NC Extension Forestry Updates 24 Online Wildlife Management Guides

The North Carolina State University Forestry Extension team has released a new series of lay management guides for wildlife titled: Working with Wildlife. Originally developed to promote multiple resource management strategies on private lands through the Forest Stewardship Program, the digital redesign includes fresh research, a new format and enhanced color photos. The new format will automate and document use too. See all 24 guides here. This six month effort was funded by the Renewable Resources Extension Act Capacity Grant and the work was authored by a certified Wildlife Biologist.

FL Forest Service Offers SPB help, LL Pine Incentives and Forest Stewardship Assistances for Landowners

Florida Forest Service is offering landowners a chance to sign up for the Southern Pine Beetle (SPB) assistance and prevention program through August 16, 2019. Landowners can also sign up for the longleaf pine landowner incentive program up to August 2, 2019 at 5:00 pm. The SPB program will assist landowners with forest management practices to prevent SPB. Find more information on the SPB program here. The longleaf pine program offers incentive payments and technical guidance for landowners to establish, restore and maintain longleaf pine forests. Find out more about the Longleaf Pine program here. Florida Forest Service also offers general funding to cover the costs of preparing a forest stewardship management plan. Find the agreement and compensation information here.

Fire and Longleaf Academy Offered in West Central Louisiana

The West Central Louisiana Ecosystem Partnership and the Longleaf Alliance are hosting the Fire and Longleaf academy, August 14-16, 2019 in Woodworth, LA. SAF credits, and some financial assistance is available to cover this 2.5 day course for landowners and natural resource professionals of a all experience levels. For more information, click here.

SouthFACT Forest Cover Change Tool Available for Southern Land Managers

Southern Forest Area Change Tools (SouthFACT) is a project that is supported by the U.S. Forest Service, NC Forest Service, and Southern Group of State Foresters (SGSF). SouthFACT can be used to identify and quantify changes in forest cover as they occur across the Southern landscape. The information from this tool is available to state forestry agencies, related partners, and private land managers. SouthFACT provides geospatial information on natural disasters, timber harvests, and reforestation and helps users to identify and respond to forest threats. Various videos and user guides are available and free of charge. Users also have the option to send in custom geospatial requests within the Southern region. Check out SouthFACT here.

Skills For Engaging Effective Dialogue (SEED) Facilitation Course For Natural Resource Professionals Offered Fall 2019

Skills for Engaging Effective Dialogue (SEED) is a facilitation course being offered by Laura Calandrella Consulting in fall 2019. This blended platform course is being offered via five weekly online training sessions as well as a 3-day in-person training session. The focus of this course is to help natural resource professionals gain the skills needed to achieve collaborative results, take collective action and strengthen sustainability leadership. It would especially be beneficial for natural resource professionals that coordinate or lead multi-stakeholder dialogue and/or community engagement. Registration closes August 23, 2019. See the course brochure here, and find the course website here . 

Impressive Economic Impacts from a Large-scale, Collaborative Forest Health Project in MS

Mississippi State University (MSU) Extension, Mississippi Forestry Commission and the U.S. Forest Service partnered on the Southern Pine Beetle Prevention Project. MSU Extension provided educational outreach to a wide audience of forest landowners and screened applications for the project's tree-thinning cost-share program. From 2006 to 2016, the collaboration spent $4.5 million on educational outreach and cost sharing. Using IMPLAN, the project’s end-economic contribution to the state was estimated to be $60.2 million which is a 13:1 benefit to cost ratio!. Click here to learn more about the benefits of interagency cooperation in this exciting case study.

NC Extension to Host "Getting to Know Your Land" Workshop Series

NC Extension will be offering a day-long workshop in Pittsboro, NC on August 8, 2019. This is the first in a series of workshops for women woodland owners and natural resource professionals. Participants will learn about timber in their geographical area, forest management plans, helpful educational resources, and much more! CFE, EE, and TWS credits will be available. Subsequent workshops will be offered August 22 and August 29. While these workshops are designed for women, all are welcome to attend! Register here.

Extension Webinar Series: Onboarding to Succession Planning July 15-19

Register for this interesting webinar series that covers topics from "onboarding to success planning" for Extension professionals. This series was created by the Southern Region Program Leadership Network, national Association of Extension Program and Staff Development Professionals, Joint council of Extension Professionals and is hosted by Michigan State University Extension. This series includes a different presentation each day from a variety of presenters. SREF's Leslie Boby will present about the Seeding Success Online onboarding course for early career Extension forestry and natural resource professionals on Tuesday July 16th at 12 pm ET. Other presentations cover mentoring, creating cohorts and a panel on succession planning. Read more or register here.

Association for Fire Ecology Offers Wildland Fire Professional Certification and Wildland Fire Academic Program Certification

The Association for Fire Ecology (AFE) offers two certification program that are appropriate for fire ecologists, managers and technicians. Both programs are designed to further science-based fire management and to develop the workforce. These certification programs help fire professionals to document the education, experience and training qualifications of members of the fire ecology and management profession. Applications are due by September 1, 2019 for both programs. The Wildland Fire Professional Certification, which includes a book, helps to certify professionals through a mixture of course work and documented experience at multiple levels. Find more information here. The Wildland Fire Academic Certification Program is designed to certify wildland fire academic programs, which aids graduates of those programs towards becoming AFE certified wildland fire professionals. Find out more here.

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