Polk Small Farms: Florida Land Steward Update 4/25/14

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Florida Land Steward Update April 25, 2014 Have Land? Get a Plan and Stay Connected. Florida Land Steward is your source of assistance, information, events and resources.
News, information and upcoming events below. Please share this update with your neighbors, colleagues or others that may be interested.

- Florida Land Steward Newsletter (Winter-Spring 2014 (Vol 3, No 2) and back issues -

News & Info Brief

BEAR MANAGEMENT WORKSHOPS
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) will hold six public workshops in April and May to discuss management of black bears in the eastern portion of the Florida Panhandle and how people can get involved in working with the FWC on local bear issues. Workshops will offer the public a chance to provide input on local bear issues and allow interested individuals to sign up to be active members of the East Panhandle Bear Stakeholder Group. The meetings will be from 6:30 to 8 p.m. local time at the following locations:

· April 30 – Bristol, Veterans Memorial Civic Center, 10405 NW Theo Jacobs Lane

· May 6 – Tallahassee, Woodville Community Center, 8000 Old Woodville Highway

· May 8 – Panama City, Bay County Public Library, 898 West 11th St.

· May 13 – Perry, Forest Capital Hall, 204 Forest Park Dr.

· May 15 – Carrabelle, city of Carrabelle Auditorium, 1001 Gray Ave.

· May 20 – Port St. Joe. Gulf Coast State College, Gulf/Franklin Campus, 3800 Garrison Ave.

The East Panhandle Bear Management Unit includes Bay, Calhoun, Franklin, Gadsden, Gulf, Jackson, Jefferson, Leon, Liberty, Madison, Taylor, Wakulla and Washington Counties.

A PRIMER ON WOOD-BORING BEETLES AND FUNGI
As wood-boring beetles and fungi are increasingly impacting forests and industries in the U.S., the demand for research on these organisms is also increasing. Dr. Jiri Hulcr, the UF/IFAS Forest Entomologist, was invited on to present his lab’s research on ambrosia beetles and fungi at four Universities across the eastern U.S. On this three-week “tour,” he was hosted by entomology departments at Auburn University, University of Kentucky, University of Tennessee, and Virginia Tech. A snapshot from one stop at this can be seen on YouTube: a recorded presentation and questions session at the University of Tennessee Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology. This is an excellent primer on the biology and ecology of ambrosia beetles and why we need to be concerned about their expanding populations.

TO CERTIFY OR NOT: FLORIDA TREE FARM PROGRAM NEEDS TO DECIDE
Something that sets the American Tree Farm System (ATFS) apart from all other private land stewardship programs is forest certification. ATFS Tree Farms are currently third party certified as sustainable (or “green”) and products can be sold as such at market. Florida, along with the other states are now being presented with a choice to make: to either stay in or opt out of ATFS Certification status depending on the importance we see in it. The Florida Tree Farm Committee will be required to make a formal declaration by December 31, 2015 of whether or not we want to continue as a state program of “third party certified” Tree Farms. The alternative is to revert to a “recognition” program that no longer has a “certification” status. As Tree Farmers, The Florida Tree Farm Committee would like your opinion of whether Florida should remain in a “certified” Tree Farm program, or drop the requirement for third party certification. More details on this in the next issue of the Florida Land Steward Newsletter. Reply with any comments you may have on this to Phil Gornicki, State Tree Farm Coordinator, at 850-222-5646 or phil@forestfla.org.

More at the Florida Land Steward Blog

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EAST FLORIDA (Madison County, east and south)
April 28	North Florida Timber Disease and Pest Workshop, 10 am to 12 pm ET, UF/IFAS Madison County Extension Office, 184 College Loop, Madison, FL 32340. Presented by Jeff Eikwort, Florida Forest Service. For more information or to register contact Justin Kania, (850) 973-5115, justin.kania@freshfromflorida.com
April 28 - May 1	Florida Wildlife Society and Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council Spring Conference: Breaking Bad in FL - Gaining Ground on Invasive Plants and Wildlife in the 21st Century (link), Safety Harbor Resort and Spa, Safety Harbor, FL. Details and registration at link above.
May 3-31	FL Master Naturalist Program – Uplands Module, Pine Jog Environmental Center and Jonathan Dickinson State Park, Palm Beach County, Details and Registration at http://www.masternaturalist.ifas.ufl.edu/
May 5-8	Ignition Planning & Prescribed Fire Techniques for Wildlife (link), Cecil Commerce Center, 13561 Lake Newman Street, Jacksonville, FL. Details and registration at link above.
May 5-8	2014 Aquatic Weed Short Course, Ft. Lauderdale Coral Springs Marriott Coral Springs, FL. Earn 20+ Florida Pesticide Applicator CEUs, Details and registration at http://conference.ifas.ufl.edu/aw/
May 6 - June 10	FL Master Naturalist Program – Freshwater Wetlands, Ichetucknee Springs State Park, Details and Registration at http://www.masternaturalist.ifas.ufl.edu/
May 7-9	Florida Beef Cattle Short Course: "Manage Your Enterprise, Manage Your Herd" (link), Straughn IFAS Extension Professional Development Center, Gainesville, FL.. See link for details.
May 8	Aquatic Ecosystems Restoration Mini-Course (link), Fort Lauderdale Coral Springs Marriot. $60 before April 25. See link for details.
May 9	Earth Day Festival, 10 am - 2 pm at USDA Brooksville Plant Materials Center, 14119 Broad Street, Brooksville, FL 34601. For more information contact Janet Grabowski, 352-796-9600, janet.grabowski@fl.usda.gov.
May 15-18	Florida Native Plant Society's 34th Annual Conference, Florida Gulf Coast University, Ft. Myers, FL. Details at http://fnps.org/conference
May 16	Forest Stewardship Mill Tour: Gainesville Renewable Energy Center (link), meet at 1:30 pm, Alachua County . We have a unique opportunity to tour the GREC facility to learn more about the operations and fuel sourcing. However, attendance is very limited – only twelve (12) are allowed on the tour. Preference will be given to private forest landowners. To register, contact Chris Demers at cdemers@ufl.edu, (352) 846-2375.
May 20	Compost in Citrus Production Workshop, 8 am - 4 pm, UF/IFAS: Southwest Florida Research and Education Center, Florida 29, Immokalee, FL. Training will be based on composting principles which promote the improvement of soil. Call the Center at (239) 658-3400 for more information.
May 29	Rural Energy Workshop, 6 - 8 pm, UF/IFAS Extension Alachua County Office, 2800 NE 39 Avenue, Gainesville, FL. Topics include solar power systems for agriculture and residential use, economics of solar power. FREE, supper included. Pre-register at 352-337-6209 (voice mail) by May 27th. For more information call 352-955-2402.
June 8-10	Trees Florida 2014 Conference (link), Innsbrook Resort and Golf Club, Palm Harbor, FL. Presented by Florida Chapter International Society of Arboriculture. CFEs approved for the event. See link for details and registration.
August 1-2	2014 Florida Small Farms and Alternative Enterprises Conference (link), Osceola Heritage Park, Kissimmee, FL. See link for details and registration.
August 11-15	Natural Areas Training Academy S130/190 Basic Wildland Firefighter Training, Waccasassa Forestry Center, Gainesville FL& Ordway-Swisher Biological Station, Melrose FL. Tuition: $125 - General Registration; $100 - Student Registration. Registration closes July 25. Details and registration at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2014-basic-wildland-firefighter-training-s130190-tickets-11331772637?ct=t%28S130_190_20144_16_2014%29
August 13-30	FL Master Naturalist Program – Environmental Interpretation Special Topic Course, Palm Beach County, Details and Registration at http://www.masternaturalist.ifas.ufl.edu/
September 4	Forest Stewardship / Heartland CISMA Workshop: Invasive Exotic Species and Management, 8:30 am to 3 pm ET, UF/IFAS Okeechobee County Extension Office, 458 Highway 98 North, Okeechobee, FL 34972. Pesticide applicator CEUs and SAF CFEs pending. More details to come.
WEST FLORIDA (Jefferson County and west)
April 26	Green Living Expo 2014 (link), 9 am to 2 pm, Crawfordville Hudson Park & TCC Wakulla Center. Activities include a Green Flea Market, bike rally & safety check, presentations on sustainable activities, and food vendors.
May 12-16	Tall Timbers GIS Workshop: Applied Geospatial Solutions in Natural Resources (link), Tall Timbers Research Station. See link for details.
May 14	Longleaf Pine Forest Restoration & Management Workshop (link to pdf flier), 8:30 am to 3:30 pm CT, Turkey Pond Ranch, Washington County. Presented by Apalachicola Regional Stewardship Alliance and Forest Stewardship Program. $10 includes lunch and materials. Details to come. Register at https://fsp-workshop051414.eventbrite.com or call Washington County Extension at (850) 638-6180
June 23-26	Tall Timbers GIS Workshop: Python Scripting and GIS Programming (link). Tall Timbers Research Station. See link for details.
WEBINARS
April 30	Webinar: Preparing a Seeding Plan for Conservation Practices (link), 2 pm ET. See link for details.
April 30	Webinar: Short Rotation Woody Crops for Phytoremediation Applications (link), 2 pm ET. See link for details.
May 8	USDA Forest Service Rocky Mtn Research Station's Invasive Plants Webinar Series (link), see link for details.
May 7	Webinar: Forest Certification for Forest Owners in the Eastern U.S., 1 pm ET. See link for details.
May 13	Webinar: Biomass Market Access Standards (BMAS) (link), 2 pm ET. See link for details.
May 13	Webinar: Using RUSLE2 to Evaluate Soil Health Planning Principles (link), 2 pm ET. See link for details.
May 14	Webinar: On-Farm Food Safety and Conservation (link), 3 pm ET. See link for details.
May 21	Webinar: Development of an Acid Scrubber for Removal of Ammonia from Mechanically Ventilated Broiler Houses (link), 1 pm ET. See link for details.
May 22	Webinar: Lighting Systems: Analysis, Performance, and Energy Conservation Opportunities (link), 2 pm ET. See link for details.