U N I V E R S I T Y
O F
W A S H I N G T O N
College of Forest Resources
Box 352100 | Seattle, WA 98195
Non-Profit Org.
U.S. Postage Paid
Seattle, WA
Permit No. 62
FA L L 2 0 0 7
College of Forest Resources News
IN THIS ISSUE
CENTENNIAL WEEKEND
RENATA BURA PROFILE
PACIFIC NORTHWEST FUNGI PROJECT
COLLEGE NEWS
FUTURE OF WASHINGTON’S FORESTS
ALUMNI FOCUS
M E S S A G E FROM THE DEAN
In partnership with the CFR Alumni Association, I extend
a warm invitation to our Centennial Weekend this
November 2-3 (see article) — an opportunity to share
memories and reflections while we look to the future.
A centennial is also a good time to reflect on change —
what does the future hold for forestry colleges like ours,
and how will we change in the 21st century?
Our college views its mission broadly. We have educated
highly trained natural resources managers and scientists
in a wide range of disciplines. We have graduates who
lead international programs in many areas of forestry,
natural resources, and conservation. We have remained
relevant and committed to the sustainability of the
environments and communities we serve. But can we
predict what new changes are in store?
The 20th century forest management paradigm was
based largely on an agricultural model. Its utilitarian
emphasis was output oriented; geographically, it focused
at the stand level, and although its goal was multiple
use, sustained timber yield was the primary driving
mechanism. The 21st century paradigm is based on an
ecosystem approach. It has a naturalistic emphasis that
is condition or state oriented; it takes a landscape view,
and its goal is the integrated and sustainable use of
multiple resources.
Natural resources management has long been a complex
undertaking, and the 21st century decision environment
presents great challenges. Changes in our bio-physical
systems such as global climate and the increasing spread
of invasive species and pathogens may well surpass forest
productivity in importance, with reducing forest risk and
increasing forest resiliency becoming principal concerns
of land managers. Changing socio-economic systems,
including the expanding global marketplace and the
mobility of expertise in the internet age, may well replace
hierarchical structures with a more responsive network of
collaborative organizations operating at local levels.
Continued page 4
Centennial Weekend Gala —
November 2 and 3, 2007
The College of Forest Resources Centennial Weekend Gala is scheduled for November 2-3, 2007.
The weekend’s events will provide an opportunity for the College community to reflect on the past
and connect to the future, celebrating 100 years of creating futures. The Weekend Gala will also
serve as the finale for the College’s Centennial celebrations.
• Centennial Social, Friday, November 2nd, 6:30-8:30 p.m.,
Governor’s Room, Hotel Deca (formerly the Meany Towers), Seattle, WA.
• CFR Alumni Association Annual Meeting, Saturday, November 3rd, 12-1:30 p.m.,
Anderson Hall Forest Club Room, UW campus.
• Research and Technology Showcase, Saturday, November 3rd, 2 p.m.,
Anderson Hall Forest Club Room, UW campus.
• Centennial Gala, presented in partnership by the College and the UW Alumni Association,
Saturday, November 3rd, 5-9 p.m., Don James Center, Husky Stadium (2nd level), UW campus.
$55 UWAA members, $70 general admission includes complimentary valet parking, two
drink tickets, appetizers, plated dinner, and centennial memento. Festive attire requested,
black-tie optional. The program includes a keynote address by Roger Hoesterey (’80),
Vice President and Regional Director, The Trust for Public Lands; an awards ceremony presented
by CFR Alumni Association President Bob Dick, Jr. (’74) and board members; and live music to
dance the night away!
Hotel Deca has reserved a block of rooms at a reduced rate for those booking early for the weekend.
Contact Paul Winters at Hotel Deca, 206.634.2000. The College thanks the following sponsors for
making the Centennial Weekend possible: Buckman Laboratories Inc.; Canyon Lumber Co. Inc.;
Cascade Hardwood, LLC; Green Diamond Resource Company; International Forestry Consultants,
Inc.; Pendleton and Elisabeth Carey Miller Charitable Foundation; PJM I, LLC; Port Angeles
Hardwood, LLC; Port Blakely Tree Farms, LP; Allen and Victoria Symington; Washington Alder, LLC;
and Weyerhaeuser Company.
The Pacific Northwest Fungi Project
“You might ask why such an
inventory is needed,” says Glawe.
“Fungi exert a great influence on
the economic and ecological health of
our region. They are among the most diverse
organisms on the planet, with more than 1.5 million species. They cause
immense economic damage; for example, 70 percent of plant diseases
are caused by fungi. Forests would not exist without fungi; 95 percent of
tree species cannot grow normally without fungi to help extract nutrients
from soil. Fungi cause many human health problems, ranging from deadly
infections to allergies. Despite their economic, ecological, and medical
importance, we still know very little about the fungi of our region, and less
than one-third of the predicted number of species has been catalogued.”
Kuehneromyces lignicola from C.E. Pack Experimental Forest. Photo: Lori Carris, WSU.
Professor Dean Glawe joined the College’s faculty in July 2006, a joint
appointment with Washington State University (WSU), where he has been
on the faculty since 1996. Glawe completed his master’s and doctoral
studies in plant pathology at WSU; his research focuses on the systematics
(classification and biology) of powdery mildew fungi, common and destructive plant pathogens that have been little studied in North America. His
research has shown that the Pacific Northwest is home to about 200 species
of powdery mildews rather than the 21 previously known — important
knowledge for diagnosing and controlling plant diseases. Clarifying the
fungal life cycles, the research is also laying a foundation for new control
strategies that can rely less heavily on intensive fungicide applications.
Glawe also helped found the Pacific Northwest Fungi Project, a consortium
of professional scientists and amateur natural history enthusiasts who
are cooperating to develop a comprehensive inventory of the region’s
fungi. Their collaboration includes developing educational programs and
coordinated research projects, as well as publishing an online journal, of
which Glawe is editor-in-chief. He also manages the Pacific Northwest Fungi
Database; see http://pnwfungi.wsu.edu/programs/aboutDatabase.asp.
Pacific Northwest Fungi, www.pnwfungi.org/index.htm is believed to be
the world’s first online mycology journal. Fully peer-reviewed, the journal
provides information on fungal natural history in the Pacific Northwest, with
topics including taxonomy, nomenclature, ecology, and biogeography.
Says Glawe, “The Pacific Northwest Fungi Project is the only ongoing effort
to catalog the region’s fungi; there is no other state, federal, or private
program to do this work. The information produced will provide competitive
advantages to the region’s agricultural and natural resource-based industries
and will provide information to human health professionals, homeowners,
gardeners, and others interested in fungi.”
Left: Professor Dean Glawe. Photo: WSU. Right: Lilac mildew. Photo: Dean Glawe.
The Future of Washington’s Forests
Forestlands in Washington State provide a wide array of products, services,
and benefits to the state’s citizens and beyond. In 2005, the Washington
State Legislature appropriated $1 million to the Department of Natural
Resources to contract with the College for a comprehensive study and
report on the future of Washington’s forests. Growing out of the College’s
first Northwest Environmental Forum in 2004 and focusing on the economic
and environmental health of the state’s forestlands, the contribution of the
state’s forest industry, and the protection of working forestlands, the study
was also intended to inform stakeholder discussions leading to policy
recommendations to the Legislature.
Research teams led by Professors Gordon Bradley, Ivan Eastin, Bruce Lippke,
and John Perez-Garcia, with many contributing staff and graduate students,
each focused on a specific topic. Pressing issues facing researchers included:
• Western Washington forests are being converted when the land becomes
more valuable if used for such things as suburban housing and commercial
development. New research says the process in the coming decade could
consume more than 300,000 acres of forest, an amount of land comparable
to five cities the size of Seattle.
• After suffering through drier and warmer conditions in excess of 100-year
historical ranges, Eastern Washington’s brittle forests are ripe for insect
infestation and wildfires.
• A $16 billion-a-year industry — ranging from large industrial owners to
woodlot owners with just a few acres — is facing transitions because of
competition from outside the state and a timber supply constricted
by regulations.
The study produced a large and useful body of research findings that were
summarized in periodic progress reports. In the fall of 2006, study leaders
met with stakeholders for a technical roundtable discussion. This was
followed by the Northwest Environmental Forum’s third policy dialogue.
“The Forum attracted a diverse spectrum of people interested in forest
solutions, some of whom have not seen eye-to-eye on issues in the past,” says
Forum leader and study project manager Brian Boyle. “Given the wide range
of viewpoints and different interests, it was no small achievement for this
group to ultimately recommend a package of solutions to the 2007 legislature
based on the study report.”
In response to Forum recommendations and the researchers’ testimony,
the 2007 Legislature appropriated additional funding for several projects,
including $500,000 to assess ways for retaining threatened forestland and
for biomass recovery, $200,000 for joint UW and WSU forest bio-energy
projects, and $150,000 for economic research on log hauling safety.
The final study report was completed this July and is available online at
http://www.ruraltech.org/projects/fwaf/final_report/index.asp. It provides
research findings on timber availability conditions and management
alternatives, direct and indirect economic contributions of the state’s
forestlands, competitiveness of the industry in Washington, land-use
pressures that exist for these lands, and the financial returns of stateowned forestlands. The findings identify issues that require deliberation
and action on the part of policymakers and stakeholders, as well as
identifying future research needs.
College News
College Welcomes
New Faculty
The College continued to welcome new faculty
members throughout the summer and fall.
In addition to the nine new faculty members
hired by the College during the last academic
year, two new assistant professors have been
recruited. Sandor Toth, natural resource
informatics, joined the faculty in June 2007.
Formerly on the faculty at Oklahoma State
University, Toth’s primary field of interest is
developing quantitative decision support
tools to aid forest and natural resource
management. Sergey Rabotyagov, natural
resource economics, joined the faculty in
October after receiving his doctorate at Iowa
State University.
New faculty Sergey Rabotyagov and Sandor Toth.
Highlights
Rosmond sisters Marti, Julie, and Polly at
ONRC celebration.
ONRC Celebrates
Rosmond Forestry
Education Endowment
Over 100 friends and alumni met in Forks,
Washington at the Olympic Natural Resources
Center on July 28, 2007 to celebrate the
new endowed fund established by the
Rosmond family in memory of alumnus Fred
Rosmond (’39). The endowment will help fund
community forestry education in the Forks
area. Rosmond and his brothers established
the Rosmond Brothers Sawmill in Forks in
the late 1940s; the sawmill shipped highquality western red cedar products to nations
around the world. Rosmond was a civic leader
and longtime Society of American Foresters
member. He also collected tree seeds during
his travels and germinated and planted them
in his one-acre property in Forks; 32 species
are now found in the Rosmond’s residential
“arboretum.”
Rare Care Programs Expand to
National Forests and Parks
Rare Plant Care and Conservation (Rare Care)
staff and volunteers are collecting seeds from
several rare and endemic alpine plants found
in North Cascades, Mt. Rainier, and Olympic
National Parks. The seeds will be held in the
UW Botanic Gardens’ Miller Seed Vault for ex
situ conservation and research. Beginning in
2008, Rare Care will work with the National
Park Service to monitor rare plant populations
in North Cascades National Park. Rare Care
is also working with Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie
National Forest botanists to collect vouchers
for sensitive plants. Some rare species can
be readily verified using photographs that
document key characters, but some species
cannot be verified this way and require a
voucher specimen for microscopic examination
and measurement of key characters. Vouchers
document the presence of rare species
and provide specimens for research and
investigation of taxonomic questions. The
national forest specimens will be placed in
the UW’s Burke Museum Herbarium. For
information on Rare Care, including how to
become a volunteer monitor or seed collector,
see http://courses.washington.edu/rarecare/.
New faculty appointments include Sandor
Toth, Assistant Professor working closely with
the Precision Forestry Cooperative, effective
June 16, 2007; Sergey Rabotyagov, Assistant
Professor of Natural Resource Economics,
effective October 16, 2007; Research Associates
Betsy Bancroft, Jeffrey Hatten, and
Brian Strahm; and affiliate faculty E. Peter
Lancaster and Steven Trudell.
Recently appointed to endowed professorships,
effective September 16, 2007, were Renata
Bura, Denman Professor in Pulp and Paper
Science; and Tom Hinckley, David R.M. Scott
Professor in Forest Resources.
CFR Visiting Committee member and former
Arboretum Foundation President Neal
Lessenger recently received the Arboretum
Foundation’s 2007 Legacy Award.
The College is one of 40 founding members
of the United Nations Food and Agriculture
Organization’s Fire Management Actions
Alliance established in May 2007. The Alliance
works to improve fire management and to
reduce damage from fire worldwide.
UW Botanic Gardens (UWBG) participated
in a recently published collaborative booklet
on “voluntary codes of conduct” that outlines
steps to reduce spread of invasive plants used
for horticultural purposes. In June, UWBG
signed a Memorandum of Understanding with
Christchurch (New Zealand) Botanic Gardens
to facilitate exchange and partnership.
The College welcomes new partners to the
PNW Cooperative Ecosystems Study
Unit — Minerals Management Service, U.S.
Department of the Interior; Oregon Institute of
Technology; Saint Mary’s University in Winona,
Minnesota; and Eastern Washington University
in Cheney, Washington.
Several College centers showcased their
research activities on May 17, 2007, featuring
presentations on Olympic Peninsula marine
resources, forest land conversion, forest
nutrition, managing for biodiversity, forest
certification, and the softwood lumber trade,
among other topics.
The College’s student clubs sponsored the
annual Garb Day celebration on May 19,
2007, at the Center for Sustainable Forestry
at Pack Forest. Events included a salmon
barbecue, logging sports, guided nature hikes,
and a forestry quiz bowl.
The College and the UW Alumni Association
sponsored a “Tree Safari” on May 26, 2007,
in which participants, led by Professor Emeritus
Reinhard Stettler, identified trees, shrubs, and
other woody plants on the UW campus.
Along with WSU Extension and King County,
the College co-sponsored a Summer Youth
Forestry Institute in July 2007. Ten high
school students conducted a forest inventory
in rural King County, and learned about
forest ecology, forestry, and natural resource
management. They also entered data and ran
treatment simulations using the College’s
Landscape Management System (LMS).
Forest and fire ecology Professor Jim Agee
is the author of Steward’s Fork: A Sustainable
Future for the Klamath Mountains, recently
published by the University of California Press.
The book explores northwest California’s
Klamath Mountains — a region that boasts
remarkable biodiversity and a wealth of
natural resources — and asks: how can we
most effectively steward this landscape for a
sustainable future?
The College recently achieved its Campaign
UW fundraising goal of $17.7 million. Thank
you to all of our generous supporters!
Alumni Focus
Alumni Profile — Alan Randall (’57)
Alumni News
Keith Van Cleve (’58), after 30 years on the
faculty at the University of Alaska Fairbanks,
retired to San Juan Island, Washington where
he pursues his interests in nature photography
and woodworking.
Charles Wick (‘73, ‘79) is a team leader of the
Edgewood Chemical Biological Center, a U.S.
Army laboratory that is the nation’s principal
research and development center for nonmedical chemical and biological defense.
John Kershaw (‘93) is director of graduate
studies in the Faculty of Forestry and
Environmental Management, University of New
Brunswick in Fredericton.
Sarah Cooke (‘94) is an environmental
services consultant in Seattle, Washington,
specializing in wetland ecology.
Lhakpa Norbu Sherpa, (‘88, ‘99) co-directs
the Himalayan Program for The Mountain
Institute. The first person from the Sherpa
community to receive a doctorate, he is
working to strengthen conservation capacity
on Mt. Everest’s north side.
John Klavitter (‘00) is a wildlife biologist
with Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge.
Rand Knight (‘97,’03) is a Democratic
candidate running for U.S. Senate in Georgia.
Knight is a director at QL2 Software, Inc. in
Seattle, Washington. He has also worked
as a scientist for the National Ecological
Observatory Network.
Erica Cline (’04) is assistant professor at UW
Tacoma, specializing in forest soil microbiology.
Carrie Monohan (’04) is a senior river
scientist with the Natural Heritage Institute
in San Francisco, California, who focuses on
bridging the fields of hydrology and ecology.
Mark Swanson (‘07) has accepted a position
as assistant professor of landscape ecology
and silviculture in the Department of Natural
Resources at Washington State University in
Pullman, Washington.
In Memoriam
Robert Bulchis (’39)
Dean Rae Berg (’78, ’90, ’95)
Timothy M. Brown (‘99, ’02)
Alan Randall’s career in forestry spanned
five decades and took him around the world
working for timber companies, government
forestry agencies, consulting firms, international organizations, and conservation
NGOs. At the Rosmond Endowment event in
Forks, Washington in July, Randall reflected
on his connection with the College. “Many
things brought me to the College and a
forestry career — memories of growing up
in the boreal forests of Alaska, pride in the
profession and in the College, and a desire to
work outdoors on projects around the world.”
One of twelve 1957 graduates of the College’s
logging engineering program, Randall soon
began working internationally, first in Sweden
as a forester apprentice with a major paper
company, and then with the British Forestry
Commission completing time-motion and cost
studies for harvest operations. Returning to
the U.S., he joined a consulting firm “cruising
and mapping timberlands and appraising
forest investment opportunities in the western
states and Alaska.”
A five-month assignment in southern Chile
appraising investment potential in a large
forest tract began his long involvement in
Latin American natural resources development
and conservation. Working for CFR, Randall
led Peace Corps volunteers in the Dominican
Republic, and later served as forestry
advisor to the government. He joined the
Organization of American States, completing
natural resource surveys and identifying
development opportunities. Recruited
by USAID to advise Panama’s
government on strengthening
its natural resources agency
for the protection of the
Panama Canal’s watershed,
he also worked on Panama’s
reforestation programs. Says
Randall, “As my experience
grew, the inevitable shift
to ‘desk time,’advising
on development
and management,
replaced ‘time in
the woods.’ But the
Continued page 4
College Welcomes Dr. Renata Bura
Renata Bura, Assistant Professor in natural products chemistry, was selected
from a pool of finalist candidates in a nationwide search and is one of eleven
new faculty members hired by the College since 2006. Bura has also been
appointed the Denman Professor in Pulp and Paper Science, an endowed
position created by a generous gift from Mary Ellen and W. Richard Denman.
Bura received a BSc in applied chemistry and biology from
Ryerson University in Toronto and a MASc in chemical
engineering and applied chemistry from the University
of Toronto. She earned her PhD in forest products
biotechnology at the University of British Columbia (UBC),
studying the bioconversion of corn fiber to ethanol. After
receiving her doctorate, Bura was a post-doctoral fellow
at UBC, working on biomass conversion to bioethanol
in collaboration with universities and government
agencies. She also worked with UBC research laboratories
on molecular biology and protein research and on the
enzymatic hydrolysis of biomass.
The conversion of biomass into ethanol is a promising
field of research on which Bura will be collaborating
with faculty and students at the College. Sources
of biomass include excess materials from the
forest floor, small diameter timber, agricultural
residues, and other organic cellulose-rich
material. “Biomass goes through a short pretreatment period, at which
point the materials are fractionated into cellulose, hemicellulose, and
lignin,” Bura says. The hydrolysis process then uses enzymes to convert
the cellulose and hemicellulose to sugars. Fermentation, which can be done
in conjunction with or following hydrolysis, is the next step. “Fermentation
for bioconversion is somewhat akin to making beer,” Bura says. “Yeast is
used to ferment sugars and convert them into carbon dioxide and ethanol,
which is an alcohol that can be readily used to fuel vehicles.”
Bura is a co-founder of a newly created UW Bioenergy Group that includes
CFR faculty Rick Gustafson, Bill McKean, Sharon Doty, and Kevin Hodgson.
Other bioenergy initiatives at the College with which Bura is involved
include collaboration with UW and WSU faculty on converting wheat
straw, poplar, and giant reed fibers to ethanol and other chemicals. In
collaboration with Sharon Doty, Bura is working on the screening and
characterization of microorganisms able to convert five carbon sugars to
ethanol. Bura is also looking at biomass to biochemical production from
a sustainability point of view in collaboration with CFR faculty Monika
Moskal, Dorothy Paun, and Clare Ryan. Her industrial collaborators
include Weyerhaeuser and Novozymes.
“In my somewhat limited free time, Bura says, “I enjoy playing tennis,
cycling, and hiking in the natural beauty of Washington.”
Dean’s Message continued
Alumni Profile — Alan Randall (’57) continued
These challenges inform the changing societal values of a growing, urbanizing population
— a population increasingly aware of the environmental implications of climate change,
biodiversity loss, invasive and endangered species, wildfire issues, water quality, and forest
health, while growing increasingly remote from roots in an agrarian society.
common thread throughout my career has been sustainable forest use and the conservation
of natural resources.”
How can academic programs in forestry and natural resources stay relevant in this
whirlwind of change? The concept of sustainability provides a set of tools to ensure
flexibility and relevance in changing times. Sustainability encourages activities or processes
that produce desired products and services over long periods of time. A rational approach
that seeks a dynamic equilibrium, it integrates an interdisciplinary set of social, ecological,
and economic disciplines. It facilitates an understanding that there will always be many
stakeholders with multiple and often conflicting goals, and that although science is
necessary to find the proper balance among social, ecological, and economic needs, it is
by no means sufficient. Value preferences expressed through economic, political, and legal
systems will often largely determine the ultimate balance.
A successful natural resources education in this environment must include a solid
preparation in bio-physical and socio-economic sciences, communication, and critical
reasoning; an understanding and appreciation of interdisciplinary collaboration and
integration; discovery and learning at a variety of spatial scales; and the ability to embrace
the knowledge that there will always be uncertainty. This is the spirit in which we have
continued to transform our programs; our success in the 21st century depends on it.
Randall finished his career in the Latin American programs of The Nature Conservancy.
Major successes were the creation of a $25 million trust fund to finance national park
protection in Panama, and the purchase and protection of a 128,000-acre tract of
endangered Atlantic forest, Paraguay’s Mbaracayu Forest Nature Reserve. The Reserve,
relatively unaltered and a refuge for rare and endangered animal species and unique
endemic plants, is the region’s largest privately owned conservation area. Blocking its sale
to private development, the Conservancy and local NGOs raised public and private funds
to purchase the tract and endow a trust fund for its permanent protection. A major donation
came from a coal-burning power company that offset its greenhouse gas emissions by
maintaining intact the carbon in the Reserve’s forest. The Reserve’s management includes
continuing support of local communities. Says Randall, “Our strategy is to make nature
reserves poles of economic development and employment for the people who live around
them. The bottom line is that a forest reserve or park cannot survive if it is surrounded
by poverty.”
Randall also served on the Tropical Forest Foundation’s board, as a reviewer of FSC
certification studies, and as a USAID project evaluator. Active in his retirement, he served
on the Cascade Bicycle Club’s board, advises on EarthCorps conservation work, and
volunteers with The Nature Conservancy. He is currently a board member of the CFR Alumni
Association, and is helping prepare for the College’s Centennial Banquet in November
and for the golden anniversary of the Class of 57.
B. Bruce Bare
Upcoming Events Calendar
NOVEMBER 2, 2007
NO VEMBER 3, 2007
Centennial Social, HOTEL DECA, SEATTLE
Centennial Research Showcase, UW CAMPUS
N OV EM BER 3 , 2007
NO VEMBER 3, 2007
Centennial CFRAA Annual Meeting, UW CAMPUS
Centennial Gala, Don James Center, UW CAMPUS
NO VEMBER 13, 2007
Denman Forestry Issues Series, UWBG, CUH
CFR News
Please direct all corrections and inquiries to CFR News,
University of Washington, College of Forest Resources,
Box 352100, Seattle, WA 98195-2100.
EMAIL: cece@u.washington.edu PHONE: 206-543-3075
Share your news: CFR alumni activities and successes are of
interest and inspiration to faculty, students, staff, alumni,
and friends of CFR. Update your contact information at
http://www.washington.edu/alumni/addresschange.html.
This newsletter can also be found on line at:
www.cfr.washington.edu.
C R E AT I N G F U T U R E S S I N C E 1 9 0 7