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The Timber Line
Colorado-Wyoming Society of American Foresters
Volume 3 – October 2014
Thriving Forests - Essential Resources - Strong Communities
Website: http://www.safcowy.org/index.html
Timber Line Editor: Jim Thinnes
Email: [email protected]
Contents
SAF National Election .................................................................................................................................... 1
Colorado-Wyoming SAF Chair – Dave Cawrse .............................................................................................. 1
Alpha Receives Outstanding Student Chapter Award – Bob Sturtevant ...................................................... 2
SAF Council - Johnny Hodges ........................................................................................................................ 3
Membership - Johnny Hodges ...................................................................................................................... 4
Ute Chapter - Austin Shelby .......................................................................................................................... 5
Alpha Chapter - Zack Smith ........................................................................................................................... 6
Taylor Hunter Selected For SAF Forest Policy Internship - Marissa Isgreen ................................................. 7
Germany Study Tour - Joe Cox, Judy Schutza, Andrew Mason, John Palmer and Joann Cox ....................... 9
SAF National Election
Don't forget to vote in the SAF national election by October 31. This year's election includes
four referendums, SAF Vice-President, and District 4 Council Representative.
SAF Leadership encourages votes for 1) updating the Articles of Incorporation; 2) revising the
Bylaws; 3) revising the mission statement; and 4) approving editorial changes in our
Constitution.
Colorado-Wyoming SAF's own Mike Eckhoff is running for SAF Vice-President. Jim Thinnes and
Craig Wilcox are running to be District 4 Representative on SAF Council.
Colorado-Wyoming SAF Chair – Dave Cawrse
I recently returned from the National SAF Convention in Salt Lake City. It was a great
convention! It was great to see many of our members there. The convention was co-hosted
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with the International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO) World Congress, which
only takes place once every 5 years and the first time in the United States since 1971.
Jack Dangermond of ESRI was the keynote speaker. His talk as well as other plenary session
lectures will be posted on the SAF website.
I could not help but be proud of some of the accomplishments of the CO/WY SAF state chapter
over the past year. Here were some of the things I heard or observed at the convention:
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Alpha Chapter at CSU received Student Chapter of the Year.
Longs Peak received the House Society Delegates Success Story in the Communication
category for their workshop “Living with Fire”.
Mike Eckhoff is running for SAF Vice-President
Our new mentoring program for Colorado-Wyoming SAF was highlighted in a talk by
Chris and Jamie Dahl.
Jim Thinnes received his SAF Fellow certificate.
We continue pursuing an SAF Front Range Leadership Academy, with a target date of
September 2015.
There is a lot happening and I appreciate everyone’s efforts in making our Society one of the
most successful and active in the nation.
The Colorado-Wyoming SAF executive committee approved a formal approach to the
mentoring program. It includes an agreement between the mentor and mentee, with suggested
questions and points of contact throughout a one year period. We also voted to create a
mentoring chair on the executive committee; as far as I know, we are the first state chapter in
SAF to have a mentoring chair as a full member of the exec committee. I think this highlights
the importance our executive committee places on mentoring and allows us to better track
pairing of mentors and mentees and to keep improving the program. Chris Dahl has agreed to
serve as the interim chair. If you would like to be a mentor, please contact Chris Dahl at
[email protected]. Right now the mentoring program focuses on students in natural
resources, but we hope to also provide mentoring opportunities for young professionals in
forestry too.
Alpha Receives Outstanding Student Chapter Award – Bob Sturtevant
Congratulations to the Alpha Student Chapter for receiving the Outstanding Student Chapter
Award at the 2014 National SAF convention. A group of 23 students traveled to this year's
convention in Salt Lake City where they participated in numerous technical sessions, a field
tour, diversity reception, CSU Alumni event, career fair and several other events. The entire
group as well as their advisor, Jamie Dahl and several Alpha Chapter Alumni were on hand for
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the awards ceremony. Past President Ryan Davy and advisor Jamie Dahl received the award on
behalf of the chapter.
The National Outstanding Chapter award is chosen from documentation about the group's
activities. Subjects covered in the application include: membership, service to the Society of
American Foresters, service to the college and university, involvement with other natural
resource organizations, outreach and community involvement and chapter management. In
second place was Northern Arizona University and Mississippi State came in third.
Each year the chapter raises funds through firewood and Christmas tree sales in order for
members to attend the state and national conventions where they are able to interact with
professionals and receive additional educational experiences. They are very active in the
Warner College of Natural Resources and help their fellow students receive hands-on
instruction outside of their
regular classes.
Receiving this award is a
recognition to the
excellent program that the
chapter has developed.
This is a direct result of the
hard work and dedication
of its officers, the
leadership of their advisor,
and the support from their
college administrators and
professional mentors.
SAF Council - Johnny Hodges
SAF Council held two conference calls in August and September. Council usually meets during
the annual convention, but we did not meet in Salt Lake City this year to help reduce expenses.
We have been focused on the ballot issues for the last couple of months. These include our
new Articles of Incorporation, changes to our Constitution, and changes to our current Bylaws.
Detailed explanations of these changes have been included in the Forestry Source.
We had previously included changes to our membership categories on the ballot, but in August
we decided to delay a vote to allow time for further discussion. The plan was to combine our
many existing membership categories into a singular “Member” category. This plan became
somewhat controversial in parts of the country. One of the major objections from mostly
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states in the South was allowing “technician members” to become “members.” Among other
changes, this would allow those without four-year degrees to run for Council, become Fellows,
or run for President. I did not vote with the majority of Council and wanted to keep the
membership changes on the ballot. I expect there will be a vote on these changes next year,
but I don’t expect the objections to be any different one year from now.
Another ballot item requiring your vote is for the new Council member representing District IV
which covers 10 states and 5 state societies in the Intermountain West. My three year term
ends this year. There are two candidates for the position – Jim Thinnes from ColoradoWyoming SAF and Craig Wilcox from Southwest SAF. Both have been chairs of their state
societies within the past two years.
You have until October 31 to return your ballot. Please don’t forget to vote!
Membership - Johnny Hodges
At the House of Society Delegates meeting in Salt Lake City earlier this month, the Chair passed
out an article from the Journal of Forestry in 1946. That year they held the first national
convention since the beginning of World War II and it was in Salt Lake City. There were about
400 members present.
Among many issues included in the article was a concern with membership. Worries about
membership never go away. Membership had declined during WWII as many foresters were
called to military service. The decline wasn’t huge – just a few hundred members out of a total
membership of about 4,700.
Our national membership in 2014 is down slightly, a bit under 12,000 members. We will likely
never reach our highs in membership in the years when we had over 20,000 members. But
when you look around at your co-workers and many others working in natural resources that
don’t belong to SAF, the potential for new members is huge.
Colorado-Wyoming SAF is holding its own with 317 paid members as of October 1. We have
been hovering around 325 members for quite awhile, but we could be so much larger.
Don’t be discouraged in recruiting new members. Keep plugging away and remember new
members can still receive a 30% discount and you can receive a reduction in your dues when
you do the recruiting.
Some good news about the number one complaint of members – the SAF website – is that the
membership portal will be the first portion of the updated website to go live, just in time for
renewals. I checked it out this week and it is a step in the right direction. Stay tuned.
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Ute Chapter - Austin Shelby
The Ute Chapter met in Ridgway for lunch and a
business meeting at the historical True Grit
restaurant on August 29. Topics of discussion
included: networking, future meeting
topics/activities, membership, vacant chapter
positions, working with Delta High School on
forestry curriculum in 2014/15, attendance at
National Convention, and mentoring
opportunities.
After lunch the group traveled to the Ouray Box
Canyon Falls for a tour. This waterfall was
formed when the rushing waters of Canyon
Creek eroded a deep and narrow box canyon
through the valley’s limestone. Over one
thousand gallons of water per minute fall 80+
feet to the canyons bottom creating a deafening
roar. Spectators can walk on a raised scaffold that takes them behind the waterfall to get a
close view of this powerful natural spectacle.
The National Audubon Society recognizes this canyon for holding one of America’s largest
populations of black swifts, a protected bird
species. This canyon is regarded as one of
the most prolific breeding areas for the bird.
The group was fortunate to observe some of
these birds before they made their trip back
down to South America.
After touring the bottom of the canyon, the
group traveled up to a section of the Ouray
Perimeter Trail. Recent white fir mortality
from white fir engraver beetle was very
apparent from this vista. The group took this
opportunity to discuss ongoing management
on both public and private lands.
Ute chapter members Austin Shelby and
Matt Tutten will be meeting on October 22
with Delta High School advanced placement
biology teacher Ben Graves and his students.
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Matt and Austin will be speaking to the students about the profession of forestry and
specifically the Forest Management Plan Project they will be completing this fall. Chapter
members will be meeting with the class again in November to complete the field
measurements portion of their Forest Management Plan.
Judy Schutza, Norwood District Ranger USFS, and Carol Howe, Resource Information
Specialist/Forest Climate Change Coordinator USFS, will make presentations on October 27.
Judy will discuss her SAF-sponsored Germany Study Tour, including:
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Thinning in young and medium-aged stands on private estate lands
Tree parks
Forest management on state forests
Town forest management in Dr. Carl Alwin Schneck’s hometown of Lindenfels
Palaces, castles and cathedrals in the area
Carol will discuss her experience as a part of a USFS team of technical advisors that worked with
a group from the National University of Loja, in Loja Ecuador to develop a climate change
vulnerability assessment for three southern provinces of Ecuador. The USFS shared the
watershed vulnerability assessment process developed by the agency to asses climate change
effects and helped the Ecuadorian team develop their own process. Carol had the opportunity
to meet natural resource professionals from all levels of government and learn about the
natural resources of the southern region of Ecuador.
Alpha Chapter - Zack Smith
The Last week the SAF Alpha Chapter at CSU made the trip to Salt Lake City, Utah for the SAF
National Convention. It was a success as 5 Alpha members claimed positions with the USFS
throughout the Western United States; and the students were mentored by members of
Colorado-Wyoming SAF. Alpha was also able to
tour the Alta Ski Resort and learn about their
vegetation management program. Alpha
members also participated in the international
quiz bowl competition and did very well. The
CSU Alpha Student Chapter would like to thank
Colorado- Wyoming SAF members for their
continued support and membership, as well as
their monetary support to get all 23 students to
convention this year. A special thanks to Jim
Labau, SAF member and CSU alumnus, for his
annual support as well!
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Alpha is already busy fundraising to help
prepare for travel to National Convention in
Baton Rouge next year. Alpha will continue
selling firewood this fall; please contact
John Schroeder
([email protected]) if you are
interested. Our Christmas tree sale will also
be ramping up soon- the contact for that
fundraiser is Austin Lunn-Rhue
([email protected]). Thank you all for
your continued support.
Taylor Hunter Selected For SAF Forest Policy Internship - Marissa Isgreen
Colorado State University student Taylor Hunter, natural resource management ‘15, will spend
her summer in Washington D.C. working with the nation’s leaders on national environmental
policy issues. She was selected for the prestigious Society for American Foresters’ Henry
Clepper Forest Policy Internship which selects only one intern each year from across the nation.
The paid internship provides an opportunity for students to see how SAF and other forestryrelated organizations engage on national natural resource policy issues. Hunter will serve as
assistant to the SAF Forest Policy Team and will prepare background reports, monitor
environmental and natural resource legislation, and provide liaison to other environmental and
natural resource organizations.
While in D.C., she will help SAF as they work with the administration on integrating forest policy
into climate change policy, pushing solutions to wildland fire mitigation and funding, finding
ways to accelerate management on federal lands and improving the National Environmental
Policy Act (NEPA) process. She will attend congressional hearings and participate in meetings
with congressional staff, agencies and partner groups in order to advise them on forest policy.
She will also get the chance to write articles for the Forestry Source and the Journal of Forestry.
Hunter feels honored to have been accepted for the SAF internship and hopes it can be an
inspiration to others. “I hope my involvement in this internship inspires other people to know
that they can do something amazing and make a difference, because I’m no different than
anyone else,” she said. “Going to D.C. is so exciting because it will allow me to branch out. I
come from a really big family, so we never really traveled much.”
In high school, Hunter knew she wanted to promote sustainability and go to a large university,
so she applied to CSU and chose a major in its Warner College of Natural Resources. A first
generation student and the second oldest in a family of six siblings, she is paying her way
through school and currently works with the Colorado State Forest Service. Hunter has also
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received support from scholarships at CSU,
such as the The Leon H. and Katherine Rust
Hurd Scholarship which she received in
2013.
“It was hard for a while because I was
always comparing myself to other students,
and thinking how others might have it
easier. But working my way through school
has taught me to be really independent and
responsible,” Hunter said. "I have also been
fortunate to receive scholarship awards that
serve as a reminder that I am supported in
my decision to further my education - they
are sources of gratitude, which fuels my
work ethic during the tough semesters."
While working for CSFS, she mentioned her interest in policy and a co-worker told her about
the SAF policy internship and encouraged her to apply. Hunter credits her success in the
interview and in landing the job to her classes Natural Resources History and Policy taught by
Tony Cheng, Professor Dept. of Forest & Rangeland Stewardship, and Environmental Politics
taught by Professor Charles Davis.
“Taylor’s success in securing the Clepper policy internship is a testament to her commitment to
advancing her own education,” Cheng said. “It’s an honor and deeply gratifying to me to see
Taylor be awarded this internship. Whatever path she finds herself on in the future, this will be
a great learning experience."
While in D.C., Hunter would like to address the sustainable management of multi-use forests. “I
want to help stakeholders collaborate and balance their needs,” she said. “There are so many
perspectives that can drive policy, but it’s important to find solutions that will sustain the
ecosystem. If we don’t prioritize conserving sustainable forests, all those other things –
business, tourism, property values, etc - go away.”
Hunter’s interest in policy comes from a desire for justice. “I get really upset when I hear what’s
happening to our planet and to each other,” she explained. “No one is going to have the same
passion and perspective as me, so I can’t wait for someone to implement what I want. I have to
take action.”
After graduation, Hunter would like to help developing countries become environmentally
sound—whether that’s by joining an existing organization or by starting her own nonprofit. She
believes promoting local economies, local foods, laying out cities so that people don’t have to
commute and providing environmental infrastructure would help these countries to become
models for sustainable livelihoods.
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“We don’t want these countries to make the same mistakes that other developed nations
have,” she said. “They have the opportunity to be environmentally responsible from the ground
up while building strong economies."
(from May 14, 2014 post at http://warnercnr.colostate.edu/frs-news-and-events/newsheadlines/968-student-taylor-hunter-selected-for-saf-forest-policy-internship-in-d-c)
Germany Study Tour - Joe Cox, Judy Schutza, Andrew Mason, John Palmer and Joann
Cox
The Germans love their forests! This was evident in
all of their presentations and reflected in the
management they showed us on the SAF sponsored
study tour this past summer. SAF’ers and family
members toured German forests and were privileged
to learn about local forestry directly from the
practitioners themselves. It was a contrast to U.S.
Forest Service forestry, and some private ownerships.
Tour Overview: The tour participants visited ten
German forest landowners in the mountainous
Bavarian and Odenwald regions, eight arboretums
and several historical churches and castles. A special
highlight was visiting Dr. Schenck’s hometown of
Lindenfels during its annual festival. Special
arrangements during our stay in Lindenfels included a
tree planting ceremony, and meeting the family of Dr.
Carl Alwin Schenck, the founder of the Biltmore
Forest School, the first college of forestry in the
United States.
John Palmer, SAF Fellow and retired Professor of Forestry at Haywood Tech in North Carolina,
organized the trip in conjunction with four German volunteers. Professor Marcel Robischon, a
forestry faculty member of the Humboldt University of Berlin, served as the tour guide and
interpreter. Dr. Christoph von Rhöneck, a Schenck family descendant, organized the visits
throughout the Odenwald where Dr. Schenck lived. The Baroness Francine von Finck
coordinated forestland visits throughout Bavaria, plus her own estate during the first part of
the tour. The Countess Dr. Christina Nesselrode hosted a special Rhine River cruise and visit to
her son’s large forestry properties, which specialize with hardwood management.
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Germany has a highly developed forest industry. It was a fantastic tour and, truly, a once-in-alifetime experience! Participants had the honor to see exceptional forest management and
private castles that very few Americans have ever seen.
Forty SAF member participants met German forest landowners and their foresters and state
foresters during July 24 – August 8, 2014. Key concepts observed were “close to nature
forestry” and forests paid for themselves. Regeneration was natural, but species composition
was guided toward wood that provided the highest revenue. The processes were natural, but
the objective was to generate a profit.
Essential Resources: The
German foresters embraced
all-aged management;
however, small clearcuts were
employed to regenerate or to
facilitate desired species
establishment. Early
silvicultural treatments
included intensive weeding
utilizing string trimmers
several times during the first
three growing seasons.
Subsequent treatments
included early identification of crop trees, thinning to favor the crop trees, and pruning of
specific crop trees. Commercial species included Norway spruce, European beech, Scots pine,
European oak, maple, and Douglas-fir. Often, all of these species occurred in the same stand.
Firewood comprised much of the first thinning, while the subsequent treatments emphasized
favoring the crop tree’s development into high quality sawtimber.
Water quality protection comprised an overall objective with harvester and skidder traffic
confined to designated trails. The foresters kept the location of the trails and marked them to
continue into subsequent rotations when final harvests were conducted. At one forest, we
noted that these skid trails were planted with fast growing trees that would be removed as
firewood in the first thinning entry.
Wildlife management was another important objective, as many landowners received
significant income from leasing the hunting rights. Also, managing the deer and hog population
to minimize browse damage to young natural regeneration and planted seedlings was
necessary.
With regards to recreation, the German foresters must obey a law that allows public access to
all forestlands within the country. This access includes hiking, biking, vehicular access, and
horseback riding. The hunting season starts in July and runs through January. Hunters must
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accommodate all other recreational access and must complete special safety and shooting
classes before they can hunt. Most hunting was accomplished through shooting clubs, which
proved similar to hunt clubs in the U.S., but with special requirements regarding liability,
access, and other demands governed by the hunting agreements with the individual
landowners.
One unique practice we observed was using an existing stand of trees as a cemetery. The
landowner hired a forester who also possessed a degree in theology. Together they worked
with the local municipality and churches to meet the requirements to establish a cemetery.
The cemetery consisted of designated trees, and some rocks, surrounded by twelve spots
where a person’s ashes could be interred in a biodegradable urn. The price of the tree included
special considerations such as tree species, location and view of Lake Constance. We found the
area peaceful, respectfully completed, and a beautiful site.
Strong Communities: Germany signed the Kyoto Treaty and actively pursues reducing the
carbon footprint of their lifestyles. Germany also decided to close their nuclear power plants.
Taken together, these factors increased the demand for wood for heating and cooking,
resulting in a boon for stocking control in the early life of a stand of trees. We saw a lot of small
wood removed as part of thinning destined for firewood. On every forest we visited, we
observed piles of wood. Some was cut and awaiting processing, some was stacked for later
hauling to a processing yard, some was split and drying under a roof. In many of the towns we
visited we observed community wood burning
boilers that supplied steam for heat. The evidence
of the demand for firewood was ever present in
our travels.
We understand that a good market for pulpwood
exists in Germany, and most of that demand was
met with intermediate thinning. Most of the
wood grown in the German forests was destined
for sawtimber. The sawtimber was sold to mostly
small-scale local mills. The Hessen State Forester
reported that the demand for sawn German
lumber came from the global market and that
Germany ranked third in the world for exported
sawn lumber.
The Germans also demonstrated that the learning
went both ways. One of the landowners we
visited observed Forestry Consultants on their
landholdings in the United States. Upon returning
to Germany, he and his forester created a
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consulting firm that manage lands of the Porsche family and the Swiss State of Bern. Together
they created an organizational structure and culture that benefited the forest and the
community where those forests exist.
The wood products derived from the management of German forests and the well being
supplied by people using the forests for recreation results in an appreciation of the value of
forests that the U.S. foresters found unique and refreshing. The romance of the forest and its
place in the German psyche showed through in many ways, not the least of which was the
respect for trees, both as a material and a symbol of the German spirit. The pride that the
landowners and the foresters felt from working with the forests was exhibited in their speech
and their gestures.
In summary, we learned a lot from our German counterparts, who are the people making a
living in the forests. Their pride was shown in every speech and gesture. The Germans proved
willing hosts and we felt welcome at every forest, meal, and overnight stay.
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