The Skidder Online

Another interesting article!

Hi: I thought the the article, The Giving Trees might clarify some confusion out there about carbon sequestration, specifically, confusion over stocks of carbon vs fluxes of carbon.  Old forests have large carbon stocks and smaller carbon fluxes for the most part.  The article talks about some of these issues and the state of the science in this field. Thanks, Tom

Webinar: Opportunities and Challenges in Biomass Harvesting in Canada

Save the date!  10 a.m., Wednesday, August 20 Mark Ryans of FPInnovations will present a webinar, "Opportunities and Challenges in Biomass Harvesting in Canada," for our project on August 20 at 10 am. 

This is a reprise of the presentation he gave to our group during the trip to Thunder Bay.  Please RSVP to Lisa at lrluokkala@blandinfoundation.org, and feel free to invite others to attend. 

Here's a synopsis of what Mark will discuss: "The forest industry is a positive contributor to “green” energy across Canada. Moreover, it is well-positioned to take on a greater role in the emerging sector of renewable energy and chemicals from the forest. The recovery of harvest residues for bioenergy has occurred in Canada for over a decade, although until recently, there were only a limited number of operations. Compared to Nordic countries, we have some catching up to do in terms of our practices, guidelines and knowledge of the environmental impacts. However, time is of the essence if the industry is to seize the opportunity."

Thunder Bay Resources - PART 3

Hear what Lori Dowling and Jim Marshall have to say following our trip to Thunder bay. Then visit the Thunder Bay resource page to see additional videos and access additional materials from day 2 (Thursday, May 15th) in Ontario.

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Also take a look to see what Cheryl Adams, Jack Rajala, Mark Jacobs and Bud Stone had to say during the "rotating stations".

Forestry/Green Building Tour

The Consulate General of Canada in Minneapolis has offered to sponsor a member of our group on a Forestry/Green Building Tour that will take place in Quebec during the week of June 16.  Please see the draft program. 

According to the Consul, “this tour will provide participants with the opportunity to learn about Canadian sustainable forest management policies and practices; the three certification systems recognized in Canada and the environmental attributes of wood as a building material.”  The Government of Canada will cover travel costs, accommodations and most meals. Given that the event is soon approaching, please let me know BY THURSDAY MAY 29 if you are interested!

So what did you think of Thunder Bay?

Thanks to everyone who traveled to Thunder Bay last week!  We are busy compiling information and  summarizing key learnings from the trip, which  we’ll roll out on the Skidder over the next couple of weeks.

In the meantime, I encourage those of you who attended to leave a short note below by clicking on comment or leaving a message on the Skidder “talkback line” about the trip  (see below).  Perhaps share a key insight you gained, a  favorite moment,  something you’d like to learn more  about, or just a general reflection  on how things went. Also, if you did not give Matt your  completed “learning freedom forms” (yellow  worksheets), please mail  them to him at Matt Rezac, Blandin Foundation, 100 N Pokegama Ave. Grand Rapids, MN  55744.

Skidder Talkback Line: 1-888-654-2278
Access phone #:  218-327-8764
PIN:   3344

I hope you’ll agree that Thunder Bay  was worthwhile and engaging experience…up next, Scandinavia!

Kind regards,
Bernadine

Carlton Owen Webinar is Online

Click on the play button below the slideshow to start and watch the webinar here on The Skidder.

If you'd prefer to watch the webinar FULL SCREEN then click on link below. You will be brought to a website with the slide show on it. Then look for and click on the icon with the word 'full' on it. The icon looks like this:

Click on this underlined text to get to the website where you can watch the video full screen.

You can download a copy of the slides as well. You will find them in the file cabinet.
 

I look forward to meeting you!

Hello Seeing the Forest AND the Trees participants:

This is Dan Duckert, Forest Specialist at the Centre for Northern Forest Ecosystem Research in Thunder Bay, Ontario.  I'm helping coordinate your visit to Thunder Bay in May and look forward to meeting you!  In advance of your trip, I encourage you to learn more about the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources by visiting  our website. There's a lot of great information that is relevant to your project, such as our approach to forest management, biomass issues, and public policies that influence our work.  You can visit the site by clicking here.  It is also saved in the Skidder "tag cloud."

I look forward to sharing our work with you, and hope to learn more about forestry "south of the border" as well.

Regards,
Dan Duckert

Two days until the Softwood Lumber Dispute Webinar!

Here are the details if you are joining us this Thursday, May 1st at 2pm for the webinar with Carlton Owen. You will need to dial in to a conference call service and also going on the World Wide Web at the same time. here are the instructions:

1. Go to the following web site address and sign in as a guest: https://umconnect.umn.edu/blandinwebinar/

2. Dial in to the Toll-Free Dial In #: (866) 316-1519 and when prompted please enter the participant code: 14223904#


If you are interested in know more about the issue you can learn more then check out:

Software Lumber Dispute

The Canada US Softwood Lumber Dispute

IMPORTANT LOGISTICS INFORMATION - Thunder Bay Itinerary

It’s a short three weeks until our trip to Thunder Bay on May 14-16!  You can find the current itinerary in the file cabinet at the left, creatively named “Thunder Bay Itinerary”.

Please note the following important items related to your travel:

• The flight from Minneapolis is NW 2775 and departs at 12:55 pm on May 14.
• The flight from Duluth is on Bearskin Charter, leaving from the Duluth Monaco Air Facility (4535 Airport Approach Road) at 1:00 pm on May 14.
• “Active” business casual is appropriate dress for this trip, which will include field visits.  Jeans are welcome.  I will report to you the Thunder Bay weather forecast on the Monday before we leave.
• You will need a credit card on which to charge your hotel room (~ $96/night + tax).  Beyond that, you will only need money on the trip for personal incidentals.  Time permiting, there will be an opportunity to explore shops in a Finnish-influenced district of Thunder Bay.
• I am researching the best way to handle currency exchange, and will let you know when I have a sound recommendation.

I hope this is a helpful start as you begin your travel preparation for Thunder Bay.  Please do not hesitate to contact me with additional questions or concerns.  More to come! Matt

The 'Softwood Lumber Webinar' is Ready to Rock n' Roll

Hello everyone - Here is an audio cast update on next week’s webinar with Carlton Owen of the US Endowment for Forestry and Communities. The webinar will be held 2:00 next Thursday, May 1. Call in details to follow next Monday.

 

If you’ve got a question, submit it to Carlton in advance by clicking on the 'comments' link below this post. I’m sure Carlton would appreciate it. You'll see one that is already there from Bob Owen. Carlton doesn't promise to be able to address all your questions but still would like to hear from you. Click on 'continue reading' below to learn more.