ISSUE 32 : WEEK OF December 10, 2018
Recent News
Regional News

  • LSU AgCenter to Hold 2019 Ag Expo Forestry Forum in West Monroe
  • Georgia Begins Post-Hurricane Salvage of Timber
  • OSU Extension Collaboration Releases Publication on Wildifre Protection
  • VDOF Receives Federal Grant to Assist in Water Quality

SREF News

  • SREF to Host 3 Webinars Next Week on Woody Biomass CHP Energy
  • Webinar: Evaluating the Viability of Woody Biomass for Bioenergy in NC
  • Webinar:Wood Energy Options- Save Money & Reduce Carbon Footprint
  • Webinar: Modern Wood Energy Systems- Heating, Cooling, CHP
  • Extension Urban and Community Forestry Webinar Series Final Report
  • Wildland Fire in the Southeast Releases Two New Success Stories
  • SFE to Host Webinar: Don't Fear the Fire 

National News

  • Office of Sustainability & Climate to Host Final Webinar of 2018
  • Press Release: Secretary Perdue Names Matt Lohr New NRCS Chief
  • SUFC 14th Annual Meeting & Reception Call for Submissions
  • FAO Releases Annual State of the World's Forests
  • Press Release: USDA, WGA Sign Memorandum of Understanding
  • IUFRO Seeking Proposals for 2019 Small-Scale Forestry Conference
  • AFTA's Quarterly Newsletter Calls for Submissions
  • Job Opportunities: Forest Product Specialist (Two Positions)

Funding Opportunities

  • Forest Service Announces $8 Million for Wood Products & Energy
  • UK's SCAHIP Offers Funds for Forestry Worker Safety & Health Projects

Regional News
LSU AgCenter to Hold 2019 Ag Expo Forestry Forum in West Monroe
The LSU AgCenter and the Northeast Louisiana Agri-Business Council are sponsoring the 2019 Ag Expo Forestry Forum on January 18, 2019. The forum will discuss multiple topics of interest to area timberland owners, forestry consultants and industry partners. Price of admission is $20. Early registration is $15 and due by January 11th, 2019. Learn more about the event , or sign up for early registration.


OSU Extension Collaboration Releases Publication on Wildifre Protection
John Weir, Oklahoma State University Cooperative Extension, partnered with five other universities to develop a new publication that addresses preparing for wildfire. Partnering universities were University of Wyoming Extension, South Dakota State University Extension, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, Kansas State Research and Extension and New Mexico State University. The Publication was originally released this past June. However, OSU Cooperative Extension is re-releasing the publication so that landowners can be made aware about the dormant fuel created as green grass dies in the winter. This becomes an excellent fuel source for fires in the spring/summer. Learn more about being firewise.
Georgia Begins Post-Hurricane Salvage of Timber
The Georgia Forestry Commission began salvage efforts on timber downed by Hurricane Michael this week. Over 300,000 acres, or approximately 16 percent of the state’s timber, were classified as being catastrophically damaged. An estimated 1.4 million acres, or 61 percent, were deemed moderately damaged. As of now, there are an estimated 37.68 million tons of timber on the ground. Salvaging was put off due to the overcrowded local timber market. Learn more about the salvage efforts.

VDOF Receives Federal Grant to Assist in Water Quality
The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation is awarding a grant of $850,000 for a regional multi-state proposal for water quality efforts in several localities within the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
The Virginia Department of Forestry (VDOF) and Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE), in cooperation with other key partners will lead these efforts in the Shenandoah Valley through riparian forest buffers and other innovative livestock stream exclusion practices. The grant includes $110,000 for VDOF, which will be matched by DuPont settlement funds, to provide 50 acres of forested buffers. Furthermore, VCE is receiving $53,572 to implement innovative practices, such as solar-powered, temporary livestock watering systems. Learn more about the grant and its implementation.
SREF News
SREF to Host 3 Webinars Next Week on Woody Biomass CHP Energy
Working closely with the USDA Forest Service and Virginia DOF, Southern Regional Extension Forestry will host an array of experts who will be presenting three webinars on woody biomass next week. The webinars will discuss options for including woody biomass in combined heat and energy infrastructure options in the Southern Region. The three webinars are each one hour long. Each is explained in further detail in this newsletter. One will take place December 19, and two on December 20, 2018. View a flyer with streamlined information on all 3 webinars.

Webinar: Wood Energy Options - Save Money & Reduce Carbon Footprint
Southern Regional Extension Forestry will host a free one hour webinar on December 20, 2019 at 1 PM EST. The webinar is presented by Lew McCreery, Acting Director of the USDA Forest Service Wood Education and Resource Center (WERC). McCreery will discuss an overview of why to use wood energy, key components of wood energy systems, important steps in the design of wood energy systems, support available from the Forest Service Wood Energy Technical Assistance Team, new wood energy technologies, and several project examples. You do not need to register for this webinar View the webinar portal.

Webinar: Modern Wood Energy Systems- Heating, Cooling, CHP
Southern Regional Extension Forestry will host a free one hour webinar on December 20, 2019 at 2:30 PM EST. This webinar is presented by Dan Wilson VP of Wilson Engineering Services. Wilson will go into detail about on design aspects for thermal, CHP, and cooling systems fueled by wood energy. Existing project examples will be used to highlight technology, sizing, and energy system integration approaches. The presentation will also address existing wood energy systems, and provide recommendations for combustion, tuning, and operations to optimize system performance. You do not need to register for this webinar View the webinar portal.

SFE to Host Webinar: Don't Fear the Fire
Join the Southern Fire Exchange on December 19, at 1:00 PM ET for a free one hour webinar that dispels the negative myths surrounding prescribed burning. This webinar will explore the many benefits of prescribed burning including invasive beetle protection and the lowering of pine drought stress through control of hardwoods that compete for water. View the webinar .
Webinar: Evaluating the Viability of Woody Biomass for Bioenergy in NC
Southern Regional Extension Forestry will host a free one hour webinar on December 19, 2019 at 1 PM EST. The webinar will cover overall southeastern biomass-to-bioenergy prospects as well as specific case technical and economic evaluations. Brent Bailey and Art Samberg will discuss the results of a study that evaluated the technical and economic viability of utilizing woody biomass to generate energy at 30 industrial and institutional sites in the Appalachian and Foothills region of North Carolina. This webinar is supported with assistance from the USDA Forest Service Southern Region. You do not need to pre-register. Please plan to join the webinar no more than 15 minutes early so that you can register and successfully join the presentation interface. View the webinar portal.

Extension Urban and Community Forestry Webinar Series Final Report
Southern Regional Extension Forestry and Cooperative Extension urban and
community forestry Extension professionals recently concluded 11 live webinars. It was held in 2018 to increase Cooperative Extension educator and others knowledge of research-based UCF information, and to provide educational resources that support delivery of that information to the public. Read more about the successful series in the final report. 

New Cohesive Strategy Success Stories Highlight Firefighter and Landowner Prescribed Fire Training
Wildland Fire in the Southeast, part of the National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy, recently released two new success stories on its website, southernwildlandfire.net. One   new Cohesive Strategy story  highlights a series of Learn and Burn workshops held across the southeast from 2014-2018. Learn and burns are workshops for private landowners, consultants, or anyone interested in learning more about safely and effectively using prescribed fire.    A second, new Cohesive Strategy success story  features a partnerships between the USDA Forest Service and BLM firefighters to accomplish prescribed burning on the Uwharrie National Forest in North Carolina.  Read about Learn and Burns , or learn more on the USFS-BLM partnership.
National News
Office of Sustainability & Climate to Host Final Webinar of 2018
The Office of Sustainability and Climate is hosting a free one hour webinar on December 18, 2018 at 2:30 PM EST. Dr. Cynthia West, Director of the Office of Sustainability and Climate and Dr. Toral Patel-Weynand will present the webinar.They will discuss the key findings and give a general overview of the most recent National Climate Assessment, specifically the chapter on forests. The webinar will focus on forests and examine other issues within the broader assessment that are relevant to national forests.  Join the webinar.

SUFC 14th Annual Meeting & Reception Call for Submissions
The Sustainable Urban Forest Coalition is calling for submissions for their 14th Annual Meeting & Reception, to be held in the Washington, DC area on March 6, 2019. SUFC will select up to four programs, research ideas, new technologies or campaigns to be featured at the meeting. Each of the four chosen project representatives will present an overview of their respective project, along with a “Call for Collaboration” to the SUFC membership and supporters.  Learn more and submit a proposal.

FAO Releases Annual State of the World's Forests 
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations released the 2018 State of the World's Forests report. The publication reports on the status of forests, recent major policy and institutional developments and key issues concerning the forest sector. It makes current, reliable and policy-relevant information widely available to facilitate informed discussion and decision-making with regard to the world's forests. The 2018 State of the World’s Forests identifies actions that can be taken to increase the contributions of forests and trees that are necessary to accelerate progress towards sustainable development. Read the report.


IUFRO Seeking Proposals for 2019 Small-Scale Forestry Conference
The International Union of Forest Research Organizations is seeking proposals for the Small-scale Forestry Conference. The event will be held in Duluth, Minnesota from July 8 - 10, 2019. Proposals can be submitted as either an oral presentation or a poster. Proposals must relate to social, economic, and ecological dimensions of small-scale, family, farm, non- industrial, agro- and community forestry. Submissions must include a descriptive title, abstract not to exceed 2,500 characters, keywords, and the names and affiliations of the authors. Submissions are due January 15, 2019. Learn more or submit a proposal.
Press Release: Secretary Perdue Names Matt Lohr New NRCS Chief
 U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced that Matt Lohr will serve as Chief of the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). In his role, Lohr will provide leadership for NRCS and its mission to support America’s farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners in their voluntary conservation efforts through a network of over 3,000 offices in communities nationwide. Lohr served as Virginia’s Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services from 2010 to 2013. More recently, Lohr worked as Knowledge Center Director for Farm Credit of the Virginias, a customer-owned financial cooperative that provides resources and education outreach to local farmers and the community. View the press release.

Press Release: USDA, WGA Sign Memorandum of Understanding 
The USDA and the Western Governors’ Association (WGA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding that will allow the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and WGA to work collaboratively to accomplish mutual goals, further common interests, and effectively respond to the increasing suite of challenges facing western landscapes. The agreement was signed by U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue, WGA Chair and Governor of Hawai’i David Ige, and WGA Vice Chair and Governor of North Dakota Doug Burgum. View the press release.

AFTA's Quarterly Newsletter Calls for Submissions
The Association for Temperate Agroforestry (AFTA) is calling for article submissions for their quarterly Agroforester Newsletter's winter 2019 issue. The intent of this newsletter will be to disseminate information about agroforestry activities and other things relevant to AFTA. Articles must be submitted by January 11, 2019. All submissions must meet the guidelines set out by the AFTA Newsletter Committee. View the guidelines.

Job Opportunities: Forest Product Specialist (Two Positions)
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is searching for two qualified candidates to fill the positions of Forest Products Specialist. The incumbents will provide statewide technical assistance and technology transfer expertise to a variety of stakeholders including businesses as well as internal and external customers to support and grow Wisconsin’s forest products industry in assigned program areas. There are currently two positions available. One in Rhinelander/Tomahawk and another in Spooner/Hayward.  View the application.
Funding Opportunities
Forest Service Announces $8 Million for Wood Products & Energy
The U.S.D.A. Forest Service invites grant applications for projects that expand wood product and wood energy markets, reduce wildfire risk, and improve forest health. Applications will be accepted through Jan. 23, 2019. Grants provided through the agency’s Wood Innovations Program simultaneously boost local economies while helping make communities safer through the reduction of hazardous fuels on the landscape R ead more   .
UK's SCAHIP Offers Funds for Forestry Worker Safety & Health Projects
The Southeast Center for Agricultural Health and Injury Prevention (SCAHIP), a research program at the University of Kentucky which is funded by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH/CDC), is offering funds to support regionally relevant health and safety pilot projects for the Agriculture, Forestry, and Fishing Sector. Awards will be made for up to $12,000 (direct plus indirect) and will be available for pilot studies from October 1, 2018 to September 30, 2019. Priority will be given to applicants from Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, however other contiguous states will be considered.  R ead more .
Upcoming Events:

January 23-25, 2019 | Wilmington, NC
The Appalachian Society of American Foresters will hold their annual meeting at the Ballas Hotel in Wilmington, NC. Participants will see an insider’s perspective on the export markets from the industry’s leading experts. Pre-conference workshops are also available for those looking to earn CFEs.

January 27-29, 2019 | Mobile, AL
The Southeastern Society of American Foresters will hold their annual meeting at the Renaissance Mobile Riverview Plaza Hotel in Mobile, AL. Presentations will relate to the theme “Managing Natural Resources at the Speed of Change”. Expert speakers set the context for where we are today and discuss management of forest and allied resources in ways that adapt to emerging issues and technology. 

June 24-27, 2019 | Corvallis, OR
The Association for Temperate Agroforestry will convene for the 16th AFTA Biennial Conference at Oregon State University in Corvallis, Oregon.

October 1-3, 2019 | Van Buren, MO
The Shortleaf Pine Initiative is hosting this biennial conference on shortleaf pine restoration, attracting foresters, biologists, researchers, landowners, and industry partners from across the eastern US.
VIEW FULL CALENDAR:
Southern Regional Extension Forestry | www.sref.info | whubbard@sref.info