ISSUE 84: WEEK OF June 15, 2020
Recent News
Regional News

  • New Hardwood Stands Publication from Mississippi State University
  • American Forestry Virtual Conference
  • Mini-documentary Captures Challenges of Heirs Property Forest Land Ownership
  • KY Extension Offers “From the Woods Today” Weekly Webcast for Landowners 

  • University of Tennessee Launches New Education Forestry YouTube Channel
  • VA Tech’s Forest Farming Program Featured on NPR
  • Estate Planning Basics What It Involves and How to Talk About It Webinar
  • Francis Marion National Forest Story Map 
  • Wildland Fire Investigation Class Scheduled

National News

  • State Foresters Support the Great Outdoors Act which funds the Forest Legacy program wildfire mitigation awards
  • USFS FIA Program Launches Survey
  • 2021 Wildfire Mitigation Awards Nominations Open
  • New Lumber E-commerce Site Goes Live
  • FAO Publishes Key Findings
  • Forest Landowners List Forest Markets as Top concern for 2020
  • NASF Shares PR Toolkit for Recreating Safely During Covid19

Funding Opportunities

  • NRCS Announces $5 Million for Wetland Mitigation Banks
  • USDA Announces $15 million for Conservation Innovation Grants
  • USDA Announces State Acres Wildlife Safe Initiative Program (SAFE)

Job Opportunities

  • Asst. Professor Silviculture- U. Of AR
  • Outreach Early Alert - Supervisory Forester (Training Coordinator) Knoxville, TN
  • USFS Outreach Early Alert Supervisory Forester (TN)
  • USFS SRS Forest Inventory and Analysis Unit Forester (LA)
Regional News
New Hardwood Stands Publication from Mississippi State University
A new publication from Mississippi State University Extension, “Upland Hardwoods: Should I Manage or Regenerate My Stand?,” is now available to view. This publication discusses attempts to answer a question often asked by Mississippi upland hardwood owners: “Do I manage or regenerate my stand?” Whether to actively manage a stand at any given time during the rotation depends on several factors including management potential, and the publication is designed to aid managers in determining where an upland hardwood stand fits in the overall manage or regenerate decision scale. Sections of the publication include: Defining Manage and Regenerate, Establishing a Management Objective, Stand Evaluation Factors, Tree Management Categories, Collecting Data for Stand Evaluation, and more. Find the full publication here .

American Forestry Virtual Conference
The American Foresty Conference, hosted by the Georgia Forestry Commission, will be held virtually on July 27-30, 2020. The full-virtual conference is bringing together national leaders and top-level experts in forest business, government, economics and policy to provide critical insight on the current and future state of America’s forestry industry. Attendees will enjoy networking opportunities and have access to key information that will drive value to forestry and manufacturing assets across the nation. Speakers will explore how working forests and forest product industries will play a critical role in the recovery of the U.S. economy, and discuss the greatest opportunities and challenges for the sector in the future. Visit  here to find the full roster of speakers and more information on conference topics and opportunities . 

Mini-documentary Captures Challenges of Heirs Property Forest Land Ownership
VICE, a mini-documentary show relaunched on Showtime, has composed a new segment that addresses African American property loss and heirs’ property. The 20-minute segment is titled Losing Ground. The family that was highlighted is one that the Federation of Southern Cooperatives/ Land Assistance Fund is currently working with and was felt to be a good example of how heirs’ property owners, especially African American heirs’ property owners, often struggle to stay on their land. The Losing Ground episode has been reviewed as a powerful small-scale documentary that has been specifically raising the awareness of partition law abuse and more generally raising awareness about some of the profound challenges heirs’ property owners have been facing for a very long time. The segment can be found here. 

KY Extension Offers “From the Woods Today” Weekly Webcast for Landowners 
The University of Kentucky (UF) Forestry and Natural Resources Extension is offering relevant information about woodlands in a weekly, live video. Co-hosted by Renee Williams and Billy Thomas with UK Forestry and Natural Resources Extension, “From the Woods Today” is a weekly internet show that will be available on Zoom each Wednesday at 11 a.m. EDT, with a new line-up of episodes coming in June, including June 3: White Oak Initiative, Tree of the Week, Citizen Science Opportunities, June 10: Forestry 101: Intro to Forestry, Tree of the Week, Healthy Woods App, June 17: Heating with Wood, Snake ID, Tree of the Week, and June 24: Getting Forestry and Wildlife Assistance, Tree of the Week. Links to live shows are posted  here  just prior to the show, and viewers are welcomed to join live or watch previously recorded shows, which will also be stored on the site. Suggestions for a “From the Woods Today” segment are welcome, click  here  to leave comments, send photos, or leave a show idea. 

University of Tennessee Launches New Education Forestry YouTube Channel
In an effort to be resourceful in reaching private forest landowners during COVID-19, the University of Tennessee Extension has launched the “Back Porch Forestry” (BPF) series. These videos are a series of informal educational sessions housed on YouTube that teach about trees, forests, and forest management. Five sessions are currently available with more to follow. Find the full channel here.

VA Tech’s Forest Farming Program Featured on NPR
A new Forest Farming Program created by Virginia Tech was recently featured on NPR on radioIQ/wvtf. Virginia Tech has created an App, PlantShoe: Botanical Device , that can be used nationwide to help forest farmers find and identify the best places to grow plants like golden seal, black cohosh, and blood root, shitake mushroom, Ginseng. The app is a sort of “plant-sitting” software that is available for free to use. Harvesting wild food from the forest goes back to the beginning of civilization, but interest in edible and medicinal wild plants has been growing more recently. There’s a movement underway in Appalachia, to create a supply chain of reliably sourced wild plants, for health, well-being and a good living for people doing something called “Forest Farming.” the full article here to read more about forest farming and the efforts of Virginia Tech to support it.

Estate Planning Basics What It Involves and How to Talk About It Webinar
To strengthen Georgia’s communities and economy, The Georgia Heirs Property Law Center (the “Center”) is offering an in-depth webinar, Estate Planning Basics-What It Involves and How to Talk about it, on June 16, 2020, from 1:00 - 2:00 pm ET. Planning for estates and wills is the best protection against homes becoming blighted, land loss, and generational poverty in the communities you serve. During this webinar, speakers will help community leaders, nonprofit staff, and cooperative extension agents understand estate planning basics, including: what estate planning includes; how to talk about estate planning with communities and clients; what happens when you die with a will versus without a will; how estate planning can prevent heirs property; what decisions need to be made before meeting with an attorney; and how estate planning impacts community, nonprofit, and cooperative extension organizations’ goals. Speakers will include Executive Director Skipper G. StipeMaas, J.D. and Staff Attorney Gentry E. Mander, J.D., of the Georgia Heirs Property Law Center. For additional information or to register, please visit here or email [email protected]. Registration isn’t required, but is strongly encouraged. To enter the webcast, please click here . 

Francis Marion National Forest Story Map 
South Carolina's Lowcountry is comprised of ecosystems that are vulnerable to climate change impacts, including barrier island communities, estuaries, beach dunes, maritime forests, among others. A story map created by USFS and USGS highlights climate impacts for the Francis Marion National Forest and allows for interactive exploration of climate impacts and solutions in this ecosystem. This story map describes first, how climate change is transforming the region; second, how land changes and urbanization are affecting the area; and third, how land managers can improve the resilience of these lands to changing conditions. This region is currently experiencing rapid environmental change, including sea-level rise rates almost twice the global average, catastrophic storm surges, erosion, and extensive land conversion. In the future, rising sea levels and more severe storm surges could drastically alter the composition of tidal marshes, while greater overall climate variability may lead to more wildfires and aggressive spread of invasive species. These factors contribute to the loss of habitats that benefit both wildlife and humans, leading to new challenges for land managers. Access the full map  here . 


Wildland Fire Investigation Class Scheduled
Georgia Forestry Commission (GFC) Law Enforcement (LE) is partnering with the Georgia Public Safety Training Center (GPSTC) in Forsyth to offer wildland fire investigation training to other local, state and federal agencies. The GPSTC requested GFC’s assistance in presenting the week-long training course, after years of GFC LE arson investigation instruction led to a demand for more in-depth training. The Wildland Fire Investigation class will be presented in July and covers all aspects of investigating a wildland fire, including search techniques, ignition sources, documentation and more. 
National News
State Foresters Support the Great Outdoors Act which funds the Forest Legacy program wildfire mitigation awards
Members of the Senate met on June 8 for a cloture vote on S. 3422, the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA), and debated on the bill that evening. NASF and other members of the Forest Climate Working Group have already sent a letter in support of the GAOA. GAOA would permanently and fully fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) at $900 million annually. The LWCF provides support for one of NASF’s priority State and Private Forestry programs: the Forest Legacy Program. The Forest Legacy Program provides critical federal assistance to states, private landowners, and conservation groups to protect working forests through permanent conservation easements and fee acquisitions. The GAOA would also create a five-year fund to reduce the current $20 billion in deferred maintenance on public lands, including those managed by the USDA Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management. Read the full letter of support  here . 

USFS FIA Program Launches Survey
USFS FIA is inviting you to participate in a 10 min survey about their annual business report for the FS Forest Inventory and Analysis program (FIA), which tells the taxpayers, partners, and clients the program results accomplished with the provided financial resources and the results forecasted for the coming year with budgeted financial resources. This relationship with taxpayers, partners, and clients is integral to FIA’s continued success because accountability demonstrates our commitment to transparently delivering the best value, quality, and array of products demanded by the communities we serve. To start the survey, click here. To download the latest report (FY 2019), currently under review, click here , and access past reports here .

2021 Wildfire Mitigation Awards Nominations Open
The International Association of Fire Chiefs, National Association of State Foresters, National Fire Protection Association and USDA Forest Service, are now accepting nominations for the 2021 Wildfire Mitigation Awards. The Wildfire Mitigation Awards are the highest national honors one can receive for outstanding work and significant program impact in wildfire preparedness and mitigation. The three awards are: National Wildfire Mitigation Award, National Mitigation, Hero Award, Wildfire Mitigation Legacy Award. These awards recognize outstanding service in wildfire preparedness and safety across a broad spectrum of activities among various individuals and organizations. By honoring these achievements, the award sponsors also seek to increase public recognition and awareness of the value of wildfire mitigation efforts. The 2021 Wildfire Mitigation Awards will be presented at the Wildland-Urban Interface Conference on November 2-6, 2021, in Reno, Nevada. Nomination submissions are due here by November 13, visit here to learn more or for more information, contact Meghan Marklewitz at [email protected] or call 703-896-4839.

New Lumber E-commerce Site Goes Live
Two former Chicago lumbermen have teamed with two financial tech services executives to launch a new e-commerce platform for lumber, MaterialsXchange which went live in May with 10 mills and wholesalers active. The creators of this site promised that they had resolved the challenges that caused failure in previous systems. The intention of this site is to keep the staff small and the sales process simple, so buying lumber online is as easy as making an electronic stock trade. It’s the brainchild of CEO Michael Wisnefski, joined by one-time Bloch Lumber colleague Ashley Boeckholt as Chief Risk Officer, 40-year operations solutions manager Joe Campagna as Chief Operating Officer, and as CFO Ian Polakoff, whose 15-year career began with the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. Materials Xchange’s system is aimed at making buying and selling easy; ensuring free, equal access to a product’s price to everyone; allowing transactions to be made instantly—with just the click of a button; having money transferred quickly and securely; and allowing trackable, hassle-free shipping. Find out more here . 
FAO Publishes Key Findings
The Food & Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) recently released the key findings to its Global Forest Resources Assessments (FRA) for 2020. The FRA is a comprehensive report produced every five years that provides a consistent overview of the world's forests and how they are changing. The full report will be published later this year. New for this iteration of the publication is an additional interactive resource called "A Fresh Perspective: Global Forest Resources Assessment 2020," which allows users to visualize the data at their own pace. FAO has been monitoring the world's forests at five- to ten-year intervals since 1946. The world has lost 178 million hectares (ha) (440 million acres) of forest since 1990, which is an area about the size of Libya. The rate of net forest loss decreased substantially over the period 1990–2020, however, due to a reduction in deforestation in some countries, plus increases in forest area in others through afforestation and the natural expansion of forests. In the most recent five-year period (2015–2020), the annual rate of deforestation was estimated at 10 million ha (25 million acres), which is down from 12 million ha (30 million acres) in 2010–2015. Find out more here . 

Forest Landowners List Forest Markets as Top concern for 2020
The National Woodland Owners Association (NWOA) listed access to markets
as the #1 concern for 2020, followed by invasive species. Since 1986, NWOA has ranked the top ten family forestry issues with an annual vote by the leaders of NWOA state affiliates—the Alliance of Landowner Associations. Analysis of the responses for 2020 revealed that the Top Ten Forestry Issues are best described as the Top Five Concerns and the Top Five Priorities for family forestry in the U.S. The outlook for 2020 focuses on how worldwide disputes in trade pose serious concerns well beyond markets for timber and wood products. There
is widespread agreement that fair trade with minimum subsidies, no product dumping, and improved security are essential for all US growers and manufacturers of
wood products. For this reason, NWOA has a strong interest in the health of the American forest industry. To be competitive wood product mills need some forms of commitment of a dependable wood supply chain to justify the investment needed to construct and
manage efficient mills. The report goes on to explore other top concerns for 2020, including invasive species; income, estate, and property taxes; the right-to-practice forestry and regulatory creep; and keeping forests as forests. Find the full report here . This story was provided by the NASF Forest Markets Newsletter, subscribe here .


NASF Shares PR Toolkit for Recreating Safely During Covid19
The USDA Forest Service, the National Association of State Foresters, and the Ad Council today announced a new public service advertising PSA campaign to help Americans recreate safely and responsibly outdoors. The new PSAs include wildfire prevention and safe recreation tips for families and individuals to keep in mind while enjoying public lands or their own backyards and will encourage viewers to visit BeOutdoorSafe.org for additional safe recreation resources, including tips to consider before taking a trip outside – like checking for park and trail closures, packing soap or hand sanitizer, and confirming that the destination park or trail offers enough space for social distancing. BeOutdoorSafe.org also highlights the ways we can all help prevent wildfires while recreating, including by following fire restrictions, properly extinguishing campfires, and avoiding parking on tall, dry grass – even if the parking lot is full.
The new safe recreation PSAs, created by production studio BGSTR, will run nationwide in time and space donated by the media. Creative assets will be available for broadcast TV, online video, out of home, and social media. This new campaign is an extension of the USDA Forest Service, National Association of State Foresters, and Ad Council’s ongoing partnership to prevent human-caused, unwanted wildfires and protect our nation’s public lands. To learn more about recreating responsibly outdoors, visit here or BeOutdoorSafe.org. 
Funding Opportunities
NRCS Announces $5 Million for Wetland Mitigation Banks
The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has announced up to $5 million in funding, available through the Wetland Mitigation Banking Program, for wetland mitigation banks to help conservation partners develop or establish mitigation banks to help agricultural producers maintain eligibility for USDA programs. Wetland mitigation banking is the restoration, creation or enhancement of wetlands to compensate for unavoidable impacts on wetlands at other locations. The Farm Bill’s wetland conservation provisions, commonly called Swampbuster provisions, aim to remove certain incentives to convert wetlands or to produce agricultural commodities on converted wetlands. Through the Wetland Mitigation Banking Program, the NRCS is working with experienced wetland mitigation partners to give farmers another option to meet Farm Bill requirements. This competitive grant program helps states, local governments and other qualified partners develop wetland mitigation banks to restore, create or enhance wetland ecosystems, and NRCS is accepting proposals from eligible Indian Tribes, state and local units of government, for-profit entities and nongovernmental organizations. Find out more here , and applications must be submitted here through grants.gov by 11:59 p.m. ET on July 6, 2020
.
USDA Announces $15 million for Conservation Innovation Grants
NRCS has announced a $15 million investment through the Conservation Innovation Grants program to help support the adoption of innovative conservation approaches and inspire creative problem-solving solutions on agricultural lands and private forests and to improve natural resources. CIG is a competitive grants program that supports development, testing and research of conservation technologies, practices, systems and approaches on private lands, and have helped spur new tools and technologies to conserve natural resources, build resilience in producers’ operations and improve their bottom lines. This year’s priorities are water reuse, water quality, air quality, energy and wildlife habitat, and this year will be the first time water reuse is offered as a priority. Grantees must match the CIG investment at least one to one, and all U.S.-based non-Federal entities and individuals are eligible to apply. CIG applications must be submitted here by 11:59 p.m. EDT on June 29, 2020.
USDA Announces State Acres Wildlife Safe Initiative Program
The USDA Farm Service Agency’s Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) has announced the State Acres for Wildlife Enhancement (SAFE) program, which allows producers to install practices that benefit high priority State wildlife conservation objectives by using targeted restoration of vital habitat. This cooperative conservation effort is based on locally developed conservation proposals that address highest priority wildlife objectives, with the goal of restoring vital habitat in order to meet high-priority state wildlife conservation goals. Through this program, landowners establish wetlands, grasses, and trees, and these practices are designed to enhance important wildlife populations by creating critical habitat and food sources and by protecting soil and water health by working as a barrier to sediment and nutrient run-off before they reach waterways. SAFE proposals may be developed and put forth by a Federal, State, or local agency, or by a private organization, and ideally, all partners will develop proposals under a cooperative and collaborative agreement. Submit proposals by June 19, 2020. Please direct questions to Amy Roller at [email protected] , view this fact sheet here to learn more, or visit here to find your local service center and USDA Farm Service Agency office.
Job Opportunities
Asst Prof Silviculture U. Of AR
The University of Arkansas at Monticello College of Forestry, Agriculture and Natural Resources and the Arkansas Forest Resources Center are seeking an individual to contribute to and lead the development of a dynamic silvicultural research program in Arkansas forest ecosystems and to educate the next generation of forest and land managers in the mid-south region.
The successful candidate will be expected to establish an innovative and dynamic, nationally recognized, research program in managed forest ecosystems; develop grant proposals and secure funding, and publish in peer-reviewed, nationally recognized scientific journals. Teaching duties will include undergraduate and potentially graduate courses in silviculture and related courses in support of the program. The tenure-track, 12-month position will carry the rank of assistant professor with an approximate appointment of 70% research and 30% teaching. Applicants should have a Ph.D. in silviculture or forest ecology. Applications should be submitted electronically to Rhonda Parris, [email protected] and applicants must also complete an Employment Application. Find out more and submit an application here . Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until position is filled. Job posted May 20, 2020.

USFS Outreach Early Alert Supervisory Forester (TN)
The Southern Research Station (SRS), Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) Program anticipates advertising a full-time Supervisory Forester, GS-460-11/12, with the Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) Work Unit, located in Knoxville, Tennessee. The program conducts forest inventories on forestlands of all land ownerships. This position works under the direction of the Data Acquisition Section Head and is responsible for all formal training of both internal and external partners to conduct the annual forest inventory and will also supervise 6 to 8 employees and oversee the field data recorders and the data collection software. The position identified in this “Outreach Notice” is expected to be advertised in early July, 2020. All interested individuals should use the link here to review the position information. When the official advertisement becomes available you will automatically be forwarded the usajobs.gov link. If you need additional information regarding this position please contact Angie Rowe, Data Acquisition Section Head at (865) 862-2052 or by email at [email protected].

USFS SRS Forest Inventory and Analysis Unit Forester (LA)
The Southern Research Station Forest Inventory and Analysis Unit located in Knoxville, TN will soon be advertising to hire multiple Forester GS-0460 5/7/9 positions in Louisiana. Applicants interested in applying for these positions should visit here to respond to this outreach notice, and will be notified when the positions are advertised in USA Jobs. Information regarding these positions is included in the notice and the attachment in the notice. Angie Rowe can be contacted with questions or for additional information at [email protected].


Southern Regional Extension Forestry | www.sref.info | [email protected]