National Association of Conservation Districts

National Association of Conservation Districts

NACD's mission is to serve conservation districts by providing national leadership and a unified voice for natural resource conservation.

Forestry Notes

September 2009
Volume XIV, Issue 10
| PDF version | Archive of Previous Issues |

  1. NACD and NASF Talk Forest Policy
  2. Can Marketing Help Cure Stale Wood Markets?
  3. Train the Trainer off to Good Start in Indiana
  4. Vilsack Addresses Forestry Concerns of Tomorrow
  5. Forestry Briefs

1. NACD and NASF Talk Forest Policy
Leaders get a first-hand look at the bark beetle issues affecting the west

Members of the NACD Forest Resources Policy Group and the National Association of State Foresters, as well as a number of national agency partners, gathered in Denver in early August for their annual joint meeting. This year’s theme was “Forestry challenges between the peaks.”

The group welcomed a number of local speakers to discuss the increasing threat of insects, disease and wildfire in the West. In Colorado, the Mountain Pine Beetle has deteriorated a significant portion of the forest landscape in recent years. Despite the spread of “brown” lodgepole pine, conservation leaders in the state have come together to address the problem.

One of the most aggressive efforts has been the Colorado Bark Beetle Cooperative. One of its chief members, Gary Severson, executive director of the Northwest Colorado Council of Governments, explained to the group how the coming together of governmental and agency leaders from the Summit County area is helping to make a difference. The Cooperative hosts bi-monthly open forums where information and planning strategy is shared. It also recently published a 12-page handbook about the spread of bark beetle and other forest health issues.

Don Foth of the Colorado Association of Conservation Districts spoke to the group about how districts can play an integral role in the fight, while representatives from the local Colorado Forest Service and NRCS offices offered a detailed analysis on the problem.
Joint committee members were also briefed on how Colorado is protecting critical watersheds. Dave Hessel of the Front Range Watershed Wildfire Protection Work Group spoke about how CWP2 (Critical County Watershed Wildfire Protection Plan) can work hand-in-hand in areas where a Community Wildfire Protection Plan is already in place.

Said Hessel, “We think this process not only works here, but can work anywhere in the west.”

John Heissenbuttel, of the Forest Health Initiative, spoke to the group about potential use of technology to accelerate the development of resistive trees to some of the major threats to forest types and in the restorative efforts for the American chestnut, opening discussion amongst the group on biotechnology, genetic engineering and genetically modified organisms.

During its stay in Denver, the group also had the opportunity to tour the mountainous region surrounding Denver where Chuck Rhoades of the U.S. Forest Service’s Rocky Mountain Research Station offered a more detailed historic background on the problem.

During one stop along the tour, the group was able to visit a burn site where a fire nearly consumed a YMCA resort. The area has been thinned in recent years to protect the facilities, but between the fires and the mountain pine beetle all the buildings are now completely in the open. Low natural gas costs in Colorado deter potential consumers like the YMCA from considering wood boiler systems.

The tour also included a stop at Confluence Energy, a pellet processing plant in Kremmling that employs a workforce of more than 30. The plant utilizes lodgepole pine that requires less stripping due to its thin bark and burns at 8,400 BTUs. Confluence energy president Mark Mathias spoke to the group about the many challenges of the expanding wood utilization market.

On the final day of the meeting, the NASF and NACD Forest RPG met separately to conduct annual business. Federal agency partners, including the U.S. Forest Service, BLM and NRCS, briefed the Forest RPG on program changes and other noteworthy items for the coming year. The Forest RPG also discussed a number of other topics, including potential forest resolution changes to the NACD policy book, NACD award nominations, and advancing the Web presence of Forestry Notes.

The chairmen from both committees consider the joint meeting to be of great value to their respective committee members.

“It’s wonderful to share this meeting with the state foresters,” said Charles Holmes, chair of the NACD Forest RPG. “It’s a great fit, and a partnership we intend to continue in the years to come.”

Said Carl Garrison, chairman of the NASF committee, “It’s an opportunity to hear what’s on the minds of our partners, and to collaborate on the common issues we face.”

Next year’s summer meeting will likely be held in Madison, Wis. at the U.S. Forest Service Forest Products Laboratory in early August.

2. Can Marketing Help Cure Stale Wood Markets?
At a time when wood-based companies are dealing with some of the largest challenges the industry has faced in decades, ideas are sparse and hope even sparser.

This summer, several companies in Arizona and New Mexico worked with a nationally recognized specialist of forest marketing techniques in an attempt to revitalize their struggling bottom lines.

Dr. Lloyd Irland lives in Wayne, Maine where he acts as a consultant. He also teaches at Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies in New Haven. Last September, Irland was invited to speak at the Southwest Sustainable Forests Partnership’s annual meeting in Flagstaff. He gave a presentation and offered training on marketing skills.

“People really seemed to appreciate the marketing training,” said Irland. “The idea emerged that maybe I’d come back and do two things: first, more marketing training around the region, and two, do some circuit writing marketing consulting, where instead of having me sit in Maine and do reports I’d go to individual companies … talk about their product and challenges, and brainstorm ideas to improve and expand their marketing.”

In July and August, Irland spent 30 days in both New Mexico and Arizona visiting with individual companies to get a feel for areas where they may be able to develop new markets. He also conducted training workshops at Show Low and Flagstaff, Ariz., and Ruidoso and Las Vegas, N.M.

Much of his message fit in with the Southwest Sustainable Forests Partnership’s objective to promote healthy forests in the southwest by developing and supporting sustainable, community and tribal-based forest and wood product enterprises.

“Most of the old markets for Ponderosa pine boards have been annexed by other products and other sources, including non-wood products, in some cases. That means a lot of what these companies are used to is gone...” he said. “They can’t sell products like commodities, they have to sell them like specialties, and to high-end markets. No more cheap one-inch boards because that’s a straight path to bankruptcy.”

Beforehand, Herb Hopper and Kim Kostelnik of SWSFP sought interest from companies in need. They lined up five firms in each state. Said Irland, “My mission was to visit all five at their places of business, and see how I might help them with limited time.

“The whole key is not for me to write a report and deliver it to them, but that I be able to generate ideas for them to take and use themselves. Instead of giving someone a fish, it’s teaching them how to fish.”

Irland’s work was made possible by a U.S. Forest Service Forest Products Laboratory grant administered through the Little Colorado River Plateau RC&D. Irland also worked closely with Mark Engle of the Northland Pioneer College Small Business Development Center, and the initiative also received support from the Northern Arizona Wood Products Association and the New Mexico Forest Industries Association. Added Irland, “and we’ve received good moral support from both state foresters.”

A shift in traditional wood markets and a badly bleeding housing market has stacked the deck against the industry in the southwest, said Irland.

“Right in these people’s backyards is a terrible housing depression. The odds of it getting better on the market side are not good. Some suggest they see things coming off the bottom and stabilizing a little, but nobody is hoping for too much.”

Irland does not wish to suggest he will save all of the companies he has worked with from financial hardship.

“We know some of the things we’ll try will not work,” Irland admits. “The whole concept of marketing is to keep trying.

“A lot of these companies have really big problems, and cannot spend much on marketing and development. I do think that we have given people some good ideas, and if they’re able to follow through it will help them to survive and give them sound ideas for when the markets do pick back up.”

Said Hopper,” We are confident Dr. Irland will have a significant impact on the eventual recovery of these businesses, most of whom have been adversely impacted by the economic downturn.”

Irland’s work will not cease upon leaving the southwest.

“Herb realized we were not going to be able to do everything in two months,” said Irland. “Some things will require interaction with these clients over a period of time.” The FPL grant will allow Irland to spend a couple of days each month from now through February 2010 to continue work on the effort, and to allow for the help of a research assistant.

For more information, visit http://www.littlecolorado.net/swsfp/irland.htm.

3. Train the Trainer off to Good Start in Indiana
A year after its start in several pilot states, the Train the Trainer program has provided some examples of success, and has served as a valuable learning experience for the federal partners that participated.

This initiative is in response to the new forestry provisions offered in the 2008 Farm Bill. The Train the Trainer effort has the basic objective: to educate those local resource specialists on the programs and potential benefits available through the Farm Bill to the landowners they work with.

One of the key figures in Indiana has been Tom Crowe, a regional director for the Indiana Association of Soil & Water Conservation Districts and a member of the NACD Forest Resources Policy Group. Crowe has assisted his state during the planning process for Train the Trainer since the fall of 2008. It’s a program he believes in.

“The way I look at it,” said Crowe, “the majority of the woods are not managed. And in Indiana that number could be 80 or 90 percent. The potential is huge.”

Said Crowe, forest landowners in his home state have not engaged in forest practices for a variety of reasons.

“Part of it is a lack of understanding of where to go, and people are not aware of the programs,” said Crowe. “... some people have given up on those programs because maybe, at some point in the past, they put in the effort and the funding did not come through.”
In Indiana, though, Crowe said landowners have good reason to pay attention. The cost-benefit ratio for a timber stand is $33.40 per acre over the life of the program contribution. “The cost is so low, you can impact a lot of acres with very little funding.”

When the state discussion began, the nearby Extension office, the Department of Natural Resources, NRCS and the Woodland Owners group were just a few of the parties represented at the table. Jill Reinhart, the assistant state conservationist and head of outreach and communications for NRCS, acted as a lead for the group, and helped to assemble the binder of materials the group developed to outline all of the potential players and what their potential roles may be. The binder was first made available when the group met for a workshop in April.

The group identified approximately 50 leaders around the state that would act as distributors of the materials, placing the binder in the hands of local field staff who would then be armed with the necessary materials to inform landowners.

Said Crowe, “It’s something anyone can look at and say, ‘I want to plant trees. Where can I go, and what will it pay?’”

To help re-educate landowners about new programs and how existing programs have changed, Train the Trainer targets the district conservationists who can act as the go-between for the agencies and the landowners. The group coordinated a series of training sessions for district conservationists in the state.

“The district conservationists have a lot of contact with the landowners. And if they are more familiar with something, they’re more likely to recommend it to landowners.”

The discussion will continue in Indiana, and in the other pilot states. But for objectives to be met, the talk will have to go beyond the agency level.

Said Crowe, “After it leaves the group, the key is to keep people talking. Word of mouth is the best way to sell programs. Any way you can get people to talk about forestry is good.”

For more information on the Train the Trainer efforts, visit the 'Resources' section of the Joint Forestry Team's Web site at http://jointforestryteam.org/resources.

4. Vilsack Addresses Forestry Concerns of Tomorrow
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has outlined his vision for the future of our nation’s forests. In his first major address regarding the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Vilsack set forth his direction guided by the principles of conservation, management, and restoration for national forests as well as the nation’s private forests.

“A healthy and prosperous America relies on the health of our natural resources, and particularly our forests,” he told the audience.

“America’s forests supply communities with clean and abundant water, shelter wildlife, and help us mitigate and adapt to climate change. Forests help generate rural wealth through recreation and tourism, through the creation of green jobs, and through the production of wood products and energy. And they are a national treasure—requiring all of us to protect and preserve them for future generations.

“Our nation’s forestlands, both public and private, are environmental and economic assets that are in critical need of restoration and conservation,” said Vilsack. “By using a collaborative management approach with a heavy focus on restoring these natural resources, we can make our forests more resilient to climate change, protect water resources, and improve forest health while creating jobs and opportunities.”

Vilsack also emphasized that the U.S. Forest Service not be viewed as an agency concerned only with the fate of our National Forests, but instead must be acknowledged for its work in protecting and maintaining all American forests, including state and private lands.

He also spoke at length about climate change, catastrophic wildfires, disease and pests and other forest health-related issues.

Said Vilsack, “The resulting impact on watersheds, the climate, local economies, wildlife, and recreation, has led the USDA to offer what it calls a new vision for our nation’s forests. It is time for a change in the way we view and manage America’s forestlands with an eye towards the future. This will require a new approach that engages the American people and stakeholders in conserving and restoring both our National Forests and our privately-owned forests.”

Secretary Vilsack also made these important points:

For a full transcript of Vilsack’s speech, visit http://www.fs.fed..us/video/tidwell/vilsack.pdf.

5. Forestry Briefs

Forest Products Laboratory updates Web site
The U.S. Forest Service Forest Products Laboratory recently completed an overdue first “overhaul” of its Web site,  http://www.fpl.fs.fed.us.

Visitors will notice a new informational system in place to catalog FPL information.  Said Gordie Blum, communications director for the FPL, “We tried to base this system by what we felt the needs of our customers were, rather than by our organizational structure. And perhaps more importantly, we have greatly upgraded our search capabilities.”

Added Blum, "We look at this as an important first step, but certainly not the last, in getting our Web site to where it needs to be."

To continually improve and make the site better, the FPL has requested user comments.  All comments can be sent to webmaster Rajinder Lal at rlal@fs.fed.us.

Senate Confirms Bob Abbey as BLM Director
The U.S. Senate recently confirmed Bob Abbey as Director of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), where he will oversee a $1 billion budget and manage 256 million surface acres in 12 western states and Alaska.

Abbey brings substantial experience to the position, having served for eight years as the Nevada State Director for the BLM, providing direction and oversight for 48 million acres of public land managed by the Bureau in the state. From 1999 through 2005, Abbey was Chairman of the Executive Committee for the implementation of the Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act. During his federal career, Abbey served as the principal BLM proponent for the Great Basin Restoration Initiative.

NACD offers its congratulations and looks forward to working with the new Director.