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November
2009
Forests are a treasure trove of limbs and bark that can be made into alternative fuels and some worry the increasing trend of using that logging debris will make those materials too scarce, harming the woodlands... Researchers led by University of Minnesota forest expert Dennis Becker reported this summer that many would-be investors are uneasy about supplies of waste wood.
Minnesota Public Radio
Bio-fuel growth raises concerns about forests
By JOHN FLESHER (AP) – 6 hours ago [accessed 11/23/2009]
PARK FALLS, Wis. — Forests are a treasure trove of limbs and bark that can be made into alternative fuels and some worry the increasing trend of using that logging debris will make those materials too scarce, harming the woodlands.
...Researchers led by University of Minnesota forest expert Dennis Becker reported this summer that many would-be investors are uneasy about supplies of waste wood.
They fear environmental reviews and litigation could make some public woodlands unreliable sources, particularly in the West, where most forest lands are under federal ownership and logging often raises legal tussles, the report said.
Another problem with woody biomass is that much of the supply is in protected areas, or so far from markets that removing and transporting it would be too expensive, Becker said.
He led a separate study that found a realistic estimate of biomass available in Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin was 4.1 million tons a year. Annual demand soon could reach 5.7 million tons, it said.
"A lot of folks believe there's a significant amount of woody biomass that can be used for renewable energy," Becker said. "In reality, not everything that's physically available is economically feasible or environmentally sustainable."
State and federal officials say there's enough material left over from harvesting the nation's forests to help reduce dependence on foreign oil, curb greenhouse gases and build a green economy.... Full story.pdf
University of Minnesota is awarded $2.7 million grant for forest biomass research project
Contacts:
Becky Beyers, College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences, (612) 626-5754
Patty Mattern, University News Service, (612) 624-2801, mattern@umn.edu
MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (11/18/2009) — A new $2.7 million grant from the federal agriculture and energy departments will fund a University of Minnesota-led multistate study of whether forest-based biofuels are viable and sustainable.
The study, led by Anthony D’Amato, an assistant professor in the U of M’s Department of Forest Resources, will involve analyzing the potential ecological and economic costs and benefits of harvesting woody biomass from the more than 50 million acres of forestland in the lake states of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan. Harvesting woody biomass involves collecting and processing the leftover branches and leaves from logging large trees, as well as gathering smaller trees and shrubs from woody areas.
All three states currently have large-scale experiments under way to assess how different levels of woody biomass removal affect forest vegetation, soil nutrients, and carbon cycling over varying lengths of time as well as quantifying how much biomass is available and whether harvesting it makes sense logistically and economically. The newly funded project provides a more regional, comprehensive approach to those questions, D’Amato said, and also will help estimate the amount of fossil-fuel emissions that could be sustainably offset by using woody biomass as fuel.
The northern lake states, with their large tracts of forest land, have been identified as a region with great potential for supplying a woody biomass industry, D’Amato said.
“But the key is to make sure we’re not compromising the long-term sustainability of the benefits we value from forests to achieve short-term benefits,” he said
The grant is part of a $24 million, 12-grant package from the USDA and Department of Energy aimed at researching and developing technologies to produce biofuels, bioenergy and other high-value biobased products. Energy secretary Steven Chu said in announcing the grants that the goal of the projects is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 50 percent.
Most of the grants are to private industry, but four were made to universities. Each grant recipient must contribute a minimum of 20 percent in matching funds; the U of M’s project is co-funded by the Minnesota Forest Resources Council and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Collaborators on this project include researchers from the University of Wisconsin USDA Forest Service Northern Research Station, and University of Missouri.
Grant to assess area forests' biomass potential
John Myers
Duluth News Tribune
11/13/2009
The feds want to know if there’s enough wood in Great Lakes forests to handle the growing demand for biomass energy, and they’re giving the University of Minnesota $2.7 million to find out.
The grant, announced Thursday from the departments of Agriculture and Energy, is part of $24 million slated for initiatives to “research and develop technologies to produce biofuels, bioenergy and high-value bio-based products.” The U of M study is one of the largest projects funded in the grant round, and one of the few that doesn’t promise to develop any new technology but instead will look at whether the current forest biomass surge can be sustained.
“It seems like every other day there’s a proposal to put a [biomass] plant in,’’ said Tony D’Amato, a professor in the university’s Forest Services Department who is leading the four-year project. “What we don’t know is whether there’s really enough wood out there to handle the potential demand, and whether it’s sustainable over the long haul environmentally, socially or economically.’’
Several biomass plants already have been built in the Northland and several more have been proposed. Most of them burn wood and wood waste — such as tree parts left over after traditional logging — to create steam and electricity. Some plan on using fast-growing trees planted just for energy. Still others would turn trees and brush into an ethanol fuel.
Biomass is considered a sustainable energy alternative to oil and gas because it’s locally grown, can be renewed as trees re-grow and because it’s considered carbon neutral — carbon that’s emitted is absorbed by new trees that grow in the forest.
Recent reports from other, smaller-scale research suggest that there is ample wood available that can be harvested with minimal environmental impacts if precautions are taken. But they also indicate the economics of the process are questionable because of the labor and transportation costs to get the wood to market.
Saving the ash tree, Seed by Seed
Bill McAuliffe
11/01/2009
Most of Minnesota's ash trees seem doomed, but the rush is on to preserve their seeds in hopes of saving the species.
.... “If we can store them for 20 years, we’re basically buying time,” David said. “Once the entomologists figure out a way to control emerald ash borer, we can then reintroduce that species into areas where we know it historically existed.”
Read more>>
September
2009
U scientists say northern Minnesota's dying birch trees could be consequence of global warming
Dennis Lien
09/16/2009
Pioneer Press
..."
Frelich and Peter Reich, regents professor in the U's department of forest resources, recently published a paper in the journal Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment that pulls together their research...."
Read more
Also see/hear at:
Minnesota Public Radio
Extended MPR interview with Lee Frelich about the study
July
2009
Cloquet celebrates 100 years of forestry
The Cloquet Forestry Center celebrated its centennial in late July with a week of open house, research tours and get-togethers for alumni and friends. The 3,500-acre center, founded in 1909, is one of the nation's oldest forestry research centers and home to research, teaching and outreach in a variety of environmental and forestry fields.
At right: Department of Forest Resources associate professor Tony D'Amato showed how new red pine is regenerating in the forest.
Two panels that both recommend environmental projects to state lawmakers are at the early stages of working through their differences and charting a course to work together... The OHC will choose it projects later this year and early next year. OHC is also putting together a 25-year plan later this year, said Mike Kilgore, a University of Minnesota forestry professor and chair of the OHC.
St. Paul Legal Ledger
07/16/2009
Ten years after millions of trees blew down in Minnesota's pristine Boundary Waters Wilderness, the forest is in the midst of a comeback... University of Minnesota ecologist Lee Frelich said the evolution of the forest leaped ahead because of the blowdown. "In this case, the wind came and wiped out the old pine forest in a few minutes, and they were able to start taking over immediately because they were small seedlings on the forest floor," Frelich said.
Minnesota Public Radio
Ely Timberjay
07/06/2009
June 2009
Mike Kilgore says the green Minnesotans pay in a higher tax beginning Wednesday will mean a greener Minnesota in a year... The University of Minnesota professor said the 12-member council received 99 requests for funds and handed lawmakers a recommendation, which was accepted, for 18 projects.
Detroit Lakes Tribune06/29/2009
Cloquet Center Highlights 100 Years of Forestry
The Cloquet Forestry Center will celebrate 100 years of education, research, and outreach from July 20-25. Established in 1909, the Center is the longest continuously operating forestry field station of its kind in the United States. The celebration includes open houses, research demonstrations, workshops and an alumni reunion barbecue.
"Speaking of Science" with Kristen Nelson
 The latest installment of "Speaking of Science" is now online. This month's interviewee is Kristen Nelson, associate professor in the departments of Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Biology and Forest Resources. This series of interviews between CFANS dean Allen Levine and key faculty and staff showcases the research and outreach work happening throughout the college. Past interviews can be downloaded on ITunes U.
Read the Q and A with Kristen Nelson
Listen to an audio clip from the interview with Kristen Nelson
May 2009
Mae Davenport, Ph.D., appointed as Assistant Professor of Human Dimensions of Natural Resources and Environment
May 26, 2009 – St. Paul, MN - Dr. Mae Davenport has accepted an appointment as Assistant Professor of Human Dimensions of Natural Resources and Environment beginning summer 2009. Dr. Davenport comes to us from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale where she has been teaching and conducting research with their Department of Forestry. Her background includes a bachelor’s degree from the College of St. Scholastica in Duluth, MN, a Masters in Forestry – Recreation Management from the University of Montana, Missoula, and her Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota’s Natural Resources Science and Management program.
Dr. Davenport’s research has focused on two primary areas within the human dimensions discipline: human beliefs, attitudes and behaviors as well as community capacity for ecosystem planning and management. She is committed to practical research to solve today’s complex natural resource management problems, and her work has emphasized the application of interdisciplinary and collaborative approaches to do so.
The unique abilities, skills, and knowledge set that Dr. Davenport brings to the campus will add crucial strength to departmental and College education, research and outreach efforts.
Tearing apart trees brings students together
Students participated in the pulp toss, bucksaw and other events at this year’s Foresters’ Day.
Elizabeth Sias
05/03/2009
Minnesota Daily
Congratulations to Dennis Becker on receiving the 2008-09 CFANS Non-tenured Faculty Teaching Award!!
April
2009
Minnesota Student
Chapter of the Society of American Foresters wins award
The University of Minnesota Student Chapter of the Society of American Foresters won the 2nd Annual UWSP WoodChuck Games Quiz Bowl held by the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point in Amherst Junction, WI, on 25 April 2009. Congratulations to our student teams and thanks to Club Advisor, Assistant Professor Tony D'Amato, for his advice and encouragement. The top team members were: Erin Baumgart, Dan Ek, Ferron Fisher, Steve Rudolph, and Emma Schultz.
Planting a potted tree
Leif Knecth, Special to the News
Northfield News
04/20/2009
The two most important things you will want to do when planting a tree that has been grown in a plastic nursery pot are to root prune aggressively prior to planting and to dig a hole of the correct depth and width... I know this sound a bit crazy, but it is now being recommended by Dr. Gary Johnson from the University of Minnesota's tree research program.
Mike Kilgore: On conservation, let science be our compass
Pioneer Press
04/18/2009
In the North Star state, where the outdoors is our heritage, most understand the need for a compass to steer you to your destination. So when it comes to guiding our investments in conservation, science must be our compass.
In November, Minnesotans made a constitutional commitment to devote additional funding for conservation. This wasn't the first time. Since 1988, voters have amended the state constitution four times to support conservation and the outdoors. Yet, given the economic situation we face as a nation, November's decision was an extraordinary pledge.
The amendment dedicated proceeds from a sale-tax increase to four purposes: clean water; conservation (including wildlife habitat); parks and trails; and arts and culture. I'm involved in the effort to help set priorities for the conservation portion of the amendment proceeds, and that's the subject of this column.
Armed with a dedicated source for conservation funding (estimated to be $77 million per year initially and grow thereafter) and a 25-year constitutional mission to "restore, protect and enhance wetlands, prairies, forests and habitat for fish, game, and wildlife," the question becomes: What compass will Minnesotans use to determine where and how best to invest these funds to make the most meaningful conservation impact?
The answer: Science and the best resource management practices that come from it must drive the state's conservation investments. Because science is grounded in thesystematic and unbiased collection and analysis of data, following it increases the likelihood of achieving the public's will for effective conservation outcomes and decreases the dependence on ideology or belief to accomplish that goal.
The good news is there's work under way to reach our destination using science as our guide.
Since December, 12 individuals (four legislators and eight citizen-conservation volunteers), known as the Lessard Outdoor Heritage Council, have been working to provide the Legislature with recommendations on how to achieve this mission. By law, the council submitted its first year's conservation funding recommendations by April 1, but the decisions didn't come easy.
Guided by the constitutional mission for the use of this new funding, the council sought the help of Minnesota's strong network of conservation-driven organizations and individuals who share a dedication to improving Minnesota's outdoor heritage. The council also made a commitment to let science and "best practices" guide investments to achieve the greatest conservation impact.
From there, the council began by developing principles that would guide its deliberations and outcomes. With these principles, the council then proceeded to carefully review the many state conservation and habitat plans. While varying in form and function, these plans and the resource management strategies they advocate share a common foundation: They were collaboratively developed by the state's conservation community and grounded in science.
For example, existing plans for restoring the state's wetlands make it abundantly clear that not all wetlands provide equal conservation and habitat value. Priority should go to wetland restoration in the Prairie Pothole region of southern and western Minnesota — areas that have lost greater than 90 percent of their original wetland acreage — where the greatest impact can be achieved.
Likewise, the scope of wetland restoration is also important. Science shows us that wetlands with the greatest potential for high-impact conservation include large acreage complexes containing a mix of wetland and adjacent upland cover to provide important habitat for a variety of wildlife.
Similar guidance can be found as well for Minnesota's forests and prairies.
In addition to reviewing the state's conservation and habitat plans, the council also sought input from scientists and natural resource managers to determine the best and most effective strategies for achieving the greatest impact from its conservation investments.
Take the case of shallow lakes. These water basins provide important habitat for many types of migratory birds and wildlife. Yet invasive plant and fish species have greatly degraded many of our shallow lakes. By installing water level control structures and fish barriers, the habitat and water quality of these lakes can be dramatically improved.
Over the council's initial four months of work, it studied nearly 100 habitat protection, restoration and enhancement proposals from around the state, totaling more than $250 million in requests. Among the many criteria the council set for any proposal it reviewed, two were paramount:
1. The proposal had to clearly identify specific resource and/or habitat outcomes, performance measures and a plan for measuring, evaluating and publicly reporting these outcomes over time.
2. It also had to reflect the best available science regarding the habitat enhancement, restoration and protection being proposed.
Guided by science, the council followed an open and systematic assessment process before settling on recommendations that will invest nearly $70 million in 19 key conservation and habitat programs across the state.
The result of this first year's recommendations is a down payment that will benefit both present and future generations. If supported by the Legislature, these investments will produce the following conservation outcomes:
- 128,700 acres of forests would be protected.
- 70,800 acres of wetlands would be restored, protected or enhanced.
- 24,300 acres of prairies and grasslands would be restored, protected or enhanced.
- 343 miles of shoreline would be restored protected, or enhanced.
This is a good start, but over the next 24 years, work just like it can and should be expected by our citizens.
In the coming months and years, the Lessard Council will continue to refine its conservation investment strategy as it seeks to fulfill its responsibility to advise the Legislature on the use of the state's newly dedicated habitat funding. But while these decisions remain to be made, it's certain the council will use the compass we know: good science.
Mike Kilgore is an associate professor and the director of graduate studies in the University of Minnesota's Forest Resources Department. He chairs the Lessard Outdoor Heritage Council, which is charged with advising the state Legislature on how to spend conservation money raised by last fall's constitutional amendment. His e-mail address is mkilgore@umn.edu.
RICHARD SCHANTZ-HANSEN
04/09/2009
Duluth News Tribune
Richard Schantz-Hansen, 78, of rural Carlton, finished his "life marathon" on Wednesday, April 8, 2009 from malignant melanoma. ...graduated with a B.S. degree in Forest Management from the University of Minnesota in 1953....
Read more
Ingrid Schneider, University of Minnesota forest resources professor and director of the U's Tourism Center, was interviewed about how Minnesota's tourism industry is faring in the economic downturn.
KROC AM1340 - Rochester
Millions of Christians will wave palm fronds this weekend during Palm Sunday services, probably giving little thought to where the branches come from... The movement toward eco-friendly palms began early this decade and has been growing steadily, said Dean Current, director of the University of Minnesota's Center for Integrated Natural Resources and Agricultural Management.
Pioneer Press
Star Tribune
St Cloud Times
Hampton Roads Pilot
Tri City Herald
U helps make Palm Sunday eco-friendly
04/03/2009
Minnesota Daily
James Anderson
...Dean Current, director of the University’s Center of Integrated Natural Resources and Agricultural Management, said the eco-friendly palms cut down on waste and help to benefit the communities where they are grown. ...
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March
2009
Churches buy eco-friendly Palm Sunday leaves
03/30/2009
Dayton Daily News
...
The University of Minnesota's Eco-Palms program [CINRAM] does use Chamaedorea palms,..
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State Senate committee passes $69M in conservation projects
03/27/2009
Dennis Lien
Pioneer Press
..."For a first try, it's really a very, very good package,'' said Mike Kilgore, chair of the 12-member council. ...
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EDITORIAL: It's rural vs. metro in outdoors debate
03/16/2009
Trading Markets
... Led by Chairman Mike Kilgore, an associate professor of natural resource economics at the University of Minnesota, the volunteer group has done exactly what voters expected.
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Plans for wildlife, fish habitat with new tax money to face first test at Capitol
Then attention shifts to divvying up tax money for parks, water, arts
03/15/2009
Dennis Lien, Pioneer Press
...The head of the 12-member Lessard Outdoor Heritage Council hopes lawmakers take its recommendations for fish and wildlife habitat seriously and approve them with little or no change.
"That is our hope,'' said Mike Kilgore, also a forestry professor at the University of Minnesota. "Our members have put a lot of time and effort into this.'' ...
Read more
Editorial: It's rural vs. metro in outdoors debate
Heritage Council rightly made conservation its funding priority.
03/13/2009, Star Tribune
"When people were going to the ballot booth, they were expecting that this money would be used to address these great needs in conservation.'' Mike Kilgore, chairman, Lessard Outdoor Heritage Council
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$68 million conservation wish list stalls at council
03/09/2009
Doug Smith, Star Tribune
...Council Chairman Mike Kilgore said he believes the council addressed the metro-region concern by adding some projects and hopes the package needs only tweaking.
"It's a great mix [of projects],'' he said. "The council has put conservation first. We can defend this.''...
Read more
February
2009
Ceremonial ashes have tropical roots
02/25/2009
Charleston Post and Courier
Ever wonder where the ash that's smeared on foreheads for Ash Wednesday comes from?... Eco-Palms is a program developed by the Center for Integrated Natural Resources and Agricultural Management at the University of Minnesota. Dean Current, program director, said the idea is to foster sustainable production of palms and economic development opportunities for Mexican and Guatemalan communities.
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