Jeff Stringer, outgoing KTSAF Chair, opened the meeting held at 8:30, January 25, 2002 in Pineville, KY.  Approximately 47 people were in attendance.

 

KTSAF Input for Daniel Boone and Cherokee N.F. Forest Plans

The Policy committee would like some assistance for developing a policy letter to send to both forests regarding their plan revision process.  If you are interested in helping, a form is circulating that will allow you to join the taskforce to formulate this policy letter.  Jeff asks that you please fill in your e-mail address on this form.

 

Membership Directory

There was also a questionnaire passed out dealing with the desirability of publishing a KTSAF membership directory.  There are three options: publish a new one, use the list on the National SAF web site, or develop a list for the KTSAF web site.  Tabulation of those filing out the questionnaire indicated that the majority vote of the membership favored having a directory on the KTSAF web site.

 

Journal of Forestry

A questionnaire was passed out regarding publication of the Journal of Forestry.  The majority vote was to continue publishing the journal at its planned rate of 8 issues per year.

 

Jeff announced that there is a handout going around the room that promotes professional silviculture workshops to be held over the next couple of years.  The workshops are a joint venture between UT and UK extension.

 

Minutes

The 2001 Winter Meeting Minutes and 2001 Summer Meeting Minutes were handed out.  Kerry Schell made a motion to accept the winter minutes.  Glen Smalley seconded.  Motion carried.  Red Anderson made a motion to accept the summer minutes.  Jeff Piatt seconded.  Motion carried.

 

Budget

Red Anderson handed out the proposed 2002 Budget and 2001 Budget Report.  In the 2001 report note the differences in expected meeting receipts and actual; dues projected and dues received; and meeting expenses projected and actual meeting expenses. 

 

Kerry questioned as to where the Student Development Fund money was to be in the budget.  Jeff said the Student Development Fund did not function this year, and that we needed to look at how it is supposed to work and just do it.  This is a project to be undertaken by the incoming KTSAF officers.

 

2002 Budget is just an estimate.  Red didn’t feel constrained to present a balanced budget.  John Wood moved to accept the 2002 Budget.  Pam Snyder seconded.  The motion to accept the 2002 budget was carried.

 

Audit

Richard Evans, Jerry Crow, and Jeff Piatt conducted the audit of the treasurer and found the books in good order.

 

Current Meeting Report

v    96 people registered

v    ~ $4000 received

v    $750 raised from the silent auction

KTSAF wants to recognize the people on the program committee who put together this great meeting: Ron Taylor, Laurie Taylor Thomas, William Thomas, Doug McClaren, Pat Cleary, Grant curry, Jeff Stringer, Rick Wilcox, and Cindy Wilcox.   We also want to thank the sponsors of our breaks and social: Trus Joist and International Lumber.  The student chapters were also recognized for their participation.

 

Council Report by Tim French

v    The Centennial Campaign raised $1.5 million.  This was over the original goal of $1 million, but under the revised $2 million goal. 

v    Tim encourages us to nominate members for the Presidential Field Forester Award. 

v    The Journal of Forestry is cutting back from 12 to 8 issues.  This will give the staff more time to spend on current, more important issues.  This will save $50,000. 

v    Core Values – the council wants to engage the membership in developing these values common to all of us as professional foresters.  By defining these values, we recognize unity.  The draft values will be listed in the Forestry Source.  Please review them, discuss, edit and create new ones.  We need these core values to share with policy makers.

v    Certified Forester- There will be a study guide and practice tests available.  KTSAF past chair Dave Walters has been appointed to the CF Review Board.

 

Jeff asked for an indication of how many people use e-mail.  Only one person at the business meeting indicated that they did not.

 

Executive Committee Update

v    Policy committee – (1) The UK/Robinson Forest Mining Policy needs to be dusted off and updated.  (2)The committee will be creating a policy statement, hopefully a joint one, for the Daniel Boone and Cherokee National Forest Plan Revisions.  The committee hopes to generate a draft this summer prior to the draft of the Daniel Boon plan revision that is scheduled for release this fall.  The committee has a copy of the National SAF policy statement on harvesting on national forests that was finalized in December.  They will use this as a starting point.

v    Committee Chairs – There is a chair in place for all committees except public affairs.  Gary Schneider had received a nomination for this position and will be talking to that person.  If you have someone to nominate for this position, please see Gary.

 

Future Dates

v    The Summer Meeting will be July 24-26 near Paducah, KY.  There will be a tour of MeadWestvaco’s fiber farm and intensive alluvial cottonwood plantations.  John Wood is arranging the necessary paperwork that would permit those affected to travel out of Kentucky (and into a portion of Missouri) to do so. This may be a concern for some if there were to be an accident.  Jeff Stringer suggested outlining exactly what we would be doing at the meeting in the Meeting Announcement.

v    The Winter Meeting will be January 29-31, 2003.  SE TN will be hosting it in either Monteagle or Chattanooga.  Diane Gennett will be the program committee chair.

 

Web site demo

Mark Young did a demonstration of the KTSAF web site.  The address is www.KTSAF.org.  To access the member’s only section, the username is ktsaf and the password is pinchot.  The site contains such information as: members of the executive committee, membership handbook, news stories, involvement, upcoming meetings, links to forestry-related topics, and input needed, which contains forms.  Mark can set up a form for issues of concern to members.  This would provide a location to receive requested input.  Once the form is completed, it can be automatically routed to your e-mail address.    Doug McClaren commended Mark Young and John Rennie for what they are doing with the web site and newsletter.  Red commended Mark for keeping the web site up to date.

 

University/Agency Updates

v    University of Tennessee – Twenty-five students attended this meeting.  The USFS Forest Inventory and Analysis unit has relocated its headquarters to the UT campus effective October 1, 2001.  The Ph.D. program is now active in the Dept. of Forestry, Fisheries and Wildlife.

v    University of Kentucky- Don Graves will be stepping down as chair of the forestry department.  They are undertaking a national search for department chair, hopefully completed by the end of this calendar year.  Don will still be on faculty running a project on surface mining funded by the federal government.  Seven faculty positions are vacant.  The vacancies came at a time of position freezes.  They will only be able to fill 2 of the positions now.  The remaining positions will be filled when the chair position is filled.

v    University of the South – Two students attended this meeting.  They currently have a low enrollment of forestry students.  Ken Smith and Joseph Burckle will be presenting a paper at the National Convention.

v    Kentucky Division of Forestry – They are finishing up a couple of grant projects including a Walk through the Woods Video and a virtual reality program through KET.  Last fall was one of the worst fires seasons on record.  The division has combined the entry level and senior forester (> 2yr) basically giving the entry-level position a raise.

v    Tennessee Division of Forestry – Ken Arney retired and became the head of State and Private Forestry for the USFS, Region 8.  The division is currently without a director.

v    Daniel Boone National Forest – The forest held public forest planning meeting during October and November.  The comments from those meetings came back with the same issues as during the scoping phase.  The plan revision is supposed to be out in draft by the end of October 2002.

v    Cherokee National Forest – no report.

v    Kentucky Forest Industries Association – They don’t see any forestry legislation occurring this session.  KFIA has been supporting the Master Loggers program, which now has 400 master loggers.

v    Tennessee Forestry Association – The legislature is dealing with the budget.  The Dogwood Alliance has gotten someone to put in a bill for a Forest Practices Act.

 

2002 KTSAF Officers

Chair – Gary Schneider

Chair-elect – Red Anderson

Treasurer – Jerry Crow

Secretary – Laurie Smith

 

Please place your evaluations of the meeting on the desk outside the door.

 

Jeff Stringer turned the gavel over to Gary Schneider.

 

Rick Wilcox made a motion to adjourn the meeting.  Jeff Piatt seconded.  The meeting was adjourned.

 

/s/Laurie Smith

Secretary