The University of Tennessee (UT) Extension has released a new publication about landowner’s post-timber sale remorse, as many find the sudden landscape change surprising or even unpleasant. The publication is titled “Overcoming the Timber Harvest Blues”. In it, Dr. David Mercker (UT Extension Forestry Specialist) and Clint Patterson (Berea College Forester) aim to reassure landowners and build their confidence in their land management. They guide readers through developing a forest restoration plan, so that they may overcome the post-sale blues by investing back into their land. Click here to read

White oak trees are used to create wooden casks that are an essential component of the bourbon distilling process, as they contribute to achieving the perfect flavor. When researchers realized that White Oak was disappearing from forests’ middle canopy, they and distillers became worried. To combat this loss, University of Kentucky researchers have partnered with Maker’s Mark distillery. They aim to map out the genome of White Oak to create stronger, healthier trees, and possibly more flavorful bourbon. Maker’s Mark Starhill Farm has been central to this effort, as more than 1,400 White Oak trees from 300 unique families were planted there in April. The farm was chosen as it already has a healthy population of White Oak, including a “mother tree’ that is at least 300 years old. These trees will be grown to maturity so that UK researchers can determine the growth rate, survivability, and wood quality of each family. Learn more about the White Oak and its role in the bourbon industry here.

Registration is now open for two virtual academies, “herbicides and longleaf 201,” hosted by the Longleaf Alliance. The first workshop will cover the western range of the southern region and will be conducted June 21st, 2021, through July 16th, 2021 and the second one will focus on the Carolinas area and will be available July 6th to July 30th.. These workshops will be a mixture of live synchronous and self-paced asynchronous sessions conducted. SAF credits will be available. Funding is available for landowners who are members of historically underserved communities, or those who self-identify as low-income or under financial hardship, courtesy of The Richard and Rita Porterfield Education Foundation. More information can be found here.

Virginia Tech (VT) has created a 12-week, self-paced, course to teach landowners the fundamentals of forest management. This course is a mixture of online materials, discussions with natural resource professionals, webinars, optional videos, and optional field activities. Landowners who complete the program can have a forest management plan drafted for their property. The course begins July 12th, 2021. Click here to learn more about this course offering and register online or by mail.

Virginia Tech (VT) Cooperative Extension will host a virtual workshop series titled “Preparing for Generation NEXT” this fall. This webinar is designed for landowners who want to keep their woodlands intact, in forest, and in family. Topics will include legal tools, determining assets, and establishing a legacy planning team. Live sessions will be held September 8th, 9th, 15th, and 16th at 3pm EST. Click here for additional details and registration information. 

This fall, the Society of American Foresters (SAF) Florida Division and the University of Florida’s (UF) School of Forest, Fisheries, & Geomatic Sciences (FFGS) will host a joint symposium October 12-13^th in Gainesville, FL. The event will include a broad array of topics relating to southern pine including genetics, health, management, and market status. Program and registration details will be available soon.

This month, Texas A&M Forest Service (TFS) economists Xufang Zhang and Aaron Stottlemyer released an article analyzing lumber & timber price trends during the COVID-19 pandemic. They found that the pandemic stimulated an increase in housing demand, despite a limited housing supply. This resulted in exponential lumber price growth, and a decrease in lumber inventory. While lumber prices have increased substantially, prices for timber have not. Timber prices have remained stable due to market structure, large timber inventory, and the lag effect. This disconnect may lessen as the housing market returns to normal in the coming months. Click here to read the full article.

This month, Texas A&M Forest Service (TFS) district forester John Hawkins was awarded the Southern Region Forest Stewardship Award by the USDA Forest Service (USFS). The award recognizes a forester who has worked to preserve, protect and enhance private forestlands through the USFS Forest Stewardship and Rural Forestry Assistance programs. Hawkins has spent his career assisting rural private landowners in achieving sustainable management of their forestlands throughout Texas, Arkansas, and Oklahoma. As District Forester in New Boston, Texas, during the past year, Hawkins wrote 25 Forest Stewardship Plans on almost 3,492 acres, as well as provided 907 other assists to landowners. Click here to learn more about Hawkins and the Southern Region Forest Stewardship Award.

North Carolina State University (NCSU) researchers have found that a native tree, the American sycamore, may have great potential as a fuel source. In a recent study, Drs. Omoyemeh Ile and John King explored the potential of various tree species as alternative fuel sources. During the study, several tree species were planted in North Carolina and exposed to stressors such as drought, wet seasons, and low fertilization. The sycamores not only survived but thrived, under these stressors. The overall productivity of these trees was similar to existing woody fuel sources in the southeast, but with fewer inputs required. These findings and more were published in the journals Biomass and Bioenergy. Click here to learn more about the study and the potential of sycamore as a fuel source.

Drs. David Dickens and Dr. David Clabo, of the University of Georgia (UGA), will be hosting the “Pine Seedling Genetics and Nursey Update” virtual workshop on August 5th, 2021. Topics covered at this virtual workshop include: regional nursery information;, performance rating and considerations for seedling size and quality, and survival and growth performances from recent pine genetics trials. This workshop is relevant for foresters, loggers, forestry economists, and anyone with a general interest in southeastern pine genetics. Continuing education credits will be available for forestry education and logger education. Additional details and registration information can be found here.

The Georgia Forestry Association (GFA) will host its annual conference July 16^th-18^th on Hilton Head Island, SC. The conference will be centered around connecting forestry professionals with Georgia’s political leaders, informing attendees about GFA’s policy goals, and will also include opportunities for professional networking. Attendees may receive up to 6 Continuing Education Credits from the Society of American Foresters (SAF) and the Georgia Master Timber Harvester Program (GA-MTH). In-person registration is limited to 250 participants. Virtual registration is unlimited. Click here to view the conference website.

The Florida Forestry Association (FL FA) will host its annual meeting and trade show from August 31^st to September 2^nd at Panama City Beach, FL. Event topics will include southeastern forestry economics & market forecasts, carbon opportunity basics, and intrastate vs interstate forestry logging regulations. Click here for additional details and registration information.

The Kentucky Forest Industries Association (KFIA) will host two Master Logger Programs this fall. The programs are each 3 days in length. Topics will include best management practices (BMP’s), chainsaw safety, and directional felling. Each program will be limited to 50 participants. Participants who complete the program will be recognized as Kentucky Master Loggers. Registration fees have been paid for by the Intendent Stave Company along with support from the Heaven Hill Distillery. The first program will take place August 31^st-September 2^nd in Morehead, KY. Click here for registration details. The second program will take place October 19^th-21^st in Benton, KY. Click here for registration details.

Recently, the Georgia Forestry Commission (GFC) announced upcoming changes to their burn notification system. A recently passed state bill states that landowners do not need to notify the GFC of their intention to burn, so long as they are burning hand-piled natural vegetation/yard debris. Local burning ordinances are still applicable and may be more restrictive than state law. These changes will be in effect as of July. To promote safe burning under this new law, the GFC has created a new campaign, titled “Take Five: S-S-T-A-R", encouraging landowners to consider space, time, attendance, and reasonable precautions when conducting burns. Click here for additional information.

The 2021 A Community on Ecosystem Services (ACES) conference has been rescheduled for December 7-9^th and will be a virtual event. The focus of the conference is to link state-of-the-art science, practice, and decision making by bringing together the ecosystem services community and decision-makers from around the United States and the globe. In partnership with Ecosystem Markets and the Ecosystem Partnership (ESP), the conference will engage leaders across all fields to advance the use of ecosystem services science and practice in resource management. This is a broad event geared towards individuals with interests such as resource management, policy, government, business, conservation, and urban and non-urban development. Click here for additional information.

SAF Outstanding Student Chapter Nominations Due June 30^th

The Society of American Foresters (SAF) has extended the deadline for Outstanding Student Chapter Award nominations. The new deadline is June 30^th, 2021. This award recognizes the service of student chapters to the forestry profession, their universities, and communities. Three student chapters will be recognized at the 2021 Society of American Foresters (SAF) National Convention. Click here to learn more about this award and the nomination process.

The National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) has formalized a Tribal Outreach & Partnership Resource Policy Group (Tribal RPG). A memorandum of understanding was signed by NACD and the Indian Nations Conservation Alliance. The mission of the Tribal Outreach and Partnership Resource Policy Group (Tribal RPG) is to promote and support NACD member efforts to establish partnerships with tribes that help put additional conservation on the ground. Most recently, they have helped tribal land managers locate federal funding and build relationships with other land management agencies on the national level. You can read the NACD’s special report here.

Society of Wood Science & Technology 64^th International Convention

The Society of Wood Science & Technology (SWST) will host its 64^th international conference August 1^st-6^th, 2021, in Flagstaff, Arizona. The theme of this conference will be “Value from Wood Resources through Innovation”. Sessions will include topics such as forest value and environmental threats, sustainable living and housing, and wood physics and properties. Additional details and registration information can be found here.

Earlier this month, the Mississippi Forestry Commission (MFC) released an article about invasive species that covers common invasive species, the role humans play in their spread, and what can be done to slow this spread. Mississippi has been affected by at least a dozen insect and plant invasive species in recent years. These include the emerald ash borer, southern pine beetle, and Chinese tallow tree. Click here to read the article. Click here for more information and resources about Mississippi’s invasive species.

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