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Recent Events
The South Carolina Forestry Commission hosted the annual meeting of the Southern Group of State Foresters.
Leaders of the state forestry agencies in all thirteen southern states, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands met June 8-11 in Columbia, SC, to identify and discuss national forestry issues and develop regional strategies to ensure the health and viability of our valuable forest resources. More information is available on the South Carolina Forestry Commission website.
The International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO) has formed a work group to examine global forestry issues related to the unwanted international movement of alien invasive species.
The second meeting of the new IUFRO work group on Invasive Species in International Trade took place May 26-30, in Shepherdstown, WV. This work group covers all taxa, with the focus on pathways and mitigations to prevent the spread of invasive species. Visit the conference website for more information, or contact Kerry Britton at kbritton01@fs.fed.us or (703) 605-4170.
A multi-criteria decision support system (MCDSS) capable of generating a set of National Environmental Threat Assessment Maps (NETAM) is in development.
The MCDSS, including the map products and tabular data produced, is intended to inform and support national-level and regional-level natural resource decision-making. The Western Wildland Environmental Threat Assessment Center (WWETAC) sponsored a workshop for the NETAM researchers and collaborators May 6-8 at the Remote Sensing Applications Center in Salt Lake City, UT. For more information about the NETAM project or the workshop, contact Ken Brewer at kbrewer@fs.fed.us or 801-975-3754.
The National Atmospheric Deposition Program (NADP) is a cooperative research support program of the state agricultural experiment stations, federal and state agencies, and non-governmental research organizations.
The NADP executive committee and subcommittees held their spring meetings in Pensacola Beach, FL, April 29-May 1. Additionally, the Critical Loads Ad Hoc Committee met to discuss current and emerging issues regarding the science and application of critical loads for atmospheric deposition in the United States. Visit the NADP website for more information about the Program and the meetings.
RS-2008, the Twelfth Biennial Remote Sensing Applications Conference, was co-sponsored by USDA Forest Service Remote Sensing Applications Center (RSAC) and Intermountain Region, Bureau of Land Management, and NASA.
RS-2008 was held in Salt Lake City, Utah, from April 15-17. The conference, themed "Supporting Resource Management with Technology", emphasized practical applications of remote sensing technologies and innovative applications of established technologies that benefit the resource management community.
Visit the RSAC website for more information.
The Southern Forest Futures Project (SFFP) is a two-year effort that will use technical forecasts and expert analysis to provide forest managers, policy makers, and science leaders with the clearest possible understanding of the potential long-term implications of changes in southern forests.
The US Forest Service, Southern Research Station and Southern Region, in partnership with the Southern Group of State Foresters, will lead the effort and seek cooperation with other government agencies and the interested public in conducting this analysis. The SFFP builds on the Southern Forest Resource Assessment, which provides a baseline of knowledge for evaluating future changes.
Public input was sought during an initial set of public meetings, and Web-based seminars were held for those who could not attend the meetings. A comment form is available on the SFFP website, as well as much more information about the Project.
The annual FHM Workgroup Meeting provides a forum for open discussion on important forest health issues and is open to all FHM partners.
Primary objectives of the workshop were to:
- Report on forest health conditions and trends;
- Present recent advances in forest health monitoring, evaluations, and research; and
- Use participant focus groups to develop recommendations for improving the FHM program.
To view workshop presentations and supporting documents, visit the National Forest Health Monitoring website. If you have questions about the workshop, please contact the Chair of the Program Committee, Michael Bohne, at mbohne@fs.fed.us or 530-759-1745.
EFETAC and the Southern Research Station (SRS) Science Delivery Group jointly hosted a science writing seminar on December 7, 2007, in Asheville, NC.
The seminar, entitled "Telling the Story about Forest Science", was designed to introduce writers, editors, designers, and scientists to the basics of communicating science through story and visualization. It was conducted by Neil Caudle, Associate Vice Chancellor for Research at UNC-Chapel Hill, Director for the Office of Information and Communications, and editor of Endeavors, the University’s award winning magazine on research and creative activity. For more information, contact Zoe Hoyle at zhoyle@fs.fed.us or (828) 257-4388.
EFETAC supported “Scientific Foundations of Conservation Planning in the Cumberland Plateau and Mountains”, held November 13 and 14, 2007, in Knoxville, Tennessee.
The conference identified, summarized, and evaluated scientific information highly relevant to conservation planning in the Cumberlands. The conference steering committee included representatives from Oak Ridge National Laboratory, The Nature Conservancy in Tennessee, University of Tennessee–Knoxville, U.S. Forest Service–Southern Research Station, and National Council for Air and Stream Improvement.
Cogongrass is a growing threat as it continues its rapid spread across the Southeast, reducing forest and pasture productivity, destroying wildlife habitat, impacting rights-of-way, and presenting an extreme fire hazard.
“Confronting the Cogongrass Crisis across the South” was held November 7 and 8, 2007, in Mobile, Alabama. The conference conveyed the latest understanding in restoring lands, managing, controlling, and eradicating cogongrass, and explored existing and needed networks for coordinating strategies for successful cogongrass management.
The conference was sponsored by the U.S. Forest Service, Alabama Cooperative Extension System, Auburn University School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences, and Southeast Exotic Pest Council. The conference proceedings are available here.
