Community Forestry Resource Center
Weekly News and Event Summary
March 2, 2006
This message includes news, headlines, and information gathered during the week.
** Due to the increase in spam protections, rising numbers of this message are bouncing
back as blocked. If you or your organization intends to install a spam blocker or bulk
mail filter, please clear, or whitelist, the Community Forestry Resource Center listserv
email cfc-news@lists.iatp.org through your email system administrator. **
------------------------------------------------------------------------CONTENTS:
HEADLINES:
Forest certification is a big step forward for Minnesota
Gypsy moth attack in the works (MN)
Mapled Crusaders: Community forests help revitalize New England towns
Demand for fast-growing trees hasn’t come yet (WA)
Town in transition (AK)
Weyerhaeuser buzz: trees or paper?
'Rapid warming' spreads havoc in Canada's forests
Environmentalists, loggers near deal on Asian rainforest
OTHER HEADLINES ON http://www.forestrycenter.org/News/News.cfm
* China encourages development of timber substitutions
* Foresters foresee shrinking acreage (OR)
* In Congo, Pygmies ill-prepared to fight for their forests
* City develops 'tree teams' (MI)
* Forests in Indochina receive FSC certification
------------------------------------------------------------------------EVENTS:
Horse Logging, Directional Felling & Portable Sawmill Demonstration
March 4, 2006, Rosemount, MN
Whole Tree Design in the Driftless Region
March 7, 2006, Viroqua, WI
How to Use a GPS Receiver
March 11, 2006, Rochester, MN
Ginseng: A Beginners Workshop
March 11, 2006, Acra, NY
Forest Legacy Partnership Project in the Itasca Region
March 16, 2006, Grand Rapids, MN
Public Woods Walk Through Tornado Damage
March 18, 2006, Viola, WI
Bird Friendly Forest Management
April 7, 2006 and April 8. 2006, Sandstone, MN
For more event listings visit:
http://www.forestrycenter.org/Calendar/Cal.cfm
------------------------------------------------------------------------INFORMATION:
The Forest Stewardship Council’s Revised Pesticides Policy
Wisconsin’s Landowner Incentive Program (LIP)
For more documents and information visit:
http://www.forestrycenter.org/Search/search.cfm
------------------------------------------------------------------------PUBLICATIONS:
Conservation Easements to Protect Working Forests
Effective Seed Dispersal across a Fragmented Landscape
Balancing Ecology and Economics: A Start-up Guide for Forest Owner Cooperation
------------------------------------------------------------------------HEADLINES:
Forest certification is a big step forward for Minnesota
In January, Governor Pawlenty announced the environmental certification of Minnesota’s
state forests — more than 4.8 million acres of woodland across the state. This is exciting
news for Minnesotans and for our natural resources. But now, the hard work begins. If
Minnesota wants to reap the environmental and economic benefits that come with
certification, some big improvements will have to be made in how our forests are
managed.
http://www.grandmarais-mn.com/placed/index.php?sect_rank=5&story_id=215291
http://www.forestrycenter.org/headlines.cfm?refid=78700
OR
----------------------------Gypsy moth attack in the works (MN)
Federal and state officials are proposing to spray 133,275 acres in Cook County this
summer in an attempt to slow the spread of destructive, exotic gypsy moths. The
proposed treatment area is more than 40 times the size of the largest area previously
treated in Minnesota.
http://www.duluthsuperior.com/mld/duluthsuperior/news/local/13950243.htm OR
http://www.forestrycenter.org/headlines.cfm?refid=78708
----------------------------Mapled Crusaders: Community forests help revitalize New England towns
The prognosis for New England's outlying counties, which once lived off the fat of the
forest, is not favorable: one in four residents in Maine's Somerset County and one in five
in Washington County now live in poverty. Increasingly, communities are reclaiming
their working woods, with residents and towns banding together to purchase tracts for
two purposes: to protect the land and to bolster the local economy. In some cases, the
land is set aside specifically for low-income residents.
http://www.grist.org/news/maindish/2006/02/23/curtis/index.html?source=weekly OR
http://www.forestrycenter.org/headlines.cfm?refid=78678
----------------------------Demand for fast-growing trees hasn’t come yet (WA)
In the mid-1990s, tree farmers who planted plots of 20 acres or less in hybrid
cottonwoods were told they would turn a quick profit in eight years by selling the trees
for pulp wood or in 15 years for saw logs. But now the trees are basically worthless.
Cutting and marketing the trees would cost more than they can be sold for.
http://www.thedailyworld.com/articles/2006/02/27/local_news/01news.txt
http://www.forestrycenter.org/headlines.cfm?refid=78694
OR
----------------------------Town in transition (AK)
The former mill town of Ketchikan is attempting to rise from the ashes. Tourism has
taken off, creating seasonal jobs and bringing in some $77 million in visitor spending last
summer. A shipyard is expanding and public works projects abound. The ferryheadquarters move created nearly 55 fresh jobs. But Ketchikan is still struggling to
recover from the loss of its major employer. Tourism jobs haven't replaced the revenue
stream from high-paying, year-round work at the mill.
http://www.adn.com/money/story/7482816p-7392903c.html
http://www.forestrycenter.org/headlines.cfm?refid=78696
OR
----------------------------Weyerhaeuser buzz: trees or paper?
Fighting for profit in a difficult industry, Weyerhaeuser has come to a crossroads. It
operates the way timber companies have for decades, with major timberland holdings that
feed its factories. But that way of doing business has fallen out of fashion, and if
Weyerhaeuser cannot generate higher profit with a recent overhaul, it could be forced to
choose between timber and manufacturing.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2002829236_weyerhaeuser26.
html OR http://www.forestrycenter.org/headlines.cfm?refid=78697
----------------------------'Rapid warming' spreads havoc in Canada's forests
Millions of acres of Canada's lush green forests are turning red in spasms of death. A
voracious beetle, whose population has exploded with the warming climate, is killing
more trees than wildfires or logging. The mountain pine beetle has infested an area three
times the size of Maryland, devastating swaths of lodgepole pines and reshaping the
future of the forest and the communities in it.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wpdyn/content/article/2006/02/28/AR2006022801772.html OR
http://www.forestrycenter.org/headlines.cfm?refid=78685
----------------------------Environmentalists, loggers near deal on Asian rainforest
After years of quiet negotiations, the Singapore company Asia Pacific Resources
International Holdings Ltd. is on the verge of signing a landmark agreement with WWF,
known in the U.S. as World Wildlife Fund. WWF says the deal would preserve one of the
last large stands of natural forest on the big Indonesian island of Sumatra, an expanse that
has been compared to the Amazon for its richness of species.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB114066232214180908.html
http://www.forestrycenter.org/headlines.cfm?refid=78688
OR
------------------------------------------------------------------------EVENTS
Horse Logging, Directional Felling & Portable Sawmill Demonstration
March 4, 2006, Rosemount, MN
Learn about this traditional low-impact logging technique using horses, techniques for
directional tree felling and portable sawmill operations using a Lucas sawmill. Presented
by Tim Carroll, Cedar River Horse Logging and President of the North American Horse
& Mule Loggers Association.
Contact Barb Spears at 651-644-5800 or barbs@treetrust.org
----------------------------Whole Tree Design in the Driftless Region
March 7, 2006, Viroqua, WI
An exhibition featuring regional round wood and whole tree professionals including:
Roald Gunderson Design, The Association of Natural Builders, Hans Morsbach and
Shima Woodcraft, Sustainable Science.org, Ben Hansen LLC, and the National Forest
Products Lab. Opening on March 7th. The exhibition will hang throughout March.
For more information call 608-452-2315
----------------------------How to Use a GPS Receiver
March 11, 2006, Rochester, MN
Have you ever been lost on your own property? Have you tried to return to a favorite deer
stand or fishing hole, only to be unable to find it? Global Positioning Systems, or GPS,
can help you to navigate with confidence. We'll start with the basics. At the end of the
day you'll be able to use a GPS unit to calculate area, navigate to a waypoint, and more.
(GPS units provided for use during the class.)
Contact Angela Gupta at 507-280-2869 or agupta@umn.edu or see
http://www.cnr.umn.edu/cfc/wa/Support/wasess.htm
----------------------------Ginseng: A Beginners Workshop
March 11, 2006, Acra, NY
This program is designed to teach individuals how to get started growing American
ginseng on forested land. It will cover basic ginseng botany, economics of ginseng
production, site selection criteria, harvesting and marketing. It will not discuss the
medicinal effects of ginseng or ginseng products. It is aimed at landowners who are
looking for alternative forest income opportunities as well as individuals who are
interested in growing small quantities of ginseng for personal use.
Contact Angela Tallarico at 518-622-0115 or amt18@cornell.edu or see
http://www.forestrycenter.org/calendar.cfm?refID=78344&categoryID
----------------------------Forest Legacy Partnership Project in the Itasca Region
March 16, 2006, Grand Rapids, MN
This venture is targeting large blocks of forestland in Itasca County to be enrolled in the
Federal Forest Legacy Program, a joint operation of the USDA Forest Service and the
Minnesota DNR. Since 1999, over 400,000 acres of Minnesota's industrial forestland has
been subdivided and sold. Working forest easements on large blocks of industrial forest
land will ensure sustainable forest practices and public access opportunities for a variety
of recreational pursuits including hunting, fishing and hiking.
Contact Julie Miedtke at 218-327-7489 or miedt001@umn.edu or see
http://www.cnr.umn.edu/cfc/wa/Support/wasess.htm
----------------------------Public Woods Walk Through Tornado Damage
March 18, 2006, Viola, WI
The Kickapoo Woods Cooperative will sponsor a woods walk through areas devastated
by last summer's tornadoes. This will be an interesting walk through the woods with
expert perspectives on dealing with wind-damaged woodlands.
Contact Lila Marmel at 608-624-5269 or sunmoon@mwt.net or see
http://www.forestrycenter.org/calendar.cfm?refID=78679&categoryID
-----------------------------
Bird Friendly Forest Management
April 7, 2006 and April 8. 2006, Sandstone, MN
Save the date! The Audubon Center of the North Woods and CFRC are offering two
workshops on bird friendly forest management techniques. The April 7 workshop is
aimed at forest resource professionals and continuing education credits will be available.
The April 8 workshop is aimed at private landowners. More information and registration
details are on the way.
Contact Katie Marshall at 612-870-3407 or kmarshall@iatp.org
------------------------------------------------------------------------INFORMATION
The Forest Stewardship Council’s Revised Pesticides Policy
FSC’s revised policy on pesticides was approved by the FSC Board of Directors in
December 2005. The policy requires the establishment of indicators and thresholds for
the identification of pesticides recognized by FSC as being particularly hazardous, based
on their active ingredients. An FSC guidance document is available which lists those
pesticides that have been classified as “highly hazardous.”
For a copy of the revised policy contact FSC International at Policy.standards@fsc.org
----------------------------Wisconsin’s Landowner Incentive Program (LIP)
The Landowner Incentive Program is a new cost-share program that provides financial
and technical assistance to help landowners manage and restore habitat for at-risk species
on their land. LIP provides up to 75% of the project cost for eligible projects. At-risk
species are rare plants and animals such as those listed as state or federally endangered or
threatened, state special concern or species of greatest conservation need. Prairie and
savanna management and restoration will be the focus of the first request for proposals.
Contact Jenny Bardeen at 608) 266-8736 or Jennifer.Bardeen@dnr.state.wi.us or see
http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/er/WLIP/
------------------------------------------------------------------------PUBLICATIONS
Conservation Easements to Protect Working Forests
This report by Dovetail Partners provides an introduction to easements and their potential
benefits, and examines some of the debate around the use of easements as a conservation
tool for working forests.
http://www.dovetailinc.org/DovetailEasements0206.html
http://www.forestrycenter.org/library.cfm?refid=78699
OR
----------------------------Effective Seed Dispersal across a Fragmented Landscape
A new study of a remote and barren Scottish hillside suggests that scientists have greatly
underestimated the ability of tree populations to disperse their genes over a wide area.
http://www.forestrycenter.org/library.cfm?refid=78698
----------------------------Balancing Ecology and Economics: A Start-up Guide for Forest Owner Cooperation
The 160-page guide is intended to show how private landowners, working together, can
improve the ecological conditions of their lands while improving their own economic
well-being and that of the communities in which their forest land is located.
Intended primarily for landowners and resource managers, the guide provides essential
information on all aspects of establishing a forest owner cooperative, including: forest
management, marketing, business planning, co-op governance, cooperative structures,
non-timber forest products, sustainable certification, developing member education
programs, and more.
For more information about Sustainable Forestry Cooperatives, or to order a copy of
Balancing Ecology and Economics: A Start-Up Guide for Forest Owner Cooperation,
please visit: http://www.forestrycenter.org
----------------------------NOTE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, any copyrighted material herein
is distributed without profit or payment for non-profit research and educational purposes
only. For more information, go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If
you wish to use copyrighted material from this newsletter for purposes of your own that
go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.
----END-----