October 2014

Networking, information focus of #Arkforests2014Question: What do you get when you have 329 registered

participants, 15 expert speakers, 39 sponsors, 22 exhibitors, 16 hard-working committee members and four AFA staffers? Answer: A successful #Arkforests2014 AFA annual meeting!

Held September 23-25 at the Arlington Resort Hotel and Spa in Hot Springs, this year’s annual meeting provided unique networking and learning opportunities. See pictures from the meeting on the AFA Flickr page at www.flickr.com/arkforests. All of the speakers’ presentations are available to view online at www.slideshare.net/arkforests. During Wednesday morning’s keynote address, Weyerhaeuser President and CEO Doyle Simons said the company is going to make a major investment in the Dierks sawmill. “Why Arkansas?” he posed. “Because it’s a good place to do business and that’s a result of the people in this room.”

“Why Dierks?” he said. “Because it’s in a strategic location with excellent safety and financial performance.” He went on to say that Weyerhaeuser will continue to focus on what they can control—strong core values and opportunities to improve performance—rather than external factors such as the housing market, employment and consumer confidence.

Faculty from the Arkansas Forest Resources Center spent the rest of the day sharing their research and insight on a variety of topics, including forestry economics, bio-based forest products, forest resiliency, forests and agriculture, forestry and a sustainable society and wildlife.

Congratulations to our award winners, honored Thursday:• Logger of the Year - Shannon Lassiter• Communicator of the Year - Linda Palmer

Champion Trees: An Artist’s Journey• Outstanding Tree Farmer - John L. McClellan • Log A Load For Kids Volunteer - Gay Pace • Forestry Educator of the Year - Rhea Whalen• President’s Award - Rep. Ken Bragg and John Wainscott

Go to AFA’s YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/arkansasforestry to see video presentations about several of the award winners. Also, congratulations to our gun drawing winners: Frank Wilson and Terrell Baker.

Put the 2015 AFA Annual Meeting on your calendar: October 6-8 at the Arlington in Hot Springs.

Weyerhaeuser President and CEO Doyle Simons provided a company overview and market outlook during his keynote address.

Program Committee members served up some delicious barbecue during the Deltic Bluegrass and Barbecue Dinner at the Hot Springs Farmer’s Market.

CALENDAR

October 14Government Affairs Committee10 a.m. - AFA Office, Little Rock

October 22Forest Management Tour

BatesvilleContact: Kyle Cunningham

(501) 671-2145

October 25Central Arkansas Log A Load For Kids

Sheridan

October 29PLT Steering Committee

10 a.m. - AFA Office, Little Rock

October 30Tree Farm Tour

John L. McClellan Tree FarmNew Edinburg

October 30Log A Load For Kids Golf Tournament

Texarkana

AFA annual awards honor outstanding achievementsLOGGER OF THE YEARSHANNON LASSITER

ARK-LA Timber Harvesting’s Shannon Lassiter has been in business for 14 years and is a contract logger for Anthony Forest Products. Lassiter credits his success to a great crew and mentors in the logging community. “Years ago, Melvin Mills told me, ‘There’s more to life than just working,’” Lassiter said. While getting the job done and doing it right is Lassiter’s primary objective, he believes strongly in the importance of family and taking care of the crew members whom he trusts to make the right decisions.

“Shannon Lassiter is one of those loggers committed to doing the job to the best of the expectations of the landowner, the company for which he is contracting and to his own superior standards,” said Scotty Booth, a procurement manager with Anthony Forest Products. “He is a forester’s dream to work with because he is quick to take care of any problems that arise.”

He abides by all the recommended Best Management Practices, is a certified Arkansas Pro Logger and contributor to the Log A Load For Kids campaign. He has served on the Arkansas Timber Producers Association board.

COMMUNICATOR OF THE YEAR LINDA PALMER, CHAMPION TREES

EXHIBITLinda W. Palmer developed Champion Trees: An Artist’s Journey over a period of five years, driving approximately 7,000 miles to document and artistically interpret selected Arkansas Champion Trees. An experienced Arkansas artist, Palmer opened her first art studio and gallery in Ft. Smith in 1985 and currently maintains her studio and gallery in Hot Springs.

The exhibit is an aesthetically-pleasing, educational viewing experience for Arkansans of all ages from all walks of life. It is supported by Plum Creek and Domtar, among others.

In March, the Arkansas Educational Television Network aired a documentary on champion trees that includes the artist and the art exhibit.

OUTSTANDING TREE FARMER JOHN L. MCCLELLAN

For Tree Farmer John L. McClellan, of New Edinburg, managing his tree farm is a labor of love and a family tradition that he hopes to pass along for generations to come. “If we humans have a certain gene for the love and appreciation for trees, I’m not aware of it, but should there be one, I am absolutely positive my family and I must surely have it,” McClellan said.

“The timberland looks the way it does today because of the professional advice received from state and federal forestry professionals,” McClellan said. “They always provided the best advice that would benefit the forest resources for generations.”

In the last 20 years, McClellan and his son Doug have developed more than 40 miles of roads and fire lanes. Also, McClellan’s son and daughter and their families built a cabin on the property from lumber cut and milled on the site. “We do value our timberland for the production it provides, aesthetics and wildlife value, but of course our family values of faith, family, friends and country come first,” McClellan added.

LOG A LOAD FOR KIDS VOLUNTEER GAY PACE

Since 1993, the Drew County Log A Load For Kids chapter has raised approximately $1,000,000 for Arkansas Children’s Hospital (ACH). Gay Pace has been an integral part of the Drew County group since 1996, along with her husband Grant and son Brice.

Log A Load is definitely a family affair for the Paces. “Grant and I began working with Log A Load when Brice was a baby,” Gay

explained. “Once he was old enough, he began helping with the event and it is now a passion for him, too. My family has been blessed in many ways and I truly believe that we are commanded to give back and I can’t think of a better way to give back than through Log A Load.”

FORESTRY EDUCATORRHEA WHALEN

U.S. Forest Service Boston Mountain Ranger District Biologist Rhea Whalen builds partnerships with state and local resources to enhance educational programs for students in her service area—everyone from the U.S. Geological Survey to Parent Teacher Associations.

“Rhea has provided many, many educational programs for my students over the past several years,” said Charlotte Taff, a counselor at Ozark Upper Elementary School, who nominated Whalen for this honor. “Additionally, she has helped us apply for several grants to obtain money for our forestry education activities.”

PRESIDENT’S AWARDREP. KEN BRAGG & JOHN WAINSCOTT

Outgoing AFA President Ray Dillon honored Rep. Ken Bragg, with Resource Management Service, and John Wainscott, with Weyerhaeuser, for their exemplary work on behalf and in support of the state’s forestry community.

During his first term in the Arkansas House of Representatives, Rep. Bragg sponsored, supported and helped pass legislation that promotes a healthy forest products industry. In the 89th General Assembly, he served as the House Majority Leader. His leadership and support were instrumental in passing the sales tax exemption on harvesting equipment and the fire protection assessment, among other important bills.

In 2013, Rep. Bragg sponsored a resolution honoring the Log A Load For Kids program on its 20th anniversary and led the House in a standing ovation for volunteers in the gallery.

In addition to his continued leadership of the AFA Program Committee, John Wainscott serves the forestry community in several other capacities, including involvement in the LeadAR program—a two year program for emerging leaders from rural and urban communities—and serving as chairman of the Board of Registration for Foresters.

Read more online at issuu.com/arkforests/docs/finalmeetingbook.

State Plant Board issues ash quarantine for 25 countiesBecause of a confirmed Emerald Ash

Borer (EAB) infestation in six counties, the Arkansas State Plant Board voted on September 11 to institute a 120-day quarantine, effective immediately, that restricts the movement of ash and hardwood firewood outside a 25-county area. Quarantined items include firewood of all hardwood species and the following ash items: nursery stock; green lumber with bark attached; other material living, dead, cut or fallen including logs, pulpwood, stumps, roots, branches, mulch and composted/un-composted chips (one inch or greater). Firewood is the only quarantined item that relates to all hardwood; all other quarantined items are ash only.

Counties affected include: Ashley, Bradley, Calhoun, Clark, Cleveland, Columbia, Dallas, Drew, Garland, Grant, Hempstead, Hot Spring, Howard, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lincoln, Little River, Miller, Montgomery, Nevada, Ouachita, Pike, Saline, Sevier and Union. Mills delivering ash outside the quarantine or receiving ash from the quarantined counties should complete a compliance agreement that addresses treatments/mitigations and must be approved by the Arkansas State Plant Board. Additional information is available via eab@aspb.ar.gov and/or (501) 225-1598. “This quarantine is our best defense against the Emerald Ash Borer, a pest that has destroyed millions of ash trees across the United States. By slowing the movement of EAB, we hope to directly affect Arkansas ash trees as effectively as possible,” said Scott Bray, Director of Plant Industry, Arkansas State Plant Board, an agency within the Arkansas Agriculture Department. Quarantined counties include six with confirmed EAB infestation sites (Clark, Columbia, Dallas, Hot Spring, Nevada, and Ouachita), while others included are considered “buffer” counties. Quarantined items can move freely within the quarantined area. The restrictions only apply to the movement of items listed within the quarantined counties to areas outside of them.

Ash trees comprise less than 2 percent of the merchantable trees in Arkansas. Five types of ash trees exist in Arkansas: Green Ash, White Ash, Carolina Ash, Blue Ash and Pumpkin Ash. Owners of ash trees should look for damage that occurs from the top down, which may indicate presence of EAB. The EAB is a small beetle (1/2 inch in size) that originated in Asia. The first EAB discovery took place in Michigan, over a decade ago. EAB infestation usually kills the ash host within two to five years.

The Plant Board has developed the quarantine with input from the following agencies: Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission, USDA-APHIS-PPQ, University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service, Arkansas Forestry Commission, Arkansas Forestry Association, Arkansas State Parks, Arkansas Timber Producers Association,

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Arkansas Association of Conservation Districts, Arkansas Game & Fish Commission, Natural Resources Conservation Service and the U.S. Forest Service. During the 120-day quarantine, the Arkansas State Plant Board will take steps to establish a permanent quarantine rule, which requires a public comment period. A

public hearing will be held at 9 a.m. on December 18, during the next regular Arkansas State Plant Board meeting. Here’s what you can doDon’t move firewood. Moving firewood is the likely explanation for how EAB moved from Southern Missouri to South Arkansas, effectively skipping the northern counties. A good rule of thumb is to “buy it where you burn it.” If campers, hunters, or others recreating find themselves having already moved firewood, they should burn it in its entirety, as soon as possible, and as safely as possible. All firewood of any sort should be burned within 25 miles of its origin (within the quarantined counties). If you suspect an EAB infestation on your property (outside the six confirmed counties), contact the Arkansas State Plant Board at eab@

aspb.ar.gov and/or (501) 225-1598.

Foresters with the Arkansas Forestry Commission and County Agents with the University of Arkansas Extension Office may help identify ash trees, EAB presence and/or damage, treatment options, reforestation options, EAB trap provision, and address other questions/concerns surrounding the pest and tree damage. Contact the Extension Office through Dr. Tamara Walkingstick at (501) 671-2346.

Contact AFC Local Foresters by choosing your county at the “Contact Us” icon at forestry.arkansas.gov or call (501) 516-6255 for immediate assistance. Resourceswww.emeraldashborer.infowww.dontmovefirewood.orgwww.arinvasives.org

ArborGen produces array of seedlings for landownersArborGen’s Fred C. Gragg SuperTree

Nursery at Bluff City produces an array of forestry seedling products for landowners across the state of Arkansas.

Their pine seedlings range from advanced open-pollinated (OP) to mass control pollinated (MCP) and varietals, genetic replicas of the best individual trees of the best hybrid families. Seedlings are available to match any landowner’s objectives and budget. MCP seedlings are becoming increasingly in demand as tree farmers become aware of the strong growth and stem characteristics these products exhibit.

Straight stems, small limbs, disease resistance and superior growth translate into high sawtimber potential and high yields. Varietal seedlings promise even greater stand uniformity. Up to 90% or more of these trees will have the potential to produce sawtimber or pole quality material, which means a landowner can plant fewer of these seedlings and still maintain a fully-stocked stand of high-quality seedlings until the stand is mature and ready for harvest.

ArborGen’s hardwood seedlings are available in over 20 oak species and 40 other non-oak species for timber production, wildlife enhancement, mining reclamation and wetlands mitigation projects.

Bill Abernathy, Nursery Manager, says interest is really picking up in planting hardwoods for timber and non-timber purposes. “As pine pulpwood prices remain rather depressed,” says Abernathy, “landowners are considering alternatives to traditional pine plantation management. One of these is the planting of fast-growing, short rotation hardwoods, which include cottonwood, hybrid poplar, sweetgum

and a new hybrid sweetgum ArborGen is developing that shows real promise. For landowners wanting to plant pine, our elite pine products, like MCP and varietals, offer the opportunity to plant fewer seedlings, not have to thin or only thin lightly, and harvest greater sawtimber and pole volumes on shorter rotation lengths.”

Seedling sales are brisk and Abernathy recommends that landowners get their orders in as soon as possible to ensure availability of these high-demand elite products. ArborGen forestry-trained professionals are available and ready to talk with you and recommend the best seedling product for your particular location, site and objectives. Call (800) 222-1270 to reach the ArborGen nursery at Bluff City. Visit www.arborgentreelines.com for more information about ArborGen’s products or to sign up for their TreeLines newsletter.