Number 47, Iron River, Michigan, Winter 2000
IN THIS ISSUE . . .
MTU Student Chapter
A growing Idea . . .
SAF 2000 National Convention
A Message From the Chair,
Bernie Hubbard
Michigan Forest
Industry-Yesterday and Today
Arbor Day and the SAF
Centennial
Call for Nominations
for Fellow and Vice-President
SAF Considers
Revision of Forest Cover Types of the United States and Canada
Call for Working Group
Officer Nominations
Your Best Pictures
Needed to Develop Michigan SAF Display
New Members
Internet Corner
MICHIGAN TECHNOLOGICAL
UNIVERSITY STUDENT CHAPTER
By: Michelle M. Niemela and
Jason S. Mittlestat
The Michigan Technological University Chapter of SAF (Forestry Club) was highly active during the fall and winter terms, participating in several activities, from the annual Adopt-A-Highway cleanup to hosting the Upper Peninsula Chapter meeting December 7th and 8th in Houghton. The club also recently started a quarterly newsletter in December to inform students and faculty of current events and issues and also to promote involvement from other students.
This past fall several members attended the National SAF Convention in Portland, Oregon. The members had a great time meeting new people and also had the chance to talk with many companies and organizations that were present. They also toured the area and got to see the "World’s Largest (in diameter) Sitka Spruce". The trip was a once in a lifetime experience for the six students that went.
In September, the Club had a picnic at Michigan Tech’s Otter River Cabin to welcome new students in the forestry program and to introduce them to the Forestry Club. Later, in October the Forestry Club held their annual wood cut, which raises money for club activities. The Forestry Club also had their fall Adopt-A-Highway cleanup in October. They are responsible for three miles of scenic highway near Copper Harbor, which follows the Lake Superior shoreline.
One very commemorative event this year was Michigan Tech’s
donation of a sixty-foot white spruce for the Capitol Christmas Tree. The
ceremony was attended by many notable people, including the Chief Executive Officer of the
Ford Motor Company, William Clay Ford Jr. Introductions and thanks were
offered by MTU President Curt Tompkins, Peter Grieves of
the Michigan Association of Timbermen, and SFWP Associate Dean, Glenn Mroz.
High school bands from Baraga and L’Anse provided music for the 300 people that
attended. Representatives from the Michigan Association of Timbermen cut the white spruce
the old fashioned way, with SAF’s competition two-man bucksaw. After the tree was
felled, William Clay Ford Jr. and Kurt Tompkins assisted area school children in planting
a blue spruce in its place. The SAF members pitched in on the task of tying the tree,
along with Camp Alberta MCCC workers, for transport to Lansing in time for the
Capitol’s Silver Bells in the City parade and lighting ceremony on the 19th
of November. MTU Alum Robin Bertsch represented us at the festivities in
front of the State Capitol.
To conclude the year, the MTU Chapter hosted the Upper Peninsula SAF Chapter Meeting; Managing the Forest By Satellite, December 7th and 8th in Houghton. This was an interesting meeting with speakers from MDNR, USFS and MTU along with an after dinner presentation Bob Kreipke, Ford Corporate Historian, who spoke on Henry Ford’s early activities in UP Forestry. The SAF/ Forestry Club is continuing their involvement into the 100th year of the Society of American Foresters.
| A GROWING IDEA... Ingredients of Success Before making your SAF unit's goals for 2000, take a few minutes to review your 1999 year. Reflect on what you did that really got members excited and activated in your SAF unit. What projects brought lots of people out? What meetings were packed? What committees were strong and active? Members didn't just show up on a fluke. Somehow you hit their hot buttons. How were these different from the other projects, meetings or committees? How were they planned, promoted and run? Is there a common thread running through your answers? Brainstorm as a board what made these opportunities more attractive to your members. (This process may take some time.) Once you identify your "success ingredients," weave them into your new year's plans -- and get ready for increased involvement by your members. |
2000 SAF NATIONAL CONVENTION
November 16-20, 2000
In the year 2000, SAF celebrates a milestone -- 100 years of service to the forestry profession! Take this opportunity to recognize the advances we have made in science, education, technology, and the practice of forestry -- and to look forward to the challenges we face in the next millenium. |
A
MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR
By Bernie Hubbard
As we celebrate our centennial year and prepare to enter the second 100 years of the Society of American Foresters from my perspective we are better served to focus on where we are heading as much as on where we have been. As we reflect on the past what memories do the following dates or events trigger?
Many of us can recall exactly where we were, who we were with or what we were doing when some of these memorable events and dates occurred. December 7, marks the day when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor propelling the United States into World War II. For those of us to young to remember the date or were not alive our parents and grandparents were.
I can recall exactly where I was and what I was doing on November 22, 1963, when President John Kennedy was shot just after his first 1000 days in office as his motorcade wound through Dallas. How many baby boomers do not remember where they were or what they were doing when they heard about it?
Many of us in MSAF were involved in an event the summer of 1976 in the Upper Peninsula that caused a major change in the way we manage wildfires in this state. The Seney Fire was our first modern day large fire that "forced" cooperation between agencies and the private sector.
How many of us were glued to radios or televisions when on January 28, 1986 the space shuttle Challenger exploded 73 seconds after launch from the Kennedy Space Center, killing all seven of its crew, including the first civilian, a high school teacher.
The Michigan SAF hosted the National SAF convention September 19-23, 1998. Those who volunteered their time and energy to work on the convention and those that attended have many great memories, learned many new skills and had an opportunity to work with people from organizations and locations throughout the state and country.
We all just went through a great celebration, turning the calendar from 1999 to 2000. That brings me back to my opening statement that I feel we are better served to focus on where we are heading as we celebrate our centennial year and head into the Society of American Foresters second 100 years. As we started the first 100 years of SAF many were predicting that timber in the United State was running out and soon would be gone. We know that after 100 years of management the forests of Michigan are in much better condition now than at the turn of the century. As we head into the second 100 years we again have those who are predicting we are going to destroy our forests and diminish the benefits we derive from forests.
At the SAF National Convention in Portland, Oregon last fall the House of Society Delegates presented a recommendation to SAF Council addressing our leadership role in forest management. HSD recommended that forestry professionals serve as integrators of the multitude of disciplines having expertise pertaining to the sustainable management of forest ecosystems, rather than forestry merely being one of the disciplines. The Michigan Society of American Foresters is in the position to be the integrator to assure that we have well managed forest ecosystems that will provide the needs and amenities that society wants from the forests of this state. We need to be leaders in instituting new ideas and sound scientific principles. In the past we have tended to react and that almost always puts one in a defensive mode. Sustainable Forest Management, Ecosystem Management, landscape management are management concepts that we have all discussed during the last decade. Foresters are in the best position to be the leaders in developing the management regimes to attain Sustainable Forest Management. As I see it we are the only discipline that evaluates all of the values of forest management and strives to meet the needs of society in our management practices.
We recognize that ecological, social and economic needs must be balanced and that all legs of the stool must be the same length or all of the needs will not be attained. This will take compromise and cooperation with the involvement of government, industry, academia and the environmental movement in order to achieve sustainability. Several programs have been developed that are designed to help us monitor our management to assure we are managing on a sustainable basis. Regardless of which program or method we use, forest managers can now commit, plan, monitor and improve the goal of sustainable forest management. All of the programs provide for verification that we are performing as we said we would perform. I believe this is a tremendous opportunity for the Society of American Foresters to lead natural resource management towards the goal of sustainable forest management as we celebrate our first one hundred years and start the second one hundred years.
Chapters and local units as they celebrate the centennial year are encouraged to partner with other organizations to help inform targeted audiences about professional forestry. We have an opportunity to discuss professional forestry and trees on Arbor Day, Friday April 28. SAF's Centennial Celebration also gives us great opportunity to build membership this year. We can take advantage of increased visibility and enthusiasm that will result from a nationwide communication effort including television and radio public service announcements, print ads, feature stories and more.
At the House of Society Delegates meeting in Portland last fall four issues were presented to HSD for discussion at this years meeting in Washington DC.
I am soliciting input on these issues so that we are well prepared to represent the members of MSAF at the HSD meeting this November. Please let me know your thoughts on these and any other issues that need to be brought to National attention.
In closing I am proud to serve the Michigan Society of American Foresters in our Centennial year and I am looking forward to a highly successful and productive year for MSAF.
MICHIGAN FOREST INDUSTRY - "YESTERDAY AND
TODAY"
Part Two
By David D. Olson
Michigan began to prepare for a new era. In 1887, the Forestry Commission was created. In 1901, the first State Forests were established. In 1904, the Higgins Lake Nursery went into production. Also in 1904, the first comprehensive forest fire law was enacted. In 1921, the Michigan Conservation Department was created. By 1955, Michigan was the first state to plant over one million acres of land to trees.
Forest inventories were conducted in 1935, 1955, 1966, 1980 and 1993. Those inventories showed a rapidly growing forest and in 1993, the annual growth was 2 ½ times the annual harvest. The early plantations had grown into vigorous young forests. Depleted forestlands that nobody wanted are now the largest state forest system in the country. Out in the forests, the Swede saw and crosscut saw were replaced by motor driven chain saws. Chain saws were partially replaced with huge shears and cut-off saws. The oxen were gone and few horses now work in the woods. Old farm tractors were replaced by skidders and forwarders. Eventually whole tree chippers went into the forests. A variety of highly mechanized harvesting equipment is now being used. The older loggers with little equipment were replaced by professional logging contractors with large capital investments. From the 1930’s to the 1950’s, harvesting of the forests slowly increased. The costs of employee insurance climbed to 50 cents per each dollar payroll. The industry could not grow in those conditions. In response to the problems of the industry, Timber Inc. was created by the Upper Great Lakes Commission in 1968. |
Because of that effort, two organizations were formed in Michigan. One group was the Michigan Forest Association, a small private landowner group. The other was the Michigan Association of Timbermen (MAT), a producer group. The MAT established an industry self-insurance fund in 1974 (SFI). Safety was and is the driving motive of that group. Insurance rates were greatly reduced and the era of professional logging contractors and industry began. Today, 450 companies belong to MAT/SFI and those members include loggers, truckers, sawmills, pallet shops and other industries. With a stable workforce providing raw materials, the manufacturing industries greatly increased. However, the available surplus of wood increased at a greater rate. State government became involved in the forest industries and adopted a plan of action targeting forest industry growth. New investments in the industry since the late 1970’s now exceed 2 billion dollars in new and improved plants and equipment. Forest landowners are now committed to Sustainable Forestry. Sustainable Forestry is a dynamic concept that will continue to change with new experiences and research. Those principles will result in habitats and landscapes that will enhance forest diversity of plants and animals.  Harvesting of Michigan’s
forests can continue to increase with each decade and will continue to provide
the goods and services society desires. Dynamic changes within the forest itself, and in
the goods and services provided by the forest, have occurred from 1830 to 2000. Forest
management based on sound science and research will lead society into the next
millennium. |
Dave Olson is a retired MSU Extension District Forester.
This is Part Two of a series on Michigan Forest History in recognition of the SAF Centennial. Part One was published in the Fall, 1999 issue of the Michigan Forester.
If you are interested in any way to celebrate the Centennial of our Society, please contact Mike Moore.
As you’ve probably heard, Arbor Day 2000 is a big part in SAF’s Centennial Celebration. If you’ve never taken part in an Arbor Day celebration, why not make this "your" year?
An Arbor Day celebration can be a huge extravaganza - as I’ve
heard from some of my downstate counterparts - or it can be as simple as helping a troop
of cub scouts plant a few trees, with a proclamation, declaration, or song or two thrown
in for good measure! Seriously, Arbor Day is a great way to get together with folks, tell
them about forestry, plant a few trees….and everyone goes home feeling like
they’ve done "a good thing"!
The Society of American Foresters has an Arbor Day guide that can help you with planning a celebration. Contact CJ Hall at (301) 897-8720, ext. 155 or hallcj@safnet.org for your copy of the 2000 Arbor Day Celebration packet.
The Michigan Arbor Day Alliance also has a nice booklet. (The MADA guide is a great one for giving out to teachers, scout leaders, etc.) To request a copy of MADA’s "How to Hold an Arbor Day Celebration", contact Kerry Boris, MADA State Coordinator, at 517-676-2290 or borisker@msu.edu.
Finally, if you’d like "general information", here are some names of folks who have availed themselves to answer Arbor Day questions:
Kathy Arnie, 517-241-9051
Kerry Boris, 517-676-2290
Cara Boucher, 517-335-3354
Lauri LaBumbard, 906-226-2461
By the way, Arbor Day 2000 is Friday, April 28th. I’m told, however, that you don’t have to have your celebration on that particular day. That’s good, because any Yooper will tell you, there can be snow on the ground on April 28th!!
Let’s make Arbor Day 2000 one of the biggest & best, yet!!
| Would your state society like to honor a member’s outstanding contributions to forestry and to SAF? If so, now is the time to start considering nominations for Fellows and vice-president. | |
Fellows Being elected a Fellow is the highest form of recognition by the Society. Fellows have demonstrated their commitment to SAF and the forestry profession by volunteering to serve on SAF committees at the local and national levels, SAF Council, SAF science groups, grassroots media and policy programs, and/or as advisors or reviewers for SAF publications. In addition, many Fellows show their leadership by initiating local educational programs for children and adults or by implementing an innovative program to help advance the science and technology of the forestry profession. The common element of all Fellows’ contributions is that they were made in the spirit of volunteerism, which makes this achievement such an honor. If you know members who qualify, please nominate them. Nominations for Fellows are being accepted through May 31, 2000. |
Vice-President A vice-president will also be elected this year. S/he holds that office for one year, then serves one year as president, and one year as immediate past-president. Council and vice president petitions are due by July 1, 2000. Petitions are available from Barbara Weitzer, Executive Assistant (301) 897-8720, ext. 121 or e-mail: weitzerb@safnet.org. |
The Society of American Foresters’ Forest Science and Technology Board has created a technical advisory committee to investigate whether to update the 1980 SAF publication Forest Cover Types of the United States and Canada. Members of the committee include Tom Schmidt, Terry Sharik, and Keith Moser.
Published by SAF, the forest cover type book is used to classify forests by species composition into forest types. These forest cover types are used worldwide for comparisons and to determine trends in volume, growth, removals, mortality, and land-use change. Forest cover types are one of the unifying themes between forest industry, environmental organizations, and federal, state, and local governmental agencies. This classification system is used to determine existing forest types, their composition, what changes are occurring, and what we can expect in the future.
This initiative is based on input that the 1980 publication needs to be expanded to include additional forest types, correlations with landscape classification systems, and additional North American classifications outside of the United States. The goal of the advisory committee is to make SAF's forest cover type descriptions more user friendly through expanded descriptions and types.
We would like input from members who currently use the 1980 publication since changes in the current forest type classifications might have a large impact on how forests are classified, inventoried, and compared. If you use the forest cover type book, please respond to the following questions:
You can send your responses to Tom Schmidt at e-mail: Tschmidt/nc@fs.fed.us; (612) 649-5131; or fax (612) 649-5285.
With your input, the technical advisory committee will determine if there is a need to update the 1980 publication. If so, the update will begin in the summer of 2000. We envision the updating process to include:
There are numerous opportunities to get involved, If you’re interested in being part of this process, please contact Tom Schmidt at e-mail: Tschmidt/nc@fs.fed.us; (612) 649-5131; fax (612) 649-5285. I look forward to hearing from you.
The SAF working groups are beginning the process of electing new officers. They are soliciting names of working group members who are interested in becoming group officers. This is a great opportunity to serve your profession, provide leadership on important issues, and valuable gain leadership experience through attendance at the SAF Leadership Academy.
Please contact the chair-elect of the working groups to which you belong (see below) with your suggested nominees for the open positions. Terms begin January 1, 2001 and run through December 21, 2002.
Most chair-elect and some secretary positions are open for nomination. Incumbent chairs-elect will become the new chairs when the current chairs complete their terms at the end of 2000. Additional information on working groups can be found at: http://www.safnet.org/science/wgdesc.htm
| Working Group Chairs-Elect A1 Inventory: Dave Hamlin,
503/224-3445 |
The Display Committee needs a photo to use on a 5x5 foot display depicting Michigan's Forest Resource in "One Shot". We have scoured our joint files, and nothing seems "just right" Do you have a picture or photo that just SAYS Michigan Forests? This will be used as a background to draw people into our display, where we will inform and educate with our materials and people.
Our display will have a "Michigan Society of American Foresters" header above picture and will include a professional table skirt with SAF shield.
If you have anything you think would be suitable, please contact Bob Heyd, Chair, Display Committee, at the Marquette Office, 906-228-6561, 1990 US41 South, Marquette, MI 49855 or any of the other committee members, Glenn Moll, Bob Devillez, or Debra Huff.
| NEW MEMBERS Upper Peninsula Lower Peninsula MSU MTU UM |
INTERNET CORNER The following website lists
and categorizes a number of Internet resources related to GIS, GPS, and remote sensing.
The list was compiled by Mike Hyslop at Michigan Tech. Among a variety of training
opportunities, Mike shared this list at the recent U.P. SAF Chapter meeting in Houghton.
Those of you who work with these technologies might find a number of the sites valuable.
Mike has also provided his email address should you wish to contact him.http://emmap.mtu.edu/saf/ |
Please direct questions, comments, and suggestions
to Bill Cook, cookwi@pilot.msu.edu or
906-786-1575.
Editorial issues can be addressed to Eric Thompson.
