Concurrent Sessions
The major source of professional development at the Convention is the concurrent program. The focus of the 2008 concurrent program centers around the theme of 'Forestry in a Climate of Change' and why we believe that America's forest resources and those who manage them can help solve many of our environmental, social, and economic challenges. Sessions will focus on globalization, policy, education, social trends, environmental services, healthy forests, development on private forests, conservation strategies, and challenges in leading change.
The concurrent program has been developed around the following Program Tracks:
- Climate as a Variable
- Policy and Regulations
- Human Dimensions of Change
- Economic and Business Trends
- Ecology and Biology
- Changing Land Base
- Healthy Forests and Management
- Ecosystem Services
- Tribal Forestry
To view the entire program by day, by author, or by session track, click here
Note: While the program is complete, there may be additions, deletions, or reorganization to these concurrent sessions.
Session Highlights
Thursday, November 6
Forest Management Solutions for Mitigating Climate Change in the United States
Sponsored by SAF Climate Change and Carbon Sequestration Task Force
This two part session will discuss opportunities for managed forests and their products to prevent greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and sequester atmospheric carbon, and for natural resource managers to help forests adapt to a changing climate. It considers how the science of forest management and the expertise of professional foresters can provide solutions to climate change and focuses on US forests and the opportunities for their management.
Topics will be based upon the upcoming task force report and include:
- Global Climate Change
- Potential Effects of Climate Change on Forests
- Preventing GHG Emissions through Wood Substitution, Biomass Substitution, and Wildfire Behavior Modification
- Preventing GHG Emissions through Avoided Land-Use Change
- Reducing Atmospheric GHGs through Sequestration
- Markets for Forest Carbon Offset Projects
- Opportunities and Challenges for Society, Landowners, and Foresters
Management of Pinyon-Juniper Ecosystems for Sustained Health of Forests and Woodlands
Pinyon and juniper dominate nearly 51 million acres of the US West. Due to vegetative changes, pinyon-juniper types are more prone to stand replacing crown fires than ever before. At the same time, residential home construction within this type puts families and property at risk. Speakers present a wide range of information on the sustained management of pinyon-juniper ecosystems concerning general ecology, fire regimes, insects and diseases, and silvicultural systems.
- Ronald Lanner, Forestry Communications and Consulting
- Jose Negron, US Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station
- Peter Weisberg, University of Nevada-Reno; Dept. Natural Resources & Environment Science
- Robin Tausch, US Forest Service
- David Huffman, Ecological Restoration Institute
- Gerald Gottfried, US Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station
Tribal Forestry
Nearly 19 million acres of Indian forestland are managed under the trust responsibility of the United States. Until the late 1970's, tribal involvement in establishing management goals and objectives was minimal. Under self-determination policies, tribes are establishing their own forestry programs and assuming greater responsibility for developing and implementing integrated resource management plans that meld modern science with traditional knowledge. Increasingly, tribal management approaches are being recognized as models for sustainable management of forest resources.
- Nolan Colegrove, Sr, Forest Manager, Hoopa Valley Forestry
- John Waconda, Regional Forester, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Southwest Region
- Larry Mason, University of Washington, College of Forest Resources
- Philip Rigdon, Deputy Director, Division of Natural Resources Yakama Nation
- Julia Parker, University of Idaho
- Victoria Yazzie, Natural Resource/Forestry Program, College of Menominee Nation
Friday, November 7
Ecology and Management of Aspen: Meeting Forestry, Fuels, and Biodiversity Objectives in the Future
Quaking aspen communities, rich in biodiversity and a favored habitat and forage area for wildlife species and livestock, are becoming entwined in a web of forestry, fuel, wildlife and range management issues in western North America. This session will examine the ecology and management of aspen and its associated species, the relationship of aspen to other forest and range management objectives, and the early indications of the effects of climatic changes on western aspen ecosystems.
- Wayne Shepperd, Consulting Silviculturist
- Tom Rickman, US Forest Service, Lassen National Forest
- Kenneth W. Tate, University of California, Plant Sciences
- Al Christophersen, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation
- Jon Bates, USDA Agricultural Research Service
- James J. Worrall, US Forest Service Rocky Mountain Region, Forest Health Management
Hot Topics - Climate Change, Litigation, and Regulation
This session features general session speaker Marc Kesselman and will address the role of courts in managing our national forests and the interconnectedness of local litigation and global conservation. Speakers will explore how specific courts have overstepped their constitutional role in judging forestry cases and, in specific instances, have effectively created new standards that did not exist in law.
- Marc Kesselman, USDA General Council
- Mike Mortimer, Director of Forest Policy, Society of American Foresters
Saturday, November 8
FIA in the Southwest
With the increasing pressures to manage public and private land sustainably, the need for efficient monitoring methods has grown dramatically. FIA is regularly asked to support forest resource managers at a more local scale by clients such as State Forests, military installations, and National Parks. By collecting data consistently across forests or other ownerships, results can be scaled up to the regional and national levels. This session will provide an overview of upcoming changes to the national FIA program and using FIA data for landscape scale analysis, forest growth and productivity modeling, and ecological analysis.
- John D. Shaw, US Forest Service, FIA
- Steven Sesnie, Northern Arizona University
- Sean Healey, US Forest Service, FIA
- James N. Long, Utah State University
- Chris Witt, US Forest Service, FIA
- Mike T. Thompson, US Forest Service, FIA
Range Management
In NE California the Bureau of Land Management, National Forests and Counties are working together to implement a Sage Steppe Ecosystem Restoration Strategy within a 6.5 million acre planning area of sagebrush grassland severely impacted by juniper encroachment. The potential for large volumes of juniper biomass has attracted attention as a source of energy and assorted wood products. The Buffalo-Skeddadle Landscape Management and Restoration Initiative is a landscape-scale, partner-driven program to implement a Conservation Strategy for Sage-Grouse and Sagebrush Ecosystems designed to protect and restore sage-grouse habitat.
- Tim Burke, Bureau of Land Management
- Dayne Barron, Bureau of Land Management
1st Annual Symposium on American Forest Policy
Sponsored by the SAF National Committee on Forest Policy
The SAF National Committee on Forest Policy will host the first ever "Symposium on American Forest Policy," a one-day session focused on "Evaluating the Effectiveness of Public Policies in Advancing Sustainable Forest Management." The purpose of this first symposium is to enhance policy discussions on critical issues related to forestry among natural resource researchers and practitioners across a variety of forest land ownerships. The program will cover the effectiveness of public policies in advancing sustainable forest management at the federal, state, and local levels of government including appeals and litigation, public participation, forest policy development, climate change, and the concepts of sustainable forestry and ecosystem management.
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