Volume 35 Number 1 Winter 2016 - Society of American Foresters · SAF Board Report. Wayne Bell, District 10 Board Member. It was great to see the excellent turnout for the SESAF Meeting

1The Southeastern Forester, Winter 2016

Volume 35 Number 1 Winter 2016

Message from Chair John HolzaepfelPage 2

SAF Board Report from Wayne BellPage 3

SESAF 2016 Annual Meeting HighlightsPage 3

Legislative Update on the Black Pinesnake from Dan RoachPage 7

Division News - Page 9

Chapter News - Page 13

Dr. Mathew Smidt (left) receives recognition for his dedicated leadership and outstanding service while serving as 2015 SESAF Chair from Awards Committee Chair John Holzaepfel at the 2016 SESAF Annual Meeting.


Message from the ChairJohn Holzaepfel

Welcome to the winter issue of your SESAF newsletter! This issue will feature pictures and highlights from the recent SESAF Annual Meeting at the Hotel at Auburn University and Dixon Conference Center on January 24-26. The theme was The Changing Landscape of Forest Management and the program featured an impressive mix of speakers and presentations. The meeting had over 200 in attendance including 42 students from Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College (ABAC),

Alabama A&M University, Auburn University, University of Florida and University of Georgia. On behalf of all of us that were present, we much appreciate the hard work of the 2016 Program Committee, which included Mathew Smidt (2015 SESAF Chair), Mike Clutter, John Torbert and Ben Whitaker. As always, Sharon Dolliver, SESAF Business Manager, did an incredible job with the arrangements and logistics – helped in no small measure at the meeting by her husband Sam, camera in hand. Special thanks to Eric Hoyer, Exhibitor and Sponsor Chair, along with all the exhibitors and sponsors that contributed to the financial success of the meeting! Much more than anything else, the annual meeting drives the revenue for the SESAF operating budget enabling our multi-state Society to effectively carry out its mission.

Also on the program and speaking to the SESAF membership were Clark Seely, 2016 SAF President, and Matt Menashes, SAF CEO. Clark, who resides in Florida and is a SESAF member, laid out his vision as a suite of positive initiatives that he and 2015 SAF President Bob Alverts have developed together. Matt spoke on the theme of SAF, Now and for the Future. Matt shared an insightful and engaging look at the anticipated future direction of SAF. There will always be challenges and we must adapt to thrive. After attending the national SAF and HSD meetings in 2015, I sense a common feeling amongst those in SAF leadership is one of optimism through progress in building a strong organizational culture and the defining and implementation of a clear vision. I feel that there is no better time to be a SAF member, or as Wayne Bell, our SESAF representative on the SAF Board likes to say, “no better time to have a seat at the table.”

I am honored and privileged to serve as your 2016 SESAF Chair. My phone number is listed to the left; please feel free to contact me at any time. Your other 2016 SESAF officers, members and Ex-Officio members are also listed on the sidebar. I am both excited and deeply appreciative of their willingness to dedicate their time and talents. Not listed are our SESAF Historian, Bill Consoletti, Policy-Legislative Chair, Dan Roach, and 2017 Program Chair, Charlie Houder – all three very talented and hardworking members of your Society. So as you can see, we have elected and appointed key folks in order to strive to continue the legacy of SESAF leadership that has preceded us. One lesson that I have learned in the multiple organizations that I have served is the more you invest in attempt to help the organization and its members, the more you are blessed yourself. How about you? I encourage you to find ways to serve in SAF to the benefit of our profession and yourself. The professional forestry community is relatively small, but one with many of good souls. As for me, there is no other professional community that I would rather call mine.

The Southeastern Forester is a publication

of the Southeastern Society of American Foresters.

Editorial Office:Sharon Dolliver

SESAF Business Manager829 GA Highway 57, Gordon, GA 31031

Tel: (478) 628-1196 [email protected]

Executive Committee

Chair: John HolzaepfelNatural Resource Planning Services

P.O. Box 564San Antonio, FL 33576

Tel: (352) [email protected]

Chair-Elect: Michael KellyForest Investment Associates

15 Piedmont Center, Suite 1250Atlanta, GA 30305

Phone: (404) [email protected]

Secretary: Kimberly BurchFlorida Forest Service

15019 South Broad StreetBrooksville, FL 34601Tel: (352) 726-4776

[email protected]

Treasurer: Chris DemersSchool of Forest Resources & Conservation

P.O. Box 110410Gainesville, FL 32611-0410


Past-Chair: Mathew SmidtAuburn University

1243 East Samford DriveAuburn, AL 36830


Alabama Chair: Ken McNabbAuburn University

School of Forestry & Wildlife Sciences602 Duncan DriveAuburn, AL 36849


Florida Chair: Steve MillerSt. Johns River Water Management District

4049 Reid StreetPalatka, FL 32178


Georgia Chair: Steve ChapmanNational Bobwhite Conservation Initiative

1666 Pine Valley RoadMilledgeville, GA 31061Phone: (478) 451-9114

[email protected]

Ex-Officio Members

District 10 Board Member:Wayne Bell

International Forest Company1265 Georgia Highway 133 N.

Moultrie, GA 31768Tel: (229) 985-0321

[email protected]

Student Representative: Kathleen Garcia

Warnell School of Forestry & Natural Resources

University of Georgia180 East Green StreetAthens, Georgia 30602


NEWS AND VIEWS FROM SESAF LEADERSHIP

Publication of any advertisement or article in THE SOUTHEASTERN FORESTER should not be deemed an endorsement by SESAF of the opinions expressed or the products advertised. The editor reserves the right to refuse publication of any article, photograph or advertisement deemed contrary to the objectives of SESAF.

For advertising rates or SESAF membership information, please contact: Sharon Dolliver, SESAF Business Manager • 829 GA HWY 57, Gordon, Georgia 31031(478) 628-1196 • [email protected]


SAF Board ReportWayne Bell, District 10 Board Member

It was great to see the excellent turnout for the SESAF Meeting at Auburn and thanks to Mathew Smidt, the program committee, and Sharon and Sam Dolliver for all the work to make this happen. It was a particular pleasure to see so many students from UGA, UF, AL A&M, Auburn, and ABAC getting involved. I also appreciate the participation of our CEO, Matt Menashes, considering the heroic effort to overcome the blizzard and our President, Clark Seely, who is off to a great start in his tenure.

The board is continuing to be very active on various committees and task forces. We are continuing to discuss how to address involvement of forest technicians in SAF. We have not developed a specific plan and this will

take some time as we continue to involve members from throughout the country.

The finance committee is meeting regularly to discuss how to deal with the effects the volatile stock market has had on our endowment funds the last few months. As many of you know who have 401k plans, gains were non-existent this last year. As the work of SAF depends on returns from this fund to accomplish some of the plans, adjustments must be made accordingly. We have some strong leaders watching this.

Danielle Watson and John Barnwell continue to be engaged with all of the issues on the national front with political leaders. They have been very active in keeping carbon neutrality of forest biomass in the energy bill being discussed. They have also engaged in the discussion on water quality discharge from forest roads with EPA. I encourage each member to follow these results and have input on these issues by getting the newsletter “Issues and Advocacy Now.” If you want to be put on this newsletter list please contact Danielle Watson at [email protected].

I also remind everyone to consider a nomination for the Presidential Field Forester and send me the nomination. This is designed to be an award for people practicing on-the-ground forestry. The candidate needs to be a member of SAF but not necessarily a leader in SAF. We all know some worthy candidates. Please take time to nominate someone. These should be to me by May 15.

Progress is being made on the new national website but we are not sure when it will be up. I know some of our states are waiting until this gets up to improve their sites. Stay tuned and we will let you know something as soon as possible.

Membership continues to look encouraging with it pacing well ahead of last year. Thanks to everyone that is reaching out to get someone involved. I encourage chapter chairs to please get members to contact people who do not attend and let them know you care about them. It is still a tough economic climate for many businesses but knowing what is going on around you is critical to improving your business. You can get your current roster off the national website or contact Corey Ruple at the national office.

If you have any questions, please contact me at [email protected].

SESAF 2016 Annual Meeting Highlights

Awards of Excellence Dr. Dick Brinker (center) receives the General Practice of Forestry Award of Excellence from Mathew Smidt (left) and John Holzaepfel.

Chris Erwin (right) receives the Public Education and Technology Transfer

Award of Excellence from Mathew Smidt and John Holzaepfel.


Dr. Tim Martin (center) receives the Research and Development Award of Excellence from Mathew Smidt and John Holzaepfel.

Foresters Hall of Fame Inductees Tom Norris (center) receives Georgia

Foresters Hall of Fame recognition from Mathew Smidt and Bill Miller.

Student Quiz Bowl WinnersDale Fisher (left), Jared Renshaw, Austin Morris, and David-Lee Bradford of ABAC won the Student Quiz Bowl.

Wayne Smith (center) receives Florida Foresters Hall of Fame recognition

from Mathew Smidt and Eric Jokela.

Poster Contest WinnerPratima Devkota receives the first place award for the Poster Contest from Mathew Smidt.

Chair’s AwardBill Consoletti receives the

Chair’s Award from Mathew Smidt for his dedication as SESAF Historian

and the tremendous work he devoted to publishing the book,

“How Forestry Came to the Southeast.”


Three SESAF Members receive Fellow recognition from Mathew Smidt.

Steve Chapman Eric HoyerJohn Holzepfel

Thank You 2016 SESAF Exhibitors

2016 Annual Meeting Exhibitors receive recognition.

Alabama Tree Farm/Alabama SFI Implementation CommitteeArborGen

ArborMetrics Solutions, Inc.Auburn University

B&S Air, Inc.F4 Tech

International Forest CompanyLandmark Spatial Solutions

Meeks' Farms & NurseryOutdoor Underwriters, Inc.

Plum CreekSouthern Regional Extension Forestry

UF - School of Forest Resources & ConservationUGA - Warnell School of Forestry & Natural Resources


THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS!

Diamond Sponsors

Gold Sponsors

Silver Sponsors

Bronze Sponsor


Forest Policy NewsDan Roach, Policy-Legislative Committee Chair

The Black Pinesnake Final 4(d) Rule

First, let’s talk about some background on the Black Pinesnake (BPS) and what a 4(d) rule is. The BPS is currently listed under the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA) as threatened. A “4(d) rule” refers to the section of the Endangered Species Act.The current, and final, 4(d) rule does not prohibit, but does not include as an exemption the following:

(a) “Conversion of longleaf-pine-dominated forests (>51 percent longleaf in the overstory) to other forest cover types or land uses; or(b) those activities causing significant subsurface disturbance, including, but not limited to, shearing, wind-rowing, stumping, disking (except during fire break creation or maintenance), root-raking, and bedding.”By not including these as exemptions, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) has said that “consultation is not required,” but if you are concerned that your activities may cause take, you should “contact the Service prior to conducting the activity.”The reason the 4(d) rule is important to foresters is that it can have implications for forest management. The FWS has stated in a recent presentation that “the fire regime necessary to maintain the desired groundcover and wildlife communities can only be maintained in longleaf pine forests.” Another reason the 4(d) rule is important is that it only applies to a listed species while they are listed as “threatened”; once a species is up-listed to “endangered,” 4(d) rules no longer apply. One action the FWS chose not to take was to designate critical habitat for the BPS. Originally, they had proposed 338,100 acres in Mississippi and Alabama but have decided to study that further in 2016. Foresters and wildlife managers can still influence whether or not certain lands will be included in that future footprint. Critical habitat designation could include areas occupied by the species deemed to be “essential to the conservation of the species” or that “may require special management considerations.” Critical habitat can be designated on land that is not currently occupied by the species; it can also occur on private land. Section 7(a)(2) of the ESA prohibits adverse modification or destruction of critical habitat.The final 4(d) rule was changed from its previous draft because the FWS listened to comments submitted by foresters, organizations and land managers. They listened to members of the National Alliance of Forest Owners (NAFO), Forest Landowners Association (FLA), the National Council on Air and Stream Improvement (NCASI), state forestry associations and members of the Society of American Foresters (SAF). This is just one example of how we derive benefit from our participation in these organizations. Thanks for your involvement and, if you aren’t involved in your state association or SAF, please consider getting involved. This might be a good time for it as over 400 species are being considered for listing.Here are useful links to information on the Black Pinesnake from the FWS:http://www.fws.gov/mississippiES/_pdf/BlackPineSnakeFactsFinal.pdfhttps://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2015/03/11/2015-05326/endangered-and-threatened-wildlife-and-plants-designation-of-critical-habitat-for-black-pinesnake

Black Pinesnake Courtesy: Fish and Wildlife Service



DIVISION NEWSAlabama NewsKen McNabb, Division Chair

Alabama Recognizes Award Winners

Around 40 ALSAF members gathered at a breakfast meeting on Monday, January 25, in the Auburn University Hotel and Conference Center to recognize five Alabama foresters who have significantly contributed to our profession. Three foresters were inducted into the Alabama

Foresters Hall of Fame: Jack Fillingham, David South and Larkin Wade. Each new “Hall of Famer” received a certificate, a ceremonial clock, and their name inscribed on a brass plate to be placed on the Hall of Fame display which hangs in the School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences building on the campus of Auburn University. (If you are ever on campus, you should stop by and take a look at the display, there are some pretty impressive names on it.) Also honored was Richard Ahlquist with the “Outstanding Young Forester” award, and Tom Carignan for “Meritorious Service.” It is important that we recognize service to our Society. Appropriate recognition for those who have unselfishly given their time is essential to a voluntary organization like the SAF. Their contributions are duly recognized. If you happen to meet any of these foresters, you may wish to take the time to congratulate them for their award and thank them for their service.

Alabama Foresters Hall of Fame Inductees Receive Recognition from Dr. Richard Brinker

Jack Fillingham David South Larkin Wade

Richard Ahlquist (right) receives "Outstanding Young Forester" award from Tom Gallagher.



Florida NewsBy Steve Miller, Division Chair

All four Florida Division officers, Kimberly Burch (Division Chair 2014-2015), Steve Miller (Division Chair 2016-2017), Jib Davidson (Division Chair-Elect) and Brian Condon (Secretary/Treasurer), attended the SESAF meeting held in Auburn, Alabama January 24, 25 and 26th. During that meeting Kimberly Burch passed the baton, actually it was a jump drive, to me as incoming Division Chair. Kimberly served as an excellent Chair of the Florida

Division and is stepping up to serve as Secretary of SESAF. Florida SAF representation at the SEAF meeting also included several Florida SAF members including: John Holzaepfel, SESAF Chair-Elect; Dan Roach, Policy-Legislative Committee Chair; Wayne Smith who serves on the Fellows Committee; and Charlie Houder who is the 2017 SESAF Program Chair.

During the SESAF meeting, the Florida Division Executive Committee met to discuss several issues. First, some of the local chapters are struggling to fill officer positions. The St. Johns Chapter currently has no officers. If you are interested in serving as a local chapter officer please step forward and tell either a Chapter officer or a Division Officer that you are willing to serve. It is a good opportunity to network and represent your profession.

Another important issue was this year’s spring symposium which will be held at Austin Cary Learning Center on May 18 & 19. The title is “Advances in Pine Silviculture.” The link to the program and details for the Symposium is http://www.sesaf.org/pdf/sfrc2016.pdf.

DIVISION NEWS

Florida SAF to Host GIS Mini Working GroupAnnouncement submitted by Jib Davidson

The Florida Division of the Society of American Foresters is hosting an inaugural Florida GIS mini working group for any natural resource professionals. The focus will be on integrating remote sensing, geographic information systems, and related spatial technology applications into the work product. Topics include proper computer hardware, software, and geographic data sources along with how to efficiently process and analyze information.

Our target audience is natural resource professionals. We live in an integrated environment and our work process should reflect this. Foresters, wildlife biologists, land use planners, resource personal, GIS technicians, and academia are all welcome. “I am not too concerned with what we know, I am more concerned with what we don’t know” says this year’s Florida SAF Chair-elect Jib Davidson. The intent is to start a network to share information. Davidson said that if there is enough interest, we could always change it to a SESAF GIS Working Group.

Scott Crosby is serving as the 2016 Chair of the SAF A2 working group Remote Sensing and Geospatial Applications. While in this capacity, Scott has also agreed to chair the Florida GIS working group.

The tentative format for the inaugural meeting will be a beginners’ workshop for the first hour, followed by two or three presentations and lunch. The plan is to meet two to three times a year. We would like to start a mailing list of all interested GIS users. Please send an email to [email protected] with your contact information.


Georgia News By Steve Chapman, Division Chair

The first thing that I would like to do is thank Amanda Lang for her leadership as Georgia SAF Chair for 2015. I would also like to thank Gail Westcot for her service to our Division as treasurer for the last several years.

I would like to introduce your new officers for Georgia SAF for 2016. I will be serving as your new Chair; Ryan Reddish is the Chair-Elect; Gail Westcot is the Secretary; and Dick Rightmyer is the

Treasurer. Amanda will continue her service to the Division as Past-Chair.

This year, the Georgia Division 2016 annual meeting will be held at the Lane-Nessmith Conference Center at Georgia Southern University in Statesboro, GA. The dates for the meeting are May 15-17, 2016. If you haven’t received registration information from GSU, by the time this newsletter comes out, you should be receiving it soon. Early bird registration deadline is April 20. There is a block of rooms (King - $104.00, 2 Queen Beds - $94.00) being held at the Holiday Inn Statesboro on 455 Commerce Drive in Statesboro, GA. A full, hot breakfast buffet is included in the room rate. The cut-off date for room reservations is Friday, April 15. You can call the front desk of the Holiday Inn at 912-489-4545 or go to this link (Georgia Society of American Foresters HOTEL) to make reservations online.

I would also like to remind everyone that the Georgia Division sponsors the Billy Lancaster Forestry Youth Camp each summer. The dates for the camp are July 10 – 14, 2016. There is always a need for assistance as instructors at the camp. If you are interested in assisting you can let me or Gail Westcot know. She can be reached at [email protected].

I would also like to remind everyone that an organization is only as strong as its membership. Georgia SAF has approximately 409 active members. This number is down approximately 153 members over the past two to three years. We all know someone that is a past member or a potential new member. If every active member would recruit one new or reinstated member, our Division could double our membership. I challenge everyone to look at the SAF website (safnet.org) to find out what benefits are available (consulting foresters liability and prescribed burning insurance, life insurance, disability insurance, auto insurance discounts, rental car discounts, CFE tracking along with numerous other benefits) so that you can let those prospective members know there are many benefits that come with SAF membership.

If I can be of any assistance or answer any questions about SAF, please feel free to reach out to me. I can be reached by email at [email protected].

DIVISION NEWS

run this ad only on page wth Georgia news

run this ad only on page wth Georgia news


FLORIDA CHAPTER NEWSSuwannee ChapterBy Jib Davidson, Chair

Last month, I became the Chair-Elect for the Florida Division of SESAF. This means that the Suwannee Chapter will need new officers. It is time to hear from our membership. If you would like to give back to the SAF, please send me an email. We need a Chair and a Chair-Elect.

Notwithstanding, it is time to begin a new year with some new programs. Our first priority is to support the 44th Annual Spring Symposium on May 18 and 19, “Advances in Southern Pine Silviculture.” Now that the SFRC-SAF agenda has been formalized, the Suwannee Chapter along with Plum Creek (oops, I mean Weyerhaeuser) will be hosting a soils primer in preparation for the Spring Symposium. Details will be forthcoming within a few weeks.

We had to postpone a field trip to Derby Gold in Williston, so this field trip will be rescheduled shortly. Now that we have a definite Spring Symposium date, we can schedule the soils primer, and then schedule the Derby Gold field trip.

It has been a personal goal of mine to formulate a GIS working group for the Suwannee Chapter. That focus has now changed to a Florida GIS working group. There is an announcement with more information in it elsewhere in this newsletter. I want to personally thank Scott Crosby for stepping up to the plate and chairing this group. I think there will be sufficient interest to start a great program for our GIS users.

That said, the most important task is to ask our members to step up and volunteer to chair the Suwannee Chapter. I look forward to your emails. Keep those cards and letters pouring in!

GEORGIA CHAPTER NEWS

Blackwater ChapterBy Danielle Atkins, Chair

The Blackwater Chapter (formerly Brunswick Chapter), held their first meeting of 2016 at Laura Walker State Park in Waycross on February 18. There were 18 people in attendance to hear Will Varn present a program on how the Varn Wood Products has evolved through the years to become the company it is today. The meeting dates for the 2016 year are May 11th, September 29th, and December 8th.

Blackwater Chapter members meet at Laura Walker State Park.


GEORGIA CHAPTER NEWS

Ocmulgee ChapterBy Preston Lancaster, Chair

First of all, a huge thanks goes to Frank Green for his leadership of our chapter in 2015.

The Ocmulgee Chapter held its first meeting of 2016 at the Georgia Forestry Association in Forsyth. More than 40 people attended the event which was sponsored by Forest Resource Consultants, Georgia Forestry Association and the Georgia Tree Farm Program. Robert Farris, Georgia Forestry Commission Director, presented an update on the Georgia Forestry Commission and Matt Hestad, Georgia Forestry Association Director of Communications and Public Relations, spoke about State Legislative Issues.

The next meeting will be held June 7th at the Georgia Military College pavilion in Milledgeville.

Oconee ChapterBy Dick Rightmyer, Outgoing Secretary-Treasurer

Announcing new Chapter Officers for the Oconee Chapter of the Society of American foresters for 2016 - please welcome these three talented, energetic individuals to the leadership of the Chapter. Chapter chair for 2016 will be Erika Mavity, GIS specialist with the U.S. Forest Service in Gainesville. Erika is a Warnell alumni with both BS and MS degrees in forestry. Chair-Elect is Nelson Gonzalez-Sullow, forest environmental coordinator with the U.S. Forest Service in Gainesville. Nelson is a North Carolina State alum with a BS in forestry and MS in forest soils. Secretary-Treasurer is John Colberg, county forester-arborist in Rockdale County. John retired from the State Water Quality Coordinator position with the Georgia Forestry Commission in 2015. John is an Auburn alum with a BS in forestry.

Erika, Nelson and John have already led the January meeting for the Chapter on January 21 in Gainesville and are busy working on the next meeting to be held on March 24 at Flinchum’s Phoenix jointly with the UGA Student Chapter SAF.

If chapter members have program ideas or suggestions, or have other SAF related questions, please get in touch with one of these officers. Their email addresses are: Erika Mavity: [email protected]; Nelson Gonzalez-Sullows: [email protected]; and John Colberg: [email protected].

I appreciate the active participation, involvement and support of this chapter’s members through the years that I’ve served as Secretary-Treasurer, along with several chapter members who have devoted to time to the leadership including Frank Riley, Morgan Mellette, Bob Izlar, Brooks Mendell and Pat Hopton.

15The Southeastern Forester, Winter 2016 32The Southeastern Forester, Spring 2012

829 GA Highway 57Gordon, GA 31031

Three Reasons You Cannot Miss the 2012 SAF National ConventionCountless Learning OpportunitiesThe scientific and technical program combines tangible skills with the latestscience and research. Sessions will focus on ecological resilience, the role of forestmanagement in sustaining forests, and the role of communities and collaborations in resilient forests. Tracks include:• Agroforestry • Soil & Water Resources • Wildland Fire • Geospatial Applications• Forest Health • Leadership & Communications• Urban Ecosystems • Silviculture & Forest Ecology • Forest Management & Operations • Geospatial Applications

Awesome LocationNear the magnificent forests of the Inland Empire, our host city Spokane, Washington, offers a natural backdrop for discussing issues important to the entire forestry profession. This includes the many links between the social, economic, and ecological consider-ations that contribute to resilience. One Incredible EventNowhere else can you gain so many solutions for invasive species, watershed and ecosystem management, GIS, and more. Maximize your professional investment by selecting sessions on the scientific and practical information that meet your unique interests. Attend specialized workshops and unique technical field tours to see direct application.

Registration Opens in May. For details, visit www.safconvention.org

Documents

Volume 35 Number 1 Winter 2016 - Society of American Foresters · SAF Board Report. Wayne Bell, District 10 Board Member. It was great to see the excellent turnout for the SESAF Meeting