Researchers Map Where Tree Species Survive and Thrive under Climate Change

Posted on August 9, 2013 by

Kevin Potter,
NC State University

Trees have existed on Earth for nearly 400 million years, and today about 100,000 species populate the planet. Increasingly, trees are placed at risk by climate change, which spurs heat waves, droughts, fires and infestations. Plants cannot easily adapt to quickly changing conditions or migrate as habitable lands shrink owing to expansion of cities and croplands.

Projecting the future of forests requires knowing what tree species exist where, and under what environmental conditions they can survive and even thrive.

Kevin Potter, research assistant professor in NC State University’s Department of Forestry & Environmental Resources, is part of a team mapping trees in the contiguous United States. The research results will aid in management of the nation’s forest resources, particularly tree species that are rare or economically important.

Read the complete article in the ORNL Review>>

CNR helps NCSU Break Fundraising Record

Posted on August 8, 2013 by secorica

NC State University fundraising efforts hit record breaking levels for fiscal year 2012-2013 with gifts and pledges totalling $198.2 million – a 78% increase over the previous year. Cash in the door jumped 27 percent to $127.6 million. Fundraising for the endowment was off the charts, raising nearly $130 million. And the annual giving program surpassed 2011-12 by 7 percent, collecting nearly $2 million.

Donations to the College of Natural Resources grew 263% over the previous year to $9 million. The total is due in part to a soon-to-be-announced $7 million gift from a donor who isn’t even an alumnus, just a committed wildlife enthusiast who believes in the work the college is doing.

Donor support is critical as the university faces an expected 5 percent cut in state funding this year just as it begins to implement an ambitious strategic plan that calls for investments in faculty and infrastructure to improve student success, confront society’s grand challenges and drive economic development.

Learn more >>

Trust Thy Neighbor

Posted on August 8, 2013 by

During times of community change, familiar sources of information feel more trustworthy

Increases in population size may lead to a breakdown in social trust, according to Jordan Smith a professor in North Carolina State University’s Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism Management.

As local populations grow, local elected officials and national news media become less trusted, compared with friends and family, local churches and civic institutions. This ‘trust deficit’ has implications for long-term environmental and community planning.

Rojas Honored as 2013 ACS Fellow

Posted on August 8, 2013 by

Dr. Orlando J. Rojas, a professor in the Department of Forest Biomaterials and the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at North Carolina State University has been selected by the American Chemical Society as a member of the 2013 class of ACS Fellows.

ACS Fellows are nominated by their peers and selected for their outstanding achievements in and contributions to the sciences/profession and for providing excellent volunteer service to the ACS community.

Rojas, along with the other 2013 ACS Fellows, will be honored at a special ceremony during the ACS National Meeting in Indianapolis, IN on Monday, September 9, 2013 at the J.W. Marriott Indianapolis.

The list of 2013 ACS Fellows appeared in the July 29 issue of Chemical & Engineering News and can be found at http://cenm.ag/2013acsfellows. Information about the ACS Fellows Program, including lists of Fellows named in earlier years and more details about the 2013 class, is available on the ACS website at http://www.acs.org/fellows.

Dr Rojas is also a Finland Distinguished Professor at Aalto University and the past chair of the ACS Division of Cellulose & Renewable Materials. More information about Dr. Rojas and his research group can be found at http://www4.ncsu.edu/~ojrojas/index.html

Harcharik Forestry International Studies Endowment Established

Posted on August 2, 2013 by

David and Angelica Harcharik

The College of Natural Resources is honored to announce that David and Angelica Harcharik have named the NC State Natural Resources Foundation, Inc. in their estate plans. When funded, the David and Angelica Harcharik Forestry International Studies Endowment in the Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources will encourage and entice students to go beyond their national borders in pursuit of scientific knowledge and the understanding of other cultures.

Dr. David Harcharik earned a Ph.D. in forest genetics from NC State in 1984 after earning his bachelor’s degree in forest management from Iowa State University and a master’s degree in forest ecology from Duke University.” David Harcharik is a true role model for our students,” says Dr. Larry Nielsen. “His fundamental concern for narrowing the gap between rich and poor nations, and for achieving a sustainable world economy and environment, are the core values we work to instill in every student at NC State.” He was NC State’s College of Natural Resources 2002 Distinguished Alumnus.

Harcharik retired in 2007 as Deputy Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, a position he held for ten years. In this capacity, he assisted the Director-General with the overall leadership and management of this international organization dedicated to world food security and the sustainable management of natural resources. Previously he served as Assistant Director-General and Head of the FAO Forestry Department and as a Forestry Officer with FAO.

Harcharik also held a number of positions in the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, including Director of International Forestry and Associate Deputy Chief. Early in his career he was a Peace Corps Volunteer and Visiting Professor in the Department of Forest Sciences at Agrarian University in Lima, Peru. He also served our country in the US Army in Vietnam.

He and his wife, Angelica, met while studying Italian in Rome, where she was visiting from Argentina. They married in Rome and lived there for some 18 years. In Italy, Angelica developed a passion for cooking and went on to earn three degrees from professional chef schools in Rome and Paris. In addition to fine cooking with natural ingredients, especially based on Italian recipes, she enjoys travel and nature, and a keen love of animals.

This endowment will be used to support fellowships, research funding, study abroad, student recruiting and/or other related forestry international study purposes for graduate students enrolled in the Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources in the College of Natural Resources at NC State University.