Virginia Division - Appalachian Society of SAF

The Blue Ridge Chapter of the Virginia Division of the Society of American Foresters invites you to attend the 2009 Summer Meeting and professional improvement conference June 3-5, 2009, at the Holiday Inn - University in Blacksburg, Virginia.

Our theme for this meeting is Inventing the Future of Forestry and will feature speakers from and tours of Virginia Tech.

2009 Virginia Division SAF Summer Meeting Agenda
Wednesday, June 3rd, 2009
2:00pm	-	VASAF Executing Committee Meeting
6:00pm	-	Registration and Social
Thursday, June 4th, 2009
8:15am - 8:30am	-	Call to Order and Welcome - Scott Barrett
8:30am	-	Dr. Janaki Alavalapati - Wood-based bioenergy: Opportunities and Challenges for Sustainable Forest Management
9:15am	-	Dr. Scott Salom - Exotic Pests Impacting Virginia Forests: Ongoing Research and Application
10:30am	-	Dr. Valerie Thomas - Geospatial Applications in Forestry
11:15am	-	Dr. Paul Winistorfer - Working Toward the Future of the Wood-Using Industries in Virginia
1:00pm	-	Field Trips
Friday, June 5th, 2009
9:00am	-	Dr. Bruce Hall - Does the Image of Forestry Fit 21st Century Forests?
9:45am	-	Dr. Mike Aust and Dr. John Seiler - The Changing Face of Forestry Education: Adapting to Change While Covering the Bases
11:00am	-	VASAF Business Meeting

Summary of Meeting

Inventing the Future of Forestry
Jennifer Gagnon, Research Associate

The Blue Ridge Chapter of the Society of American Foresters hosted the annual Virginia Division Summer meeting in Blacksburg, June 3-5. Seventy-one forestry practitioners from all facets of the profession attended the meeting which was themed “Inventing the Future of Forestry”. The meeting focused on three elements of forestry. The first was the innovative research being conducted at Virginia Tech. Speakers from the Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation (FREC) included Department Head, Janaki Alavalapati, Amy Brunner, Steve Prisley, Phil Radtke and Val Thomas. Other speakers in this session included incoming College of Natural Resources (CNR) Dean, Paul Winistorfer, and Entomology Department faculty Scott Salom.

The second element was Virginia Tech’s FREC graduate students. Eleven students participated in a poster contest and shared their research with the meeting’s attendees. Katie Nelson won first place for her poster “Small Scale and Amenity Focused Forestry: Filling a Market Niche”. Jeremy Stovall and Claudia Cotton tied for second place. Rounding out the meeting was the third element, forestry education, with presentations by FREC faculty members Bruce Hull, John Seiler and Mike Aust.

At the award’s banquet, Virginia Cooperative Extension’s Neil Clark was presented with the Young Forester Leadership Award. David Powell, Virginia Department of Forestry, received the Division Merit Award, and Jerry Foltz received the Special Volunteer Service Award; FREC faculty member Shep Zedaker was recognized for recently being named an SAF fellow. Meeting organizers included FREC faculty members, Scott Barrett, Carolyn Copenheaver, Jennifer Gagnon, Val Thomas, and Shep Zedaker.

3rd Annual Virginia Photo Contest