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As the world grows ever more interconnected, FER intends to remain on the frontline of sustainable development and natural resource management and to equip its students to handle challenges in these areas by sponsoring a constant stream of international study abroad opportunities, engaging in global research and serving as a partner to various organizations around the world.

Key Contacts

Dr. Erin Sills
Coordinator of International Programs
N.C. State-FER
Raleigh, NC 27695
Phone: 919-515-7784
erin_sills@ncsu.edu

Sylvanet

FER Home : International : Sylvanet

SYLVANET logo

A Publication of the International Forestry Programs
College of Forest Resources, North Carolina State University

Welcome to the homepage of SYLVANET! SYLVANET is produced annually by the International Forestry Program at North Carolina State University. We welcome submissions of abstracts, travelogues, news, announcements, photos, and up to 5 page papers, reports, or perspectives on issues pertaining to international forestry - especially by faculty, students, alumni, and associates of NC State. If you would like to submit an article or be added to our mailing list, you can e-mail Simon Hall or Dr. Erin Sills, the faculty advisor for SYLVANET. To view past SYLVANET articles please click here.

In This Issue:

ISTF-NCSU Symposium on REDD focuses on expectations, impediments and implementation

By ISTF-NCSU

The NC State University Chapter of the International Society of Tropical Foresters (ISTF) held their 3rd annual symposium on April 16, 2010 in the Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources (DFER), entitled “REDD After Copenhagen: Emerging Practices and Policies”.  The symposium featured speakers from local universities in the Research Triangle, regional speakers from Washington DC and Florida, and international organizations, i.e. the World Bank and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Costa Rica.  Their previous symposia were on Biofuels (2009) and Carbon Offsets (2008).

Rachel and Charlie

Photo: ISTF President, Charles MacIntyre and VP, Rachel Cook,welcome participants to the clubs’ 3rd Annual Symposium, this year held on climate change and REDD.

The symposium began with breakfast and opening remarks by Dr. Dan Robison, Associate Dean for Research at College of Natural Resources (CNR).  For the first section on policy issues, Dr. Brian Murray of Duke University examined the Copenhagen Accord related to US climatic legislative proposals and its future prospects. Next, Dr. Erin Sills of NCSU summarized pilot projects worldwide in regard to strategies, actors and sources of funding.  To complement, Dr. Greg Frey of the World Bank highlighted REDD program readiness in Latin America and the Caribbean region. 

After a coffee break, the second section on social issues started with Dr. Pam Jagger of UNC Chapel Hill describing key issues on evaluating potential welfare impacts of REDD projects.  To follow this, the keynote speaker, Mr. Arturo Santos of IUCN illustrated in length how Mesoamerica would be the logical place to start REDD programs.  He argued that locally based organizations which coexist in the forest ecosystem should be playing important roles in forest governance and national REDD policies. At about 12:15pm the second session concluded and discussion among participants and attendees spilled out into the hallway and onto the lawn outside of Jordan Hall, while enjoying lunch from a local Mediterranean café.  This hour break also provided a chance to see posters and original photo contest entrees, with a focus on climate change and tropical environments and people respectively.

Symposium Participants

Photo: Attendees are welcomed by Dr. Dan Robison of the College of Natural Resources.

The third and final session was on science and technology issues. Dr. Nancy Harris of Winrock International explained that with the state of the art datasets, it is now possible to make a consistent and meaningful way to estimate emissions from deforestation.  Next, Dr. Jack Putz of the University of Florida raised concerns about solely focusing upon a maximization of forest carbon stocks, a neglect of degradation in REDD discussions and warned again the dangers of losing sight of other ecosystem services provided by tropical forest.  Finally, Dr. Steve Kelley of NCSU described the benefits and challenges of tracking carbon flows through the Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) process.  The symposium ended at 3:15 pm with closing remarks by Dr. Barry Goldfarb, DFER Head and was followed by a departmental awards ceremony for high achieving graduate students.

discussion Session

Photo: FER Professor Toddi Steelman moderates a panel discussion on policy with Dr. Brian Muarry from Duke, Dr. Erin Sills of NCSU and Dr. Greg Frey of the World Bank preparing to answer questions from the floor.

ISTF Photo Contest

From 19 entries, three photos were selected based on theme, techniques and difficulty level.  Each winner received a newly design ISTF T-shirt and publication at Sylvanet.  All participants have their pictures nicely printed and/or framed.  The three winners were:

Eualyptus_harvest_BJ.JPG

"Eucalyptus Harvest in Bahia Brazil"

by Brittany Johnson, a PhD student in Forestry

 

Sarah Slover entry.jpg

 "Candelario describing medicinal plant garden in Guatemala"

by Sarah Slover, our graduate program coordinator

  

 

 liwei_2.jpg

"River to a Dam in Tainan County, Taiwan"

by Liwei Lin, a PhD student in Forestry

 

North Carolina State University Spring Break Forestry Study Tour: Forest Conservation in Southern Chile

By Michelle Moorman, Susan Moore and Jaime Zapata

   In March 2010, the North Carolina State University (NCSU) Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources, United States, sponsored a week long study tour to Valdivia and Pucon to investigate Forest Conservation in Southern Chile.  The program was designed to bring undergraduate and graduate students from varied natural resource disciplines to the Valdivian Ecoregion during their spring break and teach them about current initiatives and challenges to conservation of the Valdivian Temperate Forests.  Three undergraduates and eight graduate students participated. This paper will provide an overview of the study tour discussing the program pedagogy and learning outcomes, as well as consideration for potential future program directions.  

Chile study tour

Photo: Group at Sanctuario Cañi after a long hike

   Our program utilized experiential education in addition to traditional learning as a means to achieve our learning outcomes.  A traditional pre-trip lecture provided an overview to the week’s theme, Conservation Management in Southern Chile.  The students were then required to write a short literature review based on a topic of interest from the discussion.  This was followed by a class meeting with each student leading a discussion of their research topic. Topics included ecological restoration, public-private partnerships, private conservation, conservation initiatives with indigenous people, land ethic, conservation financing, the role of science in conservation, adaptive management, community-based conservation, and ecosystem services.  Collaborators from the University Austral de Chile (UACh) also provided relevant pre-trip readings for the students. This pre-trip learning provided background information for our field visits the week of March 13-20, 2010.  During this week, we visited with conservation professionals at the Sanctuario Cañi and Parque Nacional Villarica in Pucon, and the Prochelle Park and National Monument, the Urban Forest Park, the Llancahue Reserve, the office of INFOR (the Forestry research branch of the Chilean government), the Coastal Reserve, the Castanos nursery and Pudu Sanctuary and Pilicura beach in and around Valdivia.  The program was intended to provide an active educational experience in which Chilean Conservation Professionals (i.e. researchers, professors, and practitioners) and NCSU students could interact to exchange multi-disciplinary information and experiences. Student reflection was achieved during the trip through the creation of a blog that was updated daily (http://chileforestrystudytour.blogspot.com/), and after the trip by a detailed trip report and research paper, as well as a student-generated departmental presentation at NCSU.

   Through these products, the students made several generalizations about conservation management in Southern Chile.  First, they recognized that effective conservation efforts are evident in Chile, but that they require multi-disciplinary strategies.  Second, they learned there are multiple types of protected areas including publically-owned National Parks, Reserves and Monuments, as well as private protected areas with small, medium and large landholders and public-private partnerships.  Third, they saw government participation as important for setting policies and allocating resources, but inadequate for achieving all conservation needs.  Fourth, they concluded that private initiatives as well as public-private partnerships will be increasingly important and that community-based initiatives will be key for conservation success in the future. 

Araucaria

Photo: Araucaria tree at Parque Nacional Villarica

 

   The students recognized that strategies are needed to improve the value of native forests and conservation.  They suggested accomplishing this through improved Environmental Education and Extension programs, as well as government subsidies and incentives for conservation minded citizens. In addition, they all saw the need for conservation professionals to work with local communities as a means to solve conservation problems such as exotic species eradication, reduction of cattle grazing in the reserves, and illegal logging, (acknowledging the challenges of people living on the forest fringes who have few resources and often depend on these forests to survive.)  Two model initiatives that were studied during the field tour were the Sustainable Forest Management Program with the Lomas del Sol Community in the Llancahue Reserve that has virtually eliminated illegal logging in the reserve and provided needed jobs for the residents, and the community education programs of the Cañi Reserve, which have effectively reduced destructive cattle grazing.  The students proposed that conservation management could be improved through governmental programs that can secure initial, low income subsidies or tax breaks for small and medium landowners who want to participate in the management, conservation and restoration of native forests. 

Llancahue Reserve

Photo: Logging at Llancahue Reserve

   The students observed that Best Management Practices for Native Forests are currently uncertain and require further research, but they believe that the Chilean National Firewood Forest Certification System and the Native Forest Law could improve this, especially if they promote improved scientific knowledge of native forest management with local communities.  Overall, they concluded that Conservation Management in Chile must be adaptive and integrate stakeholders more effectively into decision making, develop institutions that see the validity of adaptive management, and embrace risk.   Additionally, they learned that applied scientific research is important for improving Best Management Practices, as evidenced by the UACh research in the Coastal Reserve investigating the effects of forest type on water quality and quantity.

Students visiting Arauco

Photo: Students visiting Arauco

  Through evaluation of the student reflection and products, we conclude that the 2010 Spring Break Forestry Study Tour successfully achieved our desired learning outcomes.  We believe a field-based course such as this is an important and necessary component of a World Forestry and International Conservation Management curriculum.  In addition, the experiential educational approach makes learning fun and provides students with guided, interactive learning experiences in an international context.  We hope to continue this program in the future and suggest two enhancements: 1) incorporating a service learning component where students contribute to conservation efforts, and 2) including natural resource students from UACh on the Tour to enhance the international exchange (particularly because the cooperation of UACh faculty was key to the Study Tour’s success.) 

Acknowledgements:  We would like to thank the Faculty of Forestry Sciences at the University Austral de Chile, especially Drs. Antonio Lara, Mauro Gonzales, and Pablo Donoso; UACh students Christian Little and Michelle Szejner; Parque Urbano el Bosque and Fernando Bustos; the Cani Reserve, Ecole, and Hernan Vercheure; the AIFBN and Jeny Romero; INFOR, Juan Carlos Valencia and Rodrigo Mujica; and Forestal Valdivia, Jaime Buchner and Claudia Alvarez for hosting us, leading our daily field trips, and sharing their conservation expertise. We also thank the NCSU Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources and College of Natural Resources for their generous support of this program.

 

Liwei Lin, PhD Student, and Professor Erin Sills attend COP 15 in Copenhagen

Report by Liwei Lin

Liwei Lin is a second year PhD student in Forestry and is working with Dr. Erin Sills and the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) on a global comparative study of REDD+ (GCS). Lin and Dr. Sills attended COP 15, held at Copenhagen, Denmark, from December 7-13, 2009 with CIFOR’s sponsor.  The purpose of the trip was to meet REDD+ project proponents to discuss possibility of cooperation in GCS.  Lin took advantage of this trip to interview proponents as part of her dissertation analysis. 

Sills at COP 15

 

There were several side-events held by countries and organizations on REDD+ related issues, providing most up-to-date discussion on REDD+ development. Lin also met two Ph.D. graduates of FER who are currently working at CIFOR, Stibniati Atmadja  (joined CIFOR in September 2008 as a Post Doc /Research Fellow with the Forests and Livelihoods Programme) and Louis Verchot (joined CIFOR in August 2008 as a Senior Scientist with the Environmental Services and Sustainable Use of Forests Programme).

Students and Professor Sills at COP 15

Photo: Professor Erin Sills and Liwei Lin, PhD student, with FER alumni Nia Atmadja

and Lou Verchot at COP 15 in Copenhagen Denmark.

 

Professor Hans Hansen of Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences visits Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources with Nicholson Faculty Exchange Fund

Report by Dr. Hans Hansen

Photos by Colter Chitwood

My application was kindly supported by the Nicholson Faculty Exchange Fund and I had the opportunity to be a guest of  the Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources from November 20 to December 21, 2009. Due to the preparations of Dr. Peterson and Dr. DePerno and due to the great hospitality of the department, I had a interesting, intense and very productive stay at NCSU. Together with scholars working at The Fisheries & Wildlife Sciences Program we worked on several research ideas and actual research project, including a number of comparative visioning workshops for hunters, landowners, wildlife mangers and researchers in Sweden as well as in US. These workshops start in Sweden in February 2010 and will provide the first empirical foundation for further comparative studies in the intersection of hunting- and wildlife management and society. 

Dog Hunting Project 2009

Apart from developing and planning future research collaboration and projects, I had the opportunity to participate directly in one ongoing research project called ‘The Dog-hunting project’ at Hoffmann. The project is lead by Dr. DePerno, Dr. Peterson,  and graduate student Mr. Colter Chitwood. As a result of that I joined a meeting with Dr. Peterson, Dr. DePerno and Mr. Colter Chitwood exploring some the most interesting new research questions emerging from the ‘The Dog-hunting project’. Seen in a broader picture, my involvement in ‘The Dog-hunting project’ as well as my participation in the ‘Boone & Crocket Club’ meeting, have given me an exceptional understanding of the diversity of North American hunting cultures and the political context of US hunting- and wildlife management.

At the end of my visit at NCSU I had the honor giving a talk for the department. My talk was titled ‘‘Human Dimensions of Wildlife’ or ‘Wildlife Dimensions of Humans’ - Emerging new perspectives on the intersection of hunting, wildlife and society’ and expressed how saw my own research in combination with the experiences of my visit at the NCSU. I find that the opportunity given to me by the ‘The Gunnar and Lillian Nicholson Graduate Fellowship and Faculty Exchange Fund in Forestry’ has been rewarding. I have experienced a fruitful academic collaboration and been given a valuable insight in a different academic and political culture than the one I come from my self. I strongly believe in academic and cultural diversity, but I also believe that academic and cultural interaction can exceed borders. My visit has proven to me that there is much to gain from exchange of scholars between NCSU and SLU and I look very much forward to follow up on the results of my visit and continue the collaboration stated with good scholars at the Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources at NCSU.

I give my greatest appreciation to those staff-members at the Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources who made this visit such a good and productive experience. Also a special thanks to graduate student Mr. Colter Chitwood  and graduate student Mrs. Graise Lee.

Dr. Hans Hansen in Raleigh

 

 

 

 

 

Top photo: Researchers at the Dog- hunting project.

Bottom photo: A tired Dane (from Sweden) back in Raleigh after field studies.

 

Dr. Fred Cubbage and Dr. Kathleen McGinley attend the XIII World Forestry Congress in Argentina

Report by Dr. Fred Cubbage

Professor Fred Cubbage and Adjunct Professor Kathleen McGinley from the USDA Forest Service, International Institute of Tropical Forestry (IITF) attended the XIII World Forestry Congress in Buenos Aires, Argentina from October 17 to October 23, 2009.  The Congress was attended by more than 7,000 persons, and included a wide range of subjects from biology, silviculture, to management, policy, and financing.  Fred presented a speech on Global Timber Investment Returns, co-authored with 20 colleagues from around the world.  Kathleen presented a paper on Policies for Sustainable Forest Management in the Tropics.  They also offered a joint poster on Sustainable Forest Management Laws in the Americas, in cooperation with many co-authors in the Americas and Charles MacIntryre, a graduate student in Forestry and Environmental Resources.  Fred had a poster on the Encyclopedia of Forests and Forestry in the Americas, which he is the editor for. The conference was very comprehensive and educational, and concluded with a specific final report and recommendations, available at: WFC 2009. Click here to view a copy of the summary report.

  Dr. Bronson Bullock, a Fulbright visiting instructor and researcher, spends semester in Sweden

Report by Dr. Bronson Bullock

Dr. Bullock in Sweden

Dr. Bullock with a stack of FSC certified logs.

Based on historical, cultural, and geo-climatic reasons, European and U.S. approaches to forest resource management practices are different in many respects that are often wedged within regional tradition.  My instructional and research efforts in Sweden are helping to bridge the gap between NCSU and European forest management systems by giving guest lectures in numerous undergraduate and graduate courses in Sweden from the US perspective; and allowing me to obtain a different perspective from interactions with Swedish students and faculty that I can then incorporate into the classroom at NCSU. I am working with researchers at SLU in Sweden on using new techniques to model forest height and diameter distributions.  The hypothesis is that the new techniques will more accurately describe the forest stand conditions, thereby giving forestland managers better information on which to base their land management decisions.

NC State Students Travel to Namibia in Southwestern Africa

Report by Dr. Werner Dorgeloh

Namibia Desert

 As far as the eye can see..


Each trip offers some unique experiences for students. This year, the early winter in the southern hemisphere was unusually warm. While the normal day temperatures in winter are around 70°F to 80°F, we measured 104°F during our field work. Is this global warming? Even at night we did not need our jackets. Snakes like pufadders and cobras were also still active. The good rains in summer have also changed the Namib Desert into a vast grassland, comparable to the prairies. The silvery yellow shine of the plains, dotted with antelopes was an awesome sight.

Etosha National Park was again a special place for students. One the way to camp we came across some elephants when one bull walked towards the road and blocked us off. Students were thrilled at this close encounter with a wild elephant. One afternoon we had the privilege to go onto the vast open salt pan and experience an African sunset. As the sun was setting we heard a lion roaring in the far distance. On the way back to camp, by now it was dusk, we came across two lionesses as they moved towards a nearby natural spring. They were frequently scanning the area, looking, listening. These were very different lions from the lazy and sleepy cats you typically see during the day. Seeing a large predator in a natural setting on full alert is a once in a life time experience. These were just some of the highlights on our 2009 trip.  Read more about this unique program on http://cnr.ncsu.edu/fer/fishwild/fwstudab.html

Students in Namibia

Huddling in the shade in the desert

 

Student Sadhargo 'Hargo' Koesbandana, PhD Student, Recaps Research Experiences in Indonesia

Report by Sadhargo 'Hargo' Koesbandana

Hargo in Indonesia

Before interview in front of traditional longhouse in the community of Sungai Utik, West Kalimantan. From left: Yayan (CIFOR), Dayak Iban tribe customaryleader, Heri (local NGO), Erin (Fulbright scholar), Dayak Iban man, and Hargo (NCSU).  Picture taken by Nia Atmadja (CIFOR, NCSU alumnus).

Hargo, a PhD student with a concentration on Forest Policy and Economics spent several weeks in Indonesia doing a preliminary survey for his dissertation research proposal in the summer of 2009.  He collaborated with researchers at Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) headquarters in Bogor to understand the possible implications of potential REDD pilot projects in several sub-districts in West Kalimantan.  Among the important factors for successful project will depend on how it competes with other economic activities: market driven (oil palm, rubber), traditional (swidden agriculture or slash, burn and rotate), and subsistent (hunt and gather, tourism, environmental services). 

Students venture into the Amazon for Spring break

Report by Zac Schnell

amazonGroup

NCSU students and folks from San Pedro Village, Peru, display their pack pride for a group photo.  The NCSU students were involved in a spring break trip to the Amazon.

Riding along the Amazon River and hiking through the exotic jungle is an experience that you just cannot wait to share with others.  Having the opportunity to go on such an exciting adventure with a professor like Dr. Bruck (Ph.D Professor at NC State University) during a spring break study abroad program is certainly an experience you could never forget.  Whether you’re hiking through the jungle, having monkeys jump onto your shoulders, or just swinging in the hammock huts, one can quickly discover that life is actually pretty simple there.  Activities participated in during the trip included days of helping a local village, hugging the smiling sloth, participating in a shaman ceremony and picking a banana from the branch to enjoy for the day.  Overlooking the river is truly a magnificent sight that not enough people get to see.  The beauty of it is out of this world.  Our group was able to experience so much of the culture and beauty of the country on this trip and we learned an immense amount of information that we will have for the rest of our lives. 

 

water

The Amazon River.

 

FER Welcomes new post-doc, Katrina Mullan

katrina

Katrina pictured during a visit to New Zealand.

Katrina comes to FER by way of the United Kingdom where she recently finished her PhD dissertation: Impacts of land-use reforms on household behavior and welfare in rural China. Her research used household surveys to analyze the socio-economic impacts of three major land-use reform programs. She also spent time working on the economic costs and benefits of protecting forest biodiversity and the design of a global mechanism for biodiversity conservation. For her current research she will join a team of researchers working in the Amazonian state of Rondonia to assess the land-use decisions in an old deforestation frontier.


ISTF holds spring 2009 symposium on biofuels

Report by Yun Wu

symposium

Steve Kelley discusses technologies for converting biomass to liquid fuels as participants look on.

The second annual symposium held by Student Chapter of the International Society of Tropical Foresters (ISTF) occurred on Friday, April 17, 2009 at E.S. King Village Commons in Raleigh, NC.  More than 80 students, faculty and professionals from around the Triangle and surrounding regions attended the event.  Titled the ‘International Implications of the Biofuels Industry – Social, Economic and Environmental Perspectives, it brought regional, national, and international speakers to NC State to discuss issues on the potential positive and negative impacts of the emerging biofuels industry. The event was sponsored by local businesses Jasmine Bistro and Reverie Café and the Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry (TAPPI).

At the symposium several controversial issues related to bioenergy were discussed: (1) the critical importance of scale issues in wood-based bioenergy and the need to resolve conflicting definitions of bioenergy in different federal legislation; (2) the impacts of renewable fuel standards on land use change and biodiversity; (3) the trade-offs between carbon sequestrated in forests and carbon emission reduction by bioenergy; (4) the economic supply of biomass and industrial practice of bioenergy production.  Varying perspectives were provided by the wide range of speakers:

The symposium was very successful.  It broadened our understanding on the controversial issues related to bioenergy, and provided us with new thoughts and perspectives on a potential win-win strategy to the harmonious and healthy development of both natural forests and industry.


Forest and soil ecosystem service exchange student, Samuel Martins, recalls his experience in FER

Report by Samuel C. Vitor Martins

Sam

Sam at the Bronx Zoo during his spring break trip to New York City.

Samuel C. Vitor Martins came to FER by way of the Federal University of Vicosa (UFV), located in Minas Gerais, Brazil. Sam was at NCSU during the Spring Semester of 2009 participating in the Brazil/US exchange program, Forest and Soil Ecosystem Services.  Sam took courses and did an internship with the Forest Nutrition Cooperative under direction of Dr. Jose Luis Stape. In his forestry courses from Dr. Erin Sills and Dr. Gary Blank he learned about forest resources in a global context and the impact history, society and technology have had on the world’s forests.  Sam felt the courses were really interesting, improving several of his skills, and receiving all the necessary support by both Professors. In Brazil Sam is a candidate for the master’s program in Plant Physiology at UFV. The focus of his research is coffee tree ecophysiology where his research group is studying the mechanisms developed by the coffee tree to adapt to different irradiance levels and drought. Their findings are used to support coffee tree breeding programs and the development of agroforestry systems for coffee.

During Spring Break Sam traveled to New York City and Washington D.C. Visiting the monuments and memorials in D.C., and the tourist attractions, especially the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC were an incredible experience.

ISTF professional networking in Washington, D.C.

Report by Susan McIntyre

DC DOS

ISTF members (listed below from left to right) meet with Mark Johnsen (left) and Ellen Shaw (on Mark's left) at the Department of State during a recent visit to Washington D.C.

Seven members of the NCSU student chapter of International Society of Tropical Foresters (ISTF) traveled to Washington, D.C. to speak with four organizations about their international work. The members brought unique perspectives to the meetings, as they themselves hailed from all around the world:

Yun Wu (China)

Liwei Lin (Taiwan)

Sadharga Koesbandana (Indonesia)

Susan McIntyre (United States)

Koffi Bassan (Togo)

Jin Xiong (China)

Omar Carrero (Venezuela, not pictured))

The first meeting of the morning was with the Department of State Bureau of Oceans, Environment, and Science. We were able to speak with Mark Johnsen, International Relations Officer, and Ellen Shaw, a Forest Policy Advisor in the Office of Ecology and Natural Resource Conservation. We discussed the issues that the Bureau has with promoting and enforcing US policy on various natural resource issues, particularly in the areas of illegal logging in tropical forests and illegal imports of tropical forest products. We also learned the differences between civil servants and field agents and were able to discuss employment prospects and the hiring process.

At the World Bank, we received an excellent lunch and heard presentations from several project leaders, including the Forest Carbon Initiative. Among our hosts was Greg Frey, former ISTF President and PhD student from NCSU Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources. Other presenters included Gerhard Dieterle (Forests Advisor) and Megan Meyer (Carbon Finance Analyst).

We also spoke with employees at the US Forest Service Office of International Programs and the World Resource Institute. At USFS, we enjoyed a very frank and open discussion with Alex Moad, Assistant Director for Technical Cooperation, as well as specialist staff working in Latin America, Africa, and Southeast Asia. They gave us a brief overview of the organizational structure of the Forest Service, their numerous projects, and their plans for the future. They indicated that climate change would be a major driver in future policy, research and pilot projects. We learned that the Forest Service has long been highly engaged with international partners on a variety of issues and has a history of bringing back new ideas to try in the United States.

Our day wrapped up with a visit to the World Resource Institute. After an introduction to the WRI Ecosystem Services program, the primary subject for discussion was the POTICO project that has recently been developed. POTICO stands for Palm Oil, Timber, and Carbon Offsets, the three sources of income for a new conservation scheme to protect virgin tropical forests from conversion to palm oil plantations. Susan Minnemeyer discussed plans for increasing GIS and remote imaging capabilities to better study the forests and monitor carbon projects. ISTF members had the opportunity to ask about and discuss other research being conducted in their countries and regions of interest, including carbon sequestration in China and a new project focused on ecosystem service incentives in the southeastern US.

picture2

Omar, Susan and Jin (left to right) stand in front of the Capitol Building on the National Mall.

The brevity of the trip left little time for assimilating ideas, but we were able to gain some overall impression of how the different groups interact on a professional and political level. The Department of State was largely focused on US policy with regard to trade and environmental protection by trade partners. They work closely with World Bank to promote US interests and environmental priorities. The Forest Service provides significant research data and expertise that help support and shape policies promoted by the Department of State, and Forest Service activities are influenced by Department of State policies. The Forest Service also conducts the most on-the-ground footwork of the agencies we visited, often sending employees to partner countries to oversee and teach silvicultural and other activities. The World Bank is largely an independent organization; but it, too, is shaped by US and other national policies and priorities. The World Resource Institute straddles a role between the Forest Service and the World Bank. By being a private entity, WRI can raise funds for its own projects, and it can promote certain policies, but its primary goal is to conduct research and pilot studies to test new ideas.

One important lesson that we learned from our visits was that we should not put excess weight on earning a position at one of these agencies right out of school. More than one individual commented on the option to enter a “community of practice” and build experience and notoriety within any agency or organization. Working at NGOs can be highly rewarding, and increasing name recognition through communities of practice can open doors to jobs in other agencies in the future.

We timed our visit to coincide with the blossoming of the multitude of cherry trees. The cherry trees were planted throughout the city in 1912 as a symbol of friendship between the U.S. and Japan. The blossoms seemed a fitting symbol of our friendship and collaboration that transcends borders.

Students hit the road this summer for workshops, research and conferences

Joelle Laing will be attending a complementary workshop on biodiversity and community-based management in Mexico City and nearby rural communities in June.  The week will include visits to forest plantations to discuss forest sustainability at the community level and will also include a day of training in ethnobotany and its impact on local culture and biodiversity.

After two semesters at the Universidade Federal de Vicosa in Brazil, Charlie Macintyre will be traveling to the Amazonian state of Rondonia to work with Erin Sills, Simone Bauch and other researchers on a project studying the old frontier of development. Specifically, Charles will be collecting data on newer government colonization projects to compare with the older projects which have been the focus of the group to this point.

Simone Bauch will be presenting a paper on links between malaria and policies at the 17th Annual Conference of the European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists (lhttp://www.eaere2009.org/) to be held in Amsterdam on June 24th-27th. From there she will be going on to Ouro Preto do Oeste in Brazil to help conduct a survey of approximately 700 households in an old deforestation frontier to assess land use decisions.

Yun Wu will be traveling to Austria to participate in the Young Scientist Summer Program with the International Institute of Applied Systematic Analysis (IIASA). While abroad Yun will work closely with faculty at IIASA to develop and expand her research on bioenergy production in the pulp and paper industry. 

Potlucks abound, the ISTF revisits a successful spring semester

The International Society of Tropical Foresters had another successful semester highlighted by presentations from Omar Carrero, PhD student at NCSU, Niken Sakuntalaewi, NCSU doctoral graduate - currently at ICRAF, Pablo Donoso, Universidad Austral, and Aziz Carrell, NCSU PhD student.  ISTF also held a symposium this past focusing in the international implications of the biofuels industry. 

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