Wednesday, 26 February 2025
Society of American Foresters Kentucky-Tennessee Chapter Annual Winter Meeting
In January, Tom Kain attended the Society of American Foresters Kentucky-Tennessee Chapter’s annual winter meeting held in Knoxville, TN. The theme of the meeting was “The Silvicultural Cycle: A Practitioner’s Dilemma”.
Day One
The agenda covered large project timber inventory setup and considerations, current timber market conditions, harvest planning, timber stand improvement, and the role of forest disturbance.
Jacob Gordon from F&W Forestry Services got us started. He gave an interesting presentation about the steps and factors that F&W considers when planning a large inventory, including the data needs pre and post-inventory, the technology utilized to complete the inventory, drone use, and other mapping layers. Jacob did a great job in his first presentation in front of a crowd of 140 attendees.
Later in the day, they heard from Dr. Steven Peairs from the University of Tennessee. He spoke about his research on the use of chemicals and fire to control competing vegetation and to improve oak regeneration. Following Dr. Peairs was Dr. Schweitzer, a researcher for the Southern Research Station, USDA Forest Service, who spoke about her long-term study to improving oak seedling recruitment. Both speakers stressed we must have well-developed oaks in the understory before initiating a final timber harvest and the importance of sunlight management to regenerate stands of oaks.
In the evening, they hosted the annual Quiz Bowl. This is a Jeopardy-styled trivia game with students from the University of Kentucky, The University of Tennessee Knoxville, and the University of the South competing for the coveted trophy and bragging rights. The Society also presented scholarship checks to the top students at each University.
Day Two
Tom was the moderator for a panel discussion on the items to consider when assuming the management of a large property. The discussion covered the common topics of inventory, wildlife, silviculture, and fire. Other topics covered included how to deal with adjacent property owners, trespassers, timber theft, dispute resolution, alternative revenue streams, and existing contractors.