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The 23rd USDA Interagency Research Forum on Invasive Species was held in Annapolis, MD, January 10-13. Visit the Forum website for more information.
The North Carolina State University (NCSU) Department of Marine, Earth, and Atmospheric Sciences (MEAS) announces the 2011-2012 seminar series.
EFETAC ecologist Steve McNulty presented "Acid Rain: The Silver Lining of Global Warming" on January 9 as part of the NCSU MEAS seminar series. View the presentation abstract or visit the NCSU MEAS seminar series webpage for more information.
The American Geophysical Union (AGU) Fall Meeting is the largest worldwide conference in the geophysical sciences, attracting nearly 20,000 Earth and space scientists, educators, students, and policy makers.
The AGU Fall Meeting was held December 5-9, 2011 in San Francisco, CA. This meeting showcased current scientific theory focused on discoveries that will benefit humanity and ensure a sustainable future for our planet. Visit the meeting website for details.
The Southern Appalachian Man and the Biosphere (SAMAB) program is a public/private partnership promoting the environmental health and stewardship of natural, economic, and cultural resources in the Southern Appalachians.
SAMAB’s 21st Annual Conference, themed "Social and Economic Uses of Southern Appalachian Forests: Today’s Trends to Meet Tomorrow’s Demands," was held in Asheville, North Carolina, November 15-17. Visit the SAMAB website for the conference agenda and registration information.
Native and non-native pathogens, insects and animals continue to negatively impact forest ecosystems and plantations worldwide. Climate change will alter host-damage agent relationships and may increase detrimental impacts from many biotic agents. Genetic resistance within tree species is a key element to maintaining forest health.
EFETAC co-sponsored the Fourth International Workshop on the Genetics of Host-Parasite Interactions in Forestry held in Eugene, OR, July 31 - August 5, 2011. The purpose of this workshop was to advance progress in genetic resistance programs by fostering collaboration between scientific and management communities from throughout the world. Visit the workshop Web site for more information.
The National Wildland Fire Management Cohesive Strategy (Cohesive Strategy) is a national, collaborative approach to addressing wildland fire across all lands and jurisdiction. Initiated in response to the 2009 Federal Land Assistance Management (FLAME) Act, the Cohesive Strategy has been developed with input from wildland fire organizations, land managers, and policy-making officials representing all levels of governmental and non-governmental organizations.
In order to identify regional goals, objectives, actions and activities, as well as enhance partnerships and collaborations between stakeholders throughout the southeast, two focus group meetings allowed regional stakeholders to provide input and contribute to the evolution and implementation of the national Cohesive Strategy. The focus group meetings were held July 12, 2011 in Columbia, South Carolina, and July 18, 2011 in Pearl, Mississippi. Click here to get the details.
In June, many of the Southeast's leaders in forestry convened for the 2011 Southern Group of State Foresters (SGSF) annual meeting, which is hosted by the Florida Division of Forestry. Representatives from Federal and State Forestry Agencies and non-profit partners attended.
The SGSF annual meeting was held in Jacksonville, FL, June 6-9, 2011. The theme of this year’s meeting was "The South's Working Forests.” Discussion included the myriad of solutions trees and forests can offer: clean, renewable wood energy sources, carbon sequestration and mitigation, clean air and abundant water, wildlife habitat, recreation and markets for thousands of forest products. Click here for more information.
The Fire in Eastern Oak Forests Conference is a major symposium focused on fire in oak forests, woodlands and savannas where noted experts in research and management gather to present state-of-the-art information, perspectives and synthesis on key issues.
The 4th Fire in Eastern Oak Forests Conference was held May 17-19 at the University Plaza Hotel in Springfield, Missouri. The theme of this conference was “Managing Oak Woodlands & Savannas in the Forest-Prairie Region." Invited presentations and additional offered posters by scientists and managers on a wide range of topics were featured. Visit the conference Web site for additional details and registration information.
Join leading scientists, foresters, and educators to learn and discuss
what needs to be done today to manage tomorrow’s forests.
The National Workshop on Climate and Forests: Planning Tools and Perspectives on Adaptation and Mitigation Options took place in Flagstaff, AZ, May 16-18. The workshop was intended:
- to extend greater understanding of the current adaptation and mitigation options (the 5-R's) for forest management;
- to make state-of-the-art climatic and ecological planning tools accessible and useful for decision makers, forest resource managers and extension educators at all levels;
- to explore how to make these options and tools better utilized by the various forest resource managers and extension educators across the country; and
- to foster understanding of where scientific research and practitioners' expectations intersect to generate the best management decisions.
EFETAC's Template for Assessing Climate Change Impacts and Management Options (TACCIMO), Comparative Risk Assessment Framework and Tools (CRAFT), and Water Supply Stress Index-Carbon and Biodiversity model were featured. Visit the workshop Web site for details.
The US Regional Association of the International
Association for Landscape Ecology (US-IALE) fosters landscape ecology in the United States, providing a link among practitioners in landscape ecology in the US and the international community, and promoting interdisciplinary
research and communication among scientists, planners, and other professionals concerned with landscape ecology.
Several EFETAC scientists and collaborators participated in a special symposium, "Climate Change--Impacts and Effects on Vegetation," on April 4 as part of the US-IALE Annual Symposium held in Portland, OR, April 3-7. The objective of the special symposium was to showcase the latest results regarding the projected effects of climatic changes on future vegetation, and the implications of those changes. Emphasis was placed on practical assessment and management. Visit the US-IALE Symposium Web site for details.
Minority Landowner Magazine celebrated its 5th anniversary with a conference in support of minority and limited resource farmers, ranchers and forest landowners.
Minority Landowner convened a farmers’ conference February 24-26, 2011 in Raleigh, North Carolina. Through a facilitative process of four concurrent breakout sessions and small group interactive discussion, farmers, ranchers and forest landowners helped design an intervention program to help save family farms. View the conference flyer for more information.
Increased temperature, sea level rise, altered precipitation patterns, and changes in air and water quality are among the emerging climate change impacts facing our nation. Taking action on climate change requires cross-media, transdisciplinary tools and an integrated systems-analysis modeling approach.
On February 1 and 2, 2011 the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Council for Regulatory Environmental Modeling held a workshop on Integrated Modeling to Characterize Climate Change Impacts and Support Decision Making in Atlanta, GA. The workshop facilitated the use of integrated modeling to inform and improve local, regional and national policy decisions relevant to climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies. EFETAC's Template for Assessing Climate Change Impacts and Management Options (TACCIMO) and Comparative Risk Assessment Framework and Tools (CRAFT) were highlighted. Visit the workshop Web site for more information.
The Program Committee is pleased to announce the 22nd annual USDA Interagency Research Forum on Invasive Species.
The USDA Interagency Research Forum on Invasive Species was held January 11-14, 2011 at the Loews Annapolis Hotel in Annapolis, MD. Visit the Forum Web site for additional information.
Above: Emerald ash borer - Photo by David Cappaert, Michigan State University, Bugwood.org
Climate change is the leviathan of a new type of conservation problem – one that transcends political and institutional boundaries, one that affects change in ways deeper than our understanding, and one that requires an unprecedented level of novel thought and coordination to address.
"Climate Change: Science to Action" was the theme of the 20th annual Southern Appalachian Man and the Biosphere (SAMAB) conference held November 16-18, 2010 in Gatlinburg, TN. The aims of this SAMAB conference were to:
• Become aware of on-the-ground actions addressing climate change in the Southern Appalachians.
• Generate and expand collaboration between NGOs, government agencies, and colleges and universities in response to climate change-induced changes.
• Look at ways to engage Southern Appalachian communities in efforts to understand and address climate change.
• Provide an update on the latest in climate change research affecting the Southern Appalachians.
Visit http://www.samab.org for more information.
Since 1900, the Society of American Foresters (SAF) has provided access to information and networking opportunities to prepare members for the challenges and the changes that face natural resource professionals.
"Forests & People: A Watershed Event" was the theme of this year's SAF 2010 National Convention in Albuquerque, New Mexico, October 27-31, 2010. The Convention examined the power of the vital water resource and its impact on forestry and people. The profession’s leaders discussed the latest in research, best practices, and policy. Visit the Convention website for details.
Changing Roles is a wildland-urban interface (WUI) professional development program that provides state and federal natural resource agencies with a set of flexible resources to conduct their own training programs, aimed toward building skills and tools to successfully tackle WUI issues.
EFETAC ecologist Steve McNulty spoke about climate change issues for the Changing Roles webinar series on October 15, 2010. The webinar session:
- provided an introduction to climate change.
- discussed interactions between climate change and other environmental stresses on US forest health including increasing climate variability, bringing more intense precipitation events, droughts, and heat waves. These changes will then affect soil erosion, sedimentation, and wildfire.
- discussed potential changes in insect and disease outbreak.
- discussed long-term climate change leading to changes in ecosystem composition, fisheries, and wildlife habitat, forest and range land productivity, and stream flow.
To learn more about this and other Changing Roles webinars, visit the InterfaceSouth website.
The International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO) Congress, held at 5-year intervals, is one of the largest global forest events attended by more than 2,000 participants. It brings together scientists and stakeholders from all parts of the world to discuss scientific and technical issues related to priority areas of forest research, policy, and management. It is interdisciplinary and integrative in scientific content.
The XXIII IUFRO World Congress was August 23-28 in Seoul, Republic of Korea. Titled "Forests for the Future: Sustaining Society and the Environment," the Congress included plenary sessions, parallel sessions, presentations, discussion, parallel events, and exhibits. Visit the Congress webpage to learn more.
The Cradle of Forestry Interpretive Association hosted the Fifth Hemlock Woolly Adelgid Symposium.
The Fifth Hemlock Woolly Adelgid Symposium was held in Asheville, NC, August 17-19, 2010. Invitees included natural resource managers, county extension, city arborists, forest health specialists, researchers, and anyone interested in impacts, management, and research activities related to this exotic hemlock pest. Please visit http://na.fs.fed.us/fhp/hwa for more information.
EFETAC scientists Ge Sun and Jennifer Moore Myers attended the Ecological Society of America's 95th annual meeting in Pittsburgh, PA, August 1-6, 2010. This year's meeting theme was global warming and included oral and poster sessions dedicated to biogeochemistry, climate change, ecosystem management, and sustainability. Sun presented a poster on the Water Supply Stress Index (WaSSI) modeling work entitled "Modeling the impacts of climate change on water yield, carbon sequestration, and biodiversity across the lower 48 states of the United States." Moore Myers presented a poster on the Template for Assessing Climate Change Impacts and Management Options (TACCIMO) project entitled "Sustainable forest ecosystems under changing climate: a template for assessing impacts and management options."
The Southern Forest Insect Work Conference (SFIWC) was organized by federal, state, university, and private sector forest entomologists working in the southern United States and has met annually since 1956.
The 53rd annual Southern Forest Insect Work Conference was held July 20-23, 2010 in Wilmington, North Carolina. The theme of the 2010 SFIWC was Invasives. The conference program allowed for broad discussion and scientific exchange of the theory and practice (monitoring, control, mitigation, restoration) of dealing with invasive insects. Visit the conference website for details.
The Urban Environmental Pollution conference is organized and sponsored by Elsevier and the journal Environmental Pollution.
Cities require and use large quantities of energy and materials, metabolizing them and generating large quantities of waste products and pollutants, resulting in unsustainable environments that adversely affect ecological integrity and diversity and human health and well-being. As many city dwellers are disconnected from the natural world, it has even been suggested that a new species “homo urbanus” is emerging.
Urban Environmental Pollution - Overcoming Obstacles to Sustainability and Quality of Life (UEP 2010) took place in Boston, MA, June 20-23. UEP 2010 provided a forum for knowledge exchange and discussion regarding the latest information about the unique nature of urban environments, assessment of urban environmental pollutants and their effects, and measures that can be taken to overcome obstacles to sustainability, ecological integrity, and life quality. Visit the conference website for more information.
In the face of increasing environmental complexities, information is critical to successfully developing and implementing national and global policy, processes, and solutions that are required for our changing world.
The Forum on Earth Observations IV: Climate, Energy, and National Security - Meeting the Environmental Information Challenge was held June 9, 2010 in Washington, DC. The Forum highlighted our nation’s need for systematic, targeted and sustained measurements as a critical component for successful management in both the public and private sector. It also highlighted the important need for improved communication and cooperation between the Federal and non-Federal sectors.
This unique, one-day conference brought together key government representatives, leading entrepreneurs and innovators to raise the visibility of the need to better adapt to climate change through sustained measurements and information; it brought together those that develop the tools to monitor the planet with those that need and use the information to manage it. View the flyer, and visit the Foum website for more information.
The Air Pollution Workshop provides an informal setting for presentations and discussions of current research topics and issues on various aspects of air pollution effects on agricultural crops, forests, and ecosystems.
The 42nd Annual Air Pollution Workshop was held in Asheville, North Carolina from April 12-14, 2010. In recent years, issues related to climate change effects have become part of the scope of the workshop. The regional effects of pollutants, especially ozone, nitrogen deposition, and particulate matter, are topics of particular interest. In addition, issues related to evaluation of risks associated with air pollution in natural systems have become part of the most recent workshop discussions. Visit the workshop website more information.
The U.S. Regional Association of the International Association for Landscape Ecology’s (US-IALE) 25th Anniversary Symposium took place April 5-9, 2010.
On April 8th, a special symposium co-organized by Bill Hargrove (EFETAC research ecologist) was part of the 2010 US-IALE Symposium held in Athens, Georgia. “Land-Surface Phenology (LSP): A View through the Lens of Vegetation,” assembled many leading experts in LSP—a rapidly developing method for revealing changes across a vegetated landscape, including new disturbances and post-disturbance recovery. This special symposium introduced, assessed, and showcased the state of the art of LSP for landscape ecologists. For more information, visit http://www.usiale.org/athens2010.
The North Carolina Interagency Leadership Team hosted a workshop on climate change adaptation in North Carolina.
The workshop, "Planning for North Carolina's Future: Ask the Climate Question," took place at the McKimmon Center at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, NC, March 2-3, 2010. Attendees included those involved in planning, policy, and decision making at a local, regional, or state level in North Carolina. More information is available on the workshop website.
The Southeast is already experiencing climate change impacts such as sea level rise and a number of states and municipalities have started planning efforts to respond to these and other potential impacts. To date, however, efforts to plan and coordinate across an entire geographic region have been limited. With climate change likely to affect multiple municipalities and states, a coordinated effort on these impacts will enhance the ability of stakeholders to successfully mitigate these problems.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Office of Water, Office of Air and Radiation, and EPA Region 4 hosted the Southeast Adaptation Planning Workshop in Atlanta, Georgia, on February 2nd and 3rd, 2010. The workshop was open to state, local, and federal governments, universities, nonprofit organizations, and businesses with a stake in long-term climate change adaptation planning and management in the Southeastern United States. The goal of the workshop was to explore how stakeholders from across the Southeast can work together to adapt to climate change now and into the future. More information is available on the EPA website.
The Southern Forest Futures Project (SFFP) is a two-year effort that will use technical forecasts and expert analysis to provide forest managers, policy makers, and science leaders with the clearest possible understanding of the potential long-term implications of changes in southern forests.
The US Forest Service, Southern Research Station and Southern Region, in partnership with the Southern Group of State Foresters, will lead the effort and seek cooperation with other government agencies and the interested public in conducting this analysis. The SFFP builds on the Southern Forest Resource Assessment, which provides a baseline of knowledge for evaluating future changes.
Public input was sought during an initial set of public meetings, and Web-based seminars were held for those who could not attend the meetings. A comment form is available on the SFFP website, as well as much more information about the Project.
