In September, WFI Program Manager Angie DiSalvo was invited to speak in Melbourne, Australia at a conference on workforce training needs, organized by Nathan Trushell of VicForests. Nathan recently completed a six-month Fellowship this winter. Angie’s presentation to Australia’s forestry sector—entitled “Embracing Change: Preparing for the Future of Forestry”—highlighted the trends impacting forestry and how this affects the skills needed in today’s generation of forestry professionals.
The too-short trip was a great opportunity to meet with WFI’s Australian network, including Forest and Wood Products Australia, which co-sponsors Fellows with the Gottstein Trust, new board member Vince Erasmus of ITC, WFI alumnus Blair Freeman, and International Educators alumnus Kathy Overton. Angie had only one weekend to be a tourist, and the Trushell family were wonderful hosts and took her on a variety of adventures including visits to the Twelve Apostles, Mornington Peninsula, Lochard Gorge and the Otway Fly, a canopy walk. For more photos, click on Angie and Nathan.
Friday, September 19, 2008
Monday, September 15, 2008
Sell Out Crowd at Forestland Investment Forum
Despite a slowing global economy and increasing competition from other venues hosting timberland investment conferences, WFI’s fourth “Who Will Own the Forest?” summit was better funded, better attended and more profitable than any other. It attracted an unprecedented number of sponsors and attendees. Sponsorships were up 50% from 2007, and registrations were up 25%. “Who Will Own the Forest” has become the largest single fundraising event at WFC.
Registrations for our conference on forestland investing had to be closed three weeks early due to the unexpected popularity of the event. The event was capped at 350 registrants (a new capacity-high for Miller Hall), which included 19 WFC directors. 28 speakers from various countries presented, including WFC directors Dennis Neilson, Bill Bradley, Vince Erasmus and Rick Smith. One WFI alumnus, Claudio Ortolan, of Klabin, also spoke. The event also received continuing education credit from the Oregon State Bar, Certified Public Accountants, and the Society of Forestry.
Sponsorship for the event was at an all-time high of 30 corporations and associations, illustrating the diverse industry support that is critical to puting on a high-class educational program that emphasized content and networking instead of sales pitches. That distinction seems to be well appreciated by attendees, who overwhelmingly rated our event as being better than competing forestland investment forums. We thank our sponsors for their generosity: American AgCredit, Banc of America Securities, The Campbell Group, Forest Capital Partners, Forest Investment Associates, Forestweb, The Forestland Group, Global Forest Partners, GMO Renewable Resources, Green Diamond Resource Company, GreenWood Resources, Hancock Timber Resource Group, Harry A. Merlo Foundation, Jeffrey M. Siegrist & Company, John Hancock Bond and Corporate Finance Group, MetLife Timberland Finance Group, Molpus Woodlands Group, Northwest Farm Credit Services, Olympic Resource Management, Port Blakely Tree Farms, Realty Marketing/Northwest, Resource Management Service, Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt, Starker Forests, Stimson Lumber, Stoel Rives, Sutherland, Timberland Investment Resources, US Bank, and Verrill Dana.
Proceedings are available for order from: http://wfi.worldforestrycenter.org/wwotf4/.
For more photos click on the conference pictures.
Registrations for our conference on forestland investing had to be closed three weeks early due to the unexpected popularity of the event. The event was capped at 350 registrants (a new capacity-high for Miller Hall), which included 19 WFC directors. 28 speakers from various countries presented, including WFC directors Dennis Neilson, Bill Bradley, Vince Erasmus and Rick Smith. One WFI alumnus, Claudio Ortolan, of Klabin, also spoke. The event also received continuing education credit from the Oregon State Bar, Certified Public Accountants, and the Society of Forestry.
Sponsorship for the event was at an all-time high of 30 corporations and associations, illustrating the diverse industry support that is critical to puting on a high-class educational program that emphasized content and networking instead of sales pitches. That distinction seems to be well appreciated by attendees, who overwhelmingly rated our event as being better than competing forestland investment forums. We thank our sponsors for their generosity: American AgCredit, Banc of America Securities, The Campbell Group, Forest Capital Partners, Forest Investment Associates, Forestweb, The Forestland Group, Global Forest Partners, GMO Renewable Resources, Green Diamond Resource Company, GreenWood Resources, Hancock Timber Resource Group, Harry A. Merlo Foundation, Jeffrey M. Siegrist & Company, John Hancock Bond and Corporate Finance Group, MetLife Timberland Finance Group, Molpus Woodlands Group, Northwest Farm Credit Services, Olympic Resource Management, Port Blakely Tree Farms, Realty Marketing/Northwest, Resource Management Service, Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt, Starker Forests, Stimson Lumber, Stoel Rives, Sutherland, Timberland Investment Resources, US Bank, and Verrill Dana.
Proceedings are available for order from: http://wfi.worldforestrycenter.org/wwotf4/.
For more photos click on the conference pictures.
Tuesday, September 09, 2008
Forestry Sites with an Educator’s Perspective
In August, Fellows spent three days visiting environmental education and forestry sites with Educator Director Rick Zenn and Education Forester Rob Pierce. The group tours also included US, Brazilian, and German interns and Mount Hood Community College volunteers from Haiti.
On the Oregon coast near Tillamook, the group visited Cape Meares State Park where they visited a historic lighthouse and learned the park’s natural history, which includes bird habitat and old growth forest. Discussion about managing state parks found many different opinions. “It was very interesting to see how many different ideas the group brought to the discussion about forest management,” said Carolina Cavedon, an intern from Brazil. “Some fellows want to keep the forest in the way it was. Others suggested to plant new seedlings. And a few opted for cutting trees to generate money with the wood.”
The group also visited Hyla Woods, an FSC certified tree farm owned by the Hayes family. Peter Hayes, who sits on the Oregon Board of Forestry, toured Fellows around his managed forest and solar kiln, discussing a variety of topics from small woodland owners to markets for niche products.
Other stops included the Tillamook Forest Center, Port Blakely Tree Farms, and Jackson Bottom Wetlands.
On the Oregon coast near Tillamook, the group visited Cape Meares State Park where they visited a historic lighthouse and learned the park’s natural history, which includes bird habitat and old growth forest. Discussion about managing state parks found many different opinions. “It was very interesting to see how many different ideas the group brought to the discussion about forest management,” said Carolina Cavedon, an intern from Brazil. “Some fellows want to keep the forest in the way it was. Others suggested to plant new seedlings. And a few opted for cutting trees to generate money with the wood.”
The group also visited Hyla Woods, an FSC certified tree farm owned by the Hayes family. Peter Hayes, who sits on the Oregon Board of Forestry, toured Fellows around his managed forest and solar kiln, discussing a variety of topics from small woodland owners to markets for niche products.
Other stops included the Tillamook Forest Center, Port Blakely Tree Farms, and Jackson Bottom Wetlands.
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