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May, 23 2003: CFRC Weekly Summary 5/23/03

CONTENTS:

HEADLINES:

SWC - Lessons Learned In Its 5 Years

Making the Farm Woodlot Pay

Minnesota Co-op Association Praises Passage of New Cooperative Law

Minnesota farmers turning to poplar for cash crop

Crime pays for most of the nation's tree thieves

Five Steps to Sustainable Wood

------------------------- For more headlines visit: http://www.forestrycenter.org/cfrc/News/News.cfm

EVENTS:

Free Workshop in Urban Tree Maintenance May 27, 2003, Minneapolis, MN

Knowing and Monitoring Your Woods May 31, 2003, Rockton, WI

Not on My Land: Identification and Control of Invasive Woodland Plants June 7, 2003, Kellogg, MN

Northwoods Forestry Cooperative 2nd Annual Field Day June 7, 2003, Aitkin, MN

Confronting Climate Change in the Great Lakes Region June 11, 2003, St. Paul, MN

Forest Certification June 12 - 13, 2003, Wausau, WI

----------------------- For more event listings visit: http://www.forestrycenter.org/cfrc/Calendar/Cal.cfm

INFORMATION:

The Bugwood Network

ForestScience.info

EQIP and Farm and Ranch Lands Protection rules

Position Description - Senior Leader in Farm and Rural Policy Advocacy and Organizing

Job Description - Rural Action Sustainable Agriculture Program Coordinator

AFOA's News Conference

-------------------------- For more documents and information visit: http://www.forestrycenter.org/cfrc/library/listcontent.cfm

PUBLICATIONS

Capturing Carbon and Conserving Biodiversity: The Market Approach Edited by Ian R. Swingland

Balancing Ecology and Economics: A Start-up Guide for Forest Owner Cooperation, 2nd Edition

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HEADLINES

SWC - Lessons Learned In Its 5 Years

Members of the 5-year-old Sustainable Woods Cooperative - the first organization of its kind in the nation - on March 15, 2003 approved a board recommendation to liquidate the co-op's assets and close its doors. The decision - an extremely hard one for all involved - was sparked by a simple factor, one that challenges many young businesses as demand is growing: no reserves to purchase inventory and finance receivables amid limited room to borrow additional funds because of too much debt accumulated during its start-up period.

This report was gathered by Warren Gaskill, a member of the SWC board from 2000 to 2003. Edits and observations by others involved in the history of the co-op were included. This report is meant to be shared with other interested parties so many can build from what this co-op learned to help speed implementation of sustainable forestry practices among landowners.

The complete document is available on-line in Adobe format at: http://www.forestrycenter.org/cfrc/library/listcontent.cfm

---------------------------- Making the Farm Woodlot Pay

On Saturday, June 7, 2003 at 10:00 AM, the Kickapoo Woods Cooperative will sponsor a workshop on the farm of Dawn and Vince Hundt northeast of Coon Valley. The event is designed to give farmers information on how they can improve the value of the forest products on their properties. The day will include a discussion of how government programs can help finance forestry work, a free barbecue chicken dinner (call ahead to reserve yours, 608-625-2515), and a hike through the woods on the Hundt's farm with ongoing discussion of what has been done there, what could be done, and what to avoid.

More information available at: http://www.forestrycenter.org/cfrc/News/news.cfm?News_ID=292

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Minnesota Co-op Association Praises Passage of New Cooperative Law

Minnesota cooperative leaders are praising state lawmakers for approving legislation late last week aimed at helping cooperatives throughout Minnesota modernize and expand.

"This legislation will provide Minnesota cooperatives with an additional and important source of financing and this will provide a vital new tool for creating economic growth and development in rural Minnesota," said Bill Oemichen, president and CEO of the Minnesota Association of Cooperatives (MAC).

http://www.forestrycenter.org/cfrc/News/news.cfm?News_ID=291

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Minnesota farmers turning to poplar for cash crop

A towering new row crop has budded in Minnesota. It's hybrid poplar, a fast-growing tree that farmers and businesses have planted on an estimated 30,000 acres in Minnesota since 1995.

http://startribune.com/stories/535/3885912.html

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Crime pays for most of the nation's tree thieves

OLYMPIC NATIONAL FOREST, Wash. - Daniel Hughes loves stealing trees. He loves the pungent mix of blue chain saw exhaust and spicy fresh wood. He loves the loud snaps that resonate from a Western red cedar as it teeters. He loves slip-sliding on the forest floor in his spiked boots, hauling cedar to his pickup truck in the Olympic National Forest. He even loves the tension. Stealing trees is, after all, breaking the law. The only thing 38-year-old Hughes doesn't like about cutting down old growth is going to jail, which is where he is now. But that doesn't happen to tree thieves often.

http://www.duluthsuperior.com/mld/duluthtribune/5894088.htm -------------------------

Five Steps to Sustainable Wood

Although we're proud of our great forests, Americans also chew through 27 percent of the wood commercially harvested worldwide. For those consumers who'd like to reduce that share, a little time spent weighing the eco-impact of that new dining table, say, is worth its weight in . . . well, wood. To aid your purchases, try our five-point plan:

http://www.thegreenguide.com/doc.mhtml?i=96&s=wood

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EVENTS

Free Workshop in Urban Tree Maintenance May 27, 2003, Minneapolis, MN

Don Mueller of DNR Community Forestry will be on hand to demonstrate techniques, show you what you can do on your own, and help you decide when it's time to call a professional.

Contact for more information: Corrie Zoll, Program Director, GreenSpace Partners, Minneapolis, MN 55407, Telephone 612-278-7119, czoll@greeninstitute.org

----------------------------

Knowing and Monitoring Your Woods May 31, 2003, Rockton, WI

On Saturday, May 31, Kickapoo Woods Cooperative will host a workshop near Rockton in Vernon County where resource managers and lovers of the forest will use the art of keen observation to learn about ecosystems in their care. The plants and animals found in the woods provide information about the health of the forest community and give landowners guidance about how best to provide assistance for maximum health and vigor.

For more information, visit: http://www.forestrycenter.org/cfrc/News/news.cfm?News_ID=290

Contact Paul Bader to register, 608-625-2515; domehome@mwt.net.

----------------------------

Not on My Land: Identification and Control of Invasive Woodland Plants June 7, 2003, Kellogg, MN

This workshop will help forest landowners and resource managers learn to identify and control some of the most problematic plants that are invading woodlands in our area. The workshop will focus on a variety of exotics including Buckthorn, Honeysuckle, and Garlic Mustard. Participants will learn to identify species, prioritize their eradication efforts, and get hands-on experience in controlling these weeds of the woods. $5.00 fee, beverages provided. Sponsored by CFRC, HSWC, & DNR Forestry.

This event will take place rain or shine and time will be spent outdoors, so please dress accordingly and come prepared for a woods walk. For more information and directions, please contact the Community Forestry Resource Center at 612-870-3415, forestrycenter@iatp.org

http://www.forestrycenter.org/cfrc/News/news.cfm?News_ID=288

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Northwoods Forestry Cooperative 2nd Annual Field Day June 7, 2003, Aitkin, MN

Learn techniques of directional felling, hardwood lumber sawing, and forest management.

Contact: Gary Bradford, Voice: 218-927-4599, Email: nfc_coop@hotmail.com Registration Cost: $8.00 includes lunch

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Confronting Climate Change in the Great Lakes Region June 11, 2003, St. Paul, MN

Sponsor: MN Pollution Control Agency. Presentation by Lucinda Johnson (Natural Resources Research Institute in Duluth), one of the authors of the report Confronting Climate Change released in April by the Union of Concerned Scientists and the Ecological Society of America (available for free downloading at htp://www.ucsusa.org/greatlakes). Dr. Johnson will give an overview of the modeling used in the report, but will spend most of her time discussing the ecological vulnerability to climate change of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems.

Free. Those attending must e-mail Mary Jean Fenske at maryjean.fenske@pca.state.mn.us.

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Forest Certification June 12 - 13, 2003, Wausau, WI

Forest certification has become an important tool for achieving excellence in forest management along with providing commercial incentives for managers and landowners to adopt sustainable forestry practices. This two-day workshop will address the myths and realities of certification, with a particular emphasis on the Forest Stewardship Council's North Lakes Regional Standards, and present some of the nuts and bolts needed for active foresters and land managers to consider certification as a management and marketing tool.

For details and registration see http://www.thewoodlandschool.org or contact Rob Nelson at 608/355-0279.

-------------------------

INFORMATION

The Bugwood Network

The Bugwood Network has more than 11, 000 images and photographs of insect pests, invasives, weeds, IPM images, and other forestry images available online at http://www.bugwood.org. The Bugwood Network is collaboration between the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and the Warnell School of Forest Resources, with developmental and operational funding from and collaboration with the USDA Forest Service, Forest Health Protection, the National Science Foundation Center for Integrated Pest Management, and USDA-APHIS-PPQ.

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ForestScience.info

A unique information resource of forest science and wood science research for foresters, scientists, environmental consultants, policy makers and others actively involved in research or decision-making in agroforestry, forestry, wood science, and the forest and timber industries. We combine the power of web technology with the proven depth of CABI databases and information services. The heart of this forest science resource is a bibliographic database covering forestry information published from 1939 onwards.

http://www.forestscience.info/ -----------------------

EQIP and Farm and Ranch Lands Protection rules

The new EQIP and Farm and Ranch Lands Protection rules are available online at http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/farmbill/2002/products.html

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Position Description - Senior Leader in Farm and Rural Policy Advocacy and Organizing

The Center for Rural Affairs of Walthill, NE is seeking a person to devote his/her professional life to building a better future for rural America. This position offers the opportunity to work in support of our highest values - fairness, responsibility, genuine opportunity for all, stewardship of land and water and widespread ownership and control of farms and businesses - while living in a rural community.

For more information, visit: http://www.cfra.org/center/current_jobs.htm

-----------------------

Job Description - Rural Action Sustainable Agriculture Program Coordinator

Rural Action is a membership-based non-profit organization promoting social, economic, and environmental justice in Appalachian Ohio. The full-time Program Coordinator will serve as a liaison with agency partners, growers, members, and other groups and organizations involved in Sustainable Agriculture. S/he will work with a growing number of farmers, restaurants, institutions and customers interested in producing and purchasing locally-grown food.

For information regarding position contact: Barbara Willis, Human Resources Director, 740/767/4938 or barbw@ruralaction.org.

------------------------

AFOA's News Conference

MAY NEWS CONFERENCE HEADLINES: o Riley Property Tax Calculator On Line o Eco-Nomics -- new book on economics & environment o Conservation Banking o Precommercial Thinning -- good idea or bad? o Improving Understory Species Mix with Fire o Invasive Species -- Invitation for Government Intrusion o Reality Check -- Loggers & Landowners Working Together o Using a Professional Land Surveyor Open AFOA's website at: http://www.alabamaforestowners.com and click on "MAY NEWS CONFERENCE"

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PUBLICATIONS

Capturing Carbon and Conserving Biodiversity: The Market Approach Edited by Ian R. Swingland

£19.95 (full price), ONLINE DISCOUNT OF 10% £17.96, Paperback 1-85383-951-5 This book shows how market-based approaches can reduce carbon emissions, save the planet from global warming, conserve biodiversity, create sustainable livelihoods and save money.

http://www.earthscan.co.uk/asp/bookdetails.asp?key=3944

------------------------

Balancing Ecology and Economics: A Start-up Guide for Forest Owner Cooperation, 2nd Edition

To help address some of the challenges faced by private woodland owners, the University of Wisconsin Center for Cooperatives (UWCC), Cooperative Development Services (CDS) and the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy's Community Forestry Resource Center (CFRC) have published a second edition of Balancing Ecology and Economics: A Start-up Guide for Forest Owner Cooperation. The 160-page guide is intended to show how private landowners, working together, can improve the ecological conditions of their lands while at the same time improving their own economic well-being and that of the communities in which their forest land is located.

The guide draws upon the experiences of several established or forming sustainable forestry co-ops, as well as the experience of CDS, UWCC, and CFRC of IATP. Intended primarily for landowners and resource managers, the guide 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 cost of the manual is $13, plus sales tax for Minnesota residents.

For more information about Sustainable Forestry Cooperatives, or to order a copy of Balancing Ecology and Economics: A Start-Up Guide for Forest Owner Cooperation, please visit: http://www.forestrycenter.org

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