II. Federal Lands Management

III. Forests Products Industry

Biomass
4. Baldacci: Maine Poised to Benefit from Biofuels
5. Paper Company Proposes Biomass Plant
6. President Touts His Alternative Fuels Plan

V. Science & Technology

VI. Resources

VII. SAF News

Convention & Meetings
5. Submit Your Abstract for the 2010 Convention
6. Science Fund Loan Applications Due
7. SAF Meetings

Media Moments & Newsletters
8. Alabama Forestry Commission Names New Chair

Annoucements
9. You Are the Source of Forestry Information and Knowledge

I. Forest News

1. Forest Wars Finally End?

February 2 - According to the Payson Roundup (AZ), collaboration between environmentalists, Forest Service administrators, and both state and local officials will serve as a national model for restoring forest health and protecting fire-threatened communities

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2. Largest Conservation Easement in Virginia History Recorded

February 3 - The Nature Conservancy announced that it has purchased 13,350 acres of ecologically significant forestland within the Dragon Run and Mattaponi watersheds from the Hancock Timber Resource Group. Immediately following the purchase from Hancock Timber, the Conservancy sold the property to The Forestland Group and retained a permanent conservation easement on the entire property. Covering more than 20 square miles, this easement is the largest recorded to date in Virginia.

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3. Another Change Taking Place at Walden Pond

February 4 - According to the Boston Globe, the Concord woods have changed since naturalist Henry David Thoreau strolled among the trees around Walden Pond. Drawing on Thoreau's detailed notes from the mid-19th century, a team of local researchers reports that invasive and nonnative plants in Concord are more adept than native species at responding to earlier spring thaws and warmer temperatures.

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4. Forums to Probe Forests

February 4 - The website MassLive reports that, with the future of Massachusetts' forests in mind, a state panel has issued recommendations for the ongoing management of the 308,000 acres in the state and urban parks system and for encouraging stewardship of private forests.

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5 Northwest Ohio Landowners Named Ohio's 2010 Outstanding Tree Farmers

February 1 - Walt and Donna Lange from Swanton have been named the 2010 Ohio Tree Farmers of the Year, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR). According to the ODNR the Langes received the honor for their "commitment to wise stewardship of their 56-acre tree farm in Fulton County, as well as their statewide efforts to promote the importance of forests and woodland conservation."

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II. Federal Land Management

The Western News reports that Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) recently offered a few hints about changes to be made to the Forest Jobs and Recreation Act (S.1470), and added that full details would soon be announced. The bill calls for at least 3,000 acres to be logged annually for 10 years in the Three Rivers District of Kootenai National Forest, the creation of the Three Rivers Special Management Area, which encompasses separate motorized and non-motorized areas, and 30,000 acres of wilderness.

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2. Suit: Chopper Landings Violate the Law in the Frank Church

According to New West, a US Forest Service plan to land helicopters in the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness doesn't fly with conservation groups. Six have filed suit to stop the plan, saying landing helicopters would violate the law under wilderness designation. Idaho Fish and Game wants to use helicopters to capture and collar wolves.

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3. USDA Weighs Plan to Bring GM Eucalyptus to Southeast Pinelands

The New York Times reports two industry giants, International Paper Co. and MeadWestvaco Corp., are planning to transform plantation forests of the southeastern United States by replacing native pine with genetically engineered eucalyptus, a rapidly growing Australian tree that in its conventional strains now dominates the tropical timber industry.

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4. Epidemic Beetle Infestation Continues in Rio Grande National Forest

According to the South Fork Tines, The infestation of spruce bark and mountain pine beetles in Colorado's forests continues to grow, in what forestry experts are calling an epidemic. In the Rio Grande National Forest alone, at least 144,000 forested acres have been infested by the spruce bark beetle since 1996.

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III. Forests Products Industry

According to Morningstar, Plum Creek Timber's fourth-quarter results mostly marked a continuation of the third quarter. Sawlog volumes remained depressed across the board. For the full year, Plum Creek's sawlog harvest came in at its "lowest recorded level" according to management, not surprising given prevailing US housing starts.

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2. Stora Enso Announces Fourth-Quarter Profit

Nordic paper maker, Stora Enso, reported a fourth-quarter net profit of 46 million (euro, $64 million, US), boosted by cost cuts and strong newsprint earnings. The company turned to profit from a net loss of 655 million (euro) in the same period in 2008.

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Biomass

3. Weyerhaeuser-Mitsubishi in Biomass Fuel Deal

Weyerhaeuser Co. has announced it has signed a deal with Mitsubishi Corp. to explore possible future biomass-to-energy deals.

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4. Baldacci: Maine Poised to Benefit from Biofuels

A presidential energy task force is recommending spending more money to make biofuels (see item #3), a move that Maine Governor John Baldacci said should help Maine's forestry and papermaking industries.

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5. Paper Company Proposes Biomass Plant

Biomass Magazine reports that Longview, Washington, might be the new home for a 65-megawatt biomass power plant that would run on 38,000 bone-dry tons of mill, forest, and urban waste wood per month.

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6. President Touts His Alternative Fuels Plan

The New York Times reports that President Obama has announced the administration's plan to bolster the nation's production of corn-based ethanol and other alternative liquid fuels and ordered the rapid development of technology to capture carbon dioxide emissions from the burning of coal.

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IV. Science & Technology

Speed is not a word typically associated with trees; they can take centuries to grow. However, a new study to be published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences has found evidence that forests in the Eastern United States are growing faster than they have in the past 225 years.

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2. Study: Plantations Can Provide the Same Ecosystem Services as Forests

According to a paper out in February's issue of the journal Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, well-planned plantations can actually alleviate some of the social, economic, and ecologic burden currently being placed on natural forests.

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3. Science Evaporates Wood Energy "Myths"

Opponents of wood-based energy continue to employ inflammatory tactics, misinformation, and obscure or out-of-context science to make their points, even if some of the points have a dash of merit to them. Some of these counter productive claims, on the surface, appear to make sense. However, if one takes the time to either think about them, or better yet, review the research and case studies, these myths evaporate rather quickly.

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V. Resources

Winter is a good time for tree pruning as it greatly reduces the likelihood of spreading oak wilt and other tree diseases and minimizes tree stress.

For more information, visit the WQOW (MN) website.

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2. Science Findings Explores Land-Stream Connection

The US Forest Service's Pacific Northwest Research Station has released a new issue of Science Findings (#119) that "explores the connection between landscapes and streams."

For more information, visit the Pacific Northwest Research Station website and scroll down to the bottom of the page.

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3. Post-Doctoral Opportunity in Wildlife, Indigenous People, and Cultural Change

The State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse invites applications for 12-month post-doctoral scholar in environmental and forest biology focused on wildlife populations, Amazonian indigenous people, and cultural change.

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VI. SAF News

1. Renew Your Membership

Need to renew your SAF Membership? Then visit the SAF website or call Christopher Whited at (866) 897-8720.

If your finances are making it difficult for you to maintain your SAF membership, then simply pay a portion of your membership now and we'll invoice you for the remainder in the second half of the year. We know times are tough and we will work with you to help make it as easy as possible to continue receiving the resources and benefits provided by SAF membership.

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2. Foresters' Fund Deadline February 15

The first Foresters' Fund deadline is fast approaching. Grant proposals are due February 15. Remember: the fund supports local unit projects that help educate the public about forest management.

For more information, visit the SAF website.

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3. National Awards Nominations Due February 28

Nominate a colleague for an SAF National Award. Detailed information on award criteria and procedures can be found on the SAF website.

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4. New CFE Quizzes Now Available

Need some quick CFE credits? Then take the December 2009 Journal of Forestry quiz. And for an additional 2 CFEs take the Northern Journal of Applied Forestry quiz or the Western Journal of Applied Forestry quiz.

Check out the December 2009 issue. If you don't receive the Northern or Western Journals of Applied Forestry but want too, click here. Need help? Call (866) 897-8720 x130. We can help you set up your online or print subscription.

Note: Some state boards of licensure and registration do accept SAF CFE credit for state registration and licensure. Please check directly with the board to verify specific state requirements including categories, ethics training, and distance learning.

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Convention & Meetings

5. Submit Your Abstract for the 2010 Convention

You may submit your abstract for the SAF 2010 National Convention online. The deadline is February 17, 2010 for oral presentations but posters will be accepted until September 12. You will see the web site has a new look this year. There is an explanation of the changes and a listing of the track topics on the Convention web site. If you have any questions about submitting a proposal, contact Terry Clark.

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6. Science Fund Loan Applications Due

The Science Fund Committee is accepting loan applications until February 15, 2010. A Science Fund loan is intended to get a project, such a training program, off the ground. Projects could include, but are not limited to, forestry research, continuing education, and outreach and collaboration. See the SAF website for more information and to download the application.

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7. SAF Meetings

Inland Empire SAF Annual Meeting

The Inland Empire Society of American Foresters with the Rocky Mountain Research Station, Forest Service Northern Region, Forest Service Fire and Aviation Management, National Forest Systems, and the Research and Development arm of the Forest Service along with the Forest History Society are sponsoring the May 20-22, 2010, conference in Wallace, Idaho. It will examine the social and institutional conditions prior to the 1910 fire, the fires themselves, the impacts of the fires on resources and institutions, and discuss the possibility of such fires burning again.

For more information and to request registration materials in advance, contact Richard Reid, IESAF Communications Chair.

MN SAF Joint Meeting

The Minnesota SAF is uniting with its sibling natural resources societies-the Minnesota Chapters of the American Fisheries Society, Society for Conservation Biology, and The Wildlife Society-for a joint natural resources conference March 1-3, 2010, at Grandview Lodge in Brainerd for our annual MN SAF winter meeting. For additional information, including Call for Papers, visit the MN SAF website.

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Media Moments & Newsletters
8. Alabama Forestry Commission Names New Chair

SAF Member Donald W. Heath the new chair of the Alabama Forestry Commission.

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Announcements
9. You Are the Source of Forestry Information and Knowledge

The Forestry Source welcomes contributions to: * Here's How To…
* Science & Technology
* Commentary and Letters
* Society Affairs

To discuss an idea for a potential contribution for a How To article, Science and Tech article, letter, or commentary, contact Steve Wilent, Editor, at (503) 622-3033. Ideas and potential contributions to Society Affairs should be brought to the attention of Joseph Smith.

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