not a member?   forgot your password?

SAF Emerging Issues Process

Courtesy www.bugwood.com

In 2008, SAF's Forest Science and Technology Board (FSTB) reactivated a long-dormant Emerging Issues process to identify issues not universally recognized and somewhat hidden over the horizon—issues that are likely to be important to foresters and the Society in the years ahead. At the 2008 Working Group Officer and business meetings in Reno, Nevada, ideas about emerging issues were solicited from SAF members. A dozen issues were identified and eventually developed as issue statements. The FSTB and its Emerging Issues Committee evaluated and ranked them, and three issues rose to the top of the list—the top-three 2009 emerging issues (see below). The committee drafted more complete issue descriptions and identified actions the Society might take to address them, and the FSTB forwarded these recommendations to SAF Council in February of 2009. The top issues were also used as a basis for track development by the 2010 Convention planning team. All 12 issues were discussed at the 2009 Working Group Officer and Unit Science Technology Coordinators meeting during the National Convention in Orlando and further refined and re-ranked. A poster and "Issues Wall" staffed by FSTB members at the 2009 Orlando Convention communicated the process, as implemented to date, with the Convention attendees and provided a place for anyone to post and comment on ideas for new emerging issues, as well as ideas for addressing already-identified issues. Another Issues Wall is planned for the 2010 SAF National Convention in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and criteria for prioritizing emerging issues are being refined, and issues identified on the 2009 Issues Wall will undergo ranking and formal evaluation. All three top issues identified in 2009 have already been at least partially addressed by some kind of Society action.

What Is an Emerging Issue?

Emerging issue are problems, questions, or opportunities that are not clearly articulated or acted upon. They may be “out ahead of the headlights”, a bit fuzzy, and not yet widely recognized in research, planning, or management. They can be based on a “gut feeling” or “intuition.” Think about the following criteria when considering whether your idea is an emerging issue: has the issue emerged in the literature or media, will it likely have an impact on the forestry profession, is it relevant to the SAF and our mission, and does SAF have the capacity to move the issue forward? Examples of issues that have already emerged include invasive species, fire protection costs, land use change and conversion, wildland/urban interface, kids in the woods, and the science of forest carbon accounting.

Why Are Emerging Issues Important?

Recognizing emerging issues allows us to be strategic and proactive, improving our vitality in policy development, leadership, and service. This work strengthens our ability to bring multiple disciplines together to solve problems and promote opportunities in complicated societal and natural resource issues. Recognizing and acting upon emerging issues increases our credibility as a profession and helps assure that we are in-touch and better able to meet the public's expectations of the profession.

Examples of Emerging Issues

For a full description of the top three issues please click here. To view all the emerging issues identified to date please click here.

The Top Three Issues Identified in 2009:

2009-1 (Global Connections): Are we oblivious to the connections between fire, forest management, and larger issues? Enhancing understanding of global connections: interactions among effective fire and forest management in the United States, availability of timber and biomass, and the impact on ecosystems and communities in America and abroad that result from management that ranges from passive/caretaker to exploitive.

2009-2 (Biomass Repercussions): Thinking through how biomass for energy plays out on environmental and social systems. What can we learn from intensive timber management experiences and discussions on sustainability?

2009-3 (Embracing Statistics): Illuminating statistical black boxes and promoting understanding and correct use and interpretation in support of forest management and policy analysis.

The Top Issue Identified for 2010:

2010-1 (Aligning Forest Carbon Expectations with Reality): When carbon accounting systems are ultimately audited, the forestry profession is at grave risk of having oversold the forest offset concept. The scarcity of definitive information and the high uncertainty associated with the information we think we have in the area of carbon dynamics suggests the need for greater investment in research on baseline carbon stocks and pools including bole and non-bole carbon pools, estimation of carbon flux, soil carbon, and the implications of a great many scenarios that play out as a response to change (e.g., climate change, invasives, fire and other natural disturbance, and human intervention via management and the choice not to manage).

The 2009 Issues Wall

The 2009 Issues Wall and Working Group discussion identified new emerging issues. Examples of Wall submissions include:

Public Trust and Forestry: How does the profession create a new contract with America and regain relevance to people? The voice of forestry is a whisper. How do we create a brand image of the professional forester that better aligns with the broad range of ecosystem services we manage? The professional forester is still haunted by the image of timber beast and Smokey the Bear. Timber and fire are only two of the resources managed by foresters.

Ranger and Scout: Let middle and high school science teachers and counselors know that forestry is a field for the science and math kids. It's not just about being a ranger or scout.

What Should SAF Do about Emerging Issues?

As challenging as it can be, identifying and prioritizing emerging issues are only the first steps. Once we commit to emerging issues, we “own” them in the sense that SAF must devise and implement effective ways to address them. Some ideas we have considered include: tracks, technical sessions, panel discussions, tours, and keynotes at the SAF Convention; policy and position statements and white papers; articles in the Journal of Forestry or The Forestry Source; and targeted workshops and continuing educational opportunities. We are also interested in your ideas on how to address emerging issues effectively.

How to Use This Website to Participate

If you would like to provide your idea for an emerging issue, please contact the Emerging Issues Committee Chair Jeremy Fried at saf at jeremyfried.net. We also need to know how you think the issue can be addressed and moved forward. Please be as detailed as possible in your descriptions, providing any thoughts or information you think are relevant.

These web pages will be updated as action is planned and occurs concerning these issues. Also, as new issues are identified and selected as top priorities, these will be added to this main emerging issues page. For more information about the merging issues identification process, contact the emerging issues committee chair Jeremy Fried at saf at jeremyfried.net.