Inside
I enjoyed reading your article, "Centennial Forests," in the April Missouri Forestry Newsletter. As an editor I guess you have to put up with a lot of commenting, which I'm about to do. I would like to add the full names of the SAF charter members listed as Allen and Hall. They are E. T. Allen and William L. Hall. Mr. Hall was a good personal friend and an outstanding professional.
I can't find much information on Edward Tyson Allen. He was born in 1875 and I have no information on his education. He held some very responsible jobs in the early Pinchot Forest Service. At one time he was in charge of all national forests in Wyoming, Montana and Utah. But like many of the early group, he left the Forest Service. (Was Pinchot a difficult man to work for?) Allen then became forester (or other title) for the Western Forestry and Conservation Association in Portland, Oregon. Allen wrote probably the first comprehensive text on western forestry: "Practical Forestry in the Pacific Northwest: protecting existing forests, and growing new ones from the standpoint of the public and that of the lumberman, with an outline of technical methods." It was issued by WF&CA in 1911.
William L. Hall was part of Gifford Pinchot's organization almost from the very beginning. One of his accomplishments near Missouri was to select from the public domain in Arkansas, the areas that President Teddy Roosevelt designated as the Ozark and the Ouachita National Forests. This must have been about 1908. From 1919 to his death in the 1970s (?) Hall made his living as a high-level consultant and from his own forest land.
Billy, as he was known in the early days, helped start the Ozark Section, SAF in the 1920s, the "parent organization" of our MO SAF. In his later years he lived in Hot Springs, Arkansas and managed his forest property south of Malvern. My impression was that a large part of his income came from timber sales, guided by a simple, conservative, practical management plan.
For a number of years he hosted a stop on the MU School of Forestry Management-Utilization Field Trip. Students found him to be a fascinating and modest "grandpa" type, and he was good at showing the real-life application of textbook stuff. He always insisted on taking the entire class to lunch at a cafe in Malvern. He was one our early greats.
As long as I'm unloading on history I might as well give you a big load. I spent two evenings in Gifford Pinchot's home on Massachusetts Avenue in Washington, D.C. During World War II, I was an engineering officer in the Navy's Bureau of Ships. Occasionally I would visit old friends in the Forest Service headquarters in the South Agriculture Building -- just to talk forestry and to get away from ship stuff.
Pinchot still continued to hold an annual meeting of the Washington SAF chapter in his home, and I was invited. After the program, baked apples with cream and ginger bread were served, a tradition from the old SAF days. His library, where we met, must have been 40 by 80 feet in size, lined from floor to ceiling with books, and many oriental rugs and easy chairs.
One evening the program was Pinchot reading the draft of a chapter of
his autobiography. It was re-living forestry history! Mr. Pinchot was
an imposing character -- lean, tall, distinguished looking with that
handle-bar mustache (and wealthy). Pinchot talked to me both evenings
that I attended. He asked all sorts of questions about the Navy and
seemed genuinely interested in my background and duties.
Notes From the Chair
Bob Cunningham
As 1999 comes to a close, I want to reflect on the accomplishments of our state society. At the beginning of the year, I presented three goals: 1) Improve the profession's credibility and recognition with the general public, 2) Get our membership involved with SAF, and 3) Lay the groundwork for SAF's Centennial Celebration in 2000. Did we measure up? Consider this:
How did we improve our credibility and recognition? Early in the year, our Policy and Legislation Committee, chaired by Tom Draper, put together what many consider to be an exceptional position statement on chip mills. John Dwyer formally presented it at the Governor's Chip Mill Advisory Committee meeting in Jefferson City. The same position statement received praise from other state society leaders and council members at the House of Society Delegates meeting in Portland, Oregon. It has the potential to serve as a model for other societies facing similar issues.
Our Communications Committee, chaired by Jennifer Battson, designed and produced a new Missouri SAF display. If you have not had a chance to see it, let me assure you that it is excellent.
Already it has been used at numerous meetings and events, and remains in high demand.
Missouri SAF had another opportunity in the lime light. Tim French, who is a member of the National Committee on Certification, also made a presentation at the Governor's Chip Mill Advisory Committee Meeting in October. Since the Committee is exploring the possibility of forester licensing or registration in Missouri, Tim was asked to share his knowledge of other states' programs and the SAF Certified Forester program.
How did we get our membership involved with SAF? To start with, our Program Committee, chaired by Mike Hoffman, put together a great fall meeting in Columbia. We asked for your opinions about programs last year and most of you were interested in private land issues. Judging from the eighty-five members that attended the meeting, I think we met the need.
In July, the Missouri Department of Conservation's Forestry Division personnel attended a conference in St. Joseph. Earlier, John Fleming contacted the local Habitat For Humanity chapter and offered the services of the Department's SAF members. Despite the blistering heat and humidity, approximately 30 members spent a half day framing a new house. I am confident that everyone left with a personal sense of accomplishment and pride in their effort. Missouri SAF received front page coverage on the St. Joseph newspaper and was featured in the evening television news.
The Foresters' Fund Committee, chaired by Bill Altman, challenged you to win the National SAF's Ol' Pinch Award. The award recognizes the state society that contributes the greatest per member contribution to the Foresters' Fund. Thanks to the generosity of many individuals, the various raffles, silent auctions, and the first ever golf scramble put together by Rocky Hayes, we have forwarded $1,516.36 toward the Ol' Pinch competition. The winner will be chosen at the end of the year.
The Membership Committee, chaired by Mike Morris, continued to encourage support for the Student Mentoring Program and renewed membership. Nationally, SAF lost a significant number of members in 1999. Despite the national trend, Missouri's membership loss was not as severe. Member recruitment and retention is the lifeblood of SAF and I genuinely appreciate this committee's work.
A number of our members participated with National SAF committees and task forces. Marvin Brown co-chaired the Forest Management Certification Task Force. As mentioned before, Tim French serves on the Certification Review Board. Justine Gartner and I served on the National Leadership Academy Steering Committee.
For the fourth year in a row, Missouri was the site of the National Leadership Academy. The event is designed to provide incoming chair-elects for both state societies and working groups the leadership training and support they need for their upcoming challenge. Several Missouri SAF members served as airport greeters, speakers and outdoor interpreters.
What is ahead for Missouri SAF in 2000? SAF's Centennial Celebration will certainly be the largest activity. Bruce Palmer has assembled a committee and put together what promises to be a great centennial plan. It was featured at the HSD Meeting in Portland, Oregon and once again, Missouri SAF received recognition. Now it's up to us to implement the plan.
Missouri SAF will host the 2000 Natural Resources Conference at Osage Beach. What a great way to start the Centennial Celebration. Conference Chair Dennis Rhoades and a growing list of SAF members have worked throughout the year organizing, planning and scheduling speakers.
Last summer, the Executive Committee took an in-depth look at Missouri SAF's financial condition. Thanks to Justine Gartner's research and presentation, we foresaw very real problems with MO SAF's ability to continue existing programs and activities without a dues increase. Therefore, our state society dues for 2000 has increased from $10.00 to $13.00 per year. Your understanding is most appreciated.
I could and probably should continue to list our accomplishments and give credit. However, since column space is limited, let me express my thanks to the Executive Committee, the committee chairs and respective committee members, other appointed position holders and the Missouri SAF members for their dedication and service to SAF and profession. Again, I ask you, did we measure up? I certainly think so. Did we go as far as we needed to go?
We took some important first steps down a long road. I thank you
granting me this opportunity to serve as Missouri SAF's Chair. The
experience has been thoroughly rewarding and it's been my pleasure.
Education Committee Report
Arthur Suchland
SAF members who attend training classes, short courses, or conferences should mail a copy of the training subject outline, short course schedule of courses, or meeting agenda to Wayne Wittmeyer so that CFE credits can be assigned. If CFE credits have already been assigned by the course or training sponsor, Wayne would still appreciated a copy of the information so that the course can be added to the list of CFE Certified Meetings.
In the past year Joe Garvey received the only CFE Certificate that I am aware of in MOSAF. Congratulations Joe, keep up the good work. You have set the example, lets hope in the next several more members will follow your lead.
The fall meeting of Missouri SAF was held on the University of Missouri campus on September 21, 1999. The meeting was called to order at 4:06 p.m. with 45 members present.
Welcome was made by Chair Bob Cunningham. Special guests were recognized including new SAF members and student MOSAF members. Justine Gartner read the minutes from the Winter 1999 meeting. Minutes were approved as read.
Treasurers Report - Justine Gartner reported a checkbook balance of $5,398.48 and a CD balance of $23,519.00. PLT accounts for $15,915.10 of this money. Treasurer's report was approved.
Gartner then presented a summary of MOSAF's current financial status. That summary highlighted the State Society's average income and expenditures from 1995-1998.
Average annual expenses = $4,138.00
Annual income (without dues) = $1,792.00
Assume 160 paying members
($4,138-$1,792) divided by 160 = $14.70 per member expenses annually
After reviewing these figures, Gartner reported that the Executive Committed voted at the July Executive Committee meeting to increase state dues from $10 to $13. This increase will not quite meet current spending, but all activities will be looked at to increase their efficiency. It is hoped that these steps will make up the $1.70 difference.
The second aspect of this financial review was an overview of our membership. Gartner looked at how many members we have and what portion does not pay state society dues. In 1999 MO SAF has 220 members. There are 24 student members, 157 regular members who pay state society dues, and 40 members who do not pay state society dues. The forty who do not pay are about equally divided among four groups. Those four groups are people who live out of state, people who have been with SAF less than one year, Golden members, and others who fit into a miscellaneous group.
Tim French reported that the revision of Bylaws is proceeding and will be available to the membership at the winter meeting. A summary of changes has already been submitted to Bob Cunningham. All that is left to do is clean up some wording. Cunningham than outlined the procedure that we must go through to adopt changes to the Bylaws.
Education Art Suchland (Chair)
Art reported that Joe Garvey received a CFE.
Wayne Wittmeyer has updated the list of approved courses for CFE
credit.
Foresters Fund Bill Altman (Chair)
Committee is looking at additional ways to earn the ol' Pinch award. A
Golf Scramble was held before the fall meeting with only four people
participating. Thanks was expressed to Rocky Hayes for coordinating
this effort. A small raffle is planned for the program tomorrow if we
have six or more items. If less than six items are presented for
raffle, all will be held for the MO Natural Resources Conference.
Membership Mike Morris (Chair)
Bob Cunningham reported that the membership is down after National
purged the list in June. Most of the people lost were students. We also
lost some key members. Volunteers were requested to call these people.
Program Mike Hoffmann (Chair)
Program is planned for tomorrow on private land management issues. The
program will begin at 8:00 a.m. and be held at the Ramada Inn.
Resolution Joe Walker (Chair)
Committee developed a proclamation highlighting the centennial of SAF
for the Governor's signature. The committee expressed thanks to Bruce
Palmer for help with the wording. Proclamation will appear in the fall
newsletter. Bruce Palmer offered to walk the document through the
Governor's office for signature next March.
Nominating Lynn Barnickol (Chair)
Barnickol gave Cunningham a slate of candidates to read. Ballots will
be mailed this fall.
Communications Jennifer Battson (Chair)
Centennial: Centennial Stewardship Farm Award information has been
distributed. Bruce Palmer has already received two nominations.
Historic driving tour brochures are being delivered to the printer.
There is a tour of Deer Run and another of Grandin. A special Legacy
bundle will be available from the George O. White Nursery. The
interpretative act will premier at the MO Natural Resource Conference.
Display: MO SAF is now in possession of a new exhibit. It will be
displayed at the next day's program. This exhibit will be stored in
Palmer's office. Please contact him to borrow it.
Newsletter: Need submissions by 10/8/99. Palmer is looking particularly
for Centennial related items.
MO Natural Resource Conference Dennis Rhoades (Steering Committee Chair) needs a volunteer to organize the student job fair. Gus Raeker volunteered. The program is being pulled together and Bill Banzhoff is the keynote speaker.
HSD meeting update - Bob Cunningham attended the HSD meeting in Portland, Oregon on September 14-15. At that meeting Cunningham shared MO SAF's chip mill position statement and discovered that many other chapters struggling with the same issue. The MO Centennial Plan was discussed and praise was extended to Bruce Palmer for his efforts and to the MDC for the $65,000 they have budgeted to promote the event. MO SAF is one of the few state societies with a plan. HSD passed seven resolutions. These seven were read and briefly discussed by Cunningham.
Habitat for Humanity Cunningham reported that at the July 1999 Missouri Department of Conservation's Forestry Division Conference in St. Joseph approximately 30 MO SAF members turned out to work four hours on a house. Our efforts made the front page of the local paper and generated some local TV coverage.
Governor's Advisory Committee on Chip Mills - Jay Law outlined the activities of this group to date. Law is a MO SAF member but serves on the committee as a representative of the Conservation Federation of Missouri. The Committee meets once a month and is co-chaired by MDC Director Jerry Connley and a representative from DNR. To date most activities have been information gathering and listening to public comment. The Committee is now beginning to put together draft recommendations which are due to the Governor on December 1. The committee has begun looking beyond chip mills to what is happening in our forests.
Cunningham expressed his pleasure in serving the members of MO SAF. He
thanked the committee chairs and people who have served. A motion was
made to adjourn the meeting Gene Brunk seconded. Motion carried.
Meeting was adjourned at 5:26 p.m..
Governor's Proclamation
Following is a draft Governor's Proclamation to be signed in recognition of Centennial Forests. The proclamation was presented at the fall meeting for comment. Any comments should be made by December 1 to: Joe Walker, Resolutions Chair, PO Box 188, Potosi, MO 63664; (573) 438-5427; jwalker/r9_marktwain@fs.fed.us.
WHEREAS, forests provide us with countless benefits such as clean
water, wildlife habitat, scenic beauty, jobs and building materials;
and
WHEREAS, the benefits of forests extend across human generations
through the conservation of this renewable resource; and
WHEREAS, forestry is the profession this is dedicated to the care and
conservation of our forests; and
WHEREAS, through conservation and management, foresters have restored
the burned and cutover land of the Ozarks to healthy and productive
forests; and
WHEREAS, this year is the centennial of the founding of the Society of
American Foresters, the national organization of professional
foresters:
on their centennial and urge all Missourians to learn more about our
forests by participating in Centennial Forests events being held
throughout Missouri during the year.
State Society Dues to Increase
Justine Gartner
Effective January 1, 2000, state society dues for Missouri will increase from $10.00 to $13.00. The Executive Committee voted on this increase at the July 28, 1999 meeting after doing an extensive analysis of spending.
Secretary/Treasurer Justine Gartner averaged the Society's expenses and revenue for the last 4 years. That analysis showed that we spend an average of $14.50 per member on services. Those services include sponsoring a Student Mentor program, a high-quality quarterly newsletter, numerous awards and educational programs.
The last dues increase was in mid- to late-1980s. "In the last 10 or so years the cost of postage, materials, and just the general cost of doing business has substantially increased. Increasing the dues to $13.00 will help keep the Society from operating at a deficit which is always a fiscally sound move. By making our intake and output match our hard earned reserve can be better utilized for special projects like the purchase of the new SAF display," says Gartner.
The increase will still not quite meet our average spending. However,
plans are underway to make up the deficits. For instance, we hope that
the Student Mentor program will be able to completely pay for the
student members it sponsors. The goal is to assure that sponsored
students will continue with SAF membership after the first free year.
The Program Committee has made a committed effort to provide
informative and timely programs that at least meet costs. Tools like
the membership survey will continue to be used to guide their efforts.
Accepting advertisements in the newsletter may be considered as a tool
to reduce cost. We hope that these actions will keep our Society
operating at its peak while providing high quality services to our
members.
MOSAF Testifies at Governor's Committee
Mike Hoffmann
On October 12, 1999, MOSAF member Tim French presented testimony about forester credentialing before the Governor's Chip Mill Advisory Committee. Last year, Governor Mel Carnahan established an advisory committee to study chip mill operations and impacts on Missouri's forest resources due to public concerns about this new industry in the state.
The committee is co-chaired by Conservation Department Director, Jerry Conley and Department of Natural Resources Director, Steve Mahfood. It also includes two state senators, two state representatives and representatives of many wood industry and conservation and environmental groups. They have spent the last year studying chip mills and forest management practices in the state, including a week-long tour of the southeastern Ozarks. The October meeting concluded public and special interest presentations to the committee and they have begun work drafting recommendations for the Governor.
A lot of interest has been expressed relative to the registration or licensing of loggers and professional foresters. The MOSAF testimony provided the committee with information about forester credentialing in other states and the SAF Certified Forester Program. MOSAF asked to be included in any action that would legislate the registration of professional foresters in Missouri.
Tim French gave a very informative and professional presentation as our
MOSAF representative. University of Missouri Forestry Professor John
Dwyer presented the MOSAF Chip Mill position statement at the same
meeting. John also did a commendable job and the information was well
received and appreciated by the committee. This is just a small example
of how forest management, foresters and forestry practices are being
viewed by the public at large. It is imperative that the Society
continue to position itself as THE leader in forestry issues and that
we continue to promote sustainable forest management and
professionalism throughout our ranks. We must also become engaged in
social and political processes. Foresters are the key to the
sustainable management of our state's forest resources.
After The Floods Come the Forests
from NC News
When the floodwaters of 1993 retreated from the banks of the Missouri River, they left ruined crops and scoured soils. Thousands of acres were bought by governmental agencies -- the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC), Forest Service and others -- who had a different vision for the land.
"We'd like to see bottomland forests growing where they once did," said Ken Dalrymple, a wildlife management biologist with MDC. They are especially interested in so-called "hard mast" trees such as oaks that provide acorns for wildlife, and recreational and economic opportunities for humans.
There's one problem, however. "When you let nature run its course," says Dan Dey, research forester with the Central Hardwoods Silviculture and Ecology unit in Columbia, "you don't get hard mast species right away. You get a forest of willows, cottonwoods and other species that are not so high in wildlife or economic value. So how do we bypass the initial stages of succession and go directly to a hard mast forest?"
The obvious answer -- planting -- is not a surefire bet. As Dey explained, "Conventional bare root seedlings suffer transplant shock and get off to a slow start the first year. Faster growing species like willow and cottonwood easily outcompete them." To level the playing field, Dey decided to investigate alternate regeneration techniques.
For 17 years, Wayne Lovelace, general manager of the Forrest Keeling Nursery in Elsberry, has been perfecting a technique he hopes will "bring back the hardwoods." It's called the root production method or RPM. RPM stock is grown in an open-bottom container so that roots are air-pruned. A dense fibrous rootball forms, helping RPM's shoot up 3-5 feet in their first year.
This helps raise the trees above browsing deer, floodwaters and competitors for sunlight, yielding a near 100 percent survivorship. "Even more exciting," said Lovelace, "is the fact that RPM trees are early fruiters. Instead of taking 25 years to produce acorns, the swamp white oaks grown with RPM are fruiting in their fourth year. That means more wildlife food earlier, and a better chance that the trees can reproduce themselves."
Other cultivation methods tried by Lovelace and MDC include planting the trees on raised mounds to help drain and mix the soil, covering the mounds with fiber mats and sowing red-top grass as a cover crop. These techniques had not been scientifically tested until now.
With funding from an EPA grant administered by the School of Natural Resources, Dey and cooperators from SNR and MDC will plant six 40-acre plots on the Missouri River near Jefferson City. The treatments will include: bare root vs. RPM seedlings, natural soil vs. mounded, a cover crop of red-top grass vs. no cover crop, and a control plot of natural succession. "By considering the variables one at a time and in combination, we hope to see what is contributing to regeneration success or failure," Dey said.
The potential values extend beyond super trees however. Dey will monitor the growth of all vegetation, from ground to canopy. Research biologists Frank Thompson and Dirk Burhans from NC's Columbia unit will work with Brian Root of MDC to monitor breeding bird success and songbird use. MDC forest ecologist John Kabrick will monitor soil conditions in mounded and unmounded treatments and relate this to seedling performance and succession.
Meanwhile, forest economists John Dwyer from the University of Missouri and Tom Treiman from MDC will conduct a cost/benefit analysis of the various regeneration techniques. They will also survey bottomland owners about their willingness to plant hardwoods.
For Dey, the study brings personal satisfaction. "It's not every day
you get to build a forest ecosystem from scratch," he said. "Even
though the evidence is gone, we know hard mast trees were in this
bottomland before. What was it that favored oaks, and what management
practices can we use to favor them again?" For a region that has lost
so much of its native hardwood floodplain forests, answering these
questions could bring a flood of relief.
Upcoming Events
November 20. Central Region Woodland Stewardship Conference, Lied
Conference Center, Nebraska City, NE. Contact: Arbor Day Foundation, PO
Box 81415, Lincoln NE 68501; 402/474-5655.
February 2-4, 2000. Natural Resources Conference, Tan-Tar-A Resort, Osage Beach. Contact: Dennis Rhoades, Route 2 Box 247, Camdenton, MO 65020; 573/346-2210.
March 3-4, 2000. Tree Farm Day, Columbia. Contact: Jack Slusher, 203S ABNR, Columbia, MO 65211; 573/882-4444.
April 30, 2000. Spring in the Forest, Forest Park, St. Louis. A Centennial Forests event. Contact: Charlotte Schneider, 11715 Cragwold, Kirkwood, MO 63122; 636/301-1500 x 2237.
The next Missouri Natural Resources Conference will be held February 2-4, 2000, at Marriott's Tan-Tar-A Resort and Golf Club, Lake of the Ozarks. The meeting theme is "Reflecting on the Past to Shape Our Future." Information about the conference is posted on the conference web site at www.conservation.state.mo.us/mnrc/.
Conference registration materials will be mailed in November and will also be available on the web site. Continue to monitor the conference web site for updated information about the conference program, registration and accommodations. If you received a copy of the Call for Papers in the mail, registration materials will also be mailed to you. If you did not, but still wish to have conference registration materials mailed to you in paper form, notify: Steve Shifley, 202 Anheuser-Busch Natural Resources Bldg., University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211-7260; E-mail: sshifley@raphael.snr.missouri.edu; Phone: (573) 875-5341 x 232.