CFRC Weekly Summary - September 10, 2009

News

We Energies plans biomass plant at Domtar Rothschild Mill site (Wis.)
Sep. 10, 2009
We Energies announced today the proposed construction of a $250 million biomass-fueled power plant at Domtar Corporation’s Rothschild, Wisconsin paper mill site. Wood, waste wood and sawdust will be used to produce 50 megawatts of electricity and will also support Domtar’s sustainable papermaking operations. http://www.forestrycenter.org/index.cfm?RefID=106743

Idled lumber plants may get second life in bioenergy business (Minn.)
MinnesotaPublic Radio | Sep. 10, 2009
Canadian-owned Ainsworth Lumber Company permanently shuttered its plants in Bemidji, Grand Rapids and Cook earlier this year, and now those communities are wondering what's next for the huge, idle plants. http://www.forestrycenter.org/index.cfm?RefID=106744

Looking for a biofuels breakthrough in Boardman (Ore.)
The Oregonian | Sep. 10, 2009
On paper, making fuel from plant materials looks like a simple five-step process. You start with a bundle of twigs. Separate the cellulose, add enzymes, then let the brew ferment. A couple of chemical processes later, you're powering a car with a product that quite literally grows on trees. http://www.forestrycenter.org/index.cfm?RefID=106740

Fall colors fade in U.S. west as aspen trees die
Reuters | Sep. 10, 2009
The American West is losing its autumn colors as global warming begins to bite and there is far more at stake than iconic scenery. http://www.forestrycenter.org/index.cfm?RefID=106741

Illinois to receive $2.8M stimulus for forests
Sep. 10, 2009
Illinois will receive more than $2.8 million in federal stimulus money for forest health protection projects. http://www.forestrycenter.org/index.cfm?RefID=106747

20% of land deforested in the Brazilian Amazon is regrowing forest
Sep. 10, 2009
At least 20 percent land deforested in the Brazilian Amazon is regrowing forest, reports Brazil's National Institute for Space Research (INPE). Analyzing high resolution satellite imagery, analysts at INPE found large areas of regenerating forest in Pará, Mato Grosso, and Amapá, states which account for the majority of Brazil's deforestation. http://www.forestrycenter.org/index.cfm?RefID=106742

FSC Forest Carbon Working Group to set upcoming priorities
Sep. 10, 2009
On 9 September 2009, the FSC Forest Carbon Working Group will convene for the first time to identify a course of action to explore FSC’s potential role in forest-based carbon initiatives. The Working Group’s mandate is to look into the roles that FSC’s governance, policy and forest certification can play in frameworks and projects to mitigate climate change. http://www.forestrycenter.org/index.cfm?RefID=106745

Germany to pay Ecuador $650 million to forgo oil drilling, protect rainforest reserve
Sep. 10, 2009
Germany has apparently agreed to fund a significant portion of Ecuador's scheme to leave Amazon rainforest oil reserves in the ground, according to Business Green. http://www.forestrycenter.org/index.cfm?RefID=106739

Events

Wildland-Urban Interface Issues and Connections
September 14, 2009, Webinar
In the field of natural resource management, we are increasingly hearing terms such as exurbia, urban sprawl, and rural fringe. What is this area often referred to as the wildland-urban interface (WUI)? We’re facing new challenges including population growth, rapid land-use change, and forest fragmentation.

For more information, visit http://www.forestrycenter.org/events.cfm?refID=106691&categoryID=.

Can our forests adapt to invasive pests?
September 21, 2009, Bemidji, MN
Carrie Pike will discuss successes and failures of programs attempting to breed for resistance to a variety of invasive insects and diseases. She will also cover factors that influence resistance and invasiveness in ecosystems.

For more information, visit http://www.forestrycenter.org/events.cfm?refID=106728&categoryID=.

Chainsaw Safety Classes
October 7-8 2009, La Farge, WI
The Kickapoo Woods Cooperative (KWC) and Kickapoo Valley Reserve (KVR) are offering Chainsaw Safety Level I and Level II on October 7 and 8 at the KVR near La Farge. The KWC regularly offers level 1 chainsaw safety training twice a year, usually in October and April, and you must have taken that class to be eligible to take the more advanced level two training.

For more information, contact Lila Marmel at 608-624-5269 or sunmoon@mwt.net or visithttp://www.forestrycenter.org/events.cfm?refID=106750&categoryID=.

Timber Stand Improvement
October 10, 2009, Baraboo WI
Understanding management practices can help you to guide the future of your forest. This class will give forest landowners an opportunity to understand an important forest management practice, timber stand improvement (TSI).

For more information, contact Alanna Koshollek at 608-355-0279, ext. 30 or alanna@aldoleopold.org, or visit http://www.forestrycenter.org/events.cfm?refID=106639&categoryID=

Game of Logging: Level I
October 11, 2009, Baraboo, WI
Mastering the basics of chainsaw safety is essential for woodland owners who want to be more active on their land, from making firewood to timber stand improvement. The “Game of Logging” is a four-level series designed to increase safety and efficiency of chainsaw use.

For more information, contact Alanna Koshollek at 608-355-0279, ext. 30 or alanna@aldoleopold.org, or visit http://www.forestrycenter.org/events.cfm?refID=106640&categoryID=

RESTORING THE WEST CONFERENCE 2009
October 27-28, 2009, Logan, UT
Peaks to Valleys: Innovative Land Management for the Great Basin The theme of this year's Restoring the West Conference is sustainability of Great Basin landscapes from peaks to valleys, with an emphasis on forest, sagebrush steppe, and riparian ecosystems.

For more information, contact Kendra McKenna at kendra.mckenna@usu.edu or visit http://www.forestrycenter.org/events.cfm?refID=106693&categoryID=.

64th NCWSS Annual Meeting Information Center
December 7-10, 2009, Kansas City, MO
The North Central Weed Science Society (NCWSS) would like to invite you to their Annual Meetings to be held from Dec. 7-10th in Kansas City, MO. The program chair, Chris Boerboom, the programming committees of NCWSS, and the local arrangement committee are working hard to produce a quality program.

For more information contact the North Central Weed Science Society at (217) 352-4212 or visit http://www.forestrycenter.org/events.cfm?refID=106692&categoryID=.

Information

EMERALD ASH BORER CONFIRMED IN MILWAUKEE COUNTY ~ Seven Wisconsin Counties Now Known to be Infested
The purple box sticky traps that Wisconsin Department of Ag has hanging in ash trees along Wisconsin's roadsides and alert agency staff have been confirming the presence of the destructive beetle in more places. See http://www.emeraldashborer.wi.gov/ for more details on the emerald ash borer, articles on the latest findings and for a list of counties with a wood quarantine.

Report sightings of japanese knotweed
The Door County Invasive Species Team is building a GIS map layer of known locations and need your help. Japanese knotweed (jk) is tall and blooming now, very easy to spot from a distance. Please report sightings to the DCIST website. Click on 'Report an Invasive' (http://map.co.door.wi.us/swcd/invasive/InvasiveForm.htm. Visit the DCIST website for photos and info on jk.

Publications

Conservation Buffers: Design Guidelines for Buffers, Corridors, and Greenways
USDANational Agroforestry Center
The Conservation Buffers website offers resources for planning and designing buffers in rural and urban landscapes. The primary resource is Conservation Buffers: Design Guidelines for Buffers, Corridors, and Greenways which provides over 80 illustrated design guidelines synthesized and developed from a review of over 1400 research publications. Learn more at: http://www.unl.edu/nac/bufferguidelines/.

Forests, Water and People Analysis
USDA Forest Service
The Forests, Water and People analysis uses maps produced in a geographic information system (GIS) to highlight the connection between forests and the protection of surface drinking water quality. This connection of "forest to faucet" is of vital importance to people in the Northeast and Midwest. Forests are the crucial first barrier to protection of drinking water, and managing forests for source water protection is becoming more important as the population and water demand increase. Approximately 50 to 75 percent of the region’s population relies on surface water as their municipal drinking water source – more than 52 million people receive clean drinking water from nearly 1,600 community water systems. These water supplies are protected largely by private forest lands. This analysis identifies these water supplies and the forests that protect them. Learn more at: http://www.na.fs.fed.us/watershed/fwp_preview.shtm.

Two Forests Under the Big Sky: Tribal v. Federal Management
Property and Environment Research Center
In this policy series, Alison Berry continues her work on the quality of forests that result under different management schemes. She contrasts side-by-side forests in Montana. One is operated by the United States Forest Service under the watchful eye of Congress. The other is run by Indian tribes on reservation lands. Learn more at: http://www.perc.org/articles/article1174.php.