All External News

Reduced activities in the housing construction sector in China decreased importation of softwood logs and lumber in late 2011, reports the Wood Resource Quarterly. Despite the decline in the 4Q, total imports during 2011 reached a record high, making China the largest importer of logs and lumber in the world. [PR.com]

Caitlyn Pollihan, executive director for the Western Forestry Leadership Coalition and Council of Western State Foresters, has accepted a four-month detail position with the U.S. Forest Service in a special assignment to the Washington Office Fire and Aviation Management staff. There she will be focusing on critical work during the absence of Vicki Christiansen, the current Deputy Director of Fire and Aviation Management, as she steps in as the acting Regional Forester for Region 1.

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Oregon State Forester Doug Decker was recently interviewed by the Capital Press about his first year as head of the Department of Forestry. One year on, Decker discusses improving landowner relationships, creating natural resource policies, active management on federal lands and future priorities of the agency.

State Foresters recently joined with state clean water, wildlife and ag associations to send a letter to EPA administrator Lisa Jackson urging the agency to defend current regulations that support the established success of the state-based BMP approach to effectively manage nonpoint source pollution from forestry activities.

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Today, Friday February 3, 2012, the shareholders of UK-based packaging group DS Smith Plc approved the company´s proposal to acquire SCA's packaging operations, excluding the two kraftliner mills in Sweden.

NASF recently posted several job opportunities for prospective forestry faculty:

University of Missouri Assistant Professor, Silviculture

Northern Arizona University seeks Asst Professor of Forest Biostatistics

Extension Assistant Professor in forestry -- University of Vermont

The Sustainable Forestry Initiative forest certification program has opened a Request for Proposals for its Conservation and Community Partnerships Grants program, inviting applications for projects that illustrate or inform the role of SFI in supporting water resources. Exploratory research proposals on projects relating to the role of SFI certification in mitigating or adapting to climate change are also welcome. The deadline for 2012 grant applications is Wednesday March 14, 2012.

During 2011, a total of 73,484 wildfires burned an estimated 8,706,852 acres (35,235 square kilometers) of land across the United States. Wildfire activity during 2011 was exceptionally high and was only exceeded in the historical record by wildfire activity during the years 2006 and 2007, according to preliminary data released from the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC).

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The commissioner of the Alaska's Department of Natural Resources wants to change the agency's mission statement, and has been met with opposition from some conservation groups who are worried about a pro-development bent. The new statement would remove "conserve" and "enhance" from the department's current mission to "develop, conserve and enhance natural resources for present and future Alaskans."

Posted by Allison Welde, SFI Director, Conservation Partnerships

We just launched our 2012 Request for Proposals for the SFI Conservation and Community Partnerships Grant Program, which supports research and outreach to advance responsible forestry. This year we are looking for projects that will strengthen the role of SFI certification in protecting water resources and helping resource managers respond to climate change.

SFI Inc. has invested more than $1.1 million in conservation grants since 2010 – and the amazing response to each of the RFPs shows the value of the program. Unfortunately our success in the first two years means the 2012 budget is limited to $85,000 for new projects. That’s because a lot of the work we supported in 2010 and 2011 involved multi-year projects that are continuing this year – for example, Clemson University is helping South Carolina landowners improve wildlife habitat and Ducks Unlimited Canada is leading development of best practices for forestry roads that protect boreal wetlands.

In addition to our conservation grants, we will invest $35,000 in community grants this year – it will go to identified projects aimed at encouraging young people to get involved in forestry and natural resource activities and careers.

The SFI conservation grant program is such a fantastic way to bring together conservation groups, resource managers and government agencies to address topics of current importance — like water resources and climate change – and build knowledge that will help SFI program participants improve forest practices. More than 125 organizations are partners in the 24 projects we have funded to date, and their involvement is expected to leverage additional resources to achieve a total value of $4.2 million.

The deadline for 2012 applications is Wednesday, March 14, 2012 – the RFP and additional information is posted on the grant website or you can contact me.

Even without fully incorporating such climate feedback, models show that continued reliance on fossil fuels could raise the global temperature by up to 7 degrees Celsius by the end of this century.

Nearly two-thirds of voters in Western states label themselves as conservationists, according to results from a new poll released by Colorado College.

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October 2012 will mark the 20th anniversary of the Report of the Blue Ribbon Panel on Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA). This report expanded the focus of the national forest inventory in the United States to include monitoring of the forest resource trends on a more frequent time interval. In recognition of this milestone, the theme of the 2012 FIA Science Symposium is "Moving from Status to Trends." For more information about the symposium and the call for papers, visit http://fia.fs.fed.us/symposium.

The Kentucky Division of Forestry is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, and Gov. Steve Beshear signed a proclamation declaring 2012 as "The Year of Kentucky's Forests." KDF's yearlong celebration of its centennial will include salutations during the State Arbor Day Ceremony, informational displays at the capitol, participation in fairs and festivals and historical presentations to various groups throughout the year.

The Southern Group of State Foresters (SGSF) has released a new report about forest certification in the South. Forest Certification Programs: Status and Recommendations in the South provides detailed information regarding forest certification, a comparison of the major certification systems and recommended strategies for southern state forestry agencies to consider as the issue develops.

 

The Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) has partnered with McGraw Hill to launch a continuing education unit for architects and builders to promote the benefits of using certified wood in green building projects. "Certified Wood Branches Out: Forest Certification's Evolving Role in Green Building Rating Systems" reinforces the growing acceptance of all certification standards by the green building community and government agencies.

Some of California's rank-and-file firefighters earn so much money in overtime that the state has revived pay bonuses worth thousands of dollars to lure them into management. Along with the department's graying ranks and early-retirement incentives, the trend has depleted Cal Fire's leadership ranks.

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The Sustainable Forestry Council has provided the Maryland Department of Natural Resources with recommendations (PDF) on timely forest conservation issues and appropriate actions to help Maryland implement a no-net-loss of forest policy.

Architects and builders can learn more about the benefits of using certified wood in green building thanks to a Continuing Education Unit (CEU) sponsored by the Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (SFI®) program. It also demonstrates how government agencies support an inclusive approach to certification and how even LEED Pilot Credit 43 offers an opportunity for SFI-certified wood.

The unit – Certified Wood Branches Out: Forest Certification’s Evolving Role in Green Building Rating Systems – is featured in the January-February 2012  issue of GreenSource Magazine, which is published by McGraw Hill and goes to 45,000 green design and construction professionals.

It reinforces the fact that the green building community is recognizing the value of all forest certification programs equally. This past fall alone, we had Governor Paul LePage’s executive order in Maine, and heard from the U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Education, and the International Green Construction Code – all recognizing SFI and other credible forest certification standards.

The CEU will be in the McGraw Hill Continuing Education Unit online library throughout 2012, and architects and builders can earn continuing education credits through the American Institute of Architects by reading the article and taking an online test.

Building materials have such a huge impact on the environment, and wood from responsibly managed forests is such a great choice in new construction or renovations. We encourage you to help get the CEU into the hands of builders, architects, designers, and specifiers so they can see that third-party forest certification standards like SFI offer a proof point that the forest has been managed for multiple values.

Read the full CEU here.

"The main purpose is responsible forestry. I don't think you do certification for the market. You do certification because you care about responsible forestry. From that, you get marketplace benefits." Kathy Abusow, president of Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) Inc.