Registration Opens for 2013 Sustainable Forestry Teachers’ Academy

Posted on March 5, 2013 by

The Sustainable Forestry Teachers’ Academy, organized by NC State University’s Forestry & Environmental Outreach Program and NC Project Learning Tree, is currently accepting registration for two 2013 summer sessions. The Coastal Academy will be held June 17-21, 2013 in New Bern, NC. The Mountain Academy will be held June 24-28, 2013 in Asheville, NC.

The four-day residential program focuses on the social, economic, and environmental aspects of sustainable forestry in North Carolina. Teachers visit a variety of forests and mills learning about forest management and the manufacturing of various wood products such as paper, furniture, plywood, and lumber.

Teachers participate in tours and hikes in forests under an array of ownership and management plans. Excursions to museums, state forests, experimental forests, and environmental learning centers round out the experience. Participants should expect a fast-paced week,with extended moderate walking, great food, networking, and lots of fun!

Extensive materials and discussions prepare participants to transfer what they have learned back to the classroom and to their students. To date, more than 500 North Carolina teachers have participated in the Sustainable Forestry Teachers’ Academy.

Sponsors for 2013 include the NC Division of Forest Resources, the NC Forestry Association’s Forest Education and Conservation Foundation, and the NC Sustainable Forestry Initiative State Implementation Committee.

Meals and lodging are provided, however teachers selected to participate are required to submit a $100 deposit to hold their spot in the academy, which will be returned upon arrival. CEU renewal credits will be awarded.

More information and online registration : www.ncsu.edu/sfta. Registration will remain open until April 5, 2013.

Currently the Academy is only available to North Carolina teachers, however similar opportunities for teachers in other states can be found at http://www.forestinfo.org/forestry_tours/2013.

Public Furniture Project Webinar Offered

Posted on February 11, 2013 by

The Public Furniture Research Project will host a project webinar on Tuesday, February 26th, 2013 at noon Eastern time to discuss the results of this project that is directed to learning how local governments and school districts buy furniture and furnishings in an effort to support the growth of sales of wood products by these public entities.

Local governments and school districts currently are buying little locally made wood products for classrooms and government buildings. This project interviewed twenty purchasing departments in West Virginia, North and South Carolina to learn what issues are important for buyers of public furniture and how the wood products industry can better serve this important market.

More information about the webinar can be found at the project website at www.cnr.ncsu.edu/publicfurniture. Webinars are interactive discussions with a PowerPoint slide show and comments by moderators and participants. Participants can communicate via microphones and text chatting.

There is no charge to participate in the webinar. A recording of the webinar will be available on the project website after the webinar is completed.

Harry Watt of NC State University’s Wood Products Extension Program is the project leader for the USDA USFS Public Furniture Research Project.

This research project is sponsored by the Princeton Forestry Sciences Lab in Princeton, WV and the Wood Products Extension Department at North Carolina State University.

For more information contact:
Harry Watt- email: harry_watt@ncsu.edu, cell 704-880-5034.

The work upon which this project is based is funded through a grant awarded by the Princeton Forestry Sciences Lab in Princeton, West Virginia, which is part of the Northern Research Station of the USDA Forest Service.

2013 NC Arbor Day Celebration Planned

Posted on February 7, 2013 by

The public is invited to participate in North Carolina’s Arbor Day Celebration to be held at the State Farmers Market in Raleigh, March 16, 2013, 10am to 2pm. Exhibitors from a wide variety of forest-related organizations will be on site in the Farmers Building to share information and materials about how trees improve our quality of life.

In addition to exhibits, demonstrations, and hands-on activities for youth, the Triangle Chapter of the Society of American Foresters will be giving away 1000 seedlings. The North Carolina Arbor Day Photo Contest winner will be announced at 1:30pm.

Arbor Day is celebrated in state observances across the country to show just how much trees are appreciated. According to the NC Division of Forest Resources website, the NC state legislature ratified a bill in 1967 stating in part, “Whereas, it is desirable that the planting of seedlings and flowering shrubs be encouraged to promote the beautification and conservation of the vast and varied resources of North Carolina, and whereas the designation of a particular day each year as Arbor Day would encourage and draw attention to a concerted effort by North Carolinians to beautify and conserve the state’s resources by planting young trees and shrubs.”

As host to the NC Arbor Day Celebration, the NC State University Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources honors that spirit, encourages community involvement, and would like to express our thank you to all participating organizations.

North Carolina’s Arbor Day Celebration is free and open to the public.

For more information, visit go.ncsu.edu/arborday2013, or contact Renee Strnad at 919-515-5518 or renee_strnad@ncsu.edu.

Nominations Sought for Annual Borlaug Award

Posted on January 31, 2013 by

Dr. Norman E. Borlaug

Nominations are being accepted for the 2013 Norman E. Borlaug Service to Society and Environment Award. This award is open to all tenure-track faculty of N.C. State University and is presented annually at the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and College of Natural Resources “Nobel Laureate Dr. Norman E. Borlaug Distinguished Lecture on Global Service to Society and Environment.”

Faculty members from any of N.C. State’s colleges are eligible for this award, named in honor of the late Dr. Norman E. Borlaug, Nobel Laureate and father of the Green Revolution. The award recognizes exemplary service to the environment and society in academics, research or service through enhancing global practices, new technologies, impact on students or global communities. The award is intended to recognize accomplishments and to encourage future work.

The 2013 award will be presented at the Norman E. Borlaug Distinguished Lecture on Global Service to Society and Environment on April 16. Frances Seymour, director general of the Center for International Forestry Research, is this year’s guest lecturer. The event will be held at the new Hunt Library Auditorium on Centennial Campus beginning at 3 p.m.

Award nomination packets are due March 11. Please send nomination packets to: Dr. Joel Pawlak, Campus Box 8001, N.C. State University.

Nomination packets should include the following:

Nominee’s complete resume
Letter of support from department head, dean, associate or assistant dean or university officer
Statement from the nominee about the impact of his or her work and future plans
Letters of support from outside the university are encouraged, but not required. Such letters should describe the impact of the nominee’s accomplishments.

Nominations can originate from individual faculty members on their own behalf or from colleagues at any level of university administration. However, nomination packets must be submitted to the selection committee via the person writing a letter of support (see No. 2 above.)

The awardee will have a chance to briefly address the audience assembled for the Borlaug Lecture and will receive an award certificate, a $1,000 prize, a gift from the selection committee and his or her name engraved on a university plaque.

For information contact John Sabella, CALS, jasabell@ncsu.edu,919.515.2665; or Joel Pawlak, CNR, jjpawlak@ncsu.edu, 919.515.2890.

Say Hello to 2012 Rolleo!

Posted on November 2, 2012 by rwgonzal

NC State Forestry Club Members Pair up for Jack & Jill Crosscut at 2010 Rolleo

On Saturday, November 17, North Carolina State University’s Forestry Club will host the 2012 Rolleo at Schenck Memorial Forest in Raleigh, NC. The NC State Forestry Club has a long tradition of organizing this fall forestry and timbersports competition to help sharpen their skills in preparation for Southern Forestry Conclave in the spring. Having just hosted the 2012 Southern Forestry Conclave on campus in March, the NC State Forestry Club is poised to put on the best ever Rolleo this year. This will be the third year that it will be held at Schenck Memorial Forest, which has been very popular because of its close proximity to NC State’s campus, great event staging, and ample parking (sorry, no dogs are allowed at Schenck Forest).

Haywood Community College Woodsmen’s Team Prepares for Log Roll at the 2009 Rolleo

“We are excited to host Haywood Community College, Montgomery Community College, University of Tennessee, and Virginia Tech as our guests at Rolleo this year,” said Travis Howell, President of the NC State Forestry Club. “We are seeing a growing interest in joining the Forestry Club from NC State students and for competing at Rolleo from other schools,” he added.

That is largely due, no doubt, to the superb job they did hosting the 2012 Conclave and the tremendous showing that NC State students have had during the past few years in the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Collegiate Series, which is aired on TV. Victor Wassack (’12 Forest Management) won the Southern Collegiate Championship in 2012, and Logan Scarborough (’10 Forest Management) took the 2010 Southern and National Collegiate Championship titles and is now pro status.

Logan Scarborough (left) and Victor Wassack behind the scenes at the 2012 STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Southern Qualifier hosted by NC State. Victor won the collegiate competition, giving much thanks to his friend and mentor, Logan, who competed as a Pro.

“We are very proud of Victor and Logan,” said the club’s faculty advisor, Dr. Joe Roise. “NC State is the home of timbersports champions, and our current students will be an exciting group to watch over the next few years, because they are very focused and cohesive.”

Rolleo pits the competing schools’ teams against each other in a variety of events. Academic/technical events include dendrology, timber volume estimation, photogrammetry and more. Physical events include archery, axe throw, cross-cut saw, underhand chop, and many other old-fashioned lumberjack skills.

Rolleo is fun for contestants and spectators, alike. The Forestry Club invites all students, staff, faculty, alumni, friends and family to join in the fun! Academic/technical events will begin around 8:30am, followed by the physical events. There is no cost for attendance, but you can purchase a Rolleo T-Shirt onsite to help support the club. Lunch will be available for $3, and if you are staying for dinner and the awards ceremony that evening, you may purchase a catered dinner at cost (estimated at $8-$10). Please contact Travis Howell (tlhowell@ncsu.edu) if you are planning to stay for dinner so that he can notify the caterer. The club wishes to thank Signlogic of Elizabethtown for help with the t-shirts and alumnus Fred Hardin for his help in obtaining wood for the competition.

If you are an alum and wish to compete with other alumni at Rolleo, please contact Travis for more information. Whether competing or just watching, the Forestry Club hopes everyone will come out and support forestry, timbersports, and all of the contestants!

Location:

Schenck Memorial Forest Location on Google Maps
Carl Alwin Schenck Memorial Forest, Raleigh, North Carolina 27607

Media Contact: Travis Howell, NC State University Forestry Club President