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2002 October 5, 2002 New Dates for Upcoming Panhandle Chapter Meetings The meeting of the Panhandle Chapter previously scheduled for Thursday, October 10th will now be Tuesday, October 15th. Arlo Kane, with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission will make a presentation on an increasingly serious topic affecting forest managers, Chronic Wasting Disease in Whitetail Deer. Business Meeting and dinner following: Black Angus Restaurant located at 4500 W. HWY 98 in Panama City. Please contact Carol Daughtery by email or at (850) 937-4826 for directions. In addition, the Holiday Social that was previously scheduled for Thursday, December 12th will now be Friday, December 13th. Specific location on Pensacola Beach to be announced. Please contact Carol Daughtery if you have any suggestions. John Bridges to Receive Award as Regional Field Forester The Society of American Foresters will honor John O. Bridges Jr. as one of 11 foresters to receive Presidential Field Forester Awards at the 2002 SAF National Convention. The convention will be held October 5-9 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Bridges is a forester with Hercules, Inc., of Tallahassee, Florida. Initiated by SAF past-president Fred Ebel, the awards recognize foresters who have displayed uncommon talent and innovative methods to achieve a record of excellence in the application of forest management. Forester practitioners are the true foundation of our profession,” says Ebel. “They often operate in complete anonymity, yet their actions are the single most important contribution to the viability and understanding of our profession. This is where forestry truly happens and it is important that we recognize those who perform the art and science of forestry each and every day. Given the regional differences in forestry, the award recipients are selected from each of the 11 SAF voting districts. September 15, 2002 Southeastern SAF Annual Meeting Planned for Macon Foresters should make plans now to attend the 2002 SESAF Annual Meeting at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Macon, Georgia, November 3-5. The complete conference brochure (749K), agenda, and registration form are available in PDF format. On Sunday afternoon, November 3, there will be a selection of activities including golf, tennis, and historic tours. The 2002 SESAF Annual Meeting officially gets started on Sunday evening at 6:00 P.M. with the Welcome Reception. The Technical Program, Forestry in Today's World: Changing Management Strategies, kicks off on Monday morning at 8:00 AM. The opening technical sessions will feature our three state foresters providing an outlook on the impact of the drought, population expansion, and the southern forest resource assessment. The Tuesday Technical Session features a panel of industry and wood products executives discussing future business plans for the next several years. There will be three concurrent tours offered on Monday afternoon – tours include Brender Demonstration Forest, Piedmont National Wildlife Refuge, and Georgia Forestry Commission. Monday evening will feature the annual banquet recognizing the SESAF Award of Excellence recipients. State Division and SESAF Business Meetings; Alumni Breakfasts; Foresters for Christ Breakfast; and State Executive Committee Meetings are all included in the three day schedule. Rooms are available at the conference rate of $65.00 until October 1 or until our room block is filled. Call 478-746-1461, mention the SESAF meeting when making your reservation. September 1, 2002 Local Foresters to Take Teachers, Students, County Council and Media on a Walk in the Forest The County of Volusia, The Caribbean Chapter of the Florida Division Southeastern Society of American Foresters (SESAF) and The Lake County Air Boat Association will take Teachers, Students, Council members and Media from the northwestern side of the county on our annual Walk in the Forest on October 4, 2002 from 8:00am-noon at The Lake George Forest and Wildlife Management Area. SAF members will lead the Teachers, Media and Council members on a Walk in the Forest and teach them about forests and trees and how foresters work to keep the forests healthy and thriving. The teachers will be taught structured subjects that they can take back to the classrooms and teach our future generations. The subjects will include basic introductions to dendrology, forest economics and products, forest mensuration, Forest growth and forest & wildlife management. These topics will be taught in terms for 5th through 8th grade education, encompassing project learning tree activities, which are recognized as one of the premier educational programs in the world. The Council members, media, and teachers will also learn what they can do to help keep forests and the environment healthy. Buses will be provided to and from the site. Those interested in attending should RSVP by September 30, 2000, to Mark Brown: (904) 736-5927 ext 2719. The Walk in the Forest program is part of a national campaign coordinated by the Society of American Foresters. Thousands of SAF members across the country will take school children, teachers, media, lawmakers, neighbors, and others on a Walk in the Forest during the month of October. The Caribbean chapter has about 130 members, working in a variety of forestry jobs. The majority of members are employed by private industry, consultants, federal, state and local governments, while others are retired, and some are professors or researchers at the University of Florida. Through the Walk in the Forest program those attending will learn about forests and their importance to the environment. The walk will also help those attending develop an appreciation of, and respect for, nature. August 5, 2002 Panhandle Chapter Sets Fall Meeting Schedule On August 8th there will be a business meeting beginning at 1:30 p.m at the International Paper Forest Resources office, 117 Pace Parkway, Cantonment, FL. The primary purpose for the meeting will be to continue drafting of Chapter bylaws and the taking of nominations for 2003 officers. Votes on the bylaws and on 2002 officers are scheduled for a business meeting on October 10th. The meeting will be held in Panama City at a location to be announced. The chapter will wrap up 2002 with a Holiday Social on December 12th. The specific location on Pensacola Beach is to be announced. For information on any of these events contact Carol Daughtery by email or at (850) 937-4826. June 3, 2002 Florida SAF Chapters to Meet in June The Big Bend, Panhandle and St. Johns chapters have each scheduled chapter meetings and tours for June. At 9:00 am on June 10, the St. Johns Chapter meeting will highlight water quality issues concerning the Georgia Pacific mill in Palatka. Golden member, Edwin Dew, will also be honored. Those wishing to attend this meeting should contact Scott Crosby at 386-329-2552 or crosbys@doacs.state.fl.us to RSVP or for more information. The Big Bend and Panhandle chapters will hold a joint meeting at Eglin AFB on June 13. A forestry and wildlife management tour of the facility is planned. Contact Carol Daughtery by email or at (850) 937-4826 for more details. April 28, 2002
April 21, 2002 Florida Division Springs into Spring
April 13, 2002 Panhandle Chapter Tours IP Sawmill On Thursday, February 14th, 2002, the Panhandle Chapter of the Florida SAF conducted a tour of International Paper's McDavid Softwood Converting Facility in McDavid, Florida. After a brief business meeting, members of the Panhandle Chapter observed various operations of the "sawmill," including the merchandiser and curved saws. The mill's components and setup are unique to the United States. The only other facilities utilizing technology of this kind are in operation in Eastern Canada. Non-member guests were included in the tour, and represented private industry, consulting, the Student Conservation Association, Pensacola Junior College Forestry program, University of Florida Forestry program, the Navy, the Florida Division of Forestry, and International Paper retirees.
Changes to Bylaws Approved The proposed changes to the Florida Division Bylaws have been overwhelmingly approved by the 91 members participating in the referendum. None of the proposals received less than a 91% approval, easily meeting the requirement for an affirmative vote by two-thirds of the members voting. The changes centered around three areas. First, a review of the bylaws by past chairman John Holzaepfel revealed that since rejoining the Southeastern Section, several provisions had become outdated. For instance, the Florida Division is no longer a State Society in the SAF organizational structure and no longer has its own representative in the House of Society Delegates. The Florida Society of American Foresters Hall of Fame, patterned after an existing program in Georgia, was also created. A standing committee will be created to oversee the induction of up to three current or past members who have made significant contributions to the profession. The Hall of Fame will be physically housed within the University of Florida School of Forest Resources and Conservation. Finally, a review of the bylaws by the national SAF office generated changes that now bring the document into compliance with current national standards. Proposed amendments to the Southeastern Section bylaws that allow the SESAF Executive Committee to change the dues it charges members also passed. The SESAF annual dues have remained at $7.00 for at least 15 years and lag far behind other similarly-sized multi-state societies. One result has been a dwindling of SESAF financial reserves in recent years. If the bylaws amendment is approved, the SESAF Executive Committee plans a dues increase of $5.00 to $12.00 per year. This change would be reflected on memberrs 2003 dues statement from the national SAF office. Florida Division and chapter dues will remain at a combined rate of $3.00 per year. April 5, 2002 Florida SAF Website Has a New Home Atlantic.Net has agreed to provide web hosting for the Florida SAF website. The Gainesville company founded in 1994 offers internet services across the Southeast and was named one of the nation's fastest growing private companies by Inc. Magazine. Working with Atlantic.Net should provide the Florida SAF website with a stable and reliable home well into the future. The site was previously hosted by Gator.net, a small firm that was purchased by Gainesville Regional Utilities (GRU) last year. GRU is not able donate server space as Gator.net had, and does not yet have the well developed system of service and support offered by Atlantic.Net. February Change to Florida Division Bylaws Proposed The Florida Division Executive Committee approved amendments to the Division bylaws at its January 29 meeting. (See related article) The membership at large must now vote on the proposed amendments before they can be finally adopted. Approval must be by two-thirds of the members voting. Ballots should be mailed in late February in conjunction with balloting for amendment of the Southeastern Section SAF bylaws. Both current and proposed versions of the bylaws are available on the Florida SAF website at http://www.flsaf.org/bylaws.htm. The proposed changes center around three areas. First, a review of the bylaws by past chairman John Holzaepfel revealed that since rejoining the Southeastern Section, several provisions had become outdated. For instance, the Florida Division is no longer a State Society in the SAF organizational structure and no longer has its own representative in the House of Society Delegates. A new proposal, patterned after an existing program in Georgia, is the creation of the Florida Society of American Foresters Hall of Fame. A standing committee would be created to oversee the induction of up to three current or past members who have made significant contributions to the profession. The Hall of Fame would be physically housed within the University of Florida School of Forest Resources and Conservation. Finally, a review of the bylaws by the national SAF office generated changes that would bring the document into compliance with current national standards. Proposed amendments to the Southeastern Section bylaws would allow the SESAF Executive Committee to change the dues it charges members. The SESAF annual dues have remained at $7.00 for at least 15 years and lag far behind other similarly-sized multi-state societies. One result has been a dwindling of SESAF financial reserves in recent years. If the bylaws amendment is approved, the SESAF Executive Committee plans a dues increase of $5.00 to $12.00 per year. This change would be reflected on memberrs 2003 dues statement from the national SAF office. Florida Division and chapter dues will remain at a combined rate of $3.00 per year. January Big Bend Chapter to Tour Buckeye Nursery The Big Bend Chapter will hold its next meetingon January 28 at Buckeye Nursery in Perry, FL. A guided tour of the nursery will begin at 10 a.m. After the tour, lunch and a business meeting will be held at the Chaparral Steak House in Perry. The agenda will revolve around our proposed strategic plan for the year. Other previously posted items may be found in the ARCHIVES. BE A NEWSMAKER--Let others know about recent activities or opportunities for involvement in SAF. This website is intended to be a resource for the members of the Florida Division. Its value is greatly enhanced by your contributions. Contact Charlie Houder with items for the calendar, news events, announcements, or interesting links. Also let Charlie know if there are new features you'd like to see added to the site or corrections that need to be made. |
