-with the Presidential Field Forester Awards at the 2005 SAF National Convention.

Here are the highlights of the August 2005 issue of The Forestry Source

Forestry News:

Is Forest Certification Good for Forestry?
The need for certification has long been a topic of debate but has gradually won acceptance from a wide range of foresters and land managers. Some foresters contend, however, that third-party certification is an indication that we "have failed as a profession."

Plum Creek Plans Management, Development of Maine Forestland
On May 31, vandals used spray paint to write "Maine is not for sale," and "2nd growth, not 2nd homes" and other slogans on walls, windows, and the roof of Plum Creek Timber Co.'s Fairfield, Maine, regional headquarters. Although the damage was relatively minor, news coverage of the vandalism served to highlight a story that had been simmering since December, when the company announced that it was preparing a management plan for land the company owns in the Moosehead Lake area.

More Acres Consumed by Fewer Fires
Summer is wildfire season in the western United States, but predicting the number, extent, and severity of fires is always an educated guessing game. Prior to this year's season, fire behavior experts figured that abundant winter and spring rains in the drought-stricken Southwest would lead to an increase in potential wildfire activity. They were right.

Here's How to Protect Forest Roads
The woodland road's worst enemy is water. It makes travel difficult, and if it's not diverted, rainwater can wash away a road surface in a single summer storm. You can avoid problems like this through the installation of simple water diversion structures.

Forest Service Researchers Conducting National Assessment of Downed Woody Materials
Scientists have long believed that downed woody materials (DWM)-the dead matter within forests that is in various stages of decay, such as fallen trees, branches, and leaf litter-to be a useful indicator of forest health given its role in the quality of wildlife habitat and the cycling of soil nutrients and water. Yet, there has never been a national assessment of DWM to help forest scientists, managers, and policymakers to help them in their efforts to improve forest health.

Forest Service Exhibit at Smithsonian a Boon to Both Public and the Agency
In commemoration of the USDA Forest Service's 100-year anniversary, the Smithsonian Institution has put the culture and community of the USDA Forest Service on display as part of the 39th annual Folklife Festival, the institution's yearly celebration of contemporary, living cultural traditions.

Helms Testifies at Hearing on the Future of the Forest Service
SAF President John A. Helms testified in a June 22 House Committee on Agriculture hearing that was held to commemorate the USDA Forest Service centennial, review its past accomplishments, and address the forest management obstacles it faces as it enters its second century of service.

Nanotechnology: A Revolution for Forestry?
The work of Michael Crichton and other writers of popular science fiction have helped introduce the concept of nanotechnology to the general public, but few people have any idea of how the "science of small" may reshape their world.

SAF News

SAF Names National Award Winners
The Society of American Foresters has identified outstanding contributors to the forestry profession by announcing the winners of six national awards. The winners will be recognized at a special ceremony at the 2005 SAF National Convention, to be held October 19-23 in Fort Worth, Texas.

Leadership Academy Returns to Invigorate, Inspire SAF's Grassroots Leaders
Regardless of their location or the size of their membership, SAF chapters and state societies across the country face the same basic problems. Two of the most common are motivating volunteers and developing effective teams to realize their goals. To help its grassroots leaders overcome these obstacles, SAF recently conducted another installment of its celebrated Leadership Academy June 11-14 at the Lied Conference Center in Nebraska City, Nebraska.

National Capital Event Helps Reconnect SAF with its French Roots
The National Capital SAF recently hosted a luncheon for a delegation of European foresters visiting the United States as part of a professional exchange program to enhance the camaraderie and cooperation between European and American foresters.

Here are the highlights of the July 2005 issue of The Forestry Source

Here are the highlights from the June 2005 issue of The Forestry Source

Forest News:

The Northwest Forest Plan: 10 Years Later
Following the creation of the Northwest Forest Plan 10 years ago, the political debates over the plan's provisions still smolder and sometimes blow up and spread into the courts. In April, more than 450 foresters, planners, and scientists met in Portland at a conference titled "Science and the Northwest Forest Plan" to examine the results of a decade of monitoring and research into the plan's effects.

Forest Service Has 900,000-Acre Reforestation Backlog
After the USDA Forest Service announced last year that it has a reforestation backlog of nearly 900,000 acres, Rep. Greg Walden (R-Oregon), chair of the House Subcommittee on Forests and Forest Health, asked the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to study the issue and recommend a course of action.

Alabama, Florida Reach Out to Public to Prevent Post-Hurricane Fires
"Don't Get Burned by Ivan!" read the posters produced by the Alabama Forestry Commission. The commission and its cousin, the Florida Division of Forestry, are each conducting extensive public outreach programs to help ward off wildland fires in areas affected by last year's hurricanes.

Asian Furniture Manufacturers Increasingly Rely on US Hardwoods
According to a report compiled by Tony Halstead of the USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service, by 2004, China had become the third-largest market for US wood exporters, behind Canada and Japan.

Researchers Examine the Effects of Forestry on Headwater Streams
This summer, scientists at Oregon State University's College of Forestry will begin a series of silvicultural practices, including road building and timber harvesting, in areas of the Hinkle Creek Paired Watershed Study, an ambitious, long-term research effort designed to determine the effect of contemporary forest management on headwater streams.

Here's How to Control Undesireable Trees, Shrubs, and Vines on Your Woodland
The most effective method for killing standing trees, shrubs, and vines usually involves the use of an herbicide. For those who prefer not to use chemicals, physical methods of deadening standing trees can be performed, however, they are generally less dependable

SAF News:

North Carolina SAF Sends Teachers to School-in the Forest
For the second year in a row, members of the North Carolina and the Appalachian state societies have donated their time and effort to the North Carolina Sustainable Teachers Tour, a hands-on, interactive, 5-day workshop that educates teachers about forest management and forest product manufacturing.

Washington SAF Hosts Successful Meeting With State Legislators
The Washington State SAF recently invited several key state legislators to meet with the members of the state society's Southwest Washington Chapter and others to discuss current forestry issues and how SAF can play a role in addressing them.

Here are the highlights from the May 2005 issue of The Forestry Source

Forestry News:

Mountain Pine Beetles Threaten Canadian, US Forests
The largest forest insect epidemic in the history of Canada, previously confined to interior British Columbia has breached the once insurmountable Rocky Mountains, leaving millions of acres of jack pine to the north and east vulnerable to attack.

Stewardship Contracts Unite Diverse Groups in Support of Forest Health
Five years ago, the Mt. Hood National Forest was making headlines-or rather, the protesters who had shut down nearly all logging on the forest were. Now, just a few years later, some of the same environmental groups that lodged administrative and judicial appeals against timber sales in the same area are cooperating with-even encouraging-the agency to commercially thin overstocked plantations and do other work under stewardship contracts.

G8 Nations Agree to Act on Illegal Timber Trade
The Group of Eight (G8) industrialized nations have pledged to reduce both the supply of and demand for illegally harvested timber throughout the world.

States Act to Boost Their Forest Products Industries
In a bid to shore up their struggling forest products industries, some states are taking direct action, while others are developing long-term strategies.

Talking with the Producers of the Forest Service Centennial Film, The Greatest Good
The Forestry Source recently caught up with Forest Service filmmakers Steven Dunsky and David Steinke and asked them about their film, The Greatest Good.

Timber Harvest Planning Costs Threaten Private Forests in California
A recent study by researchers at California Polytechnic State University suggests that the cost of preparing state-mandated plans to harvest trees in California has increased more than 1,200 percent over the past 30 years.

Landowner Survey Forecasts Challenges, Opportunities for Forestry Community
Forest Service researchers will soon release more information associated with their National Woodland Owner Survey that will be beneficial to those in the forestry community who work closely with the nation's family forest landowners.

SAF News:

SAF Participates in Development of National 4-H Forestry Curriculum
Each year nearly 480,000 youngsters in the United States enroll in 4-H projects that involve the study of trees and forests. This year, those students will use a new set of forestry curriculum publications-the first since 1979-developed with input from SAF members.

Texas SAF Members Build Bridges with Girl Scouts
Thanks to an $800 SAF Foresters' Fund grant, the Texas SAF (TSAF) and the hard work of volunteers from the Brazos-Trinity Chapter of the TSAF and other organizations, thousands of Girl Scouts from mostly urban areas have a newly completed nature trail that will help them appreciate the beauty and utility of East Texas forests.

How Can SAF Enhance Its Effectiveness?
The Volunteer Organizational Structure Task Force report is an excellent catalyst that encourages a Society-wide conversation on what we do, how best to do it, and whether a structural change in our organization would enable us to function better. In other words, as stated in the report, "if we were to create the SAF today, what would it look like?"

Task Force Student Representative Demonstrates Value of Student Members
At the March 2005 meeting of the SAF Council, Jake Donnay, a member of SAF's Volunteer Organizational Structures (VOS) Task Force, demonstrated the value of SAF's student members to the Society.

Here are the highlights of the April 2005 issue of The Forestry Source

Forestry News:

Carbon's Increasing Value Has Landowners Seeing Green
With the initiation of the Kyoto Protocol in February, interest in the carbon sequestration abilities of forests has sharpened in the United States. Although the United States did not sign the treaty, the potential value of carbon stored in forests has many landowners wondering whether harvesting carbon may be a profitable enterprise.

Canada Proposes Tax as Solution to Lumber Dispute with United States
The dispute between Canada and the United States over softwood lumber imports has simmered for years and recently has threatened to boil over into other areas of trade between the two countries. However, a Canadian proposal last month to impose an export tax on most of the softwood lumber it ships to the United States might help cool things off.

GAO: Cohesive Fire Strategy Needed
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) in January released a report that both praised federal fire management agencies for their accomplishments in wildland fire management and planning and urged them to move quickly to address challenges the agencies will face in the next 5 years.

Forest Service to Use Helicopters in Alaskan Wilderness Inventory
When Forest Service inventory teams head into the Alaskan wildernesses this summer, they'll bring a typical assortment of equipment, shotguns, and even a few helicopters.

Method for Extracting Wood Components Aids Biofuels Development
Researchers at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry have devised a new method for separating wood into its components, and the discovery is likely to be a boon for both the region's forest products industry and the state's efforts to develop alternative sources of bioenergy.

Study Examines More Efficient Methods of Collecting, Transporting Slash
A recent study by the Montana Community Development Corporation, performed in collaboration with members of the state's forest products industry and personnel from local universities and federal agencies, suggests that companies that collect and transport slash from logging sites could reduce their transportation costs and realize significant increases in processing efficiency through better planning and the use of roll-on/off container transport.

Here's How to Determine the Tax Basis of Timber
Just in time for tax season, this article focuses on what to do if, at the time you acquired a stand of timber, you didn't determine the basis of the timber separately from the basis of the land underneath it (or any other assets acquired at the same time).

SAF News:

New England SAF hosts Irish Foresters
In September, members of the New England SAF hosted 41 members of the Society of Irish Foresters who came to the United States to get a first-hand look at forestry in New England.

Libby Logging Project Benefits Community in Several Ways
Although it's no secret that forestry is beneficial to rural communities, an ongoing logging project performed by the Libby Chapter of the Montana SAF, local contractors, and public officials is showing just how good forestry's benefits can be.

Leadership Academy to Focus on Motivating SAF's Grassroots Leaders
To help the Society's grassroots leaders contend with such difficulties as mobilizing volunteers and building effective teams, SAF is holding its celebrated Leadership Academy June 11-14, 2005, at the Lied Conference Center in Nebraska City, Nebraska.

Here are the highlights of the March 2005 issue of The Forestry Source

Forest News:

Sustainable Forestry Initiative Revised
The Sustainable Forestry Board has released a revised edition of its Sustainable Forestry Initiative Standard and Audit Procedures and Qualifications for 2005-2009. The standard includes nine key principles that are accomplished through 13 resource management and timber procurement objectives.

California Sues Over Sierra Plan
It wasn't much of a surprise when, on January 31, the Sierra Club, the Natural Resources Defense Council, and other organizations filed a lawsuit against the USDA Forest Service over the Sierra Nevada Forest Plan Amendment. But few expected a similar suit to be filed the following day by California Attorney General Bill Lockyer.

Officials Say 2006 Budget Emphasizes "Collaborative Action" on Forest Health
According to the USDA Forest Service, the administration's proposed fiscal year 2006 budget, which includes more than $867 million to continue implementation of the President's Healthy Forests Initiative, will enable the agency to continue improving the health of the National Forest System and reducing the risk of catastrophic fire, especially in wildland-urban interface zones.

Company Offers Small-Diameter Solution for Stream Restoration
Although the practice of returning large-diameter wood to streams makes sense ecologically, some in the forest products industry question whether it makes sense economically.

Researchers Say Methanol From Trees Could Revitalize Rural Economies
According to scientists at the University of Washington, the millions of small trees removed from thinned forests could be converted into methanol-a clean-burning source of renewable energy. Plus, the development of this untapped energy source, they say, could reduce carbon emissions and spur the growth of rural economies in the process.

Here's How to Get Rid of Privet
Privet, that small-leaved shrub that stays green in winter and can be seen along many fencerows and forest edges, has become a plague throughout the bottomland hardwoods and forest preserves of the South. Here's how to get rid of it.

EPA Clarifies Pesticide Permit Rules
Is the application of a pesticide in a forestry setting a point source or nonpoint source pollutant? The Federal Code of Regulations (40 C.F.R. § 122.27) seems to provide a clear answer to that question. However, a handful of legal challenges have in recent years cast some doubt on whether certain applications of pesticides, including herbicides and other chemicals, are indeed nonpoint sources.

SAF News:

Donated Timber Provides Valuable Building Materials, Learning Experience
The Minnesota SAF's Forest for Humanity program recently received a generous donation allowing it to not only help needy families obtain safe, affordable housing but also to provide forestry students with professional, real-world experience.

Chapter, Sierra Club Collaborate to Thin Forest
Although it's no secret that foresters are concerned about issues of forest health and mitigating the threat of catastrophic fire in rural communities, the same concerns are rarely attributed to environmental groups.

Florida Foresters Erect Historic Marker at Putnam Lodge
Hundreds of friends of forestry gathered roadside for the unveiling of a State of Florida Historic Site marker commemorating Putnam Lodge-a focal point in the 1920s-1940s history of forest products in Florida.

Fort Worth Promises Convention Rich in Western History, Texas Hospitality
Cattle, oil, and railroads feature prominently in the history of Fort Worth, Texas, and in the coming months, Fort Worth will make its mark on the history of the forestry profession as it hosts the SAF 2005 SAF National Convention October 19-23.

Here are the highlights of the February 2005 issue of The Forestry Source

Forest News:

Forest Service Adopts New Planning Rules
The USDA Forest Service pulls no punches in describing its new National Forest System Land Management Planning Rule, issued in December. The first line in the overview section of the 158-page document states, "This final rule embodies a paradigm shift in land management planning.…"

The USDA Forest Service Turns 100
The USDA Forest Service celebrated its centennial last month with a series of events in Washington, DC, where Chief Dale Bosworth, several former chiefs, Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman, and other dignitaries expressed pride and optimism about the agency.

Feds Shift Salmon Policy in Northwest
Late last year, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) announced two key policy changes for the management of threatened and endangered salmon and steelhead trout in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and California-a proposal to reduce the areas previously designated as critical salmon habitat by about 80 percent in the Pacific Northwest and about 50 percent in California, and a federal Columbia River Power System Biological Opinion that prohibits the removal of four hydroelectric dams on the lower Snake River (a tributary of the Columbia River).

Western Governors Mull Changes to Endangered Species Act
If any consensus was reached at the Western Governors Association's (WGA) Executive Summit on the Endangered Species Act (ESA), held in December in La Jolla, California, it was that the 1973 law ought to be revised. The question, however, is how much.

Report Links Biodiversity, Sustainable Forestry
The National Commission on Science for Sustainable Forestry recently released Science, Biodiversity, and Sustainable Forestry, a report the commission says, "will help both foresters and policymakers do a better job of conserving biodiversity within the context of sustainable forestry."

Here's How to Salvage Beetle-Killed Trees
It's hard to watch pockets of trees dying on your property. But all is not necessarily lost. Salvage sales provide a way to secure income from timber killed or damaged by insects.

SAF News:

2005 SAF Leadership Guide
The 2005 Leadership Guide appears annually in The Forestry Source so that members of the Society of American Foresters can more readily contact the Society's leadership. Contained in this year's list are Council members, state society chairs, and working group chairs.

Kentucky, Oregon SAF Teach Western Kids About Eastern Forests
It's a long way from Oregon to Kentucky, but the distance is not great enough to keep some dedicated SAF members from providing students with firsthand knowledge of forestry.

SAF Members Talk About the Future with Missouri Guidance Counselors
Usually, it's the guidance counselor's job to talk to students about career choices and the importance of a good education. But at the recent Missouri School Counselors' Association Conference, it was the counselors who received a good talking to by members of the Missouri SAF.

Society Honored at Centennial Congress
More than 500 delegates and conservation partners participated in the USDA Forest Service Centennial Congress, which was modeled after President Theodore Roosevelt's 1905 Congress held in Washington DC.

New Task Force Report to Spur Discussions About SAF's Future
According to SAF President John Helms, SAF members and units should use the new Volunteer Organizational Structure Task Force report as a catalyst for discussions on "who we are" and "what we want to be" at state society, chapter (both professional and student), and working group meetings throughout 2005.

Members Give Something Back by Giving Something Extra
As part of the Society of American Foresters' Annual Giving Campaign, nearly 850 members chose to help advance and strengthen their professional organization by giving a little extra to SAF along with their 2004 membership dues.

Here are the highlights of the January 2005 issue of The Forestry Source

Forest News:

One Year Later: The Healthy Forest Restoration Act
A year ago last month, President Bush signed the Healthy Forest Restoration Act of 2003, a sweeping law that some say is the most important forest management legislation since the National Forest Management Act of 1976.

Sudden Oak Death Moves East
If there were a color-coded threat-level indicator for plant diseases like the one developed by the Department of Homeland Security for the likelihood of terrorist attacks, Sudden Oak Death Syndrome (SOD) would rate at least orange, for "high risk."

Forest Service Upholds 2001 Revisions to Sierra Nevada Plan
USDA Forest Service Chief Dale Bosworth in November upheld the Sierra Nevada Forest Plan Amendment, a revision of the 2001 forest plan, also known as the Sierra Nevada Framework for Conservation and Collaboration. Page 4.

Research Suggests the Ecological Value of Large Predators Be Reconsidered
Two recent studies by scientists at Oregon State University suggest that the presence or absence of wolves may have a more significant effect on the West's riparian ecosystems than previously thought.

Here's How to Build Portable Bridges for Forest Road Stream Crossings
When permanent access to a site is not necessary, you may want to consider installing a portable bridge. Portable bridges can be used during logging operations, then removed after operations are finished and reused in another location.

Economic Indicators Point to Expansion in Forest Products Industry
Despite predictions of softening wood prices, mill upgrades, and restarted operations, new facilities have countered the loss of capacity.

SAF News:

Helms to Enhance Member Involvement
John A. Helms of Orinda, California, became president of the Society of American Foresters on January 1. He succeeds John H. Beuter, CF, of Corvallis, Oregon, who will now serve SAF as immediate past-president.

Louisiana SAF Creates Forestry Awareness
In 1986, after finding some inaccurate forestry information printed in a school textbook, Louisiana SAF members decided the time had come for an educational outreach program that would give schoolchildren accurate information about forests and forestry. Page 6.

Montana SAF Takes Forestry on the Air
The Montana SAF has taken to the airwaves to make sure its views are heard. In 2004, it aired four 5-minute commentaries on KUFM, a Missoula-based National Public Radio station.

As Good As Gold: Members Celebrate 50-Year Milestone with SAF
More than 80 members have recently attained their golden anniversaries as 50-year members of the Society of American Foresters.