Polk Small Farms: Florida Land Steward Update 5/1/14

Florida Land Steward Update May 1, 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 (Spring / Summer 2014 (Vol 3, No 2) and back issues -

News & Info Brief

SPRING / SUMMER ISSUE OF FLORIDA LAND STEWARD NOW AVAILABLE

Inside:

· To Certify or Not: Florida Tree Farm Program Needs to Decide

· 2013 Tree Farm Tour Highlights

· New Austin Cary Forest Learning Center Unveiled

· Friends of Florida State Forests

· Animal Invasion - Tegu Lizard

· Timber Price Update

· Certified Forest Stewards and Tree Farmers

· Events Calendar

2014 SOUTHERN PINE BEETLE FORECAST
The Florida Forest Service conducted a pheromone trap survey in March 2014 as part of an ongoing program to monitor the populations of Southern Pine Beetle (SPB) and its associated predators. The purpose is to provide an early-season prediction of the potential level of SPB activity in select Florida counties, and identify areas which may be at increased risk for an outbreak. The results of the 2014 survey indicate that SPB populations are low at all but one trap location and suggest that the risk of widespread SPB infestations in the majority of the surveyed counties is low. Read the full report here.

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:

· 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.

More at the Florida Land Steward Blog

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EAST FLORIDA (Madison County, east and south)
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	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	Stormwater, Erosion, Sedimentation Control Inspector Certification Program, Extension Services Building, Osceola Heritage Park, 1921 Kissimmee Valley Lane, Kissimmee FL 34744. FREE. Space is limited – PRE-REGISTER at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/stormwater-erosion-sedimentation-control-inspector-certification-program-tickets-10979661463
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 9	Earth Day Festival, 10 am - 2 pm at USDA Brooksville Plant Materials Center, 14119 Broad Street, Brooksville, FL 34601. Great opportunity to exhibit - exhibitor deadline is April 15. 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 physical, chemical and biological properties.
May 22	Woodland Security Workshop, 9 am to 12 pm ET, Conference Room, Perry District Office, Florida Forest Service, 618 Plantation Road, Perry, Florida 32348. Learn tips to prevent trespass, theft, arson, and unauthorized use in general. FREE. Please register by contacting Jim Fleming, Taylor+Dixie County Forester, Florida Forest Service at (850) 838-2286 or James.Fleming@FreshFromFlorida.com
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 as well as the 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.
July 2	Certified Pile Burner Course, 8am to 5pm ET, West Central FL Ag Center (Sumter County Fairgrounds). Direct link to the registration form on the Sumter County webpage: http://sumter.ifas.ufl.edu/Commercial-Horticulture/documents/SumterCountyPileBurnerUpdated.pdf
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)
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
May 7	Webinar: Forest Certification for Forest Owners in the Eastern U.S., 1 pm ET. See link for details.
May 8	Webinar: Biomass Harvesting Sustainability Webinar Series: Small mammal, reptile and amphibian response to biomass harvesting (link), 12 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 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.