Workshop Highlights Tools to Help Plan for Change The Earth's climate is dynamic, which poses challenges for forest managers. Fortunately, many of the management tools that promote healthy forests also can alert managers to problems from extreme weather, climate change or other stressors. Foresters and resource managers can explore these concepts at the upcoming National Workshop on Climate and Forests to be held in Flagstaff, Arizona, from May 16 to 18: http://www.safnet.org/natworkshop11/index.cfm. Early Registration Deadline is April 2nd!
At the workshop, Dr. Kier Klepzig will share some details on up-and-coming tools that can help managers keep a better eye on the forests in their care with help from satellites and online tools. For instance, Klepzig will report on a tool the U.S. Forest Service will soon be launching across the nation: the Forest Incidence Recognition and State-Tracking System. FIRST incorporates daily satellite images assessing vegetation greenness into models that can alert managers to potential problems. Dr. Kier Klepzig is the assistant director-Research and leader of the Threats to Forest Health Science Area at the USDA Forest Service Southern Research Station in Asheville, NC. Theyve been able to use these satellite images and find tracks of storms that have gone through areas of forest, Klepzig noted, referring to efforts by Forest Service researchers. FIRST can also identify outbreaks of defoliators. Weve found that these severe outbreaks of caterpillars out there eating leaves show up on satellite images. We can track them too. With a FIRST alert based on the analysis of satellite images in near-real time, managers can prioritize problem areas for fly-bys or ground truthing efforts a necessity in these days of budget challenges. Klepzig will also present an online research tool (http://www.forestthreats.org/news-events/additional-news/taccimo-v2.0) that allows managers producing forest plans to easily access and use the climate change scientific literature most relevant to their specific geographic location. TACCIMO (Template for Assessing Climate Change Impacts and Management Options) also generates reports containing available management options for dealing with climate change impacts. Klepzig will be joined by a top-notch list of other speakers at the Flagstaff workshop, which is designed to: stimulate thinking about how ecosystems may adapt to changes; explore the role that managers may have to mitigate ecosystem responses; foster discussion and partnerships among managers and scientists; and make online planning and modeling tools more accessible. During an afternoon field trip, participants will explore the Four Forests Restoration Initiative and sites of ponderosa pine ecosystem restoration, aspen decline, wildfire, and piñon pine bark beetle mortality. The workshop is sponsored by the USDA Forest Service, USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Society of American Foresters, the University of Arizona, Northern Arizona University, the Association of Natural Resource Extension Professionals and Arizona Cooperative Extension. Professional CFE credits will be approved by the Society of American Foresters. The deadline for Poster Submission is March 22. P.S. With only a 90-minute drive, Flagstaff is the gateway to the Grand Canyon! IMPORTANTS DATES: Deadline for Poster Abstract Submission March 22 Registration Fees Before April 2 After April 2 Climate and Forest Workshop Registration $235 $295 Climate and Forest Workshop Registration (Student SAF Member) $140 $235 Climate & Forests Field Trip $50 $65 Climate & Forests Field Trip (Student SAF Member) $40 $50 Christopher Jones, Associate Agent Agriculture & Natural Resources Programs University of Arizona Gila County Cooperative Extension 5515 S Apache Avenue, Suite 600 Globe, AZ 85501 U.S.A. Phone: (928) 402-8586 Fax: (928) 425-0265 Email: ckjo...@cals.arizona.edu
