Number 263                         On the Web @ http://www.ktsaf.org                           November 2002

 FROM THE CHAIR - GARY SCHNEIDER

 KT-SAF : Have you wondered “where the summer went?” It seems like “we just had” our summer meeting in Paducah. Now it’s time to focus on our forthcoming winter meeting. The Southeast Tennessee chapter has a terrific program for the January 29-31, 2003 meeting at Fall Creek Falls State Park. The theme is Forest Regulations, and it will update us on pertinent regs that affect forest practices. Don’t miss this opportunity for professional development, and for getting together with fellow foresters!

HSD Action: The 1,400+ attending the SAF National Convention in Winston Salem, NC, this past October, considered the meeting a huge success. It was my privilege to be your representative at the House of Society Delegates sessions. Red Anderson, chair-elect, was also present, and together we shared in the two days of discussions. The recommendations that came  from this HSD meeting will be published in “The Forestry Source,” but of particular note:

·       The Leadership Academy. This program is one of the best initiatives that the SAF has been engaged in. It is, however, an expensive program to administer, and has operated in “the red” for a number of years. The proposed 2003 SAF budget does not include this program for next year. HSD’s recommendation is that outside funds be raised to cover the operational costs for the continuation of the Leadership Academy.

·       Federal employees are at present prohibited from serving, in an official capacity, as an officer or member of any board of any non-federal organization (unless specifically authorized to do so). This policy has a serious effect upon SAF membership and particularly upon SAF chapter/state’s  with a large concentration of federal employees. HSD recommends that Council take this issue under review, and decide upon appropriate action.

·       HSD recommends that SAF embark upon a back-to-basics forestry campaign. A communication plan should be developed to identify key messages, target audiences, and cost-effective tools. An aggressive plan should then be implemented to reach respective constituents and stakeholders.

·       HSD recommends that an individual who did not earn a professional degree from an SAF-accredited curriculum, or from an SAF-candidate curriculum, or who did not earn a substantially equivalent degree from a non-accredited curriculum, may qualify to take the Certified Forester examination provided that the person: (1) be an SAF professional member or qualify to be a member, (2) have 10 years of professional forestry-related experience, (3) have earned 120 hours of CFE credits within the three years immediately prior to their CF application, and (4) include a letter of recommendation from two Certified Foresters who are SAF professional members.

 

National Award: Jack Muncy, TVA forester, was recognized by SAF president Dave Smith at  Winston Salem. On center stage, Jack received our District IX’s: 2002 Presidential Field Forester of the Year Award. Congratulations, again, Jack!

Membership: Good news, bad news. SAF membership increased by 267 in October! Total national membership, however, is still below that of past years. Membership numbers the past three years: 17,100 (2000), 16,538 (2001), and 16,409 (2002). KT-SAF membership stands at 398, with a gain of six new members in October. To meet our 2002 goal, however, we need 35 more members. We can do it if each of us would contact a colleague that we know is not an SAF member.

Certified Forester: Time is running out on applying for CF status without having to take a 3-hour national exam. I urge every forester who has not yet applied to do so before December 31, 2002. All it takes is a 2-page application, your undergraduate college transcript, and a one-time application fee of $125.00. That’s it! On January 1, 2003, and thereafter, it will also require an examination. A number of us attending the Winston Salem national convention took the exam as a test trial. Believe me . . . you don’t want to take this test if you do not have to. Go on now . . . get the CF application and get it in. It will be the best decision you have made in a long time!

Chair, 2003 HSD: It was my honor to have been elected as Chair of the 2003 House of Society Delegates. As such, I will have the opportunity to sit with SAF Council throughout the coming year, and represent all of the chapter and state SAF membership. This is THE grass roots organization that provides for additional input to the Council that might otherwise not be heard in a collective voice. I look forward to this opportunity, and will do my utmost to represent you and all SAF members.

2003 KTSAF ELECTIONS

Ballots for KT-SAF Chair-elect and Secretary will be mailed by November 8. If you receive this newsletter electronically, look for the ballot in the mail soon. If you don’t have email or haven’t provided your email address to the SAF National Office, you are reading a printed copy of this newsletter which includes the ballot.

UPCOMING MEETINGS

SOUTHEAST TENNESSEE SAF CHAPTER MEETING

The SE -Tn SAF Chapter will be holding a meeting Tuesday, November 19 starting at 3 p.m. est. It will be at the Tennessee Technology Center located behind the Vocational Center on Congress Parkway in Athens, Tennessee. The topic will be professional ethics and the presenter will be John Rennie. This will have continuing education credits.

EAST TENNESSEE CHAPTER SAF AND THE UT STUDENT CHAPTER JOINT MEETING

Members and guests of these two chapters will meet for pizza etc. at Barley’s Tap Room and Pizzeria in the Old City in downtown Knoxville (formerly The Spaghetti Factory) at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, November 20. East Tn Chapter members are asked to contribute $5 each toward the cost of the pizza. Drinks are on your own. If you have questions, contact Brent Galloway at 865-494-5499 or onetonjeep@juno.com .

KTSAF WINTER MEETING

January 29-31, 2003, at Fall Creek Falls State Park, Tennessee. Theme: “Forestry Laws and Regulations.”  Hosted by the Southeast Tennessee Chapter. Program and registration material is being mailed in early November.

KT-SAF AWARDS FOR 2002 - LAST CHANCE TO NOMINATE

Now is the time to submit nominations for the 2002 KTSAF awards. These are four awards for which nominations are needed: Herman Baggenstoss Forestry Recognition Award, Outstanding Member Service Award 35 years of age and under, Outstanding Member Service Award over 35 years of age, and Outstanding Service Award to a Technician.

Details about nominating individuals for each of these awards are on the KTSAF Nomination Form. This form is available on the KTSAF website (http://www.ktsaf.org), from Pam Snyder, Chair Awards Committee, or from the newsletter editor. The deadline for nominations has been extended to November 27, 2002. Please submit all nominations to: Pam Snyder, 250 Hunter Ridge Rd., Lawrenceburg, KY 40342

CERTIFIED FORESTER® (CF) WITHOUT EXAM

The Society of American Foresters is enhancing the Certified Forester® program by instituting an examination component.  Beginning January 1, 2003, all foresters wishing to become certified under the CF program will need to pass an exam.  Thus, if you want to become a SAF Certified Forester® without taking an exam, apply now. For additional information, or to obtain a CF application, please visit the SAF website www.safnet.org/certified/cfprogram.htm or contact Pat Cillay, cillayp@safnet.org or 301-897-8720 x 122.

NEWS FROM THE UT-FWF - GEORGE HOPPER 

Twelve students from the University of Tennessee Student Chapter attended the SAF National Convention in Winston-Salem. All had an enjoyable and educational experience.

Fall enrollment in the Department of Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries is good at both the undergraduate and graduate level.

The Department is currently conducting a search for a forest biologist to fill the faculty position vacated when Dr. Ron Hay retired this past summer. Dr. David Buckley is chairing the search committee.

Dr. Scott Schlarbaum has been appointed to James R. Cox Distinguished Professor of Forest Genetics. This is a major honor for Scott and the Department.

KEEPING YOUR ADDRESSES, PHONE NUMBERS UP-TO-DATE  -   

JOHN RENNIE

Please keep your information on file with SAF up-to-date. Provide changes to: Amy Ziadi, data systems administrator, SAF National Office, 5400 Grosvenor Lane, Bethesda, MD 20814, (301) 897-8720, ext. 102, ziadia@safnet.org .

ACTION LETTER CONCERNING FOREST HEALTH INITIATIVE

The Kentucky-Tennessee SAF Communications Committee has prepared a sample action letter for your use and information.  The letter is attached below. You are encouraged to review this letter and to use it (or an edited version) in your efforts to impress upon appropriate media and legislative contacts the importance of taking action to maintain healthy forests, and reducing the occurrence of devastating wildfires.  Please see the Current Issues section of the K-T SAF Web Site (www.ktsaf.org) for additional information on this subject.  The K-T SAF News section of the web site also has weekly updates on a variety of news events which you may wish to review.

This group e-mailing effort is intended to encourage information transfer among our K-T SAF Membership.  We hope you find it useful, and we plan to periodically send future announcements on current events or requests for member action.  We will try to keep most notices short and not overflow your inbox!  However, if you do not want to be included in future mailings, please send a request to be removed from the list to J. Mark Young (jmyoung@utk.edu).

 

Sample Letter to the Editor

Imagine a force capable of releasing the energy equivalent of a Hiroshima-type atomic bomb exploding every 5 to 15 minutes.  That’s what fighting a catastrophic wildfire can be like.  So far this year wildfires have burned 6.5 million acres, taken the lives of 21 Americans, destroyed more than 2500 homes, and cost taxpayers more than $1.2 billion dollars. The costs of wildlife habitat destruction, soil erosion and the degradation of air and water quality will probably never be accounted for.

With polls showing that 83 percent of Americans are concerned about the threat of wildfire to our public lands, and many Western politicians demanding action, Congress should move swiftly on this issue.  Sadly, this is not the case, and the President’s Forest Health Initiative sits stalled in debate.