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ISSUE 74: WEEK OF January 6, 2020
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Regional News
- UK Extension & KY Maple Syrup Association (KMSA) Hosting Kentucky Maple Day
- Largest Conservation Easement in SC History Protects 14,000 Acres
- SC Women Owning Woodlands Professionals Create 3 Videos
- Longleaf Alliance Releases New Outreach Video
- Sustainable Forestry & African American Land Retention Program (SFLR) Wins 2019 USFS Regional Forester’s Honor Award for Delivering State & Private Forestry Programs
- Managing Effects of Drought in the SE- New Publication from the USFS
- GA Forestry Commission Showcases New Wildfire Viewer
- USDA Block Grants for Disaster Relief Include Payments for Timber Losses
- UF Extension & FL Forest Service Lead RX Burn Series for Landowners
National News
- USFS releases Heirs Property and Land Fractionation GTR
- WOWNet Professionals Webinar/National Call January 10th
- Wood as a Sustainable Building Material Webinar
- OpenTEAM: Open Technology Ecosystem for Agricultural Management Webinar
- NASF Releases Report on Forestry BMPs and their use Nationwide
- USDA Releases Urban Wood Use Guide
- Urban Forest Webinar Series From USFS
Funding Opportunities
- USDA CRP Sign-ups Open
- Longleaf Stewardship Fund 2020 RFP
- 2020 SFI Community Grants RFP
- DOD Accepting Pre-Proposals for REPI Program
- FY20 Forest Service Wood Innovation Grant
Job Opportunities
- NCSU Assistant Professor and Forest Health Extension Specialist
- Forest Products Technologist, USDA Forest Service
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UKY Extension & KY Maple Syrup Association (KMSA) Hosting Kentucky Maple Day
Kentucky’s growing maple syrup industry will be highlighted in the first Kentucky Maple Day on February 1, 2020. The day is planned to connect the public to maple syrup producers for operation tours and for purchasing products. UKY Department of forestry and natural resources has created a Kentucky Maple Syrup Research Program with support from the Kentucky Natural Resources Conservation Service. More information will be available as sites are established for the event. Contact
[email protected]
for additional information.
Largest Conservation Easement in SC History Protects 14,000 Acres
Commercial, private, non-profit and other donors including the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and the Nature Conservancy worked together to preserve 14,000 acres of working forests in South Carolina along the Savannah River. The area, called the Groton Plantation protects critical land along the Savannah River while also preserving the ability to harvest timber, hunt and more in the state's largest conservation easement.
Read more here
.
SC Women Owning Woodlands Professionals Create 3 Videos
The SC Women Owning Woodlands planning team created 3 videos (links below) that were used for their first WOW workshop this past October. A Clemson University Videographer created the first 2 videos, while an FNR team members created the 3rd one. These videos are available to be shared at any WOW events.
Video Links:
Video 1-Brow
n,
Video 2-Burris
, and
Video 3-Knight-Carter
.
Longleaf Alliance Releases New Outreach Video
The Longleaf Alliance created the video, "Longleaf for the Long Run," to assist with outreach efforts for longleaf pine. The video can be accessed
here
and is available for any programming need.
Sustainable Forestry and African American Land Retention Program (SFLR) Wins 2019 USFS Regional Forester’s Honor Award for Delivering State & Private Forestry Programs
The SFLR program was launched in 2012 as an effort to aid African American landowners in turning their forested properties into economic assets. The program capitalizes on innovative partnerships between local, state, and federal organizations to assist landowners in this process. SFLR provides a variety of support to these landowners, including access to legal assistance and opportunities for sustainable forestry. The program supports projects across seven states and more than 1,300 landowners. The participants own a combined 83,000 acres. The SFLR program has been led by many organizations including the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities, US Forest Service Southern Region, McIntosh Seed, Center for Heirs’ Property Preservation, USFS Southern Research Station and more.
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Managing Effects of Drought in the SE- New Publication from the USFS
GA Forestry Commission Showcases New Wildfire Viewer
The latest information about wildfire activity in Georgia is available via its
Wildfire Activity Public Viewer Portal
.The portal is directly linked to the GFC's wildfire computer-aided dispatch system and software called FiResponse. Viewers will be able to see the fire location, whether the fire is active, contained or controlled, and when suppression is complete. The Wildfire Viewer is supported by smartphone applications, however the display will be different than on other devices.
The Wildfire Public Viewer can also be accessed at GaTrees.org.
USDA Timber Block Grants for Disaster Relief Include Payments for Timber Losses
The USDA announced $380 million block grants for Georgia, Florida and Alabama as part of a broader natural disaster relief package. This includes a timber block which may include cash payments to forest owners who lost their trees.
Read the USDA announcement here. This is the first time that forest landowners will receive aid to help recover some of their lost timber value according to American Forest Foundation. In an
article here, Forest Landowners Association discusses more of the details of the grants and some of the reaching implications for family forest owners. At this time, many details have not been worked out. Florida commissioner Nikki Fried offers
describes what this means for Florida here
UF Extension & FL Forest Service Lead RX Burn Series for Landowners
University of Florida Extension, Florida Forest Service and other partners are leading a series of workshops to teach landowners; how to write prescribed burn prescriptions, about invasive species and fire; and also hosting 'Learn and Burn' events. The Learn and Burn events are live fire events that allow landowners to practice conducting prescribed burns. Events are: Writing a Burn Prescription: Dec. 5th (Crestview, FL) & Dec. 18th (Chipley, FL). Invasive Species Control and RX fire: December 11th, 2020 (Glen St. Mary, FL). Learn and Burn Workshops: Jan. 22, 2020 (Chipley, FL) and Feb. 18, 2020 (Baker, FL).
Find inks to all events and sign-ups here.
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USFS releases Heirs Property and Land Fractionation GTR
The US Forest Service Southern Research Station shared a new report on "Heirs' Property and Land Fractionation: Fostering Stable Ownership to Prevent Land Loss and Abandonment," that details the latest research on Heirs Property. This General Technical Report details proceedings from a 2017 conference on the issue that included multiple stakeholders to identify and clarify the issues as well as possible solutions.
Access the report here.
WOWNet Professionals Webinar/ National Call January 10
th
The Forest Stewards Guild is hosting a Women Owning Woodlands (WOW) Professionals webinar/national call on Friday January 10
th
, 2020 at 2:00 pm ET/1:00 pm CT. The objective of this call is to help regional WOW professionals connect, share stories, current projects and resources with each other.
Register here
, and questions can be directed to Kendal Martel,
[email protected]
.
Wood as a Sustainable Building Material Webinar
Dovetail Partners presents a webinar for architects, engineers, and other building design professionals that will outline what makes wood a green building material and corrects misconceptiosn about wods’ environmental impacts. Kathryn Fernholz, the presenter, is a forester by training. The webinar is Wednesday January 8 at 1pm ET.
Register here
.
OpenTEAM: Open Technology Ecosystem for Agricultural Management Webinar
Learn about OpenTEAM field tools, remote sensing, agroecosystem models and decision support tools. This is a participatory human centered design approach to improve soil health and adaptive management at the farm level, as well as research, certification, and ecosystem service markets. Join this presentation to be introduced to OpenTEAM, or Open Technology Ecosystem for Agricultural Management. January 15
th
, 2020 at 1pm.
Register here
.
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NASF Releases Report on Forestry BMPs and their use Nationwide
Protecting the Nation’s Water: State Forestry Agencies and Best Management Practices, a report, was released in December 2019 by the National Association of State Foresters (NASF). According to this report loggers and forest practitioners use BMPs appropriately 92% of the time. This report covers how BMPS are used, and the resulting effects from their use as well as an overview of regulations and actions related to BMPs.
Read the report here
.
USDA Releases Urban Wood Use Guide
The new Urban Wood Use Action Guide is live on the Vibrant Cities Lab! Wood is an abundant, renewable resource. Yet each year over 78,000 tons of urban wood is wasted in Baltimore alone —about 3,900 truckloads. Throughout the country, more than 28,000,000 tons of urban wood waste may be available annually for recovery in the U.S. — from clearing for development, demolition of abandoned buildings, removal of dead or diseased trees. But when you treat wood as waste, you spend money you needn’t, and miss opportunities you shouldn’t. Baltimore took advantage of these “invisible” assets and moved their community closer to its vision of a sustainable future.
Visit the new Urban Wood Use Action Guide to learn how your community can do the same.
Urban Forest Webinar Series From USFS
Scaling up Your Urban Wood Opportunities: A Role for Everyone will be presented December 11, 2019 at 1:00 pm ET. Speakers include Katie Fernholz from Dovetail Partners and Jennifer Alger from Urban Salvaged and Reclaimed Wood. This webinar is part of a monthly series offered on the second Wednesday of each month by the USFS. Upcoming webinars will be offered January 8th and February 12th, 2020.
Access them here.
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USDA CRP Sign-ups Open
The USDA Farm Service Agency opened signups for the Conservation Reserve Program December 9
th
. The deadline for agricultural producers to apply is February 28, 2020.
Farmers and ranchers who enroll in CRP receive a yearly rental payment for voluntarily establishing long-term, resource-conserving plant species, such as approved grasses or trees (known as “covers”) to control soil erosion, improve water quality and develop wildlife habitat on marginally productive agricultural lands.
Learn more here.
Longleaf Stewardship Fund 2020 RFP
The national fish and wildlife foundation (NFWF) opened a request for proposals (RFP). The RFP is focused on proposals that expand and enhance longleaf pine ecosystem restoration and management across longleaf pine's historical range, in addition to restoration and enhancement of bottomland hardwood forests. Up to 5.5 million dollars in grant funds will likely be available.
Longleaf Pine-Related Hurricane Recovery
The Longleaf Stewardship fund is soliciting projects that address hurricane impacts to longleaf pine habitat and longleaf-associated habitat and species recovery efforts on longleaf sites. Contact Jon Scott (
[email protected], for more information). Proposals due by Thursday February 6, 2020 and a
webinar on the grant will be hosted Wed. December 18th at 2:00 pm ET.
For more information on applying, follow this link. Find the 2019 funded proposals
here. Recording of a webinar on this program is available
here. Slides from that webinar can be found
here.
2020 SFI Community Grants RFP
The Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) announced its request for proposals for its Community Grants program recently. These grants are designed to support local communities' understanding of the benefits of sustainably managed forests through collaboration with the SFI network. Grants will be awarded for collaborative community-based projects, activities, or events that are in line with SFI's mission.
Priority projects, partnership requirements and funding levels can be found here. Deadline to apply is January 31, 2020.
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DOD Accepting Pre-Proposals for REPI Program
The Department of Defense (DOD) is accepting pre-proposals for the 2020 Readiness Protection Integration (REPI) Program Challenge. The deadline for pre-proposals is 8 pm, Jan. 24, 2020. The REPI Challenge includes awards up to $15 million that fund land conservation or management activities that help to prohibit development that is incompatible near DoD installations, ranges or bases. Partners should coordinate closely with staff at local installations or ranges before developing the proposals. The REPI challenge is also working to encourage private sector sources to use market-based approaches to advance program goals.
Read more on the US Endowment for Forestry and Communities website here.
Access the REPI website here.
FY20 Forest Service Wood Innovation Grant
The US Forest Service Wood Innovations Grant is now open and final grant applications are due to regional coordinators by 5:00 pm ET on January 15, 2020. The U.S. Forest Service requests that proposals substantially expand and accelerate wood energy and wood products markets throughout the United States to support forest management needs on National Forest System and other forest lands.Interested grant applicants are highly encouraged to engage with the Regional Wood Innovation Coordinator, Kevin Naranjo, ( [email protected]) early in the grant process for technical guidance and review, prior to final submission. The Southern Region was successful in having 11 grants awarded in FY19. All of the grant awardees reached out for assistance. The application and instructions are available on the
Wood Innovations web page. Find out more details about the grant from USFS Region 8 Grants Coordinator Kevin Naranjo
here.
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NCSU Assistant Professor and Forest Health Extension Specialist
NCSU is seeking candidates for a 12 month tenure track position focused on forest health with a 50% commitment to Extension. Applications are due by January 22, 2020. More information can be found here.
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Forest Products Technologist, USDA Forest Service
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Upcoming Events:
January 29-31, 2020 | Norfolk, VA
The Appalachian Society of American Foresters will host its annual winer meeting in Norfolk, VA January 29-31, 2020. The focus of this year's meeting is on gaining a competitive edge for businesses and the states.
February 23-25, 2020 | Panama City Beach, FL
The Southeastern Society of American Foresters will host its annual meeting in Panama City Beach, FL February 23-25, 2020. The focus of this year's meeting is on reviewing the recovery from the Hurricane Michael Storm and looking at what the future holds.
March 10-11, 2020 | New Orleans, LA
The Southern Group of State Foresters' Services, Utilization and Marketing Committee and Southern Regional Extension Forestry invite participants for the Forest Economics Contributions Summit whose goals are to develop improve strategies for analysis and communication of the importance of forestry economics.
Forest Economic Contributions Summit
May 3-6, 2020 | Bend, OR
The Association of Natural Resource Extension Professionals bi-annual conference will be held in Bend, OR and hosted by Oregon State University Extension team. The conference will include field trips, interactive sessions, presentations and more.
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