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ISSUE 104: WEEK OF May 3, 2021
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Regional News
- SREF 2020 Annual Report
- VFREC Newsletter Focuses on Forest Carbon for Landowners
- FL Land Steward Launches Forest Carbon Blog
- Southern Forest Tree Improvement Virtual (SOFTIC) Conference Registration Open
- Southern Forestry & Natural Resource Management GIS Conference Call for Papers
- New SFE Fact Sheet: Climate Change and Fire
- LSU Hosts Wildlife Management Forum Information
National News
- USDA Funded Landscape Scale Restoration Projects Announced
- Urban Forestry Partners Collaborate to Develop New SFI Urban & Community Forest Sustainability Standard
- Virtual 2021 FIA National Users Group Meeting
- U.S. Endowment Releases Annual Report
- Managing Agroforestry Systems in a Changing Climate- New Online Course
- National Woodland Owners Magazines Seeks Submission
- Federal Climate Policy Toolkit Explainer Series from Resources for the Future
- Mass Timber March Madness Event Videos Available Now
Webinars
- Fighting Wildfire with Fire- Identifying & Overcoming Social Barriers Webinar
- USFS RMRS Salvage Science Webinar Series
- FL Land Steward Webinar: A Forest Carbon Market Opportunity for Private Landowners
- Economics of U.S. Forests as a Natural Climate Solution
Funding Opportunities
- USDA AFRI New Funding Program Area: Extension, Education, and USDA Climate Hubs Partnership
- Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Extension RFA
- Innovative Finance for National Forests Program
- USDA Agroforestry Center Request for Proposals
- USDA Agricultural Marketing Service Funding Available for Maple Syrup
- USDA Agricultural Marketing Service Funding Available for Exploring New Marketing Opportunities
- NRCS Seeks Innovative Partner-led Proposals for Climate-Smart Forestry & Agriculture
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SREF 2020 Annual Report
Southern Regional Extension Forestry (SREF) has released their 2020 annual report. The report contains an overview of the SREF team’s collaborative work with partners across the region. In addition, check out the new IT projects from the SREF team. Find the report here.
VFREC Newsletter Focuses on Forest Carbon for Landowners
The Virginia Cooperative Extension Department of Resources and Environmental Conservation (VFREC)’s Virginia Forest Landowner Newsletter is focused on forest carbon this month. Articles in the newsletter discuss that there will be a carbon program available for small woodlot owners in Virginia by 2022. Access the newsletter here
FL Land Steward Launches Forest Carbon Blog
The Florida Land Steward Program now has a new blog on forest carbon which recently debuted. Numerous forest carbon programs are coming on board with opportunities for forest landowners to receive payments for carbon storage. The Florida Land Steward’s Forest Carbon Blog features the latest updates on opportunities. Check it out here.
Southern Forest Tree Improvement Virtual (SOFTIC) Conference Registration Open
The 36th SFTIC (SFTIC 2021) will be virtual this year and is being hosted by the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources at the University of Georgia, with a symposium sponsored by the Schatz Tree Genetics Colloquium Fund at Penn State University. The virtual meeting will be staged in two-hour sessions that start on the morning of Monday, June 7 and run through the morning of Wednesday, June 9. The conference includes plenary presentations, volunteer presentations and "lightning" poster presentations. Preview the agenda and/or register here.
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Southern Forestry & Natural Resource Management GIS Conference Call for Papers
The University of Georgia and the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources will once again be hosting the 13th Southern Forestry and Natural Resource Management GIS Conference on December 6-7, 2021 at the Georgia Center for Continuing Education & Hotel in Athens, Georgia. To be considered for the program, submit a short abstract to [email protected] by May 14th. More information about abstract submissions can be found in the Call for Presentations and on the conference website.
New SFE Fact Sheet: Climate Change and Fire
The Southern Fire Exchange (SFE) released a new fact sheet that focuses on climate change impacts on wildland fire in the Southeast. A warming climate is likely to decrease the number of prescribed burning days in spring and fall, as well as increase the severity and frequencies of wildfires. Read more details here
LSU Hosts Wildlife Management Forum Information
The LSU Ag Center Research and Extension is hosting a Wildlife Forum& Field Day on May 7 from 8:00am-12:00 pm in Columbia, LA. Topics discussed at the field day include: food plots, feral hog management, trapping techniques, forest management, habitat management techniques, pest management and equipment calibration. Find out more here.
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USDA Funded Landscape Scale Restoration Projects Announced
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will invest more than $46 million this year through the Joint Chiefs’ Landscape Restoration Partnership for projects that mitigate wildfire risk, improve water quality and restore healthy forest ecosystems on public and private lands. Projects in Alabama and Florida that focus on cogongrass control in longleaf pine and a project in Tennessee focused aquatic habitat for at-risk species ere funded. Read more here
Urban Forestry Partners Collaborate to Develop New SFI Urban & Community Forest Sustainability Standard
The Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) has launched a partnership to develop a new SFI Urban and Community Forest Sustainability Standard for application both in North American and internationally. Partners include American Forests, Arbor Day Foundation, the International Society of Arboriculture, the Society of Municipal Arborists and Tree Canada. Find out more about this effort here
Virtual 2021 FIA National Users Group Meeting
The Society of American Foresters (SAF) and the National Council for Air and Stream Improvement (NCASI) are excited to announce the dates for the 2021 National Users Group Meeting for the USDA Forest Service’s Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program. The meeting will be a set of eight, virtual, interactive sessions, starting Monday, June 21st and finishing Friday, June 25. Sessions will be held from 1-5 pm ET. The agenda focuses on two topics: 1. FIA information for informing Climate-Smart Forest Management & Forest Carbon Policy and 2. Estimating Changes in Land Cover and Land Use Patterns. Advanced registration is required, and details will be available soon.
U.S. Endowment Releases Annual Report
The U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities, also known as the Endowment, officially announced the release of their 2020 annual report in early April 2021. In showing the Endowment’s work, the annual report consists of highlights from this year including the introduction of new programs, utilization of blockchain technology to combat illegal logging, as well as giving an update on the Endowment’s noteworthy programs such as Sustainable Forestry and the African American Land Retention Program (SFLR) and Restoration Fuels. The annual Report is here
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Managing Agroforestry Systems in a Changing Climate- New Online Course
The Savannah Institute is promoting a new online course titled Managing Agroforestry Systems in a Changing Climate. This course focuses on the fundamentals of agroforestry management and is aimed at those new to agroforestry, practitioners, stewards, and others. The program is also targeted towards potential urban agroforestry and includes two modules. Click here to register for the course. The Savannah Institute is also hosting the North American Agroforestry Conference. This online conference will be from June 28-July 2, 2021 and will include new speakers such as justice advocate and principal and founder of Ruted Solutions as well as Odessa Piper, an organic farmer and restaurant owner. Purchase your virtual ticket here.
National Woodland Owners Magazines Seeks Submissions
The National Woodland Owner (NWOA) magazine accept submissions for their four quarterly magazines. Submissions can include articles, reports, stories, ideas, images and more. Submission deadlines include: Summer 2021 final submission June 1, 2021
Autumn 2021 final submission September 1, 2021; Winter 2022 final submission deadline December 1, 2021; Spring 2022 final submission deadline February 1, 2022. Materials can be submitted to [email protected] or visit their website at www.nwoa.net
Federal Climate Policy Toolkit Explainer Series from Resources for the Future- Resources for the Future has developed an Explainer Series featuring a Federal Climate Policy Toolkit, which details federal climate policy options and gives expertise on today’s most important environmental and energy issues. This policy overview also covers many of the tools that the Biden administration and 117th Congress may also implement to combat climate change. Read the Explainer Series here.
Mass Timber March Madness Event Videos Available Now
A Mass Timber (MT) March Madness event which included more than thirty videos on various topics ranging from MT and Architecture, construction, passive design, funding, different locations, and more. There are also two presentations by USFS personnel. Access all 33 videos by subscribing to the YouTube channel now. Some of the videos can also be accessed via their website.
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Fighting Wildfire with Fire- Identifying & Overcoming Social Barriers Webinar
USFS RMRS Salvage Science Webinar Series
The US Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station is hosting a live discussion panel and a pre-recorded webinar series on “New Research and Tools for Salvage Logging Management and Planning.” The panel discussion live webinar is May 6, 2021 from 1:00-2:30 MDT. The recorded presentations are available here on YouTube. Click here to register for the panel discussion with presenters on May 6 from 1:00-2:30pm MDT.
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FL Land Steward Webinar: A Forest Carbon Market Opportunity for Private Landowners
The Florida Land Steward program will host a webinar May 6, 2021 at 2:00 pm ET which will explain the ins and outs of the forest carbon markets for landowners. After many years in the works, forest landowners now have an opportunity to participate in the forest carbon market via short-term timber harvest deferral agreements. SilviaTerra's Natural Capital Exchange (NCAPX) is transforming access to forest carbon markets for landowners of all sizes and rapidly expanding across the U.S. this year. Join this webinar to learn about this unique alternative income opportunity. Register here
Economics of U.S. Forests as a Natural Climate Solution
North Carolina State University and others hosted a webinar April 29 on the economics of using forests in the U.S. as a natural climate solution. The webinar included recent results from forest economic models that estimate the costs and potential benefits of carbon sequestration in U.S. forests. A panel discussion reviewed the challenges of moving from idea to reality. Find the recording here.
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USDA AFRI New Funding Program Area: Extension, Education, and USDA Climate Hubs Partnership
Join a webinar hosted by the US Department of Agriculture’s Agriculture and Food Initiative to learn more about their new program priority area and funding possibilities. This webinar will be hosted May 13th, from 3-4 ET. This will be an introductory webinar and Q&A discussion. This program area priority will support projects that provide effective, translatable, and scalable approaches to address climate change through regional partnerships including USDA Climate Hubs and Extension. Extension and Integrated Extension/Education proposals will be accepted and funded up to $1,500,000 per project for 3-5 years. Deadline to apply Dec. 15, 2021. More information is available on page 71 of the FY21 AFRI RFA, and you can submit questions not answered during the webinar to the AFRI Coordination Team. Register for this webinar here.
Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Extension RFA
The Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) provides funding for fundamental and applied research, education, as well as extension projects in the food and agricultural sciences. In this RFA, NIKA is requesting applications for six AFRI priority areas through the Foundational and Applied Science Program for 2021 and 2022. The anticipated amount available for these new grants in 2021 and 2022 total up to $300 million each. Click here to apply for the grant.
The priority areas include: Plant health and production and plant products; Animal health and production and animal products; Food safety, nutrition, and health; Bioenergy, natural resources, and environment; Agriculture systems and technolog; Agriculture economics and rural communities.
Innovative Finance for National Forests Program
Today, the Innovative Finance for National Forests (IFNF) grant program opened its next round of solicitations for program funding. The IFNF grant program supports the development and implementation of innovative finance models that leverage private and public capital other than US Forest Service (USFS) appropriations to support the resilience of the National Forest System. Grants are funded by and administered by the USDA Forest Service (USFS) National Partnership Office (NPO) and the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities (Endowment) in collaboration with the National Forest Foundation (NFF). National Forests across the United States have significant unmet stewardship needs to address severe wildfire risk, watershed health and deferred maintenance on recreation infrastructure, across millions of acres, exceeds the capacity of existing appropriations or philanthropic funds. In 2021, the IFNF program will emphasize the three focus areas of wildfire resilience and recovery, sustainable recreation infrastructure and access, and watershed health. IFNF grants will support the development and implementation of innovative finance models through three project types: pilot projects, scaling projects, and research and development projects.
USDA Agroforestry Center Request for Proposals
The USDA National Agroforestry Center is requesting proposals to create regionally-applicable and practice-specific agroforestry educational materials based on producer production information, experiences and testimonies. Awards are anticipated to be up to $100,000, with a minimum of $35,000 for any one project. The agreements awarded under this announcement will support the USDA goal to strengthen the stewardship of private lands through technology and research. These materials will also address natural resource professionals’ need for more information that supports producer adoption of agroforestry. Proposals must be submitted by May 28, 2021. There is a 1:1 Forest Service match and a wide variety of stakeholders are eligible to apply. Complete details on this request for proposals and how to submit a proposal can be found here.
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USDA Agricultural Marketing Service Funding Available for Maple Syrup
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Marketing Service’s Access and Development Program (Acer) has funds available to support market development and promotion projects to improve consumer knowledge, awareness and understanding of the maple syrup industry and its products. The program also supports producer and landowner education projects for increasing multiple aspects of maple syrup production. Applications due May 24, 2021. For more information click here.
USDA Agricultural Marketing Service Funding Available for Exploring New Marketing Opportunities
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Marketing Service’s has a $1 million matching grant fund for exploring new opportuniites for U.S. Food and Agricultural Products, which in the past has included funded projects for forest products. Applications are due May 24, 2021. For more information, click here.
NRCS Seeks Innovative Partner-led Proposals for Climate-Smart Forestry & Agriculture
The US department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is seeking proposals for to fund up to $75 million dollars in unique projects under the Regional Conservation Partnership Program’s (RCCP) Alternative Funding Arrangements (AFA). The focus is on taking innovative and non-traditional approaches to conservation solutions at the local, regional and national scales. NRCS will prioritize projects related to climate smart agriculture and forestry. Proposals are being accepted from now through May 29 th. Find out more here.
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