From the ApSAF Chair...

The Courage to Lead

This year marks a major environmental milestone, one that will likely have been unnoticed and unremarkable to the general public. Forty years ago this April, Americans celebrated the first Earth Day. Inspired by the successful lunar mission, where Americans first stepped on the moon, young people got together to celebrate the earth's resources and begin the dialog about scarcity of resources.

Looking back after four decades, a cynic might say we've moved only imperceptibly toward sustainability. The 40th anniversary of Earth Day has special meaning to me. I was there as a nine-year old in Central Park, NYC where thousands gathered to celebrate. I was a tag-a-long with my oldest brother and his friend. Looking back now, it may have been a pivotal moment in my life. As we walked through the crowd my brother would point out notable figures of the period, like Abbie Hoffman and others who were present and represented a voice for that rebellious generation. I knew nothing of those folks, but was impressionable and moved by the notion that we could change the status quo, even though at that age nothing was further from my mind. Could it have been there that the love of forests and nature gelled?

Having been raised in rural upstate New York one would doubt that I could have had an epiphany in the center of one of the world's largest cities. I choose to think I was a product of the times, when the public started to question authority, their leaders and the direction the country was headed. Is it possible that we can once again be united—collectively ready to face the finiteness of our global resources and the interconnection among our popu-lation, lifestyle and the earth's declining resilience to withstand these man-induced stresses? We can hope that our time has come. But more importantly, we, as professionals and individuals, can act to bring about the awareness that fuels meaningful change.

So what kind of change are we talking about here? Loose, radical, slight, sea, climate-focused change, or a simple change in tonal discourse? It really depends on our comfort zone. Do we want to change the world one youth/teacher at a time, through a cluster of landowners? Or maybe by enlightening a group of policy makers about the benefits of wood as renewable heat, steam, liquid transportation fuel, electricity, or the feedstock of a value added product. Our organized change effort can reflect the needs of today or have a vision for the future.

For instance, a glossy publication showed up on my desk this week entitled, "Tackle Climate Change—Use Wood" published by the BC Forestry Climate Change Working Group and the California Forestry Association. The publication takes a direct stance for the use of more wood and residues in specific places to change the climate. Its authors advocate sound business principles for decision- making and propose a plan to move forward. The"win-win" approach has something for every sector of our community, including the climate conscious, the traditional solid wood folks, the emerging bioenergy groups, the paper and pulp clan, even the certified, sustainable forest management flag-wavers. Some may bristle at the foreword that includes pictures and signatures of the British Columbian Premier or the Governor of California, but these politicians face some of the most precarious conditions of overstocking, fire-prone or insect-ravaged forest that our generation has ever known. Surely, if these leaders have seen the light of the benefits of coordinated management of forests for the future, then our task can't be too insurmountable.

In closing I leave you with my paraphrasing of their six simple steps for success:

• Choose wood products from sustainably managed forests
• Favor wood over products that require large amounts of fossil fuel to manufacture
• Extend the lives of solid wood with proper care and placement
• Recycle and reuse to maximize carbon storage potential
• Manage forests to reduce the risks of wildfire, insects and disease
• Use forest debris to produce clean bioenergy (and bioproducts)

The document ends with the final directive, "make sound environmental choices today that maximize the potential of forests and forest products to be part of the climate change solution." Seems to me that was what we were taught back in forestry school and it begs the question, "Will we, as professional foresters, have the courage to lead, to speak out for the use of wood and be unabashed supporters of the role of forest management in delivering a myriad of public and private benefits? " I am betting on it.

Mark Megalos, NC RF #728, Ph.D
Extension Forestry Specialist & Asst. Extension Professor
NC State University, CB 8008 Raleigh, NC 27695-8008