During this seminar we will share the steps that were taken to develop this partnership as well as discuss some key learnings and challenges that were faced in the process. Participants will have the opportunity to provide feedback on the program, offer insight based on their experiences, as well as ask questions and get advice for developing similar programs.

Sam Cook, North Carolina State University

Zakiya Leggett, North Carolina State University

Ronald C. Smith, Tuskegee University

In this interactive and engaging session, participants will sample activities from the new Green Jobs guide, discuss how they might use it, explore ways that PLT can supplement other important work promoting green careers, and consider the feasibility of a Green Jobs initiative, like the program we are managing in Canada.

Jamie Dahl, Colorado State University

Rocco Saracina, Sustainable Forestry Initiative Inc.

Tara Topping, Project Learning Tree Canada

Concepts of sustainability in forest management have long reflected changing points of view on what should be sustained, and for whom. Now, humanity faces a climate emergency, with climate scientists calling for transformational change by 2040. Foresters need to respond and again redefine sustainability yet again.

Alec Giffen, New England Forestry Foundation

Frank Lowenstein, New England Forestry Foundation 

Bob Perschel, New England Forestry Foundation

Chris Pryor, New England Forestry Foundation

Colleen Ryan, Harvard University

Speaker: Malcom Itter, Department of Environmental Conservation, University of Massachusetts Amherst

Description: We leverage a unique eastern temperate forest dataset to advance understanding of the factors driving individual-scale variability in tree growth sensitivity to water deficit. Research outcomes are used to inform adaptive management promoting ecosystem resistance and resilience to water stress by preferentially removing low-vigor, drought-sensitive trees during selection harvests.

Speaker: Ella Gray, University of Minnesota

Description: In Minnesota, black spruce has few disturbance agents; one of the most common is eastern dwarf mistletoe, a native, obligatorily parasitic plant. Though common in the state, little is known about how dwarf mistletoe affects stand structure as infestations progress. Here, we address that knowledge gap.

Speaker: Joshua Granger, Mississippi State University

Description: Current data is compared to pre- and post- Hurricane Katrina data to access the regeneration of coastal swamp-cedar at Grand Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Mississippi. Coastal swamp-cedar is regenerating heavily on the site post-hurricane disturbance. Regeneration of the species was spatially correlated with toppled trees and wind damage.  

Speaker: Rachel Reyna, PA DCNR Bureau of Forestry, Peter Hoagland, USDA NRCS, and Abigail Jamison, PSU Center

Description: This session discusses the formation and progress of Pennsylvania’s Woodland Stewardship Innovation Team, a group tasked with structuring an enhanced, seamless partnership among the various and diverse groups providing services to enhance sustainable practices on private forestland. Come find the answer to the question: “Can’t we all just get along?"

Speaker: Stephanie Snyder, USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station

Description: We explore whether absentee family forest owners are less active land managers than resident landowners, and whether membership in a conservation organization is associated with higher levels of land management by absentee owners. We found Indiana absentee forest owners are less engaged in the management of landscape-level threats.

The USDA Forest Service Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program has been releasing forest inventory data annually from across most of the country for nearly 20 years along with reports that describe the status and trends of forests. However, customized data analyses are typically needed to provide useful information for management decisions and planning. Software is now available that can transform data into online, interactive tools that facilitate the delivery of data, mining for trends, and analyses of particular natural resource issues at varying geographic and temporal scales. Further development of these analytical applications tied to data visualization tools has increased the speed and ability to identify and monitor emerging natural resource trends. Here, we present several examples of tools that can provide land managers, policy-makers, and the public with natural resource information via a variety of digital devices in simple, dynamic, and interactive graphical user interfaces.

Speaker: John Zobel, University of Minnesota

Description: Comprehensive biometric information was developed for shortleaf pine on the Cumberland Plateau.  Newly fit height, site index, stand density index, growth, and yield models allow managers and planners to forecast stand development in conjunction with recent efforts to restore the species on the Plateau.

Speaker: Thomas Pollock, GreenBlue and Shea Wales, GreenBlue

Description: Forests in Focus is a new tool for businesses with sustainable sourcing goals to assess risk in the regions where they source wood fiber for paper and packaging. Using a landscape-level assessment, Forests in Focus provides brands, retailers, and their supply chain partners new insights into their wood fiber supply. 

Speaker: Barry Wilson, USDA Forest Service Northern Research Station

Description: This presentation will describe the motivations for, architecture of, and products from BIGMAP. The BIGMAP project is a collaboration between the USDA Forest Service and Esri to develop a cloud-based modeling and mapping environment to support the production and distribution of authoritative raster information about US forests.

Speaker: Jim Duncan, Forest Ecosystem Monitoring Cooperative

Description: Data-driven maps and dashboards developed by the Forest Ecosystem Monitoring Cooperative bring together research and monitoring data on forests from across the Northeast. We will highlight several of these tools that make it easy for researchers, planners and policy makers to intuitively access information, and how these tools are constructed.

Speaker: Christopher Oswalt, USDA Forest Service

Description: We will explore science delivery techniques, examples of dynamic web-based storytelling applications, and open-data repositories designed to meet users’ evolving needs.

Speaker: Randall Morin, USDA Forest Service

Description: Here we use national forest inventory data from the US Forest Service Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program to develop online, interactive tools that allows users to customize the results based on their needs. The presentation will include training on how the tools can be shared and customized by the user.

Speaker: Bishwa Acharya, Earth Mapping International Inc.

Description: This paper envisions optimal Open Green Spaces (OGS) for Africa utilizing modern technologies such as geodesy, remote sensing, and comprehensive geospatial information system database. The OGS will minimize the emission of greenhouse gases and desertification, support volunteerism, increase agriculture productions, and balance the harmonious relationships between nature, humans, and biota.

Speaker: Alba Rocio Gutierrez Garzon, Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources. University of Georgia.

Description: Having the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Standard as the benchmark scheme for the comparison, we found that many requirements were lacking or minimally taken into account in the other programs (e.g., monitoring and assessment requirement). Indigenous people's rights are not considered as a specific requirement in European national standards compared.

Speaker: Sheila Ward, International Society of Tropical Foresters

Description: Tropical forest tree inventories and plot projects have generated much data that is in danger of being lost. Such data can improve understanding of how tropical forests change through time. We are reaching out to locate data at risk. We aim for curation and availability of these sources for research.

Speaker: Alyssa Soucy, University of Maine

Description: In this study we compared and contrasted perceptions of climate change adaptation among forest land managers and small woodlot owners in Maine, U.S. using survey data in order to determine appropriate communication strategies to increase climate change adaptation implementation.

Speaker: Catrin Edgeley, Northern Arizona University

Description: Public experiences with wildfire often influence support for future forest management practices. We share findings from a mixed-mode survey, semi-structured interviews, and public meeting observation to understand Flagstaff residents’ experiences with the Museum Fire and subsequent flood risk. We conclude with lessons learned for managers working at the wildland-urban interface.

Speaker: Katherine McGrath Novack, Colorado State University

Description: This study analyzes strategies, challenges, benefits, and perceptions associated with a prescribed fire outreach program on the Colorado Front Range, where partners are working to improve stakeholder involvement and education about forest restoration. We then investigate how an escaped prescribed fire in the study area impacted perceptions of prescribed fire.

Speaker: David Schnake, NCDA&CS Research Stations

Description: Underplanting containerized seedlings beneath 15 - 45 ft2 /ac of residual overstory hardwood basal area was a suitable method of reestablishing shortleaf pine on a drier, hardwood-dominated upland site in the Piedmont where the historic shortleaf pine component had been lost. However, even minimal overstory retention reduced seedling height growth within five years. 

Speaker: Erin Oliverio, City of Charlotte and Amanda Byrum, Catawba Lands Conservancy

Description: The City of Charlotte's Tree Canopy Preservation Program takes an innovative approach to preservation by protecting trees through a voluntary land acquisition and conservation easement program with a local land trust. The presentation is designed to help municipalities interested in developing additional strategies in canopy preservation and partnership options.

Speaker: Robert Alec Giffen, New England Forestry Foundation

Description: This presentation will outline new Exemplary Forestry standards designed to meet the challenges of the 21st century by enhancing the role of forests in climate mitigation, improving wildlife habitat, and growing more and better-quality wood. We also introduce a new investment vehicle to finance the implementation of this approach to forest management.

Speaker: Christina Staudhammer, University of Alabama - Dept. Biol. Sciences

Description: Urban FIA data from three cities in Texas was used to examine hypotheses about homogenization as a function of development. History of development was a strong driver of species composition and forest structure across location, with diversity metrics related to urban surface covers.

Speaker: Sarah Anderson, American Forests

Description: American Forests’ Tree Equity: Career Pathways Initiative supports the recruitment and retention of under-resourced populations into community forestry, helping to diversify the field and extend the benefits of well-managed forests to all. Join this session to learn about U.S. Department of Labor-aligned programs like pre-apprenticeships can address your workforce needs.

This seminar will focus on understanding what is happening with up-and-coming generations of employees. We will talk about what employers can do to better retain new employees. We will also discuss strategies to better prepare for what are likely to be long-term higher rates of turnover.

Wilhelmina Bratton, USDA Forest Service

Stephanie Chizmar, North Carolina State University

Simbrey Majors, Southern University and A&M College

Rachel Reyna, PA DCNR Bureau of Forestry

Jason Swartz, PA DCNR Bureau of Forestry

Beattra Wilson, USDA Forest Service

Southern New England’s iconic oak-dominated forests face a suite of challenges including gypsy moth, climate change impacts, herbivory, inconsistent markets, and differing landowner motivations. This session will explore how a partnership of scientists, managers, and outreach professionals is working to increase resiliency in these forests.

Amanda Mahaffey, Forest Stewards Guild

Christopher Riely, Sweet Birch Consulting

Leonora Pepper, Forest Stewards Guild

Jeffrey Ward, Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station

Andrea Urbano, Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station

This workshop will introduce participants to six of the primary ethical approaches that we employ every day when faced with weighted situations.  Following a discussion about each approach, its central ideas and an overview of how the method works, we will put these techniques to use.

Marianne Patinelli-Dubay, State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry

This session will report on a series of surveys of regional SAF units probing views of members and nonmembers on ethical issues they encounter in practice, followed by a series of brief presentations offering successful examples of curriculum innovations, training modules, or training materials readily introduced into a range of post-secondary or continuing education courses.  Time will be available for discussion of these examples, and for discussion of current ethical issues suggested by attendees.

Adam Daigneault, University of Maine

Paul Doruska, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point

Patricia A. Layton, Clemson University

Clint Patterson, Berea College

Shari Rodriguez, Clemson University

Speaker: Emma Sass, Family Forest Research Center

Description: We provide a typology of forest landowners based on ownership objectives and land characteristics. The analysis uses data from the most recent National Woodland Owner Survey (NWOS) and latent class analysis to quantify group and fit for each landowner.

Speaker: Brett Butler, USDA Forest Service

Description: Results from the 2006, 2013, and, the newly released, 2018 iterations of the USDA Forest Service’s National Woodland Owner Survey (NWOS) will be presented to show trends in family forest ownership attributes including size of forest holdings, ownership objectives, management practices, and demographics.

Speaker: Jesse Caputo, Family Forest Research Center

Description: We calculated life expectancy and survivorship among family forest landowners in the United States, based on demographic data collected through the National Woodland Owner Survey. The current cohort of landowners has a mean life expectancy of >21 years, with a mean probability of surviving the next 5 years of 89%.

Speaker: Seth Bigelow, The Jones Center at Ichauway

Description: Open-canopied longleaf pine woodland may be managed under uneven age management, but at typical densities there may be little growth release after treatment.

Speaker: David Clabo, University of Georgia

Description: Limited long term (10+ years) performance information is available for longleaf pine growing on old-field sites following various herbaceous weed control herbicide treatments and timings. This presentation will compare eleven year longleaf pine survival and growth results from three sites treated with four herbicide treatments and two application timings. 

Speaker: Brian Roy Lockhart

Description: A model is presented that identifies non-oak species to plant in mixtures with bottomland red oaks.  These trainer trees should improve development of high quality oak boles through interspecific competition and larger oak crowns following stratification above trainer species.

Speaker: Rudo Violet Denga, Copperbelt University

Description: We investigated the socio-economic drivers and impacts of riverbank cultivation on the upper Kafue River Basin, Zambia, in order to understand the spatiotemporal landscape changes overtime and examine the drivers of riverbank cultivation from 1980 - 2019.

Speaker: Mindy Crandall, Oregon State University

Description: Supporting Women in Forestry Today (SWIFT) was formed at the University of Maine in 2016. Case study results indicate that SWIFT has been effective at improving participants’ experience in forestry. We conclude with lessons learned and suggestions for others considering similar efforts to better retain women in forestry.

Speaker: Jacek Siry, University of Georgia

Description: Challenges and opportunities arising from National Needs Fellowship programs are discussed and successful strategies in recruitment, training, and placement of underrepresented minorities in forestry are identified.

Speaker: Erica Krause, Michigan Technological University

Description: Being LGBT+ working in the natural resource profession can pose challenges. As the LGBT+ community grows, and the push for diversity and inclusion increases, the profession will need creative policies, training protocols, and resources. This presentation discusses both challenges and solutions for LGBT individuals and their allies in the field.

Speaker: Casey Lambert, The University of Alabama

Description: This research aims to identify drivers of severe windstorm damage to trees while specifically addressing uncertainty associated with working in urban and suburban systems.  Our multi-model approach acknowledges the spatial heterogeneity that exists among urban systems and identifies structural factors within these systems that lead to different damage drivers.

Speaker: Frank Mastrobuono, PlanIT Geo

Description: The Northeastern United States is experiencing unprecedented high tree mortality rates, and managers are under many forms of real-world constraints. To inform new best practices, PlanIT Geo conducted a case study to document creative approaches managers in the midwest employed to mitigate risk under similar restrictions.

Speaker: Kaitlyn Pike, DePaul University / City of Highland Park, IL

Description: A long-term evaluation of a strict tree preservation ordinance was conducted to study the ability of the ordinance to preserve trees during complete demolition and redevelopment of residential properties in Highland Park, Illinois. Collaborative research such as this may aid municipalities in understanding the efficacy of existing urban forestry programs.