Sneak Peek: The Forestry Source, February 

January 31, 2019

The February edition of The Forestry Source will soon be hitting your mailbox, but here's a sneak peek of the action. Enjoy!

National Academies Report
Biotechnology Has Potential to Mitigate Forest Threats According to a report issued in January by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, “Biotechnology has the potential to help mitigate threats to North American forests from insects and pathogens through the introduction of pest-resistant traits to forest trees.” The report, Forest Health and Biotechnology: Possibilities and Considerations, recommends research and investment to assess and improve the utility of biotechnology—genetic engineering and similar technologies—as a forest-health tool (see tinyurl.com/ybor9ou4).

Bringing Music and Nontraditional Thinking to the Forestry Profession
This month’s “The Future of SAF” profile is of Jordan Luff, a master’s degree student at the University of Vermont Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources. In recognition for his work in reinvigorating the student SAF chapter at NCSU and taking the lead in developing educational opportunities for fellow students, Luff was awarded the SAF Student Leadership award in 2018. In his own words, Luff shares why, after a decade as a musician in a punk rock band, he decided to pursue forestry and what he wants to accomplish.

SAF Receives $15K Weyerhaeuser Grant
The Society of American Foresters recently received a $15,000 grant from the Weyerhaeuser Giving Fund. The funds will be split between SAF’s Mollie Beattie Visiting Scholar Program and the Kurt Gottschalk Science Fund.

“Weyerhaeuser is excited to provide this funding towards the Kurt Gottschalk Science Fund and Mollie Beatie Scholar Program,” said Eric B. Sucre, a production forestry research manager for the company and a member of SAF’s Forest Science and Technology Board. “Both of these funds align with our company vision and core values. In the case of the Gottschalk Science Fund, fostering innovation through science allows us to improve the precision of our management across the landscape (e.g., right treatment—at the right time—on the right acre).