smallwood 2012 program

Forest Restoration for a New Economy

CONFERENCE PROGRAM

// SPONSORS/PARTNERS/EXHIBITORS .................PAGE 1

// WELCOME ....................................................................PAGE 2

// PROGRAM OUTLINE ................................................PAGE 3

// SPECIAL TOURS ......................................................... PAGE 33

// CONFERENCE INFORMATION .............................. PAGE 35

// ABOUT FLAGSTAFF .................................................. PAGE 37

SPONSORS/PARTNERS/EXHIBITORS

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SPONSORS

PARTNERS

EXHIBITORS

WELCOME

Thank you for joining us in Flagstaff, Arizona!

Welcome to the SmallWood 2012 conference in beautiful Flagstaff, Arizona, gateway to the Grand Canyon and home of the largest contigu-ous stand of ponderosa pine in the world. I believe it is very appropriate to have this conference here in Flagstaff since Arizona is on the cusp on

implementing the largest landscape scale forest restoration project in the nation, known as the Four Forest Restoration Initiative. Our past summer’s catastrophic wildfires that burned over one million acres in our great state were a stark reminder that many of our fires demonstrate the need to increase the rate of forest restoration activities to reduce hazard fuels in our Nation’s forests. However, it is expensive to conduct such treatments and our current economics has taken a toll on our forest product industries. It is paramount to have healthy forest product industries to enable forest managers to conduct the necessary forest management treatments. Outlets for the material removed from forest restoration activities play a critical role in offsetting the costs of such treatments.

This year’s theme “Forest Restoration for a New Economy” brings together those two critical elements, namely forest economies and forest restoration. The SmallWood 2012 conference will provide you with state-of-the-art information on small tree utilization while fostering peer-to-peer learning. This week, you will get connected with other practitioners and experts including land managers, producers and users of small diameter trees and woody biomass, technology providers, equipment manufacturers, investors and policy makers. Learn from our extremely knowledgeable slate of speakers, practitioners and experts who are actively engaged in small-diameter and woody biomass utilization.

Lewiston, Idaho hosted the first SmallWood conference in 1998 to address potential utiliza-tion options for small-diameter and underutilized trees from forest fuel reduction projects. Enormous quantities of woody biomass continue to be generated today from forestry op-erations, fuel reduction and landscape restoration projects, forest thinning operations, insect infestations, and hurricanes and other natural disasters. These issues drive the need to create solutions for using low-value and waste wood.

Tuesday and Wednesday provide two full days of technical and poster presentations, discus-sions, and tabletop exhibits on a variety of topics. The technical program includes two tracks, 50 technical sessions and more than 60 speakers and moderators bridging a wide array of small-diameter and woody biomass sectors, technologies and technical disciplines. On Thursday, we have three special tours planned for you. You will learn about businesses and operations that use woody biomass in the surrounding Flagstaff area. The tours include a small mill producing lovely wood for homes, a home that uses fire-killed material, a bioen-ergy plant, and forest restoration activities.

On behalf of the SmallWood Steering Committee, I want to thank our speakers and modera-tors, exhibitors, event sponsors and supporting organizations for making this event a suc-cess. I would like to recognize Megan Cuccia of the Forest Products Society for her steadfast dedication to the conference logistics. It is an exciting time to be involved in small-diameter and woody biomass utilization efforts. Take in beautiful Flagstaff, climb Mount Humphries and enjoy the conference!

~ Scott Hunt, State Forester of Arizona and Chairman, SmallWood 2012 Conference2

PROGRAM OUTLINE

TUESDAY, MAY 1, 2012

8:00 am Welcome by Scott Hunt, State Forester of Arizona, Arizona State Forestry Division, Phoenix, AZ and Chair for the SmallWood 2012 Steering Committee

8:10 am Welcome by Mike Williams, Forest Supervisor, Region 3, Kaibab National Forest, Williams, AZ

8:15 am Historical Perspective of the Forest Products Industries in the Southwest Todd Morgan, Director, Forest Industry Research, University of Montana, Bureau of Business & Economic Research, Missoula, MT

Todd Morgan is the Bureau’s director of Forest Industry Research. He oversees and conducts research related to timber harvesting, logging utilization, and primary wood products manufacturing throughout the Western United States. He is also active in the Missoula and national chapters of the Society of American Foresters.

Todd earned a B.A. in philosophy and a B.S. in forest science at The Pennsylvania State University before completing an M.S. in forestry at The University of Montana-Missoula. Prior to working at the Bureau, he was a research silviculturist for the Texas Forest Service.

8:50 am The New Future Economy for Forest Restoration

Catherine Mater, President, Mater Engineering, Corvallis, OR

Catherine Mater holds a Bachelor’s degree in political science and a Master’s degree in civil engineering – both from Oregon State University. She is an Emeritus Director of the US Foundation for Medical Excellence, and was inducted into the Academy of Distinguished Engineers for Oregon State University in 2008. In 2009, she was appointed to a non-teaching faculty position at Oregon State University as Director of Sustainability for the College of Engineering. In this capacity, she has focused her work on advancing curriculum development, collaborative research, and technology transfer opportunities in sustainable engineering, forestry and agriculture to university systems throughout Iraq.

In 2011 Oregon Governor John Kizhaber assigned Mater to the position of Oregon’s special

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envoy to Iraq to spearhead an historic 5-year partnership agreement signed in Baghdad in November 2010 between the State of Oregon and the Iraq Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research.

The Partnership will implement Iraq’s first National Education Program in Sustainable Engineering focused on climate change, renewable energy, and green built design and construction.

9:25 am Policies for Forest Restoration

Arthur “Butch” Blazer, USDA Deputy Under Secretary of Natural Resources & Environment, Washington, DC

Arthur “Butch” Blazer serves as USDA Deputy Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment. In 2003, Governor Bill Richardson appointed Butch as “State Forester” of New Mexico, the first Native American to hold that position. During his tenure as State Forester, Butch was also named as Chair of the Council of Western State Foresters and Co-Chair for the Western Forestry Leadership Coalition. A member of the Mescalero Apache Tribe, Butch has been intimately involved in Tribal issues throughout his life.

Prior to his service as State Forester, he served 27 years in the department of Interior’s Bureau of Indian Affairs as a Range Management Specialist, Natural Resources Manager, and Agency Superintendent. Blazer is the former owner of Blazer Conservation Connections, a natural resources based consulting company that specialized in connecting clients with the resources needed to enhance and protect the environment. He was also a co-founder of the Native American Fish & Wildlife Society, and has served on their Board of Directors and as the organization’s National President. In 1998 Butch was elected, and served two consecutive terms, to the Mescalero Apache Tribal Council. An avid outdoors man when he can get to it, Blazer enjoys hunting, skiing and just “hiding-out” in the vast wilderness of his beautiful Mescalero Apache Reservation.

10:00 – 10:15 am BREAK

TRACK A (American A): POLICIES AND INCENTIVES

Moderator: Patrick Rappold, Wood Utilization & Marketing Specialist, Arizona State Forestry Division, Flagstaff, AZ

10:15-10:45 Panel on Federal Incentives, Grants, and Initiatives

Dave Atkins, Biomass Specialist, USDA Forest Service, Washington, DC and Dan Simon, Partner, Ballard Spahr LLP, Washington, DC

This presentation will provide an overview of several federal and state regulatory


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PROGRAM OUTLINE

incentives designed to encourage the conversion of forest-based biomass into electricity or transportation fuels. It will provide an overview of the status of the current power and transportation fuel markets and how they impact biomass power and biofuels. The session will also provide and identify several of the key federal and state regulatory incentives currently in place, including several USDA energy incentives and state renewable portfolio standards. Discussed will be the future of such incentives, whether Congress will continue to provide adequate funding for such programs, and whether new programs will be developed.

Dave will be providing a status of the USDA Wood to Energy initiative which is focused on integrating programs from the various agencies in USDA, such as Forest Service, Rural Development, Natural Resource Conservation Service and Farm Service Agency that provide either technical or financial assistance that can influence wood energy project development. He will also review the Woody Biomass Utilization grant program and other federal programs that can assist with utilizing smallwood.

10:45-11:15 Panel on State Policies and Incentives

Mike Eckhoff, PhD Candidate, Colorado State University Department of Forest & Rangeland Stewardship, Fort Collins, CO and Darren McAvoy, Extension Program Associate, Utah State University, Logan, UT

Colorado’s forests face threats from two conflicting sources: increasing fuel loads from unmanaged stands within the forests and increasing human encroachment from outside the forests. Combined with current insect and disease epidemics and drought conditions, the state’s forests are in jeopardy. One option for addressing these threats while restoring forest health and reducing costs to taxpayers is to develop sustainable, market-based systems for removing and using small-diameter timber. Colorado’s latest efforts have centered on using this material for energy.

To this end, first, this presentation will cover tools used previously by the Colorado State Forest Service (CSFS) and related institutions. For instance, the CSFS used funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Stimulus Bill) to achieve on-the-ground results. Next, the talk will cover tools currently in use and those expected to be in use for the near future. Such tools include the continued use of state-funded grants and loan programs. Finally, the talk will cover future expectations regarding wood use and, in particular, wood used to produce energy (e.g., electricity, heat and/or liquid fuels). This portion of the talk will cover the Colorado General Assembly and Senate Bill 11-267, promulgated last year. This bill formed the Colorado Forest Biomass Use Work Group that was charged with reporting the barriers to and recommendations for creating a sustainable, market-based model for growing a forest energy industry in the state. An update on the

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report and Colorado’s progress since will also be included.

The Utah Biomass Resources Group formed in the fall of 2010 and has since attracted several hundred thousand dollars in funding and grants that are geared towards creating and encouraging woody biomass markets and industries in and around Utah.

This presentation will introduce the UBRG and tell the story of our journey to date, including points of view on how incentives and policies have impacted our success.

The UBRG is in the process of building a mobile gasification unit, which is an apparatus that will turn wood into energy. Designed as a demonstration and education tool, it has been informally dubbed the Dragon Wagon. When completed, it will be an attention-grabbing oversized van that will conduct demonstrations of this technology at public gatherings such as farmer’s markets, county fairs, music events, and such in and around Utah. The Dragon Wagon project was made possible by a grant awarded to the UBRG by the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food.

In cooperation with the Utah Department of Energy Development the UBRG is testing the co-firing possibilities of pinyon and juniper chips mixed with coal at a facility at the University of Utah, leading toward a co-firing test at the Carbon Power Plant, near Price, Utah. The UBRG has also had an opportunity to influence state policies regarding biomass utilization with the inclusion of biomass in the Governor’s Strategic 10-year Energy Plan. These and related experiences of the UBRG will be shared.

11:15-11:45 Panel of Users Who Have Used Various Incentives

Matt Allen, Owner, Mt Taylor Manufacturing, Milan, NM and Thora Padilla, Program Manager, Mescalero Apache Tribe Division of Resource Management & Protection, Mescalero, NM

My talk will be about my grant experiences for both an FPL grant and a CFRP grant. I will discuss what is good, what was bad and what was really really bad. I will also talk about grant tax ramifications along with the various reporting requirements and how they affected my business.

TRACK B (American B/C): PRETREATMENT OF BIOMASS

Moderator: David Newlin, Business Manager & Watershed Projects Director,

Little Colorado River Plateau RC&D, Holbrook, AZ

10:15-10:45 In-Field Drying

Bob Rummer, Project Leader, Forest


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PROGRAM OUTLINE

Operations Research, USDA Forest Service, Auburn, AL

Managing the moisture content of forest products can be critical to developing maximum value and providing products that satisfy feedstock requirements. About half of the cost of delivered wood is associated with transportation. When that involves green forest products, about half of the total tons delivered are water. Transpirational or in-field drying uses time and ambient conditions to reduce moisture content in wood. Studies show that wood can be reduced from 50 percent (wet basis) to about 35 percent over a 2-month period. Transporting dryer wood can reduce transport costs and increase net btu content. However there are tradeoffs with increased energy consumption in chipping, additional handling costs, and additional storage risk and losses. This presentation will summarize current state-of-the-technology and provide analytical comparisons of dry and green production systems.

10:45-11:15 Chip Beneficiation

Jim Dooley, PhD, PE, Executive Manager, Forest Concepts LLC, Auburn, WA

Forest Concepts, with funding from USDA NIFA SBIR program, has developed methods and equipment to reprocess low-value dirty chips, tree service chips, and hog fuel into high value clean wood fiber and other valuable fractions. Traditional clean sources of mill residuals (sawdust, shavings, and chips) are declining rapidly due to improved sawmilling efficiencies and a general decline in the number of sawmills in operation. Thus, competition for low-cost clean fiber is intense. The SBIR supported beneficiation project sought to increase the clean fiber supply by tapping low grade, often inexpensive or negative cost raw materials. To validate the SBIR funded engineering science work, our engineers designed and built a set of demonstration-scale (one ton per hour) machines that can be mixed and matched to clean low grade woody biomass to meet nearly any ash or bark content specification. Results of validation tests demonstrate the performance of innovative methods for cleaning high-ash land clearing debris.

11:15-11:45 Drying of Wood Chips

Chris Wright, Senior Research Engineer, Biofuels & Renewable Energy Group, Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho Falls, ID

The woody feedstock supply system encompasses all operations necessary to move biomass from the land to the conversion facility. These operations, including harvest, preprocessing, handling, transport, and storage, represent one of the largest challenges in terms of cost to the bioenergy industry. The most significant of these challenges is economically managing the diversity and

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complexity of lignocellulosic feedstocks and feedstock supply system configurations needed to achieve both state and federal bioenergy goals and/or mandates. It is estimated that approximately 70 million tons of lignocellulosic biomass will be needed annually in the next 10 years, and between 500 and 700

million tons in the next 20 years. Such a rapid expansion of the industry cannot be accomplished with many diverse, custom-designed feedstock supply system infrastructures and conversion facilities. Instead, these facilities must operate on a standardized supply system infrastructure, similar to the grain ethanol facilities of today. As such, a significant element needed for rapid biorefinery replication is the development of a consistent feedstock supply system infrastructure. In order to achieve consistency, the moisture content of woody feedstocks from the time of harvest to the time of conversion must be managed. INL is performing detailed research on the continuum of moisture mitigation options including conventional drying (40-115°C), deep drying or non-reactive thermal treatment (115-200°C), and torrefaction or reactive thermal treatment (200-300°C). These biomass thermal treatments will have a significant impact on the cost of the supply systems due to impacts from material stability, flowability, grindability, and conversion efficiency.

11:45 – 1:00 pm LUNCH

TRACK A (American A): SPECIALTY, INDUSTRIAL WOOD & NON-TIMBER PRODUCTS

Moderator: Eini Lowell, Research Scientist, USDA Forest Service PNW Research Station, Portland, OR

1:00-1:10 Overview

Eini Lowell, Research Scientist, USDA Forest Service PNW Research Station, Portland, OR

Our forests yield an abundance of resources that help fulfill society’s needs and desires. From water and food, to recreation and wood products, there exists a host of competing demands. For many working with, or making a living from, forest resources, the challenge is finding a niche that matches their raw material to a marketable product. Utilization of woody byproducts from forest health restoration and fire-risk reduction on both our forests and in the (sub)urban core provide additional challenges.

1:10-1:40 Processing and Products from Bug-Killed & Fire-Killed Timber


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PROGRAM OUTLINE

Silas Page, AP Sawmill & Lumber Products LLC, Flagstaff, AZ

For various reasons trees are cut down or removed in our surrounding communities and forests; from salvage operations after wildfires and insect outbreaks, to restoration forestry and urban tree removals. Small-scale sawmills can process this wood close to its origin and then market the wood products within the region as a green building material. Homeowners, contractors, and building officials need to be informed of the possible uses of local forest products. This effort is aided by the ability to grade-stamp material to ensure quality and structural integrity. Forestry professionals and logging contractors will find that small sawmills are viable markets for their logs including higher-grade and unique logs. New construction and the remodeling of existing structures can provide markets for locally-sourced wood and jobs in all aspects of forestry and the wood products industry.

1:40-2:10 Specialty Flooring

David Old, President, Old Wood, LLC, Las Vegas, NM

Old Wood LLC is the parent of several websites: www.douglasfirfloors.com, www.woodblockfloors.com, www.firewoodnm.com. Through these primary sales and marketing mediums, Old Wood has created a global market for innovative products created from at risk and fire burned forests. An ongoing and developing model is aimed at creating a worldwide model for these creative products, made by the locals from local woods which otherwise would find limited or no use.True collaboration means developing a trust based investment relationship. To this end Old Wood has trained and placed a sawmill at Alamo and created a sales model for the Alamo band via www.firewoodnm.com. Future efforts will aim at building sub-processing facilities on site at our partners locales. We actively seek collaboration and partnership with t ribes, organizations and communities. Future development will be aimed at integrating product created by our partners into a central processing and finishing facility. This cellular model will help reduce variation in product supply while creating new and vibrant partners, synthesis and product. This should lead to a global model. Marketing efforts will be targeted at: (1) Enter the clients ‘self and world’ through their eyes via exciting and resonating products; (2) Win them over by engaging their intellect and reason. Our model is a good one which aims to do good by forest, man and community; (3) Close the deal in their heart; world class product, well and beneficially made with a a Price point that fully makes sense in the broadest sense of true value and cost.

2:10-2:40 Heat Treating Firewood to Control Infestations

Xiping Wang, Research Forest Products Technologist, USDA Forest Products Lab, Madison, WI

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The movement of firewood within emerald ash borer (EAB) infested states and into adjoining states has been a major contributor to the spread of EAB throughout the U.S. and Canada. In an effort to stop the further spread of EAB from infested areas and to facilitate interstate commerce, USDA Animal and Plant

Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has required and enforced a heat-treatment process in the firewood industry to heat sterilize firewood before it can be shipped out of infested areas. States and firewood producers are now faced with challenges implementing heat-treatment processes and meeting the heat-treating standard. A study funded by the U.S. Forest Service Wood Education and Resource Center (WERC) examined the efficacy of different heat treatment schemes for meeting the new regulations and developed empirical models for estimating heating times at various heating conditions. This presentation focuses on some practical aspects of the heat treatment process in terms of meeting the current heating standard for EAB, monitoring temperature changes during heating process, and providing thermal verification after the heat treatment operations.

TRACK B (American B/C): PYROLYSIS

Moderator: Gareth Mayhead, Academic Coordinator for Woody Biomass Technology & Marketing, University of California-Berkeley, Richmond, CA

1:00-1:10 Pyrolysis 101

Gareth Mayhead, Academic Coordinator for Woody Biomass Technology & Marketing, University of California-Berkeley, Richmond, CA

This short presentation will help to provide the context for the pyrolysis technologies session at the conference. It will introduce the audience to the concept of pyrolysis which is thermal decomposition occurring in the absence of oxygen. It will look at some of the terminology that is used to describe the family of related processes and will explain the differences between slow, mild (torrefaction) and fast pyrolysis. It will also look at the products of pyrolysis including solids (char), liquids (bio-oil) and gas. The other speakers will then expand on the level of detail in this topic.

1:10-1:40 Biochar Opportunities

Jim Ippolito, Research Soil Scientist, USDA-ARS-Northwest Irrigation & Soils Research Laboratory, Kimberly, ID

Most of the recent international emphasis on biochar use has focused on improving the physico-chemical properties of tropical and highly weathered soils; fewer studies have investigated effects in arid or semi-arid soils. An overview of


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PROGRAM OUTLINE

recent results will be presented that specifically target biochar use in highly weathered and calcareous soil systems as well as for improving water quality, addressing challenges such as, can biochar: 1) improve the soil fertility status; 2) supply critical plant nutrients; 3) sorb or sequester undesirable elements in soils and waters; 4) improve soil physical properties; 5) alter microorganism populations and respiration rates; and 6) increase soil C storage? Findings will lead into a discussion of potential beneficial biochar application scenarios.

1:40-2:10 Pyrolysis Oil Opportunities

Andy Soria, Associate Professor of Wood Chemistry & Environmental Science & Technology, University of Alaska, Palmer, AK

Thermochemical conversion pathways have been continuously studied and developed for the production of value added products, including alternative hydrocarbon drop-in-fuels, syngas for natural gas replacement and a variety of specialty chemicals - directly and through catalytic processes. Pyrolysis, a thermochemical conversion pathway that takes biomass and subjects it to elevated temperatures in the absence of oxygen, generates volatile and semi-volatile compounds that are condensed into a “bio-oil”, which can be further manipulated to yield fuels and chemicals compatible with petroleum products. Due to the multi trillion-dollar worldwide hydrocarbon infrastructure, bio-oil is uniquely positioned to serve as an alternative feedstock to fossil resources in many applications. However, the processing, or upgrading of bio-oil into final products, including drop-in-fuels for transportation and industry is not fully understood, resulting in increased impetus for research and development efforts, but limited current commercial scale applications. A discussion of the current processing schemes for commercial scale pyrolysis bio-oil production and upgrading will be presented, along with a few new experimental based second-generation pathways. Among these, an introduction to supercritical fluids, different catalytic approaches and fractionation techniques will be given, along with nascent opportunities in using small diameter, fire-killed and non-merchantable species.

2:10-2:40 Torrefaction Opportunities

Larry Felix, Institute Scientist, Gas Technology Institute, Birmingham, AL

Due to its low energy density and diverse handling requirements, raw biomass typically requires some form of pre-treatment before it can be considered a viable feedstock for the production of electrical power, fuels, or chemicals. Because of this, biomass pretreatments that produce carbonized, coal-like solids (biochar) are presently the focus of much interest because the level of densification that can be

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achieved with these pretreatments approaches that of low-rank coals. Two technologies that have been employed to successfully densify biomass to coal-like levels are dry torrefaction (DT) and hydrothermal carbonization (HTC), sometimes referred to as wet torrefaction.

DT is a form of mild endothermic pyrolysis, typically conducted at 225-300°C in an inert environment at atmospheric pressure with processing times of up to 90 minutes although, recent, novel torrefaction reactor designs have led to claims of much faster processing. Biochar produced by DT is a carbonized, friable solid, having much higher energy content than the raw biomass with a characteristic charred-wood odor. Typically 60-70% wt. % of the parent biomass is retained as biochar. In addition to biochar, hemicellulose and some cellulose is devolatilized to produce combustible gases that are typically burned to provide the heat required to effect pyrolysis. Biochar produced by DT is a hydrophobic material that has proven to be a challenge to pelletize into robust, abrasion-resistant pellets. Techno-economic evaluations suggest that DT can be a promising technology provided that an economical route to producing durable, water-resistant pellets can be developed and commercialized.

In contrast, HTC utilizes hot compressed water (200-260°C with saturation pressures of ~16-47 bar) to carry out rapid hydrolysis, dehydration, decarboxylation, and condensation reactions within a lignocellulosic feedstock to produce a friable, energy-dense hydrochar. At processing temperatures of ~250°C and 5-7 minutes, approximately 60-70% wt. % of the parent biomass is retained as hydrochar which has a less acrid odor than biochar produced by DT. Hydrochar also tends to retain organic compounds derived from the decomposition of hemicellulose and cellulose. In addition to hydrochar, gases, water-soluble and water extractable by-products are produced in the HTC process. Physically, HTC-char appears similar to dry-torrefied biomass, although HTC processing requires lower temperatures than dry-torrefaction to produce solid chars of equivalent energy density. While hydrochar is hydrophobic, in contrast to the biochar produced by DT, hydrochar has been found to be easy to pelletize into abrasion-resistant pellets. In laboratory submersion tests, pelletized hydrochar has also been found to resist water for up to several weeks. Techno-economic analyses of HTC have found that though the HTC process is amenable to batch processing in semi-automated equipment, the high capital costs of that equipment suggest that novel approaches to carrying out the HTC process are needed for this technology to succeed in the marketplace.

2:40 – 2:55 PM BREAK


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PROGRAM OUTLINE

TRACK A (American A): USING SMALLWOOD FOR SPECIALTY & NON-TIMBER PRODUCTS

Moderator: Eini Lowell, Research Scientist, USDA FS PNW Research Station, Portland, OR

2:55-3:25 Use of Local Wood in Structures & Meeting Code Requirements

Terry Mace, Utilization & Marketing Specialist, Wisconsin DNR, Madison, WI

Strict adherence to building codes requiring the use of grade-stamped lumber in one and two family residential construction greatly limits the use of dimension lumber that is locally produced by small mills, because those mills lack the volume of production required for the small producer to justify obtaining a grade stamp. Historically in Wisconsin, these small mills have served their local markets without a grading system of any kind. It was hoped that some mechanism could allow those mills to again serve the local market with some reasonable assurance of quality. 2007 Wisconsin Act 208, signed into law in 2008 established a local use law – this has been developed with a simplified grading system that small operators can understand and be trained to use at a nominal cost – and using the system, they can again serve the one and two-family residential construction market. Over 200 small sawmill operators have taken the class and can now saw dimension lumber under this system. The principals of the law, the system will be presented, along with the Wisconsin Local Use Dimension Lumber grading rules.

3:25-3:55 Animal Bedding and Other Cool Products from Forest Health Activities

Sherry Barrow, President and Glen Barrow, SBS Wood Shavings, Glencoe, NM

No summary submitted prior to publication.

3:55-4:25 American Pinyon Nuts: The Unnoticed Treasure and Its 100 Uses

Leo Sharashkin, PhD, Forester, Goods From The Woods/ PineNut.com, Ava, MO

Many species of pines native to North America produce edible seeds known as pine nuts. Historically, these were an important staple, medicine, and spiritual symbol for many Native American tribes and were subsequently commercially harvested on a large scale. However, American forests were never managed for pine nut production, and massive logging for fuel and conversion of land to other

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uses have been undermining America’s vast pine nut resource. Other countries have made significant advances in utilizing and enhancing their pine nut resources, and most of the pine nuts consumed in the United States today are imported, primarily from China. With retail prices for shelled pine nuts often exceeding

$25 per lb, they re-emerge as a sustainable forest management alternative that would also honor the spiritual significance of pinyon pine trees and support local landscapes, communities and enterprises. We will learn a hundred uses of pine nuts and associated non-timber forest products (cones, shells, resin, needles): everything from ice cream to anti-parasitic tea, from candy to weight-loss drugs, from chewing gum to pine nut footwear, and from pine nut vodka to pine nuts being an inspiration for a series of best-selling novels. We will then discuss how renewed appreciation of American pine nuts’ tremendous ecological, economic, social, and cultural potential could benefit trees and humans alike.

4:25-5:00 Industrial Wood Products and Market Opportunities

Rusty Dramm, National Sawmill Specialist, USDA Forest Products Lab, Madison, WI

Today’s small wood forest products enterprise faces the challenge of getting the most out of their available log resource and making products from this resource into salable products in today’s very tough market environment. Several economic bubbles were burst more than a handful of years ago and negatively impacted the wood products industry including most of you. The mortgage crisis collapse led to the collapse of the over-built over-speculated housing market. We are still paying the price today several years after the U.S. taxpayer – that’s me and you - bailed out Wall Street out of the mortgage crisis.

However, there is hope and in fact there are several options for processing your available wood supply that just might prove feasible for your operation. It is not commodity lumber for housing. Today’s opportunities focus on producing specialty and industrial wood products. Export wood product markets have also been helpful. Tomorrow, when the housing market comes back, may be too late.

What do you mean “Industrial Wood Products?” The forest products industry provides many industrial products from the common place like wooden pallets and railroad ties to more obscure products like equipment and oil well mats. Ever heard of industrial wood block flooring?

While several industrial wood product ideas and markets ideas are presented, the key to success is to objectively evaluate product financial and market feasibility to answer the question “Does this make sense for me to pursue?”


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PROGRAM OUTLINE

TRACK B (American B/C): HIGH TEMPERATURE PROCESSING & OPPORTUNITIES

Moderator: Craig Rawlings, Forest Business Network LLC, Missoula, MT

2:55-3:25 Co-Firing with Coal

Terry Mielke, Project Manager, Colorado Springs Utilities,

Colorado Springs, CO

This presentation is designed to educate Forestry Entities, Woody Biomass Suppliers, Investors, Utility Personnel and the Renewable Interested Public of the various combustion technologies utilized in the electric production industry. You will learn of the various fuel parameters required for blending, co-firing and/or co-combusting woody biomass in four of the various technology large utility boilers. Benefits of firing woody biomass as well as established criteria, design considerations, leanings (inclusive of testing results), and value propositions will be presented as it related to the Colorado Springs, Martin Drake 135 Mw power plant biomass co-firing project. Various biomass project milestones, co-firing research and investigation findings, and information about Colorado Springs Utilities will be included.

3:25-3:55 Biomass for Thermal Energy: Examples

Jennifer Hedrick, Executive Director, Pellet Fuels Institute, Arlington, VA

The abundance of sustainable, biomass feedstocks available in the United States has made biomass a viable energy alternative to fossil fuels and one that is increasingly being utilized as a resource for America’s energy needs. American energy use is extensive and varied, divided almost equally among three quadrants: electricity, transportation and thermal (heat). The thermal application of biomass is the most efficient use of this resource and one that is utilized for the heating of homes, businesses and communities, and commercial and industrial operations.With the increasing development of new technologies, markets for thermal biomass have seen extensive growth, providing a range of opportunities and options for utilizing biomass for heating. State of the art appliances have been developed for zone or whole home heating, including pellet stoves and fireplace inserts as well as boilers and furnaces that can utilize various types of biomass fuel such as pellets and chips. Increasingly, biomass systems are being used within the commercial and industrial sector, particularly in rural communities, giving businesses and municipalities the opportunity to experience real cost savings and lessening their reliance on fossil fuels.

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3:55-4:25 Biomass for Electrical Energy: Examples

Bill Carlson, Prinicpal, Carlson Small Power Consultants, Redding, CA

In recent years, there have been a variety of biomass power facilities developed nationwide. The most successful of these have been combined heat & power facilities developed to take advantage of the higher efficiencies and synergies that come with use of the facility for both thermal and electrical needs. Many of these projects have also had substantial strategic value to the thermal host that addressed long term capacity needs, pollution control requirements, market changes for both primary products and byproducts, etc. Three of these projects, spanning a variety of sizes, from 1MW to 20MW will be profiled. Also, a set of principles will be developed that can lead prospective developers to successful project opportunities.

4:25-5:00 Biorefining: Examples

Mike Wolcott, Director, Institute for Sustainable Design, Washington State University, Pullman, WA


5:00 PM ADJOURN

6:00 pm Poster Session, Exhibits, Reception (Flagstaff Room)

POSTER 1

Forest Restoration and Biomass Harvesting on Private land in the Sangres: Case study in Northern New Mexico

Lloyd C. Irland, President, The Irland Group, Wayne, ME

POSTER 2

Harvesting Productivity and Costs When Utilizing Energywood From Pine Plantations of the Southern Coastal Plain USA

Bob Smith, Associate Dean, College of Natural Resources and Environment, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, Joseph Conrad - Research Scientist, USDA Forest Service, Ashville, NC, Chad Bolding - Assitant Professor, FREC, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, Bob Smith - Associate Dean, CNRE, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA


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PROGRAM OUTLINE

POSTER 3

Four Forest Restoration Initiative

Henry Provencio, 4FRI Team Leader, USDA Forest Service 4FRI, Flagstaff, AZ, Dick Fleishman, 4FRI Operations Team Leader, USDA Forest Service, Flagstaff, AZ, Neil McCusker, 4FRI Silviculture, USDA Forest Service, Flagstaff, AZ

POSTER 4

Using a Single, Mid-span Load to Determine the MOE of Small Diameter Structural Logs

Thomas Gorman, Professor, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID, David Kretschmann, Research General Engineer, USDA Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory, Madison, WI, James Evans, Supervisory Mathematical Statistician, USDA Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory, Madison, WI

POSTER 5

Technical Wood Products from Industrial Grade Veneer

Jim Dooley, CTO, Forest Concepts, LLC, Auburn, WA, David Lanning, Mechanical Engineer, Forest Concepts, LLC, Auburn, WA, Chris Lanning, Enginineer, Forest Concepts, LLC, Auburn, WA, Tom Broderick, Biologist, Forest Concepts, LLC, Auburn, WA

POSTER 6

Street-Legal Woody Biomass and Brush Baler

Jim Dooley, CTO, Forest Concepts, LLC, Auburn, WA, Chris Lanning, Development Engineer, Forest Concepts, LLC, Auburn, WA, Dave Lanning, Mechanical Engineer, Forest Concepts, LLC, Auburn, WA

POSTER 7

Beneficiation of Chipped and Ground Woody Biomass

Jim Dooley, CTO, Forest Concepts, LLC, Auburn, WA, Chris Lanning, Development Engineer, Forest Concepts, LLC, Auburn, WA, Dave Lanning, Mechanical Engineer, Forest Concepts, LLC, Auburn, WA

POSTER 8

Evaluating the Cost and Feasibility of a Small SIP Designed Solar Kiln in southwestern New Mexico Using KilnCost

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Edward Miller Bilek, Economist, USDA Forest Products Laboratory, Madison, WI and Rick Bergman, Research Forest Products Technologist, USDA Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory, Madison, WI

POSTER 9

Specialty Flooring: From Southwestern Forests to Global Markets

David Old, President, Old Wood, Las Vegas, NM and Lloyd C. Irland, President, The Irland Group, Wayne, ME

POSTER 10

Wood Chip Quality Guidelines for Biomass Heating and Power Applications on the Front Range

Matthew E. Schiltz, Student, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO

POSTER 11

Ecological Restoration of a Private Ranch in Western New Mexico

Matthew Silva, Owner, Rose Springs Timber, Albuquerque, NM

WEDNESDAY, MAY 2, 2012

TRACK A (American A): HARVESTING

Moderator: Bob Rummer, Project Leader, Forest Operations Research, USDA Forest Service, Auburn, AL

8:00-8:30 Forest Restoration and Biomass Utilization: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

Dan Len, Regional Woody Biomass Coordinator, USDA Forest Service, Southern Region, Atlanta, GA

The USDA US Forest Service has recently received direction for “Building a forest restoration economy thru forest restoration and hazardous fuels treatments to accomplish wood to energy”. This USDA Goal combined with National Forest Land and Resource Management Plans and project plans (NEPA) provide guidelines for forest management and restoration activities to take place on National Forests.

Tools used for forest restoration include Service Contracts; Stewardship Contracts, Stewardship Agreements and Timber Sale Contracts.

Service Contracts are used to accomplish “service” work on National Forest System


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PROGRAM OUTLINE

lands. Common activities include thinning of non-commercial trees where no forest products are removed.

Stewardship Contracts come in two forms. There is an Integrated Resource “Service” Contract (IRSC) and Integrated Resource Timber Contract (IRTC). IRSCs involve soliciting proposals and the service work cost is greater than the timber value. IRTCs involve harvesting timber that is of greater value than service work that is also included.

Stewardship Agreements are between USFS and Non-profit organizations such as Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation or National Wild Turkey Federation. These partners have mutual objectives and share in benefits and costs during implementation of projects.

Timber Sale Contracts include the sale of timber being sold to the highest bidder. Timber contracts specifications guide harvest operations.

Project examples with advantages and disadvantages for each type of contract or agreement will be presented and discussed.

8:30-9:00 Forest Operations for Western Woodlands Restoration

Beth Dodson, Associate Professor of Integrated Natural Resource Planning, University of Montana, Department of Forest Management, Missoula, MT


9:00-9:30 Innovative Systems for Unique Forestlands & Treatments

Rich Van Demark, Southwest Forestry, Paulden, AZ

An ARRA grant was awarded in 2010 to the PAWUIC in order to determine cost-effective means to harvest and transport biomass to the Drake cement plant for planned co-firing with coal. Expected near-term benefits include: reduced smoke emissions from disposal burning of activity slash; reduced amount of biomass taken to landfills; and help to at-risk neighborhoods.

Silvicultural prescriptions were developed across a range of vegetation types and corresponding elevations in support of mechanized tree and brush thinning activities. Implementation units were laid out and marked using standard forestry techniques.

Examples of equipment configurations evaluated include: a Fecon bioharvester with a tractor / dump wagon shuttle in chaparral; an Anderson tractor-drawn biobaler in chaparral and young juniper; a HydroAx feller buncher with unmodified forwarder in juniper and mesquite trees; and rear-load compacting trash trucks

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in residential neighborhoods. Numerous high speed horizontal grinders were evaluated for acquisition to provide primary breakdown capacity.

Staged sequencing of harvesting activities was done so as to accomplish air drying of material before primary breakdown and

transport. Ten percent moisture content material can be consistently produced from such a harvesting system across all vegetation types.

Adaptations to existing feller/buncher heads could improve harvesting of mesquite, pinyon pine, and juniper trees. System improvements are possible with the development of mobile grinding capability along with the necessary shuttle system. Steep slope harvesting of chaparral is possible given modified feller/buncher heads.

9:30-10:00 Challenges for the Forest Restoration Workforce

Mike Debonis, Executive Director, Forest Guild, Santa Fe, NM

The presentation will explore challenges and offer solutions related to maintaining a viable forest restoration workforce in the Southwest. Specific issues covered in the presentation include the New Mexico Forest Worker Safety Certification Program – improving safety and lowering costs; building and maintaining a durable, well paid workforce; and balancing the need to keep treatment costs low while supporting local workers and businesses.

TRACK B (American B/C): MARKETING

Moderator: Dusty Moller, Wood Utilization Manager, University of Nevada-Reno, Las Vegas, NV

8:00-8:30 Wood Pellets: Picking The Right Market: Domestic or Export

Rob Davis, President, Forest Energy Corporation, Show Low, AZ

The markets for wood pellets has been very slow in developing and there are currently two markets. One in North America and one in the rest of the world. The North American market is almost exclusively bagged product distribution through retail outlets. The rest of the world market is almost exclusively bulk product delivered directly to large commercial/industrial/utility burners.

The markets have seen growth fluctuations in both capacity and demand and have to some extent been dependent government intervention. I will look at where we are, how we have gotten here and where we might be going regionally, nationally and internationally.


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PROGRAM OUTLINE

8:30-9:00 Mega-Markets for the Southwest’s Small Wood: Where They Are and How to Serve

Lloyd Irland, President, The Irland Group, Wayne, ME


9:00-9:30 How Oregon Wood Product Firms Are Changing to Meet Market and Environmental Needs

Eric Hansen, Professor, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, Chris Knowles, Assistant Professor, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR

Changing societal values and the Great Recession have combined to create major shifts in Oregon’s wood products industry. Since the housing peak in the mid-2000s, many operations have disappeared from the landscape. Those that remain have altered their approach to maintain competitiveness. This presentation makes the case that the perfect storm of the Great Recession has forced companies to become more innovative.

The question that remains is whether this is a cultural shift that will remain as the housing market recovers or only a temporary method of self-preservation. The presentation will highlight the general changes taking place in the industry and illustrate those changes via a series of company case examples. Examples will include large and small and primary and secondary manufacturers as well as a woodland owner cooperative that offers a suite of wood and non-wood products.

9:30-10:00 Marketing Wood Products In Asia

Terry Mace, Utilization & Marketing Specialist, Wisconsin DNR, Madison, WI and Scott Bowe, Associate Professor and Wood Products Specialist, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI

During the recent recession and painstakingly slow recovery in the United States, American hardwood lumber producers have had to look to foreign markets to stay in business. This presentation will examine the hardwood market potential in several Asian markets and discuss some of the practical benefits and pitfalls of exporting American hardwoods.

10:00-10:30 am BREAK

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TRACK A (American A): HARVESTING –CONT.

Moderator: Bob Rummer, Project Leader, Forest Operations Research, USDA Forest Service, Auburn, AL

10:30-11:00 Woody Biomass Operations in the Lake States

Don Peterson, President, Renewable Resource Solutions, Crystal Falls, MI

This presentation will describe a wide variety of topics and variables that affect the collection and use of woody biomass in the Lake States Region (primarily Michigan/Minnesota/Wisconsin). The presentation will include the following:

Woody biomass markets

Traditional harvesting systems

Whole tree, pole length, hand cut-to-length, and mechanized cut-to- length

Adapting traditional harvesting systems to collect logging residue

Non-traditional extraction methods

Bundling, baling, fuel rods, cable logging, trucking un-chipped biomass

Constraints – harvesting guidelines and other restrictions

Analysis of logging residue availability

Ownership influence (public, industrial, private)

Timber sale method influences (lump sum vs. scaled)

Product specifications (chip size)

Case studies

Other woody biomass opportunities

Urban (mechanized logging equipment in urban tree removal studies)

Wildlife areas (prairie/wetland restoration)

Weather/insect/disease/fire salvage

Conclusions: Under what conditions and by what methods is woody biomass extraction economical in the “Lake States Region”.

11:00-11:30 Small Trees, Small Machines, Big Opportunities

Barry Wynsma, Retired USDA Forest Service, Bonners Ferry, ID

During these times of depressed lumber markets, lack of traction for biomass utilization infrastructure and markets, the poor economy and reduced budgets and personnel for our land management agencies, it’s hard to be an optimist about


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PROGRAM OUTLINE

both forest products businesses and federal land management.

My presentation will discuss what I think are some big opportunities that exist as a result of these severe economic times. The opportunities are for both forest product businesses as well as for land managers. Two very large opportunities on National Forests are mechanically thinning plantations and road maintenance work funded through the sale or trade of forest products.

The Forest Service has millions of acres of overgrown plantations that lack funding to accomplish the massive backlog of work. Similarly, the Forest Service is responsible for maintaining approximately 378,000 miles of roads and also lack adequate funding to accomplish this much needed work.

The concept of exploiting the value of forest products to fund this work is not merely hypothetical. Some Forest Service districts are currently attempting to accomplish mechanical thinning plantations and road maintenance vegetation clearing with the help of entrepreneurs that want to fill this niche of forest products work.

My presentation will show examples of mechanical thinning and road maintenance projects and the small businesses doing this work on both Federal and private forest lands.

TRACK B (American B/C): MARKETING – CONT.

Moderator: Dusty Moller, Wood Utilization Manager, University of Nevada-Reno, Las Vegas, NV

10:30-11:00 Don’t Let Web Marketing be Mud Season: Wise Choices for the Maximum Impact

Nora McDougall-Collins, President, Web Services Director for NNFP and Web Consultant at TheComputerGal.com

You have a wood business to run. “They” keep telling you that you should be doing more web marketing and social media. But, you’re just not convinced it’s worth the time. And, you’ve heard all the horror stories. Your concerns are justified because web marketing and social media done wrong have the possibility of being more than just a waste of time, they can leave a bad impression of your business. Done right, they can be a successful marketing tool. So, sit back a minute. Look at that long list of what “everyone says I should” and think of it as a fine restaurant menu, instead of the $8.00 lunch buffet line. You should not order all the entrees, no matter how much they are recommended. Start with a menu, such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Google Places, etc. Let the server tell you the benefits, the drawbacks, the time, and strategies for each. Then start with an appetizer. Don’t rush to the next course. Like a food critic, analyze the strong and weak points

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of your first marketing choice. Then go on to the next menu item. If one flops, don’t order it again. Besides discussing a few choice options, we will look at how to use analysis tools to help you develop and implement a successful, time efficient social networking strategy!

11:00-11:30 Transportation Avenues to Reach Export Markets

Timothy M. Young, Ph.D., University of Tennessee, Center for Renewable Carbon, Knoxville, TN

Those working towards sustainable solutions must take into consideration the conditions and relationships among the environmental, social, and economic spheres locally, as well as at the wider landscape scale. Each of these factors affects the amount and type of biomass that are potentially available and economic and societal regulatory constraints on total available biomass supply. Key to ensuring long-term, sustainable cellulose supply is the spatial assessment of the economic availability of woody and agricultural cellulosic biomass feedstocks. Policy makers, businesses, and investors need to identify implications of external variables on bio-based market conditions quickly and on a continuing basis to better guide bio-based market organization decisions. This study explores the biophysical environment and its impacts on biomass access and the measure to which competing land uses are physically restricted by current land use and will include a spatial competition model and risk assessment for biomass resources. Data selected for variables and attributes include those from the natural and social-economic environments. Imagery enhanced decision support tools can provide rapid visualization to improve the ability to scrutinize bio-resource cost, consumption, and consequences. The resulting targeted landscape analysis will yield new analytical insights into likely biomass opportunity zones. This study builds upon work already completed and is an extension of the Biomass Site Assessment Tool (BioSAT) web-based system, http://www.biosat.net/. BioSAT contains transportation, harvesting, and resource cost models that provide spatially-explicit biomass economic supply curves for agricultural and forest bio-basins at a 5-digit ZIP Code Tabulation Area (ZCTA) resolution providing 25,307 potential analytical polygons or site locations.

11:30 – 12:45 pm LUNCH

TRACK A (American A): COOPERATIVE APPROACHES FOR SUSTAINABLE SUPPLY

Moderator: Jerry Payne, Biomass Utilization/Biomass to Energy Coordinator, USDA Forest Service, Southwestern Region, Albuquerque, NM


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PROGRAM OUTLINE

12:45-1:15 Right Sizing Facilities to Match Forest Restoration Needs

Tad Mason, CEO, TSS Consultants, Rancho Cordova, CA

Value-added utilization of logs, and woody biomass material generated as a byproduct of forest restoration/fuels treatment need to be scaled appropriately to match sustainable management objectives on the ground. This presentation will focus on the methodologies used to assess long-term availability of sawlogs and biomass. Not only is this information critical for setting appropriate scale for value-added utilization enterprises, it is also a requirement of the private financial sector for the financing of long-term debt. Observations and lessons learned will be presented with a focus on forest restoration projects.

1:15-1:45 4FRI Contract

4FRI Contractor (To Be Announced)

The Four Forest Restoration Initiative (4FRI) is a collaborative effort to restore forest ecosystems on portions of four National Forests – Coconino, Kaibab, Apache-Sitgreaves, and Tonto – along the Mogollon Rim in northern Arizona. Unfortunately, these forest ecosystems have been degraded by unsustainable historical land uses and fire exclusion. The result is overgrown forest with thin, unhealthy trees and the threat of unnaturally severe wildfire.

The vision of 4FRI is restored forest ecosystems that support natural fire regimes and functioning populations of native plants and animals. Those restored forest ecosystems will pose little threat of destructive wildfire to thriving forest communities and support sustainable forest industries that strengthen local economies while conserving natural resources and aesthetic values.

To meet that vision, the Forest Service will soon award the largest stewardship contract ever, which will treat 300,000 acres over 10 years. The contract is an enormous first step in restoring northern Arizona’s ponderosa pine forest and is testament to the commitment of a large and diverse group of stakeholders. The contract is expected to become the example for future contracts as we restore western landscapes at meaningful scales. Implementation of the contract will produce significant results and enable the Forest Service and its partners to restore and sustain forest landscapes; reduce the risk to communities from wildfire; protect and enhance water resources and watershed health; make landscapes more resilient to climate change; and help create jobs and sustainable communities. Please note: We do not yet know who the contractor will be. The contract has not yet been awarded. However, it should be awarded sometime prior to the SmallWood Conference. Because of all this, we are unable to provide any information about the contractor. We can only explain the significance of the contract itself.

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1:45-2:15 Stewardship Contracts & Stewardship Agreements

Dennis Dwyer, Stewardship Director, USDA Forest Service, Southwestern Region, Albuquerque, NM

Eight and a half years into the 10-year trial of Stewardship Contracting (SC) authority for the FS and BLM, the tool has evolved at various rates across the country. While SC has become the “tool of choice” to many program managers and contractors, it is an annoying curiosity to some.

A Brief refresher is presented covering the three legs of the Stewardship Contracting stool. This includes Collaboration, Stewardship authorities and Stewardship instruments. While SC authorities have remained the same since 2004, the instruments and means of collaboration have been refined and matured.

A thought provoking discussion is offered on how early collaborative involvement, from Industry, can lead to leveraging Stewardship Contract awards through the “Best Value” process. How the promise of Stewardship Agreements is still not fully appreciated but holds a tremendous potential. Finally, a glimpse is offered of how long term, landscape scale, Stewardship Contracts may evolve.

Our current authority to award Stewardship Contracts and Agreements expires on September 30, 2013. Both the FS and BLM support permanent authority. Congress has been supportive on a bi-partisan basis, but slow to act.

TRACK B (American B/C): ENVIRONMENTAL & SAFETY COMPLIANCE WHILE IMPROVING YOUR BOTTOM LINE

Moderator: Rusty Dramm, National Sawmill Specialist, USDA Forest Service, Forest Products Lab, Madison, WI

12:45-1:15 Best Management Practices Can Be Profitable

Dr. Raymond Miller, Director, Forest Biomass Innovation Center, Michigan State University, Escanaba, MI

Plant biomass represents the only renewable source of carbon on earth today. As interest in finding alternatives to fossil carbon for use in energy and materials production grows, a spotlight is shining ever more brightly on biomass. Traditional markets for biomass already exist in the agriculture and forestry sectors, but many now recognize that increasing crop production and improving the use efficiency of these crops can contribute substantially to the growing public demand for renewable energy and materials. Simultaneously with this realization comes the recognition that increased production and use of biomass will necessitate careful attention to the development and use of sustainable management and marketing


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PROGRAM OUTLINE

systems. Biomass producers can only profit if they have access to markets and if they can place their products within these markets at fair and competitive prices. Profits will only flow if careful attention is paid to biological, social, and economic constraints on the biomass production system. This is especially true for woody biomass; a prized and substantial yet under-used resource in the United States. Understanding and carefully addressing these constraints on the wood biomass production system will be critical if we are to increase the renewable carbon coming from our forests. Establishing best management practices and creating management certification standards may be the best way to gain Market Access and Market Placement for this important renewable resource. Without these two things, wood biomass production will not achieve its full potential in the United States – a loss to producers and consumers alike.

1:15-1:45 Getting Help on Compliance and Permitting

Antonio Quiroz, Project Manager, Drake Cement, LLC, Paulden, AZ

Drake Cement started operating after acquiring the existing Sterling Bridge project including claims and permits submittals. In order to obtain ADEQ air permit, Drake Cement re-design the plant using worldwide State-Of-The-Art Technology to reduce levels of SO2 and CO2. Newly Ammonia Injection system was included as part as the permit application as well as more than 30 baghouses collecting dust from every transfer point. ADEQ permit was approved on 2006 making Drake Cement set the example by having the lowest emission levels nationwide for the Cement Industry.

This presentation will outline the steps followed to obtain the ADEQ Permit as well as the big items needed to comply during operation. We will also address ongoing project to even reduce emissions levels by utilizing wood supply based energy to displace coal consumption. Drake Cement recently applied for a USDA 2012 Hazardous Fuels Woody Biomass Utilization Grant. In partnership with Ameresco, Drake’s approach consists in three phases starting with a Wood-Fires power plant / a gasification plant and finally a process plant to produce wood in a way to displace coal.

1:45-2:15 Working Together to Get Treatments Done After a Wildfire

Molly Pitts, Former Executive Director, Northern Arizona Wood Products Association, Eagar, AZ

Over the past decade, the size of catastrophic wildfires throughout the West has grown substantially. Two of these wildfires have taken place on the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest. The Rodeo-Chediski Fire, taking place in 2002, burned

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over 468,638 acres, of which 167,215 acres was on the A-S National Forest and 10,667 acres was on the Tonto National Forest. More recently, in 2011, the Wallow Fire burned over 538,049 acres, of which 530,000 was on National Forest. Sadly, these fires are not unlike other large wildfires taking place throughout the West.

As catastrophic as these events are while they are taking place, not being able to complete treatments to start the process of healing after the flames have died down, can be even more detrimental, especially to the local communities that rely on the National Forest as part of their main economy. This presentation will take a look at the work that was done following the Rodeo-Chediski Fire and how the local communities, the counties, and the National Forest are working together to make sure treatments to restore the area affected by the Wallow Fire get done.

2:15-2:30 PM BREAK

TRACK A (American A): COOPERATIVE APPROACHES FOR SUSTAINABLE SUPPLY – CONT.

Moderator: Jerry Payne, Biomass Utilization/Biomass to Energy Coordinator, USDA Forest Service, Southwestern Region, Albuquerque, NM

2:30-3:00 Tribal Forest Protection Act

Faline Haven, Natural Resources Management Analyst, USDA Forest Service, Office of Tribal Relations, Washington, DC

Indian tribes and the Forest Service share over 2500 miles of common border and long-term stewardship responsibilities for the forests entrusted to their care. The Tribal Forest Protection Act of 2004 (TFPA, PL 108-278) was enacted to enable Indian tribes to propose treatments to Forest Service lands which would help protect tribal lands held in trust by the United States from damage due to fire, insects, pests, disease and protection of cultural resources. The collaborative involvement of tribes, and tribal partners working with the Forest Service is essential to realize Department of Agriculture Secretary Vilsack’s vision for “All Lands, All Hands” approach to landscape ecosystem management. The presentation will provide information on how the TFPA authority is being used to improve forest health, promote collaborative relationships with Indian tribes, economic development, and accomplish landscape-scale management objectives.”


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PROGRAM OUTLINE

3:00-3:30 Processes for Achieving Sustainable Supply

Brent Racher, Owner, Restorations Solutions, Corona, NM

In order for forest industries to make investments in infrastructure, they have to have a level of assurance that they will be able to pay for those investments and see an adequate return upon that investment. Likewise, in order for forested lands to achieve the level of treatment desired to restore those forests to resilient, functioning ecosystems, the pathway to performing those treatments at the landscape scale necessary is to mobilize an industry that can utilize most, if not all of the residues from those forest restoration in a fashion to secure the profitability and reliability businesses require. The purpose of this presentation is to explore the processes for achieving a sustainable supply to meets the needs for appropriate investment while fulfilling the needs of forest restoration at the landscape level.

There are numerous processes and strategies for attaining a sustainable supply. Many are options that do not need to be formalized, such as diversifying the supply to reduce the risk and reliance of a single feedstock source. Others can become more complex such as the formation and development of collaboratives that bring a variety of interest groups to the table to find a zone of agreement for moving forward. Examples of various levels of processes and strategies will be discussed including the New Mexico Forest Restoration Principles and the relationships of collaborators as projects move forward.

3:30-4:00 3 Different CFLRP:

1) 4 Forest Restoration Initiative CFLRP Project, AZ

Diane Vosick, Director of Policy & Partnerships, Ecological Restoration Institute, Flagstaff, AZ

The Four Forest Restoration Initiative (4FRI) is a collaborative effort between the 4FRI Stakeholder Group and four National Forests - Coconino, Kaibab, Apache-Sitgreaves, and Tonto - along the Mogollon Rim in northern Arizona. The vision of 4FRI is to restore forest ecosystems so that they support:

- natural fire regimes;

- functioning populations of native plants and animals;

- sustainable forest industries;

- local economies; and,

- natural resource and aesthetic values.

The 4FRI covers 2.4 million acres and is literally and geographically pushing the boundaries of forest management. The proposed action for the first NEPA analysis

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calls for approximately 595,000 acres of restoration activity within a 988,000 acre project area. Approximately, 20,000 to 30,000 acres will be mechanically treated annually along with up to 60,000 acres of prescribed fire. The Forest Service will award a ten year stewardship contract to accomplish the work.

Navigating such a large and unprecedented project through the myriad of steps required to get to implementation poses numerous challenges. This presentation will identify the challenges faced by the 4FRI effort and the strategies the Forest Service and stakeholders are using to address them.

4:00-4:30 2) Dinkey Creek CFLRP Project, CA

Craig Thomas, Executive Director, Sierra Forest Legacy, Garden Valley, CA

The Dinkey Creek Collaboration evolved out of years of struggle to find the balance of treatments to restore fire resiliency and vegetation composition and improve habitat for the Pacific fisher, a candidate for federal listing with a preference of older forest conditions for denning and resting.

The Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Act coupled with new research compilations for managing mixed conifer forests of the Sierra Nevada (PSW-GTR-220 and PSW-GTR-237) was bolstered by progressive Forest Service specialists and managers who provided the opportunity to explore creative wildlife marking measures and other design features that conservation groups co-authored with collaborative partners.

The Dinkey Collaborative is a facilitated, science-driven effort to restore 130,000 acres of forests and meadows with Pacific Southwest Research scientists at the table in the design, implementation and monitoring and feedback phases of the 10-year project. While the focus of the CFLRP statue is “small trees and biomass” markets remain limited for logging slash (mostly whole-tree yarded) and smaller diameter trees. Large piles from the first two treatment units where mostly burned in place.

A sawmill (Sierra Forest Products) located two hours south of the project area has a rapid small-log sorter (<12” material) to process the smaller commercial trees. Biomass from milling is used to dry lumber and power a 7 MW biomass plant at the mill site. Southern California Edison, an “all lands” collaborative partner, is considering investing in a small biomass facility near the project area.

4:30-5:00 3) Southwestern Crown of the Continent CFLRP Project, MT

Debbie Austin, Forest Supervisor, Lolo National Forest, USDA Forest Service Missoula, MT


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PROGRAM OUTLINE


TRACK B (American B/C): BUSINESS PRACTICES FOR DEVELOPING THIS NEW ECONOMY

Moderator: Diane Denenberg, Marketing and Communications Director, Western Forestry Leadership Coalition, Denver, CO

2:30-3:00 Combining Forestry & Business Practices

Tad Mason, CEO, TSS Consultants, Rancho Cordova, CA

Successfully conducting forestry/natural resources management in today’s restoration economy requires that enterprises be more transparent and communicate regularly with stakeholders in the rural communities within which they operate. This presentation will focus on lessons learned as a result of implementation of forest restoration activities in rural communities located in the West. Business practices that have been successfully deployed as a result of lessons learned will be reviewed in detail. Recommendations will be provided, focusing on those business practices that will help enterprises operate long term in the forestry/natural resources management sector.

3:00-3:30 Setting Up Agreements to Meet Parties’ Needs

Walter Dunn, Program Manager, USDA Forest Service, Albuquerque, NM

Collaborative approaches to forest restoration require multiple stakeholders to work together to identify common interests and objectives. Clearly defined work plans and budgets that specify the timeline, roles, and responsibilities of each partner are critical elements of successful collaborative projects. Clearly defined roles and responsibilities facilitate project implementation and reduce conflict. Project proposals that include letters and written confirmation from project partners confirming the roles described for them in the work plan increases the willingness of donors to fund the project. Work plans and detailed budgets should fit together hand in glove. Poorly defined timelines, deliverables, roles and responsibilities often make it difficult to obtain funding and can lead to conflict among partners during project implementation.

Mr. Dunn will provide examples of the evolution of effective grant agreements from the Collaborative Forest Restoration Program (CFRP) and the Southwest Ecological Restoration Institutes (SWERI) to illustrate the challenges of clearly describing objectives, deliverables, work plans and budgets that successfully compete in attaining federal grants and facilitate success in collaborative forest restoration

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efforts involving multiple partners. The success of these collaborative efforts has contributed to the development of the New Mexico Forest Restoration Principles and the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program nationally.

3:30-4:00 Energy Entrepreneurism: Innovations in Wood Heat Contracting from Austria

Scott Bagley, Member Representative, Center for Cooperative Forest Enterprises, National Network of Forest Practitioners, and Owner, Light on the Land Services LLC and its subsidiary Wood for Warmth Renewable Heat Services, Athens, OH

Thirty years ago, Austria undertook an ambitious country-wide initiative to get serious about weaning itself from dependence on foreign oil and other fossil-based fuels. The Austrian strategy involves a three-pronged approach of incentives, regulations, and information dissemination and awareness-raising (which they like to call their “carrot, stick, and tambourine” model) aimed at developing the infrastructure and customer-base for an energy economy largely fueled by renewables. This has led Austria to become a world leader in the use of wood for thermal applications, as well as a world leader in the development of innovative, high-efficiency wood heating systems.

In 2010 while on staff with the Center for Cooperative Forest Enterprises of the National Network of Forest Practitioners, Scott Bagley had the opportunity to visit Austria on a study tour to learn about their entrepreneur-friendly system that has led to a variety of locally-focused cooperative wood heating enterprises. His presentation will highlight the facilities he visited, the entrepreneurs and their supporters that hosted him, and the policy framework that has enabled Austria to be hailed as the world leader in renewable wood heat. Scott will then describe some of the wood heat service enterprises in the United States that have integrated learnings from the Austrian model while developing in a truly American way based on local conditions. One of those is Wood for Warmth Renewable Heat Services, which Scott is working to develop in southeast Ohio. He will conclude by articulating a variety of recommendations for entrepreneurs seeking to develop wood heat service enterprises, and conclude with suggestions for policy makers seeking to support the use of wood and biomass for energy.

4:00-4:30 ShadeFund: A New Source of Financing for Your Wood Products Small Business

Rick Larson, ShadeFund Director/Director of Sustainable Ventures, ShadeFund, The Conservation Fund, Chapel Hill, NC

Working forests and farmland — sustainably managed — create jobs and conserve


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PROGRAM OUTLINE

the land and water on which rural and urban populations alike depend. Yet over 26 million acres — an area the size of Ohio — are expected to disappear by 2030. Entrepreneurs with forest-friendly enterprises are critical to sustaining our forests and the communities that depend on them. However, small businesses – especially green businesses – find it nearly impossible in the current credit environment to get bank financing. To address this problem, the ShadeFund was created by The Conservation Fund and the US Endowment for Forestry and Communities to help forest-related businesses obtain the capital they need to grow. ShadeFund loans have been critical to helping value-added forest products businesses and farms purchase needed equipment. ShadeFund loans also can serve as “gap financing” for enterprises or farms that want to take advantage of cost share programs but lack the up-front capital needed to cover their share.

ShadeFund sectors include:

Sustainable forestry & wood products

Forest-dependent products, such as: shade grown plants natural medicines, wood crafts and maple syrup production

Small-scale biomass and renewable energy

Eco-tourism

Organic & natural agriculture

ShadeFund lends up to $50,000 for new equipment, inventory, certification costs, and other working capital needs. Interest rates and terms vary depending on the stage of the business, the borrower’s financial strength, and available collateral and guarantees. Only US businesses are eligible. Qualified borrowers will be featured on the ShadeFund website, where individuals can directly support the business(es) of their choice with tax deductible contributions. As loans are repaid, the capital will be redeployed to other green entrepreneurs.

4:30-5:00 Tools Available to Communities for Implementing Wood to Energy Projects

Brenda Quiroz Maday, Executive Director, Midwest Office, Biomass Energy Resource Center, Madison, WI


5:00 pm ADJOURN

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THURSDAY, MAY 3, 2012

Tour 1: Utilization of Fire Killed Timber

Half day tour 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM

This half day tour will focus on how fire killed timber can be incorporated in homebuilding and the niche markets that exist for fire killed and beetle killed timber. The tour will begin with a visit to small bandmill operation that specializes in serving local markets by processing fire and beetle killed timber. A brief tour of a Flagstaff home that has incorporated fire killed material into the house’s décor is also scheduled. The tour will conclude with a visit to a forested area that has recently been affected by fire. The tour will leave Little America at 8 AM and return around noon. A box lunch will be provided.

Tour 2: Biomass to Energy

Full day tour 7:00 AM - 6:00 PM

The Biomass to Energy tour is centered about the Snowflake (AZ) biomass plant. Snowflake Power operates a 24-megawatt biomass power plant located near Snowflake, Arizona - two hours east of Flagstaff. The plant began commercial operations in June 2008 following a 22-month construction period. The plant sells 100% of its electricity and Renewable Energy Certificates (“REC”s) under two separate power purchase agreements. The plant generates enough electricity to power approximately 18,000 – 20,000 homes. The boiler burns a mix of paper sludge and woody biomass. Supplementing a tour of the power plant will be static displays by area forestry firms, including equipment demonstrations, processing activities and other information pertinent to value-added biomass quality. This tour will leave the Little America Hotel at 7 AM and return by 6 PM. Lunch at a local restaurant will be provided.

Tour 3: Forest Restoration Activities – Past and Present

Half day tour 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM

This half day tour will visit forested stands of ponderosa pine that are part of ongoing projects implemented by the Ecological Restoration Institute at Northern Arizona University. The Ecological Restoration Institute (ERI) is nationally known for their work with the restoration of ponderosa pine forests in the southwest. The scientists and researchers at ERI use prescribed burning in conjunction with site specific thinning treatments to restore forests, as closely as possible, to pre-European settlement conditions. Along this tour there will be opportunities to see large diameter ponderosa pines and numerous example of how southwest forests have changed due to fire suppression and forest fragmentation. This tour will leave Little America at 8 AM and return around noon. A box lunch will be provided.

THURSDAY, MAY 3, 2012

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CONFERENCE INFORMATION

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Registration Schedule

Registration for the SmallWood 2012 Conference in located in the conference

facilities housed in the Little America Hotel and Resort.

Registration Hours

Monday, April 30 3 pm – 7 pm

Tuesday, May 1 7 am – 5 pm

Wednesday, May 2 7 am – 5 pm

Little America Hotel & Resort Forest Products Society

2515 Butler Avenue 2801 Marshall Court

Flagstaff, AZ 96004 Madison, WI 53705

800.352.4386 608.231.1361

www.littleamerica.com/flagstaff www.forestprod.org

Optional Tours

On Thursday, May 3, three tours are scheduled in the surrounding the Flagstaff area

to visit businesses and operations. Each tour has space for at least 20 people. Tour

1 & 3 are half-day tours and will include a box lunch. Tour 2 is an all day tour that

includes lunch at a local restaurant.

For those attendees who have registered for the tours, please meet in the Flagstaff

Room for a complimentary continental breakfast from 6 – 8 am. Bus (Flagstaff

Limousines) boarding will be from 7:45 – 8 am outside the lobby. For tours 1 and

3, we will be departing at 8 am and returning to the Little America Hotel around

noon. Tour 2 will start boarding at 6:45 am with a prompt departure at 7 am and

returning to the hotel between 4 and 5 pm.

For those attendees who did not pre-register for the tours and are interested in

attending, please inquire about room availability at the SmallWood Registration

desk. Tours 1 & 3 are $49 each; Tour 2 is $69 and all include transportation and

lunch. Any open slots will be filled on a first-come basis. Enjoy the tours!

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Map of Little America Hotel & Resort

ABOUT FLAGSTAFF, ARIZONA

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Welcome to Flagstaff!

Flagstaff, AZ’s motto is “They don’t make towns like this anymore.” It’s easy to see why. Flagstaff is the largest city in Northern Arizona but maintains its small-town personality. Just a 55-minute drive from Flagstaff to the Grand Canyon South Rim, Flagstaff offers dozens of Flagstaff hotels, bed & breakfasts and lodging choices that are perfect for tourists.

But Flagstaff isn’t just a great destination for visitors; it’s also one of the hottest real estate markets in the country. From affordable condos & townhomes to suburban neighborhoods to popular resort lifestyle communities featuring golf and luxury homes for sale, Flagstaff, Arizona real estate remains neutral for both buyers and sellers. There are bargains to be had, however, because the appreciation rate remains relatively strong while median home prices are affordable - a winning combination for those looking to retire, relocate or buy a second home in Flagstaff, Arizona.

Flagstaff, Arizona’s Northern Arizona University student population may fool the visitor with its casual culture, but don’t let it. Flagstaff is a center of academia. Northern Arizona University (NAU), along with Lowell Observatory, the Arboretum at Flagstaff, Pioneer Museum and the Museum of Northern Arizona have achieved impressive academic feats that have earned Flagstaff a place of honor in the nation’s scientific and historical preservation communities. For example, Pluto was discovered in 1930 by Flagstaff scientists at Lowell Observatory and the Arboretum at Flagstaff is home to one of the country’s largest collections of high-country wildflowers.

The railroad and Route 66 are defining characteristics of Flagstaff, as they have been for over 140 years. Route 66 is one of Flagstaff’s main thoroughfares, with the railroad tracks running parallel with the legendary highway for miles. East Flagstaff stretches out along Route 66 and is home to quaint neighborhoods, established businesses and Flagstaff’s premier shopping destination - Flagstaff Mall and the Marketplace at Flagstaff Mall.

Travel southwest along Route 66 and you’ll find Downtown Flagstaff at the apex of this boomerang-shaped city. Here, Route 66 meets Milton Road, Flagstaff’s other main thoroughfare. Downtown Flagstaff is about two-dozen square blocks of a quirky, pedestrian-friendly mix of shops, bars, restaurants, art galleries and historic hotels. From downtown, you can take Humphreys Street / Highway 180 toward the Grand Canyon.

Head south on Milton Road and you’ll find brand-name hotels, shopping centers and the junctions of both Highway 180 (toward the Grand Canyon) and Interstates 17 and 40 (to all points west, south and east including Williams/Grand Canyon, Phoenix and New Mexico, respectively.)

So, whether you make Flagstaff your hometown for a night or a lifetime, you’re sure to appreciate its small-town character and metropolitan sensibility.

Forest Products Society 2801 Marshall Ct

Madison, WI 53705 United States of America

www.forestprod.org

(p) +1 608 231 1361 (f ) +1 608 231 2152

The Forest Products Society is an international not-for-profit technical association founded in 1947 to provide an information network for all segments of the forest products industry. The Society’s Vision is to be the international leader for advancing the sustainable use of renewable cellulosic resources through science and technology.The Society’s Mission is contribute to global stewardship by encouraging the social, economic and environmentally sustainable use of wood and other renewable cellulosic materials.To become a member, please visit www.forestprod.org or call +1 608 231 1361.

LITTLE AMERICA HOTEL IN FLAGSTAFF, ARIZONA

smallwood 2012 program

Documents

forest managers

forest restoration initiative

years theme forest restoration

forest thinning operations

forest fuel reduction

landscape restoration

smallwood conference

technical program