Submitted by Eli Sagor, UMN Extension, ANREP representative to the EJI Board

On January 1, 2014 I replaced Dr. Robert Bardon as ANREP representative to the Board of Directors of Extension Journal, Inc. (EJI). EJI's major activities are publication of the Journal of Extension  and maintenance of the National Extension Job Bank. I was appointed to a three-year term ending on December 31, 2016 and serve on the board's Editorial Committee

The EJI Board has met several times by conference call and twice in person: in Wilmington, DE in March  and in Anchorage, AK in October.

The Extension Journal, Inc. Board of Directors

Update for March 2014:

The EJI Board's current focus is planning for the

replacement of the JOE editor at the end of 2015. That position has been occupied since 2000 by Laura Hoelscher.  We are considering changes to the JOE editorial structure, including the possibility of dispersing some of the editor's responsibilities to more than one person. I will be centrally involved in this process and can report that wwe are moving as quickly as possible in order to have a new editorial staff in place in time to take over at the end of 2015.

Meetings:  The EJI board has decided to return to a schedule involving two in-person meetings per year instead of one.  That may increase the budget required to fund my travel as the ANREP representative. My best estimate for the total annual cost is $2,500.

Update for October 2014:

Journal of Extension:  The EJI Board remains focused on a process to identify a replacement for JOE editor Laura Hoelscher (see March update for background).  Having considered a distributed editorship model involving content-based Associate Editors, the board has chosen instead to continue under the current model. Thus, in mid-October the board will release a request for proposals seeking an Editor-in-Chief and a copy editor, both through the same proposal. The RFP will be shared with Land Grant universities, but proposals will also be welcomed from other types of institutions, provided that they demonstrate a strong understanding of Extension and can reliably commit to a five-year term of editorship.  

The current editorship contract is designed to fund only 0.6FTE for both the editor-in-chief and copy editor responsibilities, however the 2014 RFP is designed to increase that level closer to 0.8 or 0.85 FTE.  We feel this is necessary to attract competitive bids, and the EJI board budget is confident in its ability to sustain this increased expense.

While at one point I somewhat favored the distributed editorship model, I support the current direction and feel that it represents the best opportunity to maintain both a very high standard from our editor and stability and consistency in this important work.

The JOE continues to publish 36 peer-reviewed articles per issue, six times per year. The acceptance rate is about 27% and the board is satisfied with the high level of quality and service obtained from the current editor. The Journal serves Extension well.  

Special issues:  There has been some discussion of special issues with a topical focus. In fact I raised this question at one point in reference to a possible focus issue on climate change adaptation planning. While the current editor views this as unworkable given her workload, we continue to explore options, possibly including a guest editor for special issues, as this question has come up related to a variety of topics.

National Job Bank:  The National Job Bank website has had some technical issues in recent weeks. These resulted from server problems at the host institution, the Ohio State University. I understand that they have now been resolved, and the board remains satisfied with the performance of our OSU-based IT contractor.  The Job Bank remains an important source of revenue for the EJI board and I encourage ANREP board members to suggest that their HR units to use it to promote open Extension positions.

ANREP budget considerations: The board plans to continue to meet twice annually in person. We will meet in the Atlanta area in March, and I have volunteered to host the September meeting in Minnesota. Thus ANREP's budget impact for the EJI board representation may be reduced next year.  However, I recommend maintaining the $2,500 line item for future budget years, as travel to two two-day meetings will be an ongoing requirement.

I am pleased to represent ANREP in this capacity and welcome feedback and direction from the board on any of these or other relevant issues.

Dr. Jones is a wildlife biologist at Mississippi State University and serves as the Coordinator for the Natural Resources Enterprises Program. The Program, which is highly successful in Mississippi and other partnering states, provides landowners' options for creating small business ventures based on natural resources. The business opportunities allow the landowners to earn extra income while incorporating conservation and stewardship into their activities.

Natural resource enterprises are businesses that rely on any type of natural resource to develop a product. The list of what can be considered a natural resource enterprise is ever developing as people come up with new, innovative ways to provide a service or product based on natural ecosystems. Some examples of natural resource enterprises are: leasing land for hunting, berry growing and picking, maple tapping and syrup production, renting canoes along a river or providing dog sled rides through the winter landscape. These enterprises allow landowners to offer their property up for others to enjoy, while providing an extra or alternative income source. In addition, the sustainability of each of these enterprises relies on the landowner to actively manage the property in the long term.

Natural resource enterprises are important because they allow landowners to diversify, and likely increase the income they receive from their land or water resources. This can be an important factor to many landowners, especially when faced with the economic challenges and weather variability we have seen in recent years. For example, if a farmer has a natural resource enterprise in addition to row crops, he/she has options for income in the face of an economic setback due to weather and/or market conditions.

In early October, Michigan State University Extension's Natural Resource Enterprise team brought Dr. Jones to northern Michigan to speak at two different events about the basics of starting and sustaining a natural resource enterprise. 

The first event, hosted by Michigan State University Extension's Natural Resource Enterprise Team, was titled, "Natural Resource Enterprises: Providing Opportunities to Landowners in Michigan." The workshop was geared toward training natural resource professionals, and focused on the basics about advising landowners of enterprise options and management considerations. Other details such as start-up funding, business plans and liability were also discussed. 

The second event was a conference hosted by Michigan State University Extension's Sustainable Community Prosperity Workgroup, called "Connecting Entrepreneurial Communities (CEC)." The CEC Conference was targeted toward representatives from various community organizations (business, education, government, chamber, service, etc.) that all have an interest in learning how to make their community more conducive to entrepreneurial growth. The conference employed its unique format for a third year in the East Tawas, Michigan area with breakout sessions held in different local businesses or community locations, such as the history museum. Dr. Jones' sessions were presented within the "Shops at Harbor View" indoor mini-mall, which offered an intimate venue for the presenters and the attendees.

Dr. Jones' presentations highlighted the array of Natural Resource Enterprises as well as a variety of considerations when beginning a natural resource based business. He remarked that hosting people on your property requires the owner to be an entertainer. People come to learn about the resource, but want to have fun doing it. The presentations were attended by members of the local tribal community, business owners and Economic Development representatives. 

Participants thoroughly enjoyed Dr. Jones' presence at both events and plan to continue to encourage the creation and expansion of Natural Resources Enterprises throughout the state.

Michigan is home to a variety of forested and water resources that are important to the economic stability of its residents. Natural resource enterprises can enhance the economic potential of these resources while ensuring the ecological sustainability of the resources into the future.

 

Dr. Daryl Jones explains the importance of a business plan when considering the creationor expansion of a natural resource enterprise. Photo by Georgia Peterson, MSU Extension Specialist.

Submitted by Julie Crick

On September 22-23, 2014, twenty-three scientists, resource managers, and urban planners convened in Las Vegas, Nevada, to discuss research and management needs related to severe fires and post-fire flooding in the Intermountain West. Fire severity has risen dramatically in the last fifteen years, increasing the size of wildfires, and impacts to upstream watersheds and downstream water supplies. The workshop was motivated by the concerns of water management agencies about the potential for a changing climate to exacerbate fire impacts, through projected increases in acres burned and potential changes in the intensity of future extreme precipitation, and the frequency of extreme events-which the National Climate Assessment projects to at least double across the region.

Participants in "Managing for Future Risks of Fire, Post-fire Flooding and Extreme Precipitation," a workshop convened, September 22-23, 2014, by University of Arizona Associate Extension Specialist, Gregg Garfin (standing), and partners.

The workshop participants exchanged knowledge about fires, watershed health, flooding and the geomorphology of post-fire flooding (extensive erosion, gullying, and debris flows), urban water management concerns (values at risk, costs), and projections of regional climate changes and potential ramifications for wildfire. A series of case studies based on recent regional fires in Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona, integrated insights from scientific studies, with lessons from response and recovery efforts. These studies prepared participants for a day of dialogue, using World Caf� and other facilitated discussions, aimed at (a) documenting biophysical research and decision science needs, and (b) developing a toolbox to aid in pre-, during, and post-fire preparedness, operations, response, and recovery measures.

Research, data and management needs identified by workshop participants focused on the topics of extreme precipitation, fire ecology, flooding and sediment transport, water supply and reservoir infrastructure, and water quality. Key needs included the following:

• Data: Frequent reservoir bathymetric data to document changes in reservoir capacity; long-term, continuous data sets on evolving nutrient levels in streams-pre-and-post fire; status of soil moisture as a post-fire predictor of runoff; pre-and-post flood LIDAR measurements
• Research: Improved prediction of the probable origins of debris flows, and better modeling of erosion and sediment transport in steep channels; studies to optimize and prioritize the location of precipitation gauges; assessment of how fires change the biological productivity of streams-with respect to potential tipping points; cost-avoidance analyses for sediment and debris flows
• Management: Best practices in upstream/downstream planning and collaboration to yield resilient forests and clean drinking water; improved communication to convey to property owners that the dynamics of the landscape on which they live is in constant flux; increased peer-to-peer, researcher-to-manager exchanges on understanding of the relationship of fire/flood watershed water quality cycles; improved decision science for placement of sediment control infrastructure

Workshop participants described a toolkit for assessing and managing flood impacts associated with wildfire, as a web-based resource. Participants identified several potential partners, including NOAA RISAs, USDA-NRCS, the Water Utility Climate Alliance, and EPA. The following web-resource components were identified by participants:  

• links to data;

• links to guidance documents, such as decision support tools, vulnerability assessments, and scenario planning exercises;

• information, such as case studies, synthesis and assessment documents, and hazard mitigation plans;
• training on scenario planning and anticipatory planning (e.g., triple bottom line vulnerability assessments and cost-benefit analyses); and

• resources for locating grants and funding for research and action.

A subcommittee of workshop participants is in the process of revising and completing a white paper and report from the workshop. Participants recommended reporting out to the Arid States Floodplain Managers, and the Southwest Fire Science Consortium. I would welcome further suggestions from ANREP members, as well as engaging in dialogue on opportunities to collaborate on extension related to this topic. 

 

Submitted by Gregg Garfin
Deputy Director for Science Translation & Outreach, Institute of the Environment
University of Arizona, School of Natural Resources and the Environment
 

Since 2010 the Utah Biomass Resources Group (UBRG) has focused their efforts on increasing utilization of (primarily waste) biomass. The determination of past and present members of the UBRG, along with their many partners, has led to a very exciting development: the creation of some of the first mobile pyrolysis units in existence, this is the story of how we became involved with this project.  

Looking Back: Lessons Learned

The UBRG's interests in pyrolysis technology was peaked with the creation of a mobile gasification machine we called the Dragon Wagon in YEAR. Gasification is different from pyrolysis in that wood is cooked at much higher temperatures, more than 700 deg. C, and is converted into a gas-like propane. Once refined, the gas can be run through a standard propane generator. This process can yield 7Kw of power- enough energy to power two homes. Our intention was that the unit could provide power to farmers and ranchers in remote locations. However what we found was that it required the skills of a highly qualified operator to be functional. This detail made its wide-scale application impractical. From there we shifted our focus to mobile pyrolysis.

Pyrolysis occurs when any product containing carbon (tree branches, grass, shrubs) is heated in the absence of oxygen. The resulting products are three highly valuable resources:  bio-oil, biochar and syngas. Bio-oil is similar to crude oil - once refined, it can be used for heating and steam production. Biochar is essentially charcoal that can be a useful soil amendment for agriculture producers. Syngas is similar to propane and is used to create the reaction that powers the pyrolysis unit. This pyrolysis process allows previously unused waste wood to be processed into valuable products with many applications. Because we've made the unit mobile, operators can complete the pyrolysis production onsite in the woods. This creates a product that has enough value to ship out of the woods.   

MOBILE Pyrolysis is Born in Utah

We had help in developing the gasifier from Dr. Ralph Coates, founder of Amaron Energy in Salt Lake City. Formerly a Chemical Engineering Professor at Brigham Young University, Coates also has considerable background is oil shale development. At that time, Coates had a rotary pyrolysis kiln which he invented for oil shale but was starting to use for woody biomass. The core of this machine is a long rotating tube that is heated from the outside allowing the pyrolysis reaction to occur inside the rotating tube. In 2012 we approached Coates with a proposition: if we invested UBRG funds originating from the Bureau of Land Management and the USDA Forest Service, combined with a substantial investment on his part, could he make his pyrolysis machine mobile? Several months and many thousands of dollars later, Coates' team had installed the machine into a 30 foot shipping container that had been converted into a trailer, and we had Utah's first mobile pyrolysis machine. This was a demonstration unit, capable of processing half a ton of woody biomass per day.

Mobile pyrolysis hits the road

We commenced a series of demonstrations with Coates' mobile pyrolysis machine to show folks what it was capable of. At the same time UBRG Co-chair Dallas Hanks was leading the charge toward what became a successful bid for a grant to create a scaled-up version of this mobile pyrolysis technology. In 2013 USU was awarded a $493,000 SUN Grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation. The intent of this grant is to develop and demonstrate the functionality of a larger machine and with our partners at the University of Utah improve the refining of the bio-oils derived from the pyrolysis process.

In May of 2014 the director of Washington Department of Natural Resources invited teams from across The West to participate in a mobile pyrolysis "cook-off" to showcase their state-of-the-art biomass technology. Only three teams qualified including two from Utah:  Amaron Energy (SLC, UT) and Western Renewable Technologies (Lindon, UT). With two Utah teams qualifying, it seemed like we were winning coming in the door. On May 7, Amaron Energy demonstrated their half-ton mobile pyrolysis demonstration unit and was awarded opportunity to return for a second demonstration, this time with 20-ton production unit, in Cle Elum, Washington on Oct 22 - 23, 2014.

The May demonstration was an offshoot of the Northwest Wood Energy Team Forum which featured talks from officials across the west. During this forum we learned about the many biomass power plants currently in operation and other innovative biomass technologies. It was surprising to learn that almost none of my colleagues were actively investigating projects that promote mobile pyrolysis in the west - despite the emphasis placed on the need for this mobile technology at the event.

I attribute this surprising fact to necessity. The ultra-productive Northwestern forests bear hundreds of tons of wood per acre of forestland, while our Great Basin pinion-juniper woodlands tend to hold six tons per acre of woody biomass. This forces us to look to a mobile platform because our resource is vastly distributed over a wide geographic range. Is it possible that UBGR could still be a player in the biomass industry with such tough competition? I think so. I believe that here in Utah we just might have the right combination of petroleum-savvy brain capital (smart people) and a scrappy wood products industry to get the job done. In the past few months, I have attended large conferences with my colleagues from around the world, and clearly I can see promise in this theory.

Mobile Pyrolysis Operation

Today, the 20-ton mobile pyrolysis machine is complete and has conducted successful demonstrations in Nevada and Washington State and the refining research is ongoing. The larger machine is housed in a 40-foot storage container on wheels and is also fully mobile. The reactor is a 24 inch diameter tube that is 15 feet long and tilted at a one degree angle so gravity pulls the material through the reactor. As this is a rotary pyrolysis kiln, the tube is always turning and being heated from the outside. To operate the machine, small chips of biomass are fed into one end and the material is fast cooked at temperatures around 400 degrees Celsius, for approximately 2 minutes. This process converts about half of the wood to bio-oil, about a quarter of the wood into biochar, and a quarter of the wood into a syngas used to fire the system.

 

Current Research

Utah State University and the UBRG are conducting studies to determine the efficacy of using biochar on Utah soils. Biochar alone does not contain moisture or nutrients, but when added as a soil amendment, it can collect and hold moisture and nutrients and make these resources available to plants. One biochar study currently being funded by Western Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (WSARE) is investigating the impact of applying biochar made from cherry wood from Utah orchards on vegetable farms on the Wasatch Front. Another study is applying biochar to reclaimed oil and gas drilling pads in the Uinta Basin to determine its potential as a rehabilitation tool for impacted soils. We will report on the results of these studies as they become available. We are also conducting a review of the literature on biochar as a soil amendment. In a nutshell it appears that biochar, when skillfully made and applied, has the potential to boost soil productivity and reduce plant water requirements. However, it must be understood that biochar can also decrease plant growth in soils, and so it must be made and applied judiciously. Current research on biochar suggests that not all biochar applications result in positive results when applied as a soil amendment, therefore many scientists recommend a continuation of varied, repeatable, and rigorous testing before wide-scale biochar recommendations are made.

 

Looking Forward

In Utah the BLM is treating more than 40,000 acres of pinyon-juniper woodlands every year for fire hazard reduction and wildlife habitat improvement. Because of this, we have lots of waste wood spread out over ten million acres in this state. If we can create valuable resources from this waste wood perhaps we can offset some of the costs associated with wildfire hazard reduction and habitat improvement.  That is the goal of the UBRG.

Longtime outreach efforts by the Mississippi State University Extension Service's forestry department received significant attention when it won a national award.

MSU Extension Forestry won the 2014 Family Forests Education Award presented by the National Woodland Owners Association and the National Association of University Forest Resources Programs. George Hopper, dean of the MSU College of Forest Resources, accepted the award Oct. 8 at the Society of American Foresters national convention in Salt Lake City.

"Our Mississippi State faculty were recognized for the work they do to support forest landowners within the state with dedicated leadership," Hopper said. "We have a truly outstanding faculty and staff in our forestry Extension group, and it is gratifying to see them receive the recognition they so richly deserve."

The MSU Forestry Extension team includes 14 educators operating from six locations. Team members use traditional educational programs, publications and media to reach and educate as many family forest owners as possible each year.

"In Mississippi, 63 percent of the state's total land area is forestland. Of this, 88 percent is privately owned, and the majority is made up of individually owned parcels of 100 acres or less," said James Henderson, associate Extension forestry professor. "Educating private family forest owners about forest management, harvesting, and marketing practices and techniques is essential to the sustainability of forest resources."

For nearly 90 years, the Extension program of the MSU Department of Forestry has worked to expand forestry knowledge through educational opportunities targeted toward landowners, foresters, loggers, 4-H members and the general public.

Ongoing needs-assessment activities determine what topics are covered in programming efforts. Team members make educational decisions annually on a county-by-county basis. Recent landowner educational programs addressed marketing timber, cost-share programs, intergenerational transfer of land, and selling mineral rights to oil and gas companies.

Learn more about Mississippi State Extension forestry online.