JUNE 18, 2009 ISSUE
Free Seminar on Sustainable Forestry Certification
Highland Craftsmen, Inc., in conjunction with N.C. Tree Farm and Mayland Community College, is sponsoring a free seminar on Wednesday, July 29, from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. that will focus on managing forests and forest certification, chain of custody, bark harvesting and the new markets that exist for certified forest products.
The seminar, “Managed Forests = Sustainable Forests; Certification Verifies Management” is open to everyone in the forestry and home industries, as well as anyone wanting to know about sustainable forestry in the Appalachian Region.
Interested persons may include landowners, suppliers, loggers, builders and others interested in forest certification and sustainable forestry practices with a special focus on sustainable bark procurement.
The agenda will be submitted to NCSAF for CFE credits. Registered foresters must sign an attendance roster at the registration desk to receive their CFE certificates.
“What we do in this class is boil it down and introduce [participants] to sustainable practices,” said Chris McCurry, co-owner and vice president of Highland Craftsmen, Inc.
“We ease the burden of small landowners to become involved in these systems,” she said, adding that the seminar addresses what sustainability is, why it’s important and how landowners can become certified in a way that is easiest for them.
Individual private owners hold 57 percent of the remaining commercial woodlands in the country, about 276 million acres, according to the U.S. Forest Service’s 2010 Sustainable Forestry Report.
Entities such as the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) and American Tree Farm System certify that the property is sustainably managed, the logs are not illegal and all appropriate steps are being taken.
American Tree Farm will look at a property and help the owner write a management plan. Even if a landowner is not certified, he or she could be eligible for tax credits and is put in a more competitive marketplace, she said.
“Today it is so difficult to be able to sell goods. [Certification] increases the likelihood you’ll be able to sell products in the open market,” McCurry said. “[Certification] is important on a number of levels: social, environmental and financial.”
The various certifying organizations exist because, although the FSC is possibly the most well known, it does not fit everyone’s needs, she said.
“Bringing your own philosophy and beliefs, you find one that fits you,” McCurry said.
“Having continuous plots of land that are sustainably managed is so important for decreasing the amount of greenhouse gases,” McCurry said. “[The 2010] U.S. Forest Service report reflects we’re doing a good job with sustainability. Making money on the open market is the [main] issue in this region.”
The seminar presents “a very real economic opportunity,” McClurry said. “If people can manage with the easier systems we’re exploring and discovering with the group, then it gives them a reasonable chance to be competitive in this marketplace. It really brings job opportunities to the local area.”
Presenters will include Gordon Warburton, NCWRC; Dr. Fred Cubbage, NCSU College of Natural Resources; Alan Hill, N.C. Division of Forest Resources; Alyx Perry, Southern Forests Network; Richard Taylor, Columbia Forest Products; Speaker TBD, SFI; Victoria Lockhart, American Tree Farm System/PEFC; Tom Inman, AHLMA; Roger Pyle, NCFA; Gary and Chris McCurry, Highland Craftsmen Inc.
Mayland Community College is located in Spruce Pine, approximately 45 minutes from Boone and 45 minutes from Asheville.
Advance registration is required and space is limited. The registration cut-off is Friday, July 24. Lunch will not be provided, but the Mayland Community College Cafeteria will be open with sandwiches and cold beverages available for purchase.
For more information, click to www.barkhouse.com and click “training,” then “training course for bark harvesters.”
To register, call Mayland Community College at 828-765-7351, extension 249.
Want To Go?
Date: Wednesday, July 29 (registration deadline Friday, July 24)
Time: 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Location: Mayland Community College, Spruce Pine
Cost: Free
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