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January, 11 2007: CFRC Weekly Summary 1/11/07

This message includes news, headlines, and information gathered during the week.

------------------------------------------------------------------------ - CONTENTS:

HEADLINES:

Guv's task force wants more timber (MN)

$4 million sought for loggers (MN)

With lasers and passion, explorers stalk extreme trees (CA)

Primeval trees tower over young upstarts (NY)

EPA rejects proposed lumber treatment

What's a pretty view worth? A tax hit (NH)

Back to the future: Substituting wood for oil with the "forest biorefinery" (Canada)

The health of the Brazilian rain forest depends on dust from one valley in Africa

OTHER HEADLINES ON http://www.forestrycenter.org/headlines.cfm * Scientists look for ways to use yellow cedars (AK) * Studies find Northeast mercury hotspots * Building a green revolution (CA) * Dell says plant a tree, help the environment * Two outdoorsmen who have made a difference (WI)

------------------------------------------------------------------------ - EVENTS:

Using Forestry Tools Workshop January 20, 2007, Gays Mills, WI

Forestry Education and Assistance Provided to Landowners January 23 - March 13, 2007, Olympia, WA

Porcupine Ecology on Snowshoes February 3, 2007, Babcock, WI

What's Bugging Your Trees? February 8, 2007, Grand Rapids, MN

Managing Forestlands Sustainably: Workshops in Ecological Forestry February 12-14, 2007, Jones Ecological Center, GA

Nuts and Bolts of Timber Sales February 13, 2007, Waseca, MN

Sustainable Timber Harvesting & Marketing February 20 - March 9, 2007, Verona, VA

For more event listings visit: http://www.forestrycenter.org/events.cfm ------------------------------------------------------------------------ - INFORMATION:

Website: Forest Pesticide Resources

Radio: Building a House from Close to Home

------------------------------------------------------------------------ - PUBLICATIONS:

Forests on the Edge: Housing Development on America's Private Forests

Greening America's Schools: Costs and Benefits

Balancing Ecology and Economics: A Start-up Guide for Forest Owner Cooperation

For more publications visit: http://www.forestrycenter.org/library.cfm

------------------------------------------------------------------------ - HEADLINES:

Guv's task force wants more timber (MN)

A governor's task force is recommending a significant increase in timber sales on public lands as part of a short-term effort to revive the state's flagging wood products industry. The recommendation was just one of several proposals issued last month by the Governor's Task Force on Timber Industry Competitiveness.

http://www.timberjay.com/current.php?article=2923 OR http://www.forestrycenter.org/headlines.cfm?refid=96951 -----------------------------

$4 million sought for loggers (MN)

Iron Range lawmakers are leading the effort to get $4 million in general fund emergency dollars for Minnesota's troubled logging industry, which one state senator said is "almost on life support."

http://www.virginiamn.com/mdn/index.php?sect_rank=1&story_id=207800 OR

http://www.forestrycenter.org/headlines.cfm?refid=96955

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With lasers and passion, explorers stalk extreme trees (CA)

Michael Taylor is a big-game hunter. But the prey he's spent more than half his life pursuing doesn't have legs or even a heartbeat. Instead, armed with a laser range finder, a head for numbers and an explorer's zeal, Taylor has made a sport of finding and sizing up the tallest species on the planet -- California's ancient coast redwoods.

http://www.freenewmexican.com/news/54742.html OR http://www.forestrycenter.org/headlines.cfm?refid=96957

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Primeval trees tower over young upstarts (NY)

Tucked away in Saratoga Spa State Park stands a patch of trees forgotten by time. The hemlocks, oaks and beeches there are old growth forest -- where the trees tower over the forest floor. Such forests make up just one-half of 1 percent of forests in the United States. About 200 acres of old growth forest exists in Albany, Saratoga and Schenectady counties and, within a short drive, are the thousands of acres in the Adirondacks.

http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=551167&category=R EGION&newsdate=1/6/2007 OR http://www.forestrycenter.org/headlines.cfm?refid=96953

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EPA rejects proposed lumber treatment

The Environmental Protection Agency on Monday rejected an industry request to use a chromate-based wood preservative for lumber in decks and playground equipment, saying it poses a risk of cancer and other health problems. The Forest Products Research Laboratory had requested that EPA approve the residential use of the preservative acid copper chromate, or ACC, on pressure-treated lumber.

http://www.enn.com/today.html?id=11991 OR http://www.forestrycenter.org/headlines.cfm?refid=96912

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What's a pretty view worth? A tax hit (NH)

To keep homeowners informed, property tax assessors in New Hampshire have begun to spell out how much a noteworthy view factors into their appraisals. The controversy taps common frustration with property taxes that shoot up unpredictably after opaque reassessments. Rather than accept their home values as mysteries akin to the pricing of gasoline or fashionable purses, New Hampshire residents pushed for more detailed explanations. What they got has triggered petitions, town hall meetings, and reform bills headed for debate in the coming weeks.

http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0105/p03s03-ussc.html OR http://www.forestrycenter.org/headlines.cfm?refid=96897

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Back to the future: Substituting wood for oil with the "forest biorefinery" (Canada)

Currently, 97 per cent of the North American transport sector runs on petroleum, with ethanol derived from corn and wheat accounting for the majority of the remaining two to three per cent. However, in the next five to 10 years, it is projected that new technologies will allow liquid biofuels -- like ethanol or butanol -- to be produced economically from biomass such as agricultural and wood residues. This could signal a seismic change for Canada's and the world's agricultural and forest industries.

http://www.publicaffairs.ubc.ca/ubcreports/2007/07jan04/feuling.html OR http://www.forestrycenter.org/headlines.cfm?refid=96963

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The health of the Brazilian rain forest depends on dust from one valley in Africa

More than half of the dust needed for fertilizing the Brazilian rainforest is supplied by a valley in northern Chad, according to an international research team headed by Dr. Ilan Koren of the Institute's Environmental Sciences and Energy Research Department.

http://80.70.129.162/site/en/weizman.asp?pi=371&doc_id=4743 OR http://www.forestrycenter.org/headlines.cfm?refid=96960

------------------------------------------------------------------------ - EVENTS

Using Forestry Tools Workshop January 20, 2007, Gays Mills, WI

The Kickapoo Woods Cooperative is sponsoring a day of demonstrations and hands-on learning with tools used in forestry management. Three stations will be set up where participants can learn about different hand tools. There will also be a demonstration of felling, bucking and skidding logs. Tools and books will be available for sale or rental.

Contact Lila Marmel at 608-624-5269 or sunmoon@mwt.net or see http://www.forestrycenter.org/events.cfm?refid=96856

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Forestry Education and Assistance Provided to Landowners January 23 - March 13, 2007, Olympia, WA

The Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and Washington State University (WSU) Forestry Extension are offering an eight-week forest stewardship course to help South Sound area forest owners protect and manage their lands. The course is designed to help landowners develop a customized multi-resource Forest Stewardship Plan for their property.

Contact Mike Nystrom at 253-350-0018 or mike.nystrom@dnr.wa.gov or see http://www.forestrycenter.org/events.cfm?refid=96910

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Porcupine Ecology on Snowshoes February 3, 2007, Babcock, WI

People can learn about the ecology of porcupines and then trek out on snowshoes to check live traps and visit porcupine winter dens during this event. Skills center biologists will discuss the results of more than 10 years of winter research on Sandhill Wildlife Area's porcupines conducted by area high school students. The Skills Center will provide snowshoes and refreshments for the clinic.

Contact Sandhill Skills Center at 715-884-6333 or see http://dnr.wi.gov/org/caer/ce/news/#art5

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What's Bugging Your Trees? February 8, 2007, Grand Rapids, MN

Learn about the latest 'hot topics' in forest health: spruce budworm, jack pine budworm, ash decline, bark beetles and problems related to the 2006 drought. Information will be also provided on exotic invasives like emerald ash borer, gypsy moth and how to keep your forest healthy.

Contact Julie Miedtke at 218-327-7486 or miedt001@umn.edu or see http://www.cfans.umn.edu/cfc/wa/ -----------------------------

Managing Forestlands Sustainably: Workshops in Ecological Forestry February 12-14, 2007, Jones Ecological Center, GA

The course designed for those working in both the public and private sector with an interest in managing southeastern fire maintained pine/grassland woodlands for multiple objectives including timber, wildlife and sustaining or restoring native diversity. Instructors include Robert Mitchell, Steve Jack, Leon Neel, and Jerry Franklin.

Contact Kevin McIntyre or Jessica McCorvey at 229-734-4706 or see http://www.osiny.org/conservationforestry/ga_workshop_07.htm

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Nuts and Bolts of Timber Sales February 13, 2007, Waseca, MN

Do you have high value timber in your woodland or river bottom? Selling timber can be profitable, but land owners need to know a few basic things about the lumber industry, consultants, contracts and loggers. During this session, you will learn about timber sales contracts, how to choose a logger, and working with a professional forester to maximize profits, protect the environment, maintain site quality, productivity, and enjoyment of your forest.

Contact Kathy Eckwright at 888-241-3214 or eckwr001@umn.edu or see http://www.forestrycenter.org/events.cfm?refID=89328&categoryID

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Sustainable Timber Harvesting & Marketing February 20 - March 9, 2007, Verona, VA

This course will prepare landowners to conduct a timber sale and step them through the process of writing a contract that will protect both their rights and the rights of the logger. The course ends with sections on taxes and estate planning. This course is a segment of the Forest Landowner Short Course Series.

Contact Matt Yancey at 540-564-3080 or yancey@vt.edu or see http://www.cnr.vt.edu/FORESTUPDATE/calendar/timber.pdf

------------------------------------------------------------------------ - INFORMATION

Website: Forest Pesticide Resources

CFRC has a new set of online tools for forest landowners and resource managers that are considering the use of pesticides in their forest management planning. The page includes: a step-by-step guide to planning for pesticide use; a flowchart for a visual decision-making process; a timeline of events and documents related to the on-going changes to FSC pesticides policy; a list of key resources; and an interactive decision guide.

Check out the site at http://www.forestrycenter.org/pesticides.cfm and let us know what you think!

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Radio: Building a House from Close to Home

A lot of people are trying to buy locally-produced food. Some look for locally-made clothing. But how about buying a house made of locally-produced timber? That's what's happening in Aitkin. It's affordable, very energy-efficient, and it's going up in an area facing a housing crunch.

Read the story or listen at http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2007/01/05/aitkinhouse/

------------------------------------------------------------------------ - PUBLICATIONS

Forests on the Edge: Housing Development on America's Private Forests

The private working land base of America's forests is being converted to developed uses, with implications for the condition and management of affected private forests and the watersheds in which they occur. The Forests on the Edge project seeks to improve understanding of the processes and thresholds associated with increases in housing density in private forests and likely effects on the contributions of those forests to timber, wildlife, and water resources.

Available at http://www.fs.fed.us/pnw/pubs/pnw_gtr636.pdf OR http://www.forestrycenter.org/library.cfm?refid=96950

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Greening America's Schools: Costs and Benefits

This report from the American Institute of Architects has found that implementing green building techniques in schools has benefits beyond the environment. Test scores and student health have also been shown to increase.

Available at http://www.cap-e.com/ewebeditpro/items/O59F9819.pdf OR

http://www.forestrycenter.org/library.cfm?refid=96964 -----------------------------

Balancing Ecology and Economics: A Start-up Guide for Forest Owner Cooperation

This is the second edition of a guide is intended to show how private landowners, working together, can improve the ecological conditions of their lands while improving their own economic well-being and that of the communities in which their forest land is located. It provides essential information on all aspects of establishing a forest owner cooperative, including: forest management, marketing, business planning, co-op governance, cooperative structures, non-timber forest products, sustainable certification, developing member education programs, and more.

The guide is available online at http://www.forestrycenter.org/library.cfm?RefID=77942 For more information about sustainable forestry cooperatives or to order a hard copy of the manual, visit http://www.forestrycenter.org

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NOTE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, any copyrighted material herein is distributed without profit or payment for non-profit research and educational purposes only. For more information, go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this newsletter for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

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