Announcing the 2009 Forest Landowners Conference

2009 Central Region Forest Landowners Conference
Planned for Saturday, February 28, 2009

Penn State Cooperative Extension, in cooperation with Penn State School of Forest Resources, the DCNR Bureau of Forestry, the Woodland Owners of Centre County, and the Clearfield/Jefferson Counties Forest Stewardship Committee are providing an educational conference specifically for forest landowners. The conference is scheduled from 9:00 am - 4:00 pm., Saturday, February 28, 2009, at the Penn State School of Forest Resources Building, University Park, PA.
This conference focuses on energy and is subtitled “Your Forest, An Energy Source for the Future.” Topics to be presented include: woody biofuel, forest certification, carbon trading, energy leasing opportunities, tree planting for energy production, reducing energy exploration impacts on wildlife and water, and farm bill opportunities; all as they relate to private, non-industrial forest landowners. Conference sponsors include the Woodland Owners of Centre County, Centre County Conservation District, Melville Forestry Services, and Fox Rothschild LLP.

Forests cover nearly 60% or over 17 million acres of Pennsylvania. Over 750,000 private forest landowners own approximately 75% (12.5 million acres) of this land. Forests provide us with many benefits including wood products, wildlife habitat, places to recreate, and beautiful vistas. They also give us clean water by protecting watersheds and clean air by removing carbon dioxide. Forests are also vital to the economy of Pennsylvania. The forest products industry is the fourth largest industry in the state, employing over 90,000 workers in 2,500 firms and contributes more than 5 billion dollars to the state’s economy annually. To continue providing these benefits into the future forests must receive proper management.

To register or for more information contact the Penn State Cooperative Extension office in Centre County at 814-355-4897 or e-mail CentreExt@psu.edu. The registration fee is $20.00 per person and includes presentations, a luncheon, and educational materials. The deadline for registration is Friday, February 20. Participants must be pre-registered. To download a copy of the conference brochure go to: http://centre.extension.psu.edu/ and click the Natural Resources link.

Penn State encourages persons with disabilities to participate in its programs and activities. If you anticipate needing any type of special accommodations or have questions about the physical access provided, contact Centre County Cooperative Extension at 814-355-4897 in advance of your participation of visit.