Session Description for Thursday, October 28, 2010

Thursday, October 28: 1:30 - 3:00 pm

Economics of Forest Management
Moderator: Faline Haven, USDA Forest Service

The potential role and effect of bioenergy markets to improve income streams to forest landowners.
Bioenergy has the potential to help meet the world’s energy needs. Previously considered waste, residual woody material now has economic value. Bioenergy produced from woody biomass from private and public forests could provide major inputs to local economies. Presentations will address innovative management and operational techniques and ecological, economic al and social acceptability.

1:30 pm-2:00 pm Wood For Energy: Is There Progress?
This presentation will present results from a thorough investigation by the University of Washington of the potential for utilization of wood biomass for renewable energy development and climate change mitigation that was conducted at the request of the State Legislature. Larry Mason, University of Washington

2:00 pm-2:30 pm Aligning Forest Carbon Expectations with Reality
Foresters may face considerable liability risks if promised carbon offsets do not play out as represented. Comparisons with European forest climate policies suggest that current voluntary protocols in the U.S. may be founded on faulty assumptions. Moreover, alternative management actions to achieve net carbon benefits are ineligible for carbon credits under current protocols. Jeremy Fried, USDA Forest Service

2:30 pm-3:00 pm The Biomass Energy Industry at the National Level
Andrea Colnes, Biomass Energy Resource Council

Forest Health and Fire
Moderator: Robert Progar, USDA Forest Service

Bark Beetle Outbreaks in North America
During the past decade outbreaks of several species of native bark beetles have caused landscape scale tree mortality in North America. This session will address the cause and impact of outbreaks of ips, southern pine beetle and mountain pine beetle, and efforts to mitigate some of the long term effects.

1:30 pm-2:00 pm Ips in the West
Joel McMillin, USDA Forest Service

2:00 pm-2:30 pm Outbreaks of the Southern Pine Beetle
Steve Clarke, USDA Forest Service

2:30 pm-3:00 pm The 21st Century Outbreak: Mountain Pine Beetle in Colorado
Tom Eager, USDA Forest Service

Human Dimensions of Forest Management
Moderator: Pat Stephens Williams, Steven F. Austin State University

Wildlife and People: A Watershed of Issues
Solving wildlife/human interaction issues is one of the greatest management challenges of the next decade. Can these watershed issues be converted into financial and public benefits? This session will provide opportunities to interact with a nationally known deer management specialist and a wildlife/ human dimensions expert on problem-solving.

1:30 pm-2:15 pm no title provided
James Kroll, Stephen F. Austin State University

2:15 pm-3:00 pm no title provided
Mark Duda, Responsive Management

Restoration and Resilience
Moderator: Peter Fulé, Northern Arizona University

3:30 pm-4:00 pm The Ecological Restoration Institute at Northern Arizona University: Science Supporting Forest Restoration
The mission of the ERI is to serve as an objective leader in research, scholarship, and education, and in collaborative efforts to plan and implement restoration treatments for frequent-fire forest and woodland landscapes of the Interior West. This presentation will highlight the work of the ERI in its efforts to provide the best available knowledge about restoration to a wide variety of audiences.
W. Wallace Covington, ERI

4:00 pm-4:30 pm Activities from the New Mexico Forest and Watershed Restoration Institute at New Mexico Highlands University
The NMFWRI provides state-of-the-art information about forest and watershed restoration to the public, federal, and state agencies, tribes, and private landowners in New Mexico. This presentation will discuss the Institute’s efforts to promote ecological restoration and forest management efforts in ways that: keep New Mexican homes and property safe from wildfire, lead to a more efficient recharge of New Mexican watersheds, and provide local communities with employment and educational opportunities.
Kent Reid, NMFWRI

4:30 pm-5:00 pm Activities from the Colorado Forest Restoration Institute at Colorado State University
The Colorado Forest Restoration Institute was established at Colorado State University in 2004 through the Southwest Forest Health and Wildfire Prevention Act to compile, translate, and apply the most current scientific information relevant to the needs of forest managers and communities in taking action to mitigate wildfire risk and restore healthy forest conditions. This presentation will showcase current research, outreach, and application.
Jessica Clement, CFRI

Scale of Applied Forestry
Moderator: George Ice, NCASI

1:30 pm-1:50 pm Water Yield And Vegetation Vegetation Clearing Across Precipitation Gradients: Lessons Learned From New Mexico
This talk will give an overview of research in New Mexico at sites from drier pinyon juniper woodlands to wetter mixed conifer forests. Water yield effects vary with reduced water availbility after thinning at drier sites to increased water availabilty after thinning at wetter sites.
Sam Fernald, New Mexico State University

1:50 pm-2:10 pm Effects of Forest Cover and Climate Change on Water Supply
Forests regulate watershed hydrology and water supply for human use. A modeling tool was developed to examine the relations among forest cover change, climate change, and water supply and demand at a regional scale. Studies suggest dry regions are more sensitive to vegetation and climate changes.
Ge Sun, USDA Forest Service

2:10 pm-2:30 pm Water Yield and Timber Harvesting Practices in Colorado Subalpine Forests
Silvicultural activities reduce forest canopy and increase streamflows on the rising limb of the snowmelt hydrograph. Hydrologic recovery takes up to 60 years due to the relatively slow growth rate of these forests. Water quality changes from silvicultural activities are minimal, although plot studies indicate changes do occur on-site.
John D. Stednick, Colorado State University .

2:30 pm-2:50 pm Water Resource Responses in Beetle-Killed Catchments in North-Central Colorado
The first ever research looking at the effects of deforestation by insects on streamflow was conducted on the White River Plateau in Colorado and documented increased streamflow following a spruce beetle epidemic. The current situation in Colorado again allows us to assess the effects of beetle-killed forests on water.
John D. Stednick, Colorado State University

Science Application
Moderator: Jimmie Yeiser, Stephen F. Austin State University

1:30 pm-2:00 pm The Southern Fire Exchange: Putting Fire Science on the Ground
The Southern Fire Exchange Consortium, initiated in 2010, represents a partnership among many different organizations to enhance fire science delivery to the fire management community in the South. Results of a region-wide needs assessment for the consortium and early implementation activities will be described.
Alan Long, University of Florida

2:00 pm-2:30 pm A Certifier's Perspective on Changes to the FSC US National Forest Management Standard
Participants will hear an informed assessment of the most significant implications to FSC Forest Management certification in the U.S. resulting from the new FSC National FM Standard. Learn what, if any, changes in forest management, planning, monitoring, etc. will be necessary to meet the new requirements.
Diane Dulmage, Scientific Certification Systems

2:30 pm-3:00 pm Science Application in Support of Fire Management Decision Making
The Wildland Fire Decision Support System (WFDSS) is a specific application of science and technology to fire management. It is a scalable system utilizing appropriate fire behavior modeling, economic principles, and information technology to support effective wildland fire decisions consistent with Resource and Fire Management Plans for all wildland fires.
Thomas Zimmerman, USDA Forest Service

Sponsored Technology

Real world case studies provide opportunities to learn about products and services that can benefit you and your organization by increasing efficiency and productivity.

1:30 pm-2:00 pm Fountains America
Making the Most of New Forest Inventory Software -TwoDog is a complete field to office forest inventory software package used by natural resource managers to make informed forest management decisions and accurate timber valuations. Attend this technical session to learn how TwoDog can help you.

2:00 pm-2:30 FAEIS
The USDA's Food and Agricultural Education Information System, is an on-line database with enrollment, degree, and faculty information from US institutions offering degrees in agriculture, forestry and natural resources and covering the years 2002-2009. This presentation will demonstrate the resources available from the FAEIS websites.

2:30 pm-3:00 CID

Students and Young Professionals
Moderator: Dick Hopkins, Green River Community College

Education, Work, and Leadership are the key themes for this multi-session, multi-topic track. Presentations include opportunities to learn about connecting your education with the professional world, what employers want from you, how to market yourself to employers, and how SAF can help you get connected.

1:30 pm-2:00 pm Managing Your Student Chapter
This presentation will cover the nuts and bolts of an active and engaged SAF Student Chapter. Hosted by Green River Community College, First Place winner of the 2010 Student Chapter Award.
Dick Hopkins, Green River Community College

2:00 pm-2:30 pm It's a Small World: How SAF Networking and Mentoring Create Future Employment Opportunities
This presentation explores the many ways that SAF membership opens networking and mentoring opportunities for students and young professionals and how these opportunities can open doors to employment possibilities throughout your career.
Jan Davis, Urban & Community Forestry Program, USDA Forest Service

2:30 pm-3:00 pm Connecting Education with Your Professional Life
A panel of Certified Foresters will discuss the benefits and importance of credentialing and pursuing life-long learning opportunities. Dylan Jenkins, The Nature Conservancy; Dave Walters, Tennessee Division of Forestry; Ken Laustsen, Maine Forest Service

Symposium on American Forest Policy
Moderator: Robert W. Malmsheimer, SUNY ESF

1:30 pm-2:00 pm Update on National Forest Policy Issues
As the 'kick off' to the Symposium on American Forest Policy, this presentation would update members on national forest policy. Update topics may include cap & trade legislation, renewable energy legislation and federal forest management (among others). The presentation will also explain policy versus politics in Washington, DC.
Erica Rhoad, Society of American Foresters

2:00 pm-2:30 pm Federal Policy Constraints and Stand Conditions in Dry Northwestern Forests
Interim forest-wide diameter limits and riparian harvest restrictions in National Forests in eastern Oregon would become permanent under recent policy proposals. Stand conditions in some representative forests managed under these constraints were evaluated. Results suggest these policies may significantly limit effective silviculture, including reducing wildfire and increasing forest health hazards.
Paul Adams, Oregon State University

2:30 pm-3:00 pm Challenges in Connecting Cumulative Impacts Analysis to Effective Wildlife Conservation Planning
Agencies analyze long-term and broad-scale effects to resources through cumulative impacts analysis, a legal requirement under the National Environmental Policy Act. This paper provides an overview of the requirement and uses the USDA Forest Service approach to cumulative impacts analysis for wildlife as a case study.
Courtney Schultz, University of Montana \

Thursday, October 28: 3:30 pm-5:00 pm

Economics of Forest Management
Moderator: Megan Roessing, USDA Forest Service

How does sustainable forestry relate to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, carbon accounting, and markets for carbon?
Presentations will address carbon markets, greenhouse gas accounting, and the potential benefits to forestry and the forest products industry in a future where a low carbon footprint could become a competitive advantage.

3:30 pm-4:00 pm Buyers' Willingness to Offer Price Premiums for Carbon Credits Sourced from Urban Forests
This project surveyed carbon offset buyers to assess their preferences and willingness to pay price premiums for carbon credits generated from urban forests.
Neelam Poudyal, University of Georgia

4:00 pm-4:30 pm Landscape Management and Carbon Budget Accounting Over Time on Forestland
This study presents how carbon accounting can be done for long term landscape management practice, and the importance of considering carbon stored in harvested products. It also demonstrates the potential benefits of fuel reduction treatment and the wildfire effect on forest structure and carbon sequestration.
Xiaoping Zhou, USDA Forest Service

4:30 pm-5:00 pm Greenhouse Gas Implications of Using Bioenergy: Enormous Variation Depending on Feedstocks
Steven Hamburg, Environmental Defense Fund

Forest Health and Fire
Moderator: Kurt Gottschalk, USDA Forest Service

3:30 pm-4:00 pm Southern Pine Beetle Hazard Rating Using High Spatial Resolution Digital Imagery
Southern pine beetle hazard rating systems are crucial to long term forest health management. Combining past hazard rating models with high spatial resolution imagery and Liar data shows promise in developing more robust methods to quantify the ecology of landscapes for hazard assessment of southern pine beetle. Daniel Unger, Stephen F. Austin State University

4:00 pm-4:30 pm Risk of Fire Related Species Losses in Urban Park Forests
The risk of fire related species losses in ten large (> 400 acre) urban park forests located in the coastal northeastern United States was examined by comparing which fire adapted and fire sensitive native and invasive tree species are present in the forests. Robert Loeb, Pennsylvania State University

4:30 pm-5:00 pm Influence of Socioeconomic and Spatial Characteristics on Wildfire Types in Mississippi
This study examined frequency and location of human-caused wildfires Mississippi to determine the impact of selected socioeconomic factors on their occurrence. The examined socioeconomic factors included county-level population density, average income, housing density, unemployment rate, transportation network density, and proximity to populated areas.
Robert Grala, Mississippi State University

Geospatial Solutions
Moderator:

3:30 pm-4:00 pm
4:00 pm-4:30 pm
4:30 pm-5:00 pm

Human Dimensions of Forest Management
Moderator: unidentified

3:30 pm-4:00 pm A Gathering Voice: Wildcrafter Networking and Empowerment in North America
Wildcrafters are people who gather or farm non-traditional forest products (NTFPs). Most are economically marginalized and politically immobilized. Community and trade networking could empower wildcrafters, but they will need to evolve in different ways. This presesentation uses theory and research to discuss network formation among four types of North American wildcrafters.
John Munsell, Virginia Tech

4:00 pm-4:30 pm Forest Cooperatives: Community-based Partners for Increasing Participation in Forest Conservation
This presentation will highlight the ways cooperatives are bringing more landowners into forestry, coordinating cross-boundary projects, maintaining stewardship continuity across generations, and facilitating peer-to-peer learning, while describing how foresters and other conservation professionals can work with cooperatives to leverage public and private resources to conserve working forests.
Scott Bagley, National Network of Forest Practitioners

4:30 pm-5:00 pm How Effective Is Ecotourism Certification In Supporting Sustainable Development?
This presentation will examine ecotourism as a growing trend on public lands, the role of ecotourism definitions and sustainability principles in ecotourism certification, and strategies for addressing challenges of marketing ecotourism and sustainability principles in certification.
Tinelle Bustam, USDA Forest Service

Restoration and Resilience
Moderator: Wally Covington

3:30 pm-4:00 pm Restoration of White Spruce Forests in Alaska
Restoration prescriptions for white and Lutz spruce are presented based on long-term studies involving nearly 14,000 planted seedlings, linking the role of past disturbance, competing vegetation, site preparation, container seedling production, and seedling physiology, to better understand restoration options across a wide array of sites in Alaska.
Andrew Youngblood, USDA Forest Service

4:00 pm-4:30 pm Activities from the New Mexico Forest and Watershed Restoration Institute at New Mexico Highlands University.
speaker

4:30 pm-5:00 pm Activities from the Colorado Forest and Watershed Restoration Institute at Colorado State University.
speaker

Scale of Applied Forestry
Moderator: Don Turton, Oklahoma State University

3:30 pm-4:00 pm Longitudinal Study of BMP Implementation in New York City Watershed
The majority of New York City s water supply originates from private landowners with small acreages. Implementation of BMPs and sustained yield management on this working forested landscape is critical to maintaining high quality water for 9 million cosumers.
Rene Germain, SUNY ESF

4:00 pm-4:30 pm Northern Forest Watershed Services: Incentives for Management on Private Lands
The Northern Forest Watershed Project is aimed at developing an innovative and replicable market-based model that will incentivize private landowners to restore, enhance, and protect aquatic resources in two watersheds in the Northern Forest region: Upper Connecticut River watershed in Vermont and New Hampshire, and Crooked River watershed in Maine.
Todd Gartner, American Forest Foundation

4:30 pm-5:00 pm Montana's Forestry BMP Program: 20 Years of Continuous Improvement
Montana adopted voluntary forestry BMPs in 1990, then the state legislature passed a Streamside Management Zone (SMZ) Law in 1991. Biennially since, field audits have evaluated BMP/SMZ implementation and effectiveness at controlling erosion and sediment delivery. This presentation describes Montana’s program, and the lessons learned over 20 years.
Brian Sugden, Plum Creek Timber Company

Science Application
Moderator: Alan Long, University of Florida

3:30 pm-4:00 pm Sensitivity of Forest Planning to the Parameters of Simulated Annealing
This research presents the impact of the parameters of simulated annealing when used in forest planning and recommends a distribution of the modeling effort in relation with the management objectives and magnitude of data.
Bogdan Strimbu, Louisiana Tech University

4:00 pm-4:30 pm Sustainable Capacity in Value, Biomass & Carbon - What Models Provide
Research in inventory, growth models and planning systems peaked between 1980 to 2000. Meanwhile, requirements for precise yield projections have increased for value, biomass and carbon. This paper presents new, integrated models and strategies for assessing sustainable capacity at stand, forest and region levels.
James Arney, Forest Biometrics Research Institute

4:30 pm-5:00 pm Modeling Terrestrial Carbon Sequestration and Potential Enhancement Options
This presentation focuses on using a system modeling approach to develop an analytical tool to assess the potential of terrestrial carbon sequestration enhancement options. The presentation uses data and analysis conducted in West Virginia to demonstrate the model can be carried out for other regions with locality specific parameters.
Jingxin Wang, West Virginia University

Students and Young Professionals
Moderator: Pat Stephens Williams, Steven F. Austin State University

3:30 pm-4:00 pm What Employers Want From You – Resume to Job Performance
From crafting a resume to your first day on the job, this presentation explores the key elements employers look for when hiring and supervising new employees.
Pat Stephens Williams, Stephen F. Austin State University

4:00 pm-4:30 pm Getting Professional Work Experience While You are Working on Your Education
This presentation will discuss keys to finding employment opportunities while earning a degree. Work experience in the field of your choice will enhance your success in the job market after graduation.
Ericka Popovich, University of Michigan

4:30 pm-5:00 pm How and Why Professional Ethics Make You or Break You
Acquire an understanding of the importance of ethical awareness and reflection. This presentation will emphasize the subtle ways that ethical behavior can influence your professional success.
Ann Forest Burns, American Forest Resource Council

Symposium on American Forest Policy
Moderator: Robert W. Malmsheimer, SUNY ESF

3:30 pm-4:00 pm Policy Instrument Design for Early Successional Forest Habitat Conservation
Early-successional, woody habitats and associated wildlife species have been declining for several decades throughout the Northeast. In this research, we explore policy instruments for early-successional habitat restoration and maintenance on private forestlands. Policy instruments are strategies used to facilitate chosen goals via the behavior of target populations.
Shorna Broussard Allred, Cornell University

4:00 pm-4:30 pm What Affects Family Forest Owner Participation in Forest Conservation Programs?
Considering the low interest in cost-share, forest certification, and conservation easement programs among family forest owners nationwide, this study investigates the relationship between program participation and landowner characteristics, attitudes and behavior, provides a better understanding of landowner preference and concerns, and offers insights for improving program participation.
Zhao Ma, Utah State University

4:30 pm-5:00 pm State Forest Assessments and Strategies
State forestry agencies are required to complete State-wide assessments and strategies for forest resources. A summary of the planning process and the assessments and strategies will be provided along with three State examples of completed work and next steps.
Theodore Beauvais, USDA Forest Service