(September 30, 1999)

The meeting was called to order by Jeff Lewis, Chair.

The minutes of the spring meeting were read and accepted by the membership

Membership We received a report from the national office - in July we had 105 members. Between June and July, there was 1 new member, 1 reinstated member, 6 members purged, and 1 member transferred in. Nationwide the membership grew 246 members to a total of 16,606 members, but was down 554 from last year.

Handbooks Rick Wilcox spoke about the handbooks. This is the book that tells you all you ever wanted to know about the Kentucky-Tennessee chapter. Please pick up your book as well as a handbook for the people that aren’t here, but that you see. Please give the handbooks to the people that are not present and tell them what is going on with the KT section and the E.KY chapter. This handbook is important for people who don’t come to the meetings, so they know what we are all about.

Walk in the Forest John Perry talked about the brochure that we are in the process of producing. The brochure will identify trails that will serve as Walk in the Forest trails, and will identify the place where people can make a contract i.e. district ranger office, Robinson Forest office, state division of forestry office. This will allow the groups to connect with a forester.

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The trails identified so far are: Robinson Forest trails which include both a self guided trail and a trail that exhibits forest composition and silviculture practices; and Tigert State Forest trails with both a self guided trail and a trail that exhibits water quality, BMPs, silviculture and wildlife practices. Some other areas for consideration for trails are Berea College, Rodburn Hollow, Shallow Flats Wetlands Trail, Boat Gunnel Trail, Southeast Community College Trail, Llyod wildlife area and Lily Cornett. The brochure will contain the name of the trail, location, length, subject matter and whether it is self-guided.

If you know of another potential trail contact John Perry. Robert Volk will check on the potential of Raven’s Run and a tree farm. AJ Jolly Park, Ark Land Co. and Jenny Willey Trail were suggested as possibilities.

We want to install signs at Tigert State Forest. Jeff has contacted Tim Queary with KFIA to inquire about supporting the signage. We will want to place brochures with the Chamber of Commerces and in Rest Areas. At each trail we will develop a logo to put at the trailhead. The Division of Forestry will work as a cooperator in this with our chapter. Morehead Ranger District will provide the interpretive expertise.

Habitat for Humanity We now have contacts for HFH. The volunteer hours for this past year need to be turned in. Ron Taylor and Charlie Crail both contributed 5 hours each. Kevin and three other from the division contributed 5 hours each.

Centennial Kevin has been reading though the chapter history. A UK student has been working on writing the KT history. We need ideas for a theme for next year. Some ideas for the centennial celebration are to take an event from the pat and develop an activity to have at our spring or fall meeting. If you think of anything please get with Kevin. Suggestions made by Bruce were Mead County clearcut site, Lewis County harvest where material was chipped on site, and Morehead District - USFS clearcut. Rick Wilcox suggested that we emphasize the amount of effort that has gone into assisting private landowners. Rudean suggested we look at the Natural Bridge area now as compared to it at the turn of the century when it was clearcut (old photos).

Jeff presented John Perry with a plaque for serving as chair. Jeff talked about a book he read Ecology and Management of Central Hardwoods by Ray Hicks. He said it was a good book that pulls information together from many different sources.

KFIA Oct. 27-29 will be the National FFA Convention in Louisville; Jennifer Turner is the Chairperson. KFIA will be co-host of the National Tree Farm Convention in Louisville Nov. 4-7. There are 10,000 people expected to attend. Contact Don, John or Tim if you can help with this. KFIA is seeking volunteers for both conventions.

KFIA, UK, and KY Division of Forestry are working to put together a "Forests Forever" CD-ROM. Hopefully in the next year the CD will be available to share with school systems and civic groups. The CD will cost $10-15 each. It will cost $15,000 to produce and $20,000 to get.

The Tree Farm Convention needs silent auction items and exhibitors.

Harlan County is trying to pass a local ordinance that would place a $.15 tax on logging trucks. KFIA is working with Trus Joist to try to stop this. It looks however, like it will pass.

We need more loggers in KY to get more involved with foresters.

There will be a Loggers Council Meeting tomorrow in Morehead. The cost will be $5. The discussion will include the Conservation Act, continuing education, and new regulations. This is an effort to get loggers more organized and to try to get a discussion going.

K-T Section SAF will have an exhibit at the FFA convention fairgrounds. They need help with this - at minimum a carload of people to man the booth for a day. The exhibits run from noon to 4pm on Wednesday and all day on Thursday and Friday. This is a career day for FFA. This provides us with a dual opportunity to get students interested in managing the land and is a good way to get the word out about how to get information for managing land. Let Rick Wilcox know if you can help.

KT is trying to get the handbook out to all members. Please make contact with people living near you who are not here. We want to try to develop our membership this year. Next year we want to concentrate on celebrating the centennial.

At the National Meeting there was a discussion about two initiatives to shut down logging in Maine and Oregon. Both were defeated. Both societies became "experts in the field" to dispel falsehoods.

The next KT meeting is the last week in January at Mammoth Cave. The theme is "Going into the new millennium". Key initiatives happening nationwide will be part of the agenda.

Berea College The Division of Forestry had been working on the East Pinnacle Fire on Berea College land. John Perry has acquired two assistants - Steven Shaper and Mike Kinder. John requested a displays and silent auction items for the Tree Farm Convention

KY Woodland Owners Association Don Girton spoke on what the association is working on. KWOA is a landowner organization that is focused on landowner education. They are doing some follow up on the Forest Conservation Act, such as urging the cabinet to act to move with a BMP board. A BMP board has approved regulations and is a way for the community to have a say.

KWOA usually urges members to host and sponsor field days, however this year was an exception. This they attended a landowner workshop at Fort Mitchell, which was taught by Dr. Hill, the National Walnut Council meeting in Lexington, and will attend the National Tree Farm Convention in November in Louisville.

Don handed out KWOA’s newsletter to SAF members present.

KWOA has recently formed a landowner’s foundation that is tax deducible and qualifies for grants.

Don attended the Kentucky Conservation Committee, which is a coalition of environmental groups, which are trying to identify issues of concern to focus lobbying activities on. Kentucky Heartwood has been soliciting the Isaac Walton League to get on board to stop logging. The top issues identified for upcoming lobbying are:

*Confine animal feeding operations

*Litter control/bottle bill

*Smart growth/comprehensive planning

*Economic Development account

campaign finance reform.

KWOA is indirectly involved in the Kentucky Conservation Committee.

Kentucky Division of Forestry Most districts have had preliminary training with the Kentucky Forest Conservation Act. They are doing mock inspections and developing relationships with loggers. There are a lot of misconceptions about the act. If you own land you are not exempt from BMPs and the division won’t be enforcing OSHA regulations.

There has been a lot of turnover within the Division and there are several vacancies.

Bruce Harris said the loggers are fearful that they can’t afford to have a master logger on site all the time. They don’t feel they could afford the time to get enough people trained.

Pete Kavolic talked about Indiana where before a logger starts a timber sale, he signs up with the state and if he complies with everything he gets a $600 bonus.

Forest Service Nationwide they have released some new forest planning regulations that will be available for public comment. Basically forest plans will no longer be appealable. It is designed as a "how to write a plan" not what is in it. Plans will be in a 3-ring binder that will be easily updated.

Daniel Boone - The Forest Plan is at the same place at last time. The Draft Storm Damage EIS is on the verge of being signed. SHNS amendment is waiting for concurrence from USFWS. Eight gypsy moths were captured on the north end of the forest. Three hundred were caught within KY. Next year they will establish a grid of traps on Morehead and Stanton Districts. Morehead requested money to do TSI work similar to what Kurt Gottschalk recommended to improve vigor of trees or establish advance reproduction. This work would be non-commercial.

They are to begin work on restoring the American chestnut. They are working with cooperators and establishing a research study. The hypothesis is that it requires the same regeneration strategy as that of oak. Research plots will be established on national forest and state land. Chestnut oak will be planted in 2-age shelterwoods with 20 BA, and in areas receiving midstory treatment, which will then be cut to 20 BA. They will be planted on mesic and xeric sites. Seedlings will be bareroot and containerized.

The forest is developing an EA to prescribe burn 22,000 acres per year to restore RCW habitat.

The Ouachita NF was where we are now 14 years ago. They used compromise and are now harvesting again.

The I-66 proposal is being looked at again for other routes that were formerly eliminated.

A permit has been issued to develop a feasibility study of a lodge on Cave Run Lake. The county judges, major and other government leaders hired a consulting firm to do a feasibility study. After the feasibility study they will request a permit for planning.

Virginia Clark Boyer talked about events in Virginia. The Pittston Co. has built a chip mill that is in operation. There is an effort to pass a local ordinance to regulate logging. A radio station WMMT has held a series of forestry field days in VA. There was a "Real Forest Health" conference in Abington, which involved the Dogwood Alliance and the Coalition for Jobs in the Environment.

University of Kentucky There has been a significant increase in faculty with the addition of 5 people. There are an additional five people at Quicksand for the eastern part of the state. They have lost a forest products staff position. There are two positions open - teaching and research and extension. There will be a complete turnover in the upper management positions at the university. There will be a new dean in the department of agriculture, a new chair for the forestry department, and a new university president.

UK surveys have found an increase in the sale of non-timber products.

UK has been accredited by SAF.

Elections Ron Taylor was elected chair-elect and Laurie Smith was elected Secretary-Treasurer.

Debra Hill made a motion to adjourn. Charlie Crail seconded the motion. The meeting was unanimously adjourned.