Mitchell is Kilndrying.org’s New Forum Moderator

The Wagner Meters Forest Products Division recently announced that Dr. Phil Mitchell will be joining the industry expert moderator team at Kilndrying.org’s forum.

Dr. Phil MitchellDr. Mitchell has over 30 years of industrial and academic experience in wood products and lumber industries, and brings a wealth of education and practical knowledge to the forum at Kilndrying.org. He currently works as part of the Wood Products Extension group in  North Carolina State University’s Department of Forest Biomaterials and holds a PhD in Forest Products. His recent focus has been value-added workshops that include topics such as lumber drying, lean implementation, CNC manufacturing processes and more. His background makes him uniquely suited to provide additional expertise to industry professionals at the Kilndrying.org forum.

Understanding the impact of moisture measurement and drying practices can be a highly technical challenge, and the forum at Kilndrying.org offers a unique opportunity for kiln personnel and other industry experts focused on drying wood, kiln optimization, grade recovery and other lumber drying related topics to meet and share expert insights. The site also offers a list of upcoming events and job opportunities for those in the kiln drying community. The forum moderators each add their expertise to the discussion to provide insight, technical recommendations and the latest in kiln drying practices, and Phil Mitchell will be a welcome addition to the group.

Learn more about the forum @ http://www.kilndrying.org .

NC State Golf Management Program One of Five in the Carolinas

Professional Golf Management programs prominent in the Carolinas
Excerpt from worldgolf.com   /  Robb Wade featured

PGA logoGREENSBORO, N.C. — Today, Michael Cooper, PGA, is the general manager at Harbour Pointe Golf Club in New Bern, N.C. But not too long ago he was just a young high school graduate trying to plan a career path in the golf industry. Cooper eventually entered one of America’s 20 Professional Golf Management University Programs (also known as PGM schools), which are designed to help provide entrée into the realm of real-world golf in the Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA). It is a high-motivation, high-reward, plenty-of-opportunities-for-long-term success kind of career path.

The PGM is a true educational program – one designed to prepare college students for a variety of employment opportunities in the golf industry. The program is a four-and-a-half to five-year curriculum for aspiring PGA Professionals looking to combine their golf education with their overall one.

Each year, five sanctioned universities throughout the Carolinas PGA Section – Clemson, N.C. State, Campbell, Coastal Carolina and Methodist – provide participants with the opportunity to acquire the knowledge and skills necessary for success in the golf industry through extensive classroom studies and internship experience.

North Carolina State University’s PGM program in Raleigh, N.C., is designed to teach its students how to combine the best practices for managing the business of golf with the best stewardship of natural resources.

Read the complete article>>

Hussey Win Proves Southern Timbersports Powerhouse

Josh Hussey - photo courtesy of STIHL TIMBERSPORTS

Josh Hussey – photo courtesy of STIHL TIMBERSPORTS

For the second time in two years and the third time in four years, a North Carolina State University student has taken the Southern Collegiate Championship title of the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Southern Qualifier.  Josh Hussey, a senior in Forest Management from Robbins, NC, placed first out of 14 other strong collegiate competitors, earning a $1000 scholarship for NC State, and advancing to the National Collegiate Championship at The Great Smoky Mountain Lumberjack Feud in Pigeon Forge, Tenn., June 7-9, 2013.

NC State is proving a powerhouse in timbersports. Victor Wassack (’12 Forest Management) won the Southern title in 2012, when NC State hosted the event, and winning both the Southern and National Collegiate titles in 2010 was Logan Scarborough (’10 Forest Management) who now participates in the sport as a Professional Competitor.

Read the full story of Josh’s win below, posted by STIHL TIMBERSPORTS, 3/25/2013, or visit Southern Hospitality: Moving on to the US Championships

Source:  STIHL TIMBERSPORTS

TOP SOUTHERN COLLEGIATE AND PROFESSIONAL LUMBERJACKS
ADVANCE TO THE 2013 STIHL® TIMBERSPORTS® SERIES U.S. CHAMPIONSHIPS

Josh Hussey of NC State claims Southern Collegiate Qualifier title;
Paul Cogar, Mel Lentz, Matt Slingerland and Mike Slingerland
take top honors in the Southern Pro Qualifier

AUBURN, Ala. – The STIHL® TIMBERSPORTS® Series presented by Ram Trucks launched the 2013 season with the Collegiate and Professional Southern Qualifiers hosted by Auburn University Friday, March 15. For the second consecutive year NC State took the top Collegiate Qualifier honors as Josh Hussey, an NC State senior, took first place in the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Southern Collegiate Qualifier, advancing to the Collegiate Championship at The Great Smoky Mountain Lumberjack Feud in Pigeon Forge, Tenn., June 7-9, 2013.

The top pros who placed first to fourth respectively in the Southern Professional Qualifier were Mel Lentz of Diana, W.Va., Matt Slingerland of Rockwell, NC, Paul Cogar of Diana, W.Va. and Mike Slingerland from Rockwell, NC. The fourth and final qualifying spot came down to a tie-breaking stock saw-off between Mike Slingerland and Andrew Mattison of Pigeon Forge, Tenn., where Slingerland out-sawed Mattison by mere fractions of a second to advance to the Championship. Only the top four pros advance to the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Series U.S. Championship in Pigeon Forge, Tenn.

“We couldn’t have asked for a more exciting competition to kick off the 2013 STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Series season,” said Brad Sorgen, producer of the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Series. “Auburn was a great host providing the perfect atmosphere for the Pro and Collegiate Southern Qualifier.”

NC State’s Hussey, 23 from Robbins, NC, took the top Southern Collegiate Qualifier spot out of 14 collegiate competitors after placing in the top four in every discipline. Jack Lipkin from the University of Tennessee placed second in the competition and Robey Coffey from Virginia Tech took third. In addition to advancing to the Collegiate Championship, the competitor with the most cumulative points also earned a $1,000 scholarship from STIHL for his school.

In the Professional Southern Qualifier, Mel “King of the Lumberjacks” Lentz started out strong, taking first place in the spring board and standing block chop, and stayed consistent throughout the competition, which ultimately placed him in the top spot. Second place finisher Matt Slingerland had a rough start but recovered nicely, placing in the top three in the final four disciplines. You can view a full list of results from the college and pro events on our Results Page for the Southern Qualifier.

ESPNU, Outdoor Channel and TUFF TV cameras were on site to capture the competition. These networks provide a national platform to not only highlight the competition, but also spotlight the hosting schools and their forestry programs in the Professional and Collegiate Series competition shows. The airing schedule for the Southern Qualifier collegiate and pro events on Outdoor Channel can be found here. ESPNU air dates and times for the 2013 season will be announced at a later date.

For the first time this season, fans are able to get in on the action, choosing which pro lumberjacks they think will perform the best in actual competitions, including the Southern Qualifier. Prizes include STIHL chain saws and a trip for two to the World Championship in Germany. To play the ultimate fantasy sports game and view the Southern Qualifier leaderboard, visit facebook.com/STIHLTIMBERSPORTS.

Seymour Delivers 2013 Borlaug Lecture at NC State

On April 16, 2013, Frances Seymour delivered the 2013 Norman E. Borlaug Lecture at the Hunt Library at NC State University. Frances SeymourThe lecture, cosponsored by the College of Natural Resources and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, was part of a week of festivities  celebrating Earth Day.  The following is an excerpt from an article in the student newspaper.

The Giving Trees by Liz Moomey, staff writer

FORESTS MATTER TO FOOD SECURITY, GROWING ECONOMIES AND ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY

Frances Seymour, former director of Center for International Forestry Research, spoke about the external influences on the conditions of forests and their roles in food security snd climate change at Hunt Library Auditorium Tuesday afternoon.

Forests have a significant impact on food security, although there is not a lot of talk about it, Seymour said. “The role of forests and climate regulations is even that much more important,” Seymour said. “You would think that given all of these contributions of forests to food security and to agriculture, more generally, and local landscapes, conserving forests would be an important part of food security policy, but they are not.”

Seymour said misconceptions about forests’ roles in food security often contribute to lack of policy dealing with forestry and regulating demolition of forests. “It serves the interest of some actors to have you believe that forestry protection and food security are incompatible,” Seymour said. “There are two convenient untruths. One is that you have to sacrifice forests to feed the world, and the other poor people are the main cause of deforestation.

Read the complete article in The TechnicianOnline

Learn more about the Annual Borlaug Lecture Series @ NC State University

 

NC State Leopold Wildlife Club runs scavenger hunt at Dixie Deer Classic

From News & Observer, Dixie Deer Classic set to start, Correspondent Teri Boggess —
Release date 2.27.13

If you visit a Dixie Deer Classic booth and notice teens, preteens and even younger kids displaying exceptional interest in the booth, there’s a good chance you’re seeing a hunt in progress.

Hundreds of young scavenger hunt participants will be among more than 20,000 visitors at the 33rd annual outdoors exhibition Friday through Sunday at the State Fairgrounds in Raleigh. Many of the more than 300 vendors and exhibitors will share outdoors knowledge for the scavenger hunt.

N.C. State University’s Leopold Wildlife Club runs the scavenger hunt to assist the Wake County Wildlife Club’s volunteer crew that organizes the huge show in the Jim Graham Building, Exposition Center and Dorton Arena.

“Young, knowledgeable people teaching younger people with a thirst for knowledge is a great match,” said Allen Basala, the WCWC Wildlife Conservation Through Education Committee chairman who works with the college club. “My wife and I have five grandchildren at the elementary or preschool level. The Wildlife Scavenger Hunt will be the first stop on their Dixie Deer Classic bucket list.”

Participants answer questions with information from selected booths to become eligible to win prizes including a lifetime inland fishing or hunting license. The questions this year come from Leopold vice president Michael Biggerstaff, who works with Dr. Chris Moorman and club president Charlie Sanders in the Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Biology program at N.C. State.

“I helped out last year, but I didn’t realize how much work and communication was required,” Biggerstaff said. “I have had a blast doing it, though. I have learned a lot about how to communicate with others that are interested in my field but are not all necessarily professionals.”

The scavenger hunt takes place all three days. Friday is Wildlife Youth Day, with nearly 300 youths registered for classes that meet N.C. educational standards. The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, the N.C. Wild Turkey Federation and Friends of the NRA also help plan the day’s many activities.