| Association of Natural Resource Extension Professionals |
Quarterly Member Newsletter March 2024 |
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In this issue
- Letter from the President
Society of American Foresters National Convention - Ramona Madhosingh-Hector Scholarship Report
- IUFRO EKE: Advancing Innovation with Tradition Conference
Diversity in small forest landowner goals across the globe: A brief look at California, Ireland and Slovenia. Invasive Species Ambassador Training: the next big thing in invasive species management? - Amy Scaroni Scholarship Report
- From the Editor
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From the President...
President’s Corner: Greetings and Happy 2024 ANREP!
I can’t believe January flew by already! This will be an exciting year for the organization – we have a conference coming up in Hershey, Pennsylvania and many new faces serving on the executive board and committees. We also have many new members to ANREP that I look forward to meeting at the conference in May.
I would like to thank Beth Clawson for her service on the ANREP board over the last few years – Beth served as the 2022 ANREP President and completed her term as Past-president in December. Also, a special thank you to Bill Warren, who served as President last year, and former board members Holly Abeels, Secretary, and Amy Scaroni, Southern Region Representative from 2022-2023.
Speaking of service, I urge you to consider making the most of your membership and join an initiative, committee, become a JCEP representative, or run for a position on the executive board. If you think you don’t have enough experience to contribute, think again! Participating in initiatives and committees are great ways to hone your leadership and communication skills and make connections with other Extension faculty and staff across the country. Furthermore, ANREP depends on the work of these committees and roles, and they shape the organization moving forward. While it sounds like a lot of work, being a part of the organization is a rewarding and often fun experience. ANREP currently has over 430 members from 37 states and many opportunities to network across Extension. For a listing of service roles and their descriptions, visit the ANREP Committees & State Chapters List.
My plan for 2024 is to continue working towards the goals outlined in the 2022-2026 Strategic Plan, which can be found here. I would also like to start connecting with state chairs to check in and see what the national organization can do to support the chapters. If your state has interest in forming a state chapter, make sure to reach out to your regional representative: Carrie Stevenson (Southern Region), Dan Stark (Western Region), Georgia Peterson (North Central Region), and Danielle Rhea (Northeast Region). Don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns. Find my contact information below.
Also, make sure to take advantage of the features of the ANREP website. There you can sign up for committees, initiatives, post job announcements, communicate with your colleagues or chapter members, renew your membership, and register for events. So, with that, happy programming this winter season, and hope to see you in Hershey, PA this spring! Erika Lyon ANREP President 2024 Educator, Agriculture & Natural Resources Jefferson & Harrison Counties The Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences Ohio State University Extension
lyon.194@osu.edu |
Society of American Foresters National Convention
By Angela Gupta, University of Minnesota Extension Forester, agupta@umn.edu
I am grateful to have received the ANREP Professional Development scholarship to attend the Society of American Foresters (SAF) National Convention in Sacramento, CA October 25-28, 2023. This convention was bookended by professional responsibility. I went directly from the airport to the Extension Foresters meeting. In my experience this is the only regular, annual Extension Foresters meeting so it’s an important gathering to hear from colleagues across the US about their work. In addition to networking with fellow Extension Foresters we hear directly from key federal funding personnel about new initiatives and funding opportunities. Of particular relevance to many ANREP members: the Renewable Resource Extension Act (RREA) funding strategic plan is underway so we should engage to ensure that that important funding source continues to be relevant. I was also pleased by a conversation that emerged around incorporating human emotions into Extension Forestry climate messaging.
This SAF Convention offered perspective on the history of forestry in the US and where the profession is going. There were many great sessions of various lengths. I attend multiple sessions related to forest management and climate change and those focused on family woodlands or family woodland owners. I’ve attended many SAF National Conventions, but have not always found them as welcoming and comfortable as the national biannual ANREP conferences. As I reflect on this SAF Convention, I can confidently say SAF is improving. Its efforts to more fully embrace the diversity of forest practitioners and audiences has significantly improved. I still enjoy national ANREP meetings more, but it’s heartwarming to see these changes at SAF.
The final bookend of the convention for me was serving on the Technology Trials and Tribulations: Demonstrating and Evaluating Advanced Communication Technologies Effectiveness among Various Stakeholders panel organized by University of Minnesota professional Ingrid Schneider. If you’re interested in learning more about various types of communication technologies including standard trail-side placards, augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) and how they influence emerald ash borer management acceptability check out this great video abstract Research summary: improving public perception of forest management in response to emerald ash borer.
Finally, thank you to ANREP for helping me attend this conference. I committed to going to SAF in Sacramento in 2020, but like so much else, that was converted to a virtual gathering because of the pandemic. I recommitted to going and agreed to the panel before the full cost of the conference was clear. It turned-out to be the most expensive national conference I’ve ever attended. ANREP’s support made a huge difference for me. I truly appreciate ANREP’s effort to enable professional development for its members even when the association doesn’t directly and immediately benefit. Thank you.
| Ramona Madhosingh-Hector Scholarship Article
By Ramona Madhosingh-Hector, Regional Specialized Agent, Urban Sustainability, University of Florida
Thanks to the generous support of an ANREP scholarship award in August 2023, I was able to attend the National Conference on Dialogue and Deliberation (NCDD) in Atlanta GA as a first-time attendee and presenter. The National Coalition for Dialogue and Deliberation had not met in person since 2018 so it was an exciting opportunity to network and hone skill-building opportunities in facilitation and dialogue with practitioners, activists, scholars, nonprofit leaders, and students. The three-day meeting (October 13-15) included plenaries, film screenings, workshops, dialogue showcase, graphic artists, and a “walk in the park” civil dialogue adventure. I presented a session on Ripple Effects of Evaluation to demonstrate how appreciative inquiry supports making space for unintended dialogue while supporting participatory engagement and qualitative evaluation. The ripple mapping process was used with two food coalitions and the impact of the coalition’s collective impact work was evaluated using the community capitals framework. I attended sessions titled Dialogue as Co-Construction in an Adaptation to Climate Change Project, and Facilitation as an Organizing Strategy which provided useful insights into partnerships with land-grant universities and the role of dialogue to drive change on an important global topic. Overall, the NCDD offered thought-provoking plenaries and panels on civic life, insights on tools for community cohesion, and ways to assess impact of community engagement, but most importantly it provided space to pause and think critically about programs and the approaches - what we do well, and what we might improve. You can learn more about NCDD at this link https://www.ncdd.org/ncdd2023.html
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IUFRO EKE: Advancing Innovation with Tradition Conference Carrie Berger, Manager, Forestry & Natural Resources Extension Fire Program, Oregon State University
What do you love most about working in Extension? The Oregon State University’s Forestry & Natural Resources Extension Program has been interviewing candidates recently for a variety of positions and this question keeps coming up during the interview process. The candidates want to know what we love about working in Extension. For a lot of us, it’s the opportunity to utilize skills gained through our education and professional experiences; serving people and communities; and/or the flexibility in the day-to-day schedule and activities, but mostly the flexibility to learn and grow in multiple areas of our profession. For me, it’s all of that AND connection. I love connecting to my colleagues, to my partners, and especially to community members.
This year (2023), with help from an ANREP Professional Development Scholarship, I went to the International Union of Forest Research Organizations: Extension and Knowledge Exchange (IUFRO EKE) Working Party Meeting and Conference in Padua, Italy to connect with the International Extension community. The EKE Working Party first came together in 1994 with the objectives to provide information exchange among Extension forestry workers worldwide, to promote the concept of Extension, to improve on Extension programming, and to advance the quality and impact of research on Extension methodologies. Since that time, the Working Party has grown to 400 members from about 70 countries.
While there were so many wonderful aspects of the IUFRO EKE: Advancing Innovation with Tradition Conference, I want to share with you a personal highlight; Franco Bastianon. Franco is a scholar and forester, or at least professionally he was. He is now well into his 70’s and enjoying retirement. I don’t think you can ever take the forest out of a forester, honestly. Despite retirement, many professional foresters remain deeply connected to the land and trees forever. This is especially true for Franco, who hikes through the forest with the enthusiasm and wonder of a 7-year-old.
The Conference hosts, with help from Franco, organized a special, private tour of the Archivio di Stato (Venice State Archives) to view 400+ year-old maps of the Cansiglio forest. The maps we examined weren’t just any maps, they were beautiful works of art that brought to life the forest management plans of the Cansiglio beech forest overtime since 1608. Having a background in wildland fire, I of course was delighted to see fire depicted in these ancient plans. See After seeing the old maps, the next day we traveled to the actual Cansiglio forest! Guided by Franco himself, with help from the forest manager, we walked through this majestic, tidy forest. Once managed for beechwood for the production of oars, timber, and charcoal, the 5,920-hectare forest is now managed to achieve an ‘ecologically stable forest’ with some restricted areas left to natural evolution.
The Archives and the forest tour were exceptional. I especially appreciated learning from Franco, but the most memorable was the 1+ kilometer walk back to the tour bus with him. Franco speaks limited English, and I don’t speak Italian so you might assume we had little connection. On the contrary, I felt a very special connection to Franco. He shared about his family and his wife who he called “Chief Commander.” He pointed to trees in the forest and showed me the oldest tree on site. I listened and observed, and thoroughly enjoyed our slow walk together even while sometimes in complete silence. For me, connection brings meaning and trust to a relationship and allows for reciprocity to learn, share, and support. This is what I truly love about working in Extension. What is it that YOU love about working in Extension?
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Photo Credit: Carrie Berger. 400+ year old maps of the Cansiglio forest |
Photo Credit: Carrie Berger. Franco Bastianon, scholar and forester talks about his knowledge of the Cansiglio forest |
Diversity in small forest landowner goals across the globe: A brief look at California, Ireland and Slovenia.
Paul Butler, Teagasc Forestry Development Department, Ireland; Kim Ingram, University of California; and Ales Poljanec, Slovenia Forest Services
Forestry extension professionals across the globe share many things in common – a desire to assist landowners to manage their forests in ways that meet landowner goals; connecting science with appropriate actions; enjoyment in learning and teaching; supporting collaborations; and a love of trees. At the 2023 International Union of Forest Research Organizations, Extension and Knowledge Exchange (IUFRO EKE) Conference in Padua, Italy, the focus was on how to blend traditional and local forestry knowledge with technological innovation. Sessions on program development, effective communication strategies, and the role of extension forestry illustrated the need for extension to be flexible in outreach and education methods and content in order to address the changing social, economic and environmental conditions forest landowners face.
Diversity in small landowner goals
As we talk to private forest landowners about their goals and objectives for managing forests, their primary concerns reflect the social, economic and/or environmental situations they find themselves in. Their goals in addressing these concerns may not always align with traditional forest management, but need to be considered as a complimentary part of a plan that leads to sustainability.
In California, drought and wildfires have had an impact on the psyche of landowners. Participants of the Forest Stewardship Education Program consistently rank resiliency to wildfire, addressing climate change issues, and drought impacts as their top concerns. In addressing these concerns, landowner goals tend to focus around tree thinning, reducing fire hazards and invasive plant removal.
(Photo 1: Steep slope redwood and Douglas-fir stand which has been thinned and followed-up with prescribe fire. Photo by Kim Ingram)
For forest landowners in Ireland, economic return is a primary goal. Economic support for afforestation from the state is generous, and surveys show 75% of the general public support planting trees. However, there is resistance among farmers for afforestation mainly due to negative social and institutional perceptions, as well as environmental issues such as ash dieback disease that have impacted forest landowners economically.
(Photo 2: Ash dieback. Photo by Kevin/Teagasc)
In Slovenia, the size of the forest often determines landowner goals. Those with large forest holdings are generally oriented toward economic goals based on timber and wood products. Owners with smaller forests tend to have goals of occasional income from timber, but generally use wood for home use (e.g. firewood). Many small landowners don’t manage their forest or their management is passive. Some of them, mainly those owners whose forests are in areas with high biodiversity or in areas where social functions are more important (e.g. Urban forests or recreational areas) have goals centered around ecosystem services and the promotion of ecosystem service-oriented businesses (e.g. mountain bike trails).
What this means for extension professionals
Diversity in goals demands diversity in outreach and education. We must be willing to adapt our messages to address the diversity of landowner goals, while continuing the important work of promoting sustainable forest management practices, increasing workforce development in forestry related fields, and promoting the benefits of forest ecosystem services. We can meet this challenge by utilizing an integrated and multidisciplinary approach that combines traditional and local forestry knowledge with innovation and technology.
For those of us in California, Ireland and Slovenia, this includes: Supporting the development of non-traditional forest markets to address the constraints of traditional markets; Showing afforestation as a complimentary and sustainable enterprise for farmers in order to increase overall forest cover; and Combining biodiversity and conservation goals with carbon storage in areas where forests are not available for wood production. |
Photo 1: Steep slope redwood and Douglas-fir stand which has been thinned and followed-up with prescribe fire. Photo by Kim Ingram |
Photo 2: Ash dieback. Photo by Kevin/Teagasc |
Invasive Species Ambassador Training: the next big thing in invasive species management? Dr. David Coyle, Assistant Professor, University of South Carolina Extension
As an invasive species Extension Specialist, I’ve seen it all (well probably not *all*, but it sure seems like a lot sometimes). I’ve seen things that worked and things that didn’t; I’ve seen good ideas and (frankly) bad ones; I’ve seen people who care and people who are just putting in their time. All this is to say we (collectively) tend to do a lot of things to help manage invasive species and mitigate their impacts, and due to the state of the world and people in general, our work with invasive species is not likely to end anytime soon (if ever!). For this reason, we need to try new things. New ways to reach people, and more importantly, ways to reach people who will then reach other people. You’re probably thinking “but Dave, we have this, it’s called Train the Trainer” and I’d agree with you – the concept is not new. But to my knowledge, there isn’t a comprehensive Train the Trainer model or event for invasive species that reaches across state and country lines.
Enter the Invasive Species Ambassador Training workshop, led by Chuck Bargeron (University of Georgia), Mike Ielmini (USDA Forest Service), and Steven Manning (Invasive Plant Control, Inc.). This 3-day workshop was held December 5-7 in Coeur d’Alene, ID and featured speakers from around the world, all sharing their experiences and expertise in managing invasive species. Participants were limited to about 50 to facilitate discussion and interaction, and the program followed a logical order beginning with setting the stage, to invasive species management basics, to methods to improve success. On the final day, participants were divided into groups to work on scenarios, and use the knowledge they’d learned throughout the week.
The smallish nature of the meeting, and the fact that all participants and speakers stayed in the same location, attended the same receptions, and ate meals together really helped foster communication and the exchange of information. Participants received a binder filled with speaker information and other resources. Each speaker provided participants with key takeaways from their presentations, things that do and do not facilitate advances in invasive species management, and valuable tips like “Those who fail to plan invasive plant management inevitably plan to fail when they do it” (Dr. Stephen Enloe, University of Florida). One handout, provided by Dr. Nick Furman (University of Georgia) focused on words – specifically, which ones are more and less useful in different situations. These words are useful not just verbally, but also for talks, grants, and reports – something all of us Extension folks routinely do.
One of the best talks was from Dr. Dan Tomkins, who runs the Predator-Free New Zealand program, which seeks to rid the island of invasive predators and restore native fauna. His story detailed a long process, which (I thought) was very good for us to hear. To be successful in invasive species management requires time, persistence, and messaging, and his story touched on the challenges and successes in each of these phases. To the credit of the program, just this year – for the first time anyone can remember – kiwi chicks were heard in the wild. Kiwis are the national icon of New Zealand. They are small, flightless, and their populations have been decimated by invasive predators on the island. But, because of this program’s persistence, positive changes are happening.
This program will be held again, and I highly encourage my fellow invasive species managers to consider attending. The wealth of resources from this program was amazing. I know most of us (myself included) get binders from conferences and they end up on a shelf – but this one is going to get used, and that’s saying something. At the end of the day, invasive species management takes a village, and we need as much help as we can get. This training workshop is one of the better ones I’ve attended, and I can’t wait to help put on the next one.
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Photo Credit: David Coyle. Binder provided to participants |
Photo Credit: David Coyle. Word sheet examples |
Amy Scaroni Scholarship Report Amy Scaroni, Assistant Professor, Extension Specialist, Clemson University.
Thanks to an ANREP travel scholarship, I was able to attend the 2023 Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation (CERF) conference in Portland, Oregon, from November 13-17. While I can sometimes feel less engaged at purely research-focused conferences that don’t emphasize outreach, application, or implementation, I was pleasantly surprised to find numerous sessions focused on transdisciplinary research and community-level impacts. In particular, a panel discussion on “working across discipline and difference to address complex coastal issues” highlighted the importance of community engagement in research aimed at addressing complex challenges, such as climate change. Transdiscliplinary research is defined as research that integrates knowledge across academic disciplines and with non-academic stakeholders to address societal challenges. As funders begin to prioritize this type of work when awarding grants, collaborations between academic researchers and Extension professionals will be essential. With our community-focused approaches, and our strengths in stakeholder engagement and information sharing, transdisciplinary work is at the heart of Extension. While this newest buzzword is gaining traction in academia, Extension is well-positioned to lead the way in making sure research is relevant, impactful, and shared with those who need it.
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Photo Credit: Amy Scaroni. A clear view of Mt. Hood from the conference hotel on a sunny fall afternoon! |
Letter from the Editor Sarah Havens, University of Missouri Extension
A big thank you to all that submitted article this past quarter! I will be looking for spring submissions next! If you are interested in being a part of the Communications Committee, we are looking for folks to join the team! Please contact me at havenss@missouri.edu if you have questions. -Sarah Havens |
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