July 2014
‘Growing Champion Classrooms’ serves Arkansas educators
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he Arkansas Committee of the National Museum of Women in the Arts (ACNMWA), a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting Arkansas’s female artists, recently presented the results of its educational initiative related to the current touring exhibit Arkansas Champion Trees: An Artist’s Journey, Drawings by Linda Williams Palmer to Rob Beadel, AFA Education Foundation Director of Forestry Education. The initiative, titled Growing Champion Classrooms, consists of teaching materials for traditional and non-traditional Arkansas educators participating in Project Learning Tree workshops and other environmental education events. Materials include large poster reproductions of original drawings from the exhibit and art lesson plans with activities for grades K-2, 3-5, and 6-8. Arkansas artists and art educators Virmarie DePoyster and Lisa Krannichfeld Walden authored the lesson plans to meet State Frameworks and Common Core guidelines. ACNMWA produced the classroom materials with the support of Entergy Arkansas grants in 2013 and 2014, and a 2013 grant from the School of Forest Resources at the University of Arkansas at Monticello. The program is also supported in part by the Arkansas Arts Council, an agency of the Department of Arkansas Heritage, and by the National Endowment for the Arts. “Linda Williams Palmer’s work is so relatable—every child in Arkansas knows what it’s like to put colored pencil to paper,” said Tom Kennedy, vice president of public affairs, Entergy Arkansas, Inc. “Entergy Arkansas supported the touring exhibit last year, and this year we’re excited to be a partner in this collaborative, educational project.” “By supporting Growing Champion Classrooms, we at Entergy Arkansas hope
(Left to right) Max Braswell, Arkansas Forestry Association (AFA); champion tree artist Linda Williams Palmer; Rob Beadel, AFA Education Foundation; Dr. Robert Ficklin, University of Arkansas at Monticello School of Forest Resources, artist and educator Lisa Krannichfeld; Tom Kennedy, Entergy Arkansas; artist and educator Virmarie DePoyster; and artist and project coordinator Barbara Satterfield were on hand to announce the Growing Champion Classrooms lesson plans and posters for use in Arkansas classrooms. Arkansas educators see these inspiring images of our most magnificent trees as a way to teach art, math, history and conservation,” Kennedy said. “We’re happy to be part of what we feel is a very worthwhile project,” said Dr. Philip Tappe, dean of the UAM School of Forest Resources. “Arkansas has a rich diversity of natural resources, and it is vitally important that we provide the next generation with an appreciation and understanding of the incredible resources in this state.” Growing Champion Classrooms materials are available on the AFA website at www.arkforests.org/ growingchampionclassrooms.html. Remaining venues for the art exhibit include • Peel-Compton Gardens, Bentonville (June 15 - Aug 2) • Arkadelphia Arts Center/Ritz Theater, Arkadelphia (Aug 17 - Oct 4)
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School of Forest Resources/Spencer Fine Arts Gallery, University of Arkansas at Monticello (Oct 12 - Dec 6)
More information about the exhibit and educational options can be found at www. ChampionTreesExhibit.com. “The Arkansas Committee has been fortunate to work with Entergy Arkansas and The School of Forest Resources. Their dedication to philanthropy has made this enrichment project a reality,” said Barbara Satterfield, ACNMWA member and project manager. “We hope that teachers and students will use and enjoy these excellent materials, and be inspired to learn more about and preserve our natural resources, as well as create original art. Both are laudable outcomes of the initiative.” Plum Creek and Domtar are Champion-level sponsors of the exhibit.
CALENDAR July 9 Executive Committee 10 a.m. - AFA Office, Little Rock August 2 Drew County Log A Load For Kids UA Monticello, Monticello August 13 Tree Farm Committee 10 a.m. - AFA Office, Little Rock September 3 Program Committee 10 a.m. - Hot Springs September 9 Forest Practices Committee 9:30 a.m. - AFA Office, Little Rock September 13 River Valley Log A Load For Kids L.V. Williamson Boys and Girls Club Russellville September 23-25 69th AFA Annual Meeting Arlington Resort Hotel and Spa Hot Springs September 27 Bradley County Log A Load For Kids Hermitage
Annual Meeting features AFRC, Weyerhaeuser CEO Simons
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he AFA Program Committee and staff have put together an outstanding agenda for the 69th Annual Meeting, September 23-25, at the Arlington Resort Hotel & Spa in Hot Springs. On Tuesday, September 23, we will have golf at Hot Springs County Club and skeet/trap shooting at Mountain Valley Sportsman’s Association, a Women in Forestry lunch, a forest landowner workshop, an AFA Board of Directors meeting and a reception, followed by dinner on your own. Wednesday is a full day of general sessions, with topics touching on every aspect of forestry. The program begins with a keynote address from Weyerhaeuser President and CEO Doyle Simons. After Simons’s presentation, Weyerhaeuser we will hear from Dr. President and Phil Tappe, dean of the CEO Doyle UA Monticello School Simons of Forest Resources and director of the Arkansas Forest Resources
Center (AFRC), who will set the tone for a series of presentations focusing on AFRC research. Topics include markets/economic development, biobased products and innovation, UA Division of Agriculture overview, improving forest resiliency, forests’ contribution to a sustainable society, and wildlife. At the end of the day, we will adjourn and travel to the Hot Springs Farmers and Artisans Market for a barbecue dinner and entertainment. The meeting concludes Thursday morning with a breakfast honoring AFA award winners. “Each year, we look forward to providing our members with excellent networking and learning opportunities at the AFA annual meeting,” said AFA Executive Vice President Max Braswell. “And by partnering with the Arkansas Forest Resources Center, we can showcase the outstanding, relevant research being conducted in our state.” Registration information will be available in early August. If you would like to be a sponsor or exhibitor, contact Jennifer Lambert Johnson at jjohnson@arkforests. org or (501) 374-2441.
USDA announces funding for turning biomass into energy
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he U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced financial support for agriculture producers and energy facilities working to turn renewable biomass materials into clean energy. The support comes through the Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP), reauthorized by the 2014 Farm Bill. BCAP is part of the national strategy to reduce U.S. reliance on foreign oil, improve domestic energy security and reduce carbon pollution, while expanding markets for agricultural products made in rural America. BCAP provides incentives to farmers, ranchers and forest landowners to establish, maintain and harvest biomass for heat, power, bio-based products and biofuels. The eligibility rules for the resumption of Collection, Harvesting, Storage and Transportation (CHST) matching payments
points to limitations of $20/dry ton, with sourcing restrictions for woody and agricultural biomass. Qualifying woody biomass will be required to come from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and/ or National Forest System lands forest health and restoration activities and directly from the land. Agricultural biomass appears to have the same “directly from the land” requirement (i.e. not a commercial byproduct). Agriculture residues, such as corn cobs and stalks, also may qualify as energy-producing feedstock. For 2014, the only woody residue eligible in Arkansas is that from one of the state’s National Forests. BCAP also provides financial assistance to farmers and ranchers who establish and maintain new crops of energy biomass. Of the total $25 million per year authorized for BCAP, the 2014 Farm Bill provides up
to 50 percent ($12.5 million) each year for matching payments of biomass residues under the CHST provisions. BCAP matching payments will resume this summer, while crop establishment incentives will begin in 2015. USDA is also accepting applications from companies seeking to offset the costs associated with converting fossil fuel systems to renewable biomass fuel systems, while USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) announced the availability of $2.5 million in grants to enhance national energy security through the development of bio-based transportation fuels, biopower, and new bio-based products. Contact your local Farm Service Agency office for more information or to apply.
Committee publishes guide to Arkansas’s vascular plants
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he Arkansas Vascular Flora Committee (AVFC) recently announced the release of a new book—the Atlas of the Vascular Plants of Arkansas. This is the most comprehensive accounting of the wild plants of Arkansas ever published and summarizes nearly 200 years of data on the state’s flora.
The goal of the committee is to eventually publish the Manual of the Flora of Arkansas, a definitive treatment of the state’s vascular plants. These materials will be welcomed by botanists, ecologists, educators, gardeners, outdoor enthusiasts, conservationists and anyone interested in the plants of Arkansas. They will provide useful information in planning for Arkansas’s ecological future, and give researchers, teachers and students the tools they need to understand the many ways that plants impact our lives—providing food, medicine, building materials, energy, raw materials for industry, clean air and clean water.
Vascular plants include most of the plants you see every day. The term “vascular” refers to the internal tissues that transport water, minerals, and photosynthetic materials throughout their roots, stems and leaves. Plants with vascular tissues, often called the higher plants, make up the majority of species found on the Earth. Nonvascular, or lower, plants (like algae, mosses, and liverworts) lack such conducting tissues. So how many kinds of vascular plants are found in the wild in Arkansas, and where are they located? The newly-published atlas documents 2,892. Each species is presented along with a county-level distribution map showing where it has been vouchered—officially documented by the collection of a pressed and dried herbarium specimen. These maps are the result of nearly 200 years of collecting by hundreds of professional and amateur botanists, including many students at Arkansas colleges and universities. In fact, hundreds of thousands of such specimens were examined by committee members during the preparation of the atlas.
The atlas also features introductory chapters illustrated with full-color maps and images. Topics include the history of botanical exploration in Arkansas, an overview of the state’s geology, and an in-depth discussion of how the soils, climate, and physical features of the state affect the vegetation found here. Several appendices provide additional information: plants previously but erroneously reported as occurring in Arkansas, plants reported as occurring in Arkansas but not verified by specimens, plants endemic to (found only in) Arkansas, and a list of those plants of conservation concern in the state.
Service forester’s handbook available
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he Service Forester’s Handbook is a highly sought after tool used by foresters and natural resource professionals working in the field. This convenient pocket guide is a quick-reference for basic forest and land measurements, volume tables, silvicultural recommendations, site index curves, forest measurement formulas and more. The handbook, last updated in 1986, has had a content and delivery update, thanks to the office of the Southern Regional Forester.
Also, given the current trends in mobile technology, SREF, in partnership with the University of Georgia’s College of Agriculture, has hired a full-time mobile applications developer to create mobile app versions of the handbook. The mobile app, Service Forester’s Toolkit, will be available for iOS by Summer 2014 and for Android by Fall 2014.
Southern Regional Extension Forestry (SREF) staff, working with experts in the field, have updated and organized all existing information, including modern, state of
For more information on this project, please contact Bill Hubbard at whubbard@sref. info. View the Service Forester’s Handbook online at handbook.sref.info.
the art approaches to forest management, to redesign the overall look and feel of the book.
Copies are available from the University of Arkansas Herbarium. Ordering information is available at the Arkansas Vascular and Flora Committee order form site at goo.gl/ nzEvpz.
Member news... >> The Board of Directors of American Forest Management, Inc. (AFM) elected Andrew Ferguson as its Chief Executive Officer effective January 1, 2015. Ferguson will succeed Robert (Robin) M. Jolley, Jr. upon his retirement at the end of 2014. Ferguson began his career with Union Camp as a land management Forester in 1990, additional positions included wood procurement and inventory/ planning. He joined AFM in 1999 as Forest Management Planner. >> International Paper Chairman and CEO John Faraci announced that Mark S. Sutton has been promoted to president and chief operating officer and elected a member of the company’s board of directors effective immediately. In this new role Sutton will immediately assume responsibility for the operations of the company and will continue to report to Faraci. Most recently, Sutton served as International Paper senior vice president, industrial packaging.
Timber harvesting equipment sales tax exemption in effect From Larry Boccarossa Arkansas Timber Producers Association
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ffective July 1, 2014, the gross receipts or gross proceeds derived from the sale of off-road timber harvesting machinery, off-road timber harvesting new and used equipment, and related attachments for such machinery and equipment when sold to or used by a person engaged primarily in the harvesting of timber, are exempt from state and local sales tax. Sellers of eligible timber harvesting machinery, equipment and related attachments will apply the sales tax exemption for eligible purchasers at the time of sale. The machinery, new or used equipment, and related attachments are exempt only if they are: Purchased by a person whose primary activity is the harvesting of timber, and Used exclusively in the off-road activity of the harvesting of timber. What counts? Skidders, feller-bunchers,
delimbers of all kinds, chippers of all kinds, and bulldozers equipped with grapples used as skidders. How does the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration define Primary Activity? This means that the principal business activity of the person
purchasing the equipment under this new exemption, and more than 50% of those business resources, are committed to the harvesting of timber. This exemption has the potential to help save timber producers significant money on the purchase of much-needed equipment for replacement, upgrade or expansion.
Thank you to this month’s communications sponsor!
L.D. Long, Inc. Monticello, Arkansas (870) 723-4305 For more information about AFA communications sponsorship opportunities, contact Communications Director Anna Swaim at (501) 374-2441.