Allegheny SAF

Serving Forests and Foresters of PA WV NJ MD DE

The Allegheny SAF has a membership of 1,100 professional foresters in the five states of Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. 

Since 1900, the Society of American Foresters has provided access to information and networking opportunities to prepare members for the challenges and the changes that face natural resource professionals.

Northern Hardwood Chapter SAF Winter Meeting 2017

 

The Northern Hardwood Chapter of SAF will host a chapter meeting at 5:30 PM on January 26, 2017 at the PA Lumber Museum (5660 US-6, Galeton, PA 16922).  Mike Messina and Eric Zenner from Penn State’s Department of Ecosystem Science and Management will be our guests for the evening. We will gather at 5:30 for a social hour, with dinner to be served at 6:30.  Following dinner, our guests will speak on silvicultural opportunities in northcentral PA (especially in the wake of Emerald Ash Borer).  The meeting will wrap up at 8:30.  Application for one CFE credit is in the works and should be available.

Dinner choices include lasagna and chicken cordon bleu.  Cost of the meal will be $15.  Payment can be made at the meeting or sent to: David Andrus, 59 Clearview Drive, Coudersport, PA 16915.  Reservations, by mail or email, are due January 20, 2017.  If responding by email you can just send a response to dandrus@generationsforestry.com with your dinner choice.  No form is required.

You are encouraged to show up early to see the museum visitor center that opened in May of 2015.  It really is a wonderful display of Pennsylvania forest history.  They have agreed to waive the use fee for the facility because SAF fits into their mission statement. They have also agreed to waive the entrance fee ($8) for anyone showing up early but will accept any donation you care to make to the museum.

Download: Meeting Notice & Registration (doc) | (pdf)  

NJ College Students Study Controlled Burns on College Campus

The New Jersey Forest Fire Service conducted a controlled burn on the Galloway Campus as part of the university's forest management plan. Stockton environmental studies students were on hand to analyze how a controlled burn affects the forest including its impact on healthy trees and on the southern pine beetle.

“Controlled burns also help to protect the forest...And the campus from wildfires. The administration of the college understands how important it is to protect the facility, this is a forest with a college not a college with a forest, so it is important that folks understand that these lands require maintenance, management, [and] stewardship,”
— Bob Williams, CF/NJ SAF

Students also studied the fire itself by using a portable weather station for monitoring and recording factors like air temperature, wind speed, and relative humidity. They also buried temperature sensors in order to record flame heat and speed.

Get the full story here.

Maryland/Delaware Division Seeking Award Nominations

The Executive Board for the MD DE Division of SAF is currently reaching out to our membership to ask for nominations for any of the three annual SAF Awards (see below 1-3) due by December 5th, 2016.  Click here to view these three award options, download forms and see the list of past award winners.

AWARDS

(1) Robert W. Bauer Outstanding Service to Forestry - The purpose of this award is to give official recognition to professional achievements in forestry, and to recognize superior service to the Society of American Foresters.

(2) Forester of the Year - The purpose of this award is to give official recognition to current professional achievements in forestry, to recognize a specific accomplishment or achievement in forestry during the previous year and to demonstrate to the public that the profession is a vital and active part of the total conservation effort.

(3) Student Leadership Award - The purpose of this award is to recognize a forestry student who exemplifies the leadership capabilities desired in future forestry professionals. 

In addition, a 4th award nomination,  not due until May 15th, 2017, is also being solicited for the "PRESIDENTIAL FIELD FORESTER" That award requires submission of the required materials to the Allegheny Board of Directors representative by May 15,  and as seen on the Awards webpage.  Learn more about the Eligibility Criteria, Career Narrative and Timeline for Selection on the Awards webpage or Contact: Kelsey Delaney at (866) 897-8720 ext.202.

CONTACT

Please contact Teri Batchelor at 410-819 4121 or email teri.batchelor@maryland.gov by October 15 with any suggestions for these awards and we will work together to make it happen by the submission deadlines; December 5, 2016 and May 15, 2017.

Plateau Chapter Summer Meeting - 2016

 

The Society of American Foresters — Plateau Chapter will hold a summer meeting on Wednesday, August 24, 2016 in Pittsfield, PA. The Chapter will meet at 12:30pm at the USFS Forestry Sciences Lab, National Forge Road, Irvine, PA for an afternoon field tour. 

Reservations are due by Wednesday, August 17, 2016  
Please make reservations by mail, phone, fax, or email to:
Mike McEntire, PO Box 1474, Smethport, PA 16749        
Phone: (814) 887‐5239 Fax: (814) 887‐5239 Email: mmcentire@forestinvest.com

Download registration here

Planning and Managing Green Infrastructure

Community Forestry Short Course
Planning and Managing Green Infrastructure

March 29, 30, and 31, 2016
9:00 AM - 4:45 PM
Penn State University & Web-based Internet Training
 
Planning and managing the green infrastructure of street trees, parks, and open spaces will help any municipality safely take advantage of the many benefits these assets provide. With proper planning and management, these assets appreciate and pay us back with time. This Community Forestry Short Course is designed to help municipal shade tree commissions/committees, and staff, including managers, arborists, and foresters; community tree advocates; and volunteers gain knowledge and skills in the effective management of public trees in Pennsylvania.
 
Participants will have the opportunity to attend live sessions in State College, or via the internet, or watch recorded lectures on their own. Attend all 3 days of training or just one or two days.   A certificate will be awarded to people that participate in the sessions live or via the internet.  Seating is limited to 25 attendees for the live lectures at Penn State University
**  Continuing Education Units (CEUs) will be offered for ISA Certified Arborists, Pennsylvania Certified Horticulturalists, and Landscape Architecture.
 
Click here for more information | agenda | register
Contact: Vincent Cotrone  (email) or call (888) 825-1701

Allegheny Next Meetings

Below is a schedule of the next Allegheny SAF Chapter meetings. As usual, this can be subject to change.

Upcoming meeting schedule:

  • Summer 2016: New Jersey Division (September 14-16, 2016, Mount Laurel, NJ)
  • Winter 2017: Valley Forge Chapter (February 15-17, 2017, Wyomissing, PA)
  • Summer 2017: Plateau Chapter
  • Winter 2018: Keystone Chapter

 

2016 Allegheny Winter Meeting Presentations

As they become available, the presentations from the 2016 Allegheny SAF winter meeting —  Urban and Traditional Forestry: At the Crossroads — will be made available for downloading here.


Building Community Resilience Through Forestry - Phillip Rodbell, NA Regional Coordinator, USDA Forest Service Urban and Community Forestry

Landscape Scale Forest Management - Eric Sprague, Chesapeake Forests Program Director, Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay

Northern Long‐eared Bat Policy Update - Danielle Watson, Assistant Director, Govt. Affairs and External Relations, Society of American Foresters

Intergenerational Land Transfer - Craig Highfield, Forests for the Bay Program Manager, Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay

Forest Health Issues in the Mid‐Atlantic States - Rick Turcotte, Forest Health Group Leader, USDA Forest Service, State and Private Forestry

National Firewood Workshop

The National Firewood Workshop will be held April 21, 2016 at the Western Maryland Research and Education Center in Keedysville, MD (near Hagerstown) from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The workshop is a one-day educational and networking event to provide the firewood processing industry the latest knowledge on processing, kiln drying and marketing of firewood. The intent is to help firewood producers, firewood buyers, firewood equipment makers, foresters and arborists, landowners, loggers, extension agents, and woodstove manufacturers, make money in the firewood business. The program is sponsored by the Wood Education and Resource Center, University of Maryland Extension, Sawmill & Woodlot Management magazine, and North Carolina State University.

 The program will include outdoor demonstration of firewood processing equipment as well as classroom discussions by leading firewood industry professionals. The range of classroom topics will include: selling and marketing; finding buyers; purchasing requirements by wholesale brokers and chain store buyers; managing a firewood processing business; sourcing affordable logs; equipment for sawing and splitting; heating options for kilns; firewood quarantines; dry kiln equipment and methods; and firewood associations.

Find program information and registration here (with a credit card).

 A brochure, agenda, and directions to the facility is available. Mail-in registrations can be completed using the registration form on the program brochure here. The registration fee is $30 before April 11, 2016 and $40 afterwards. The registration deadline is April 17, 2016. Continuing education credits have been applied for by the Society of American Foresters, MD Master Logger, and Mid-Atlantic International Society of Arboriculture. 

For information about registration, please contact:  Pam Thomas, University of Maryland Extension.(pthomas@umd.edu301-432-2767 x315.

Penn's Woods: The Science Behind Pennsylvania’s Wildlife Habitat

A joint meeting of the Pennsylvania Wildlife Society and the Society of American Foresters will be held April 15-16, 2016, at Ramada Inn, 1450 S. Atherton, State College, PA. The conference theme is Penn's Woods: The Science Behind Pennsylvania’s Wildlife Habitat.

For more info, contact Virginia Tilden, PA TWS Treasurer or PA The Wildlife Society

Download: Call for Papers

Download: Conference-At-A-Glance |  Registration Form 

Online Registration: click here

2016 Allegheny SAF Winter Meeting

 

The date has been set for the 2016 Allegheny SAF winter meeting for Wed, Feb 17, 2016 9:00am  through Fri, Feb 19, 2016 4:00pm.

The theme for the winter meeting is Urban and Traditional Forestry: At the Crossroads. The location will be the Radisson Hotel North Baltimore, at 2004 Greenspring Dr, Lutherville-Timonium MD 21093 (map). Stop back for updates.

IMPORTANT: Due to vehicle limitations, the tour of the Port of Baltimore is limited to the first 40 registrants. Please complete the Port Tour Form if you register for the this tour.

Download: Agenda & Registration | Meeting Info | Port Tour Form

Register online: click here