Volunteers still needed for the WSSAF Fair Booth

Please consider staffing a shift for the WSSAF booth at the Washington State Fair

The Washington State Society of American Foresters (WSSAF) is still seeking volunteers to take a 3-4 hour shift at our Fair Booth at the Washington State Fair (The Fair) located in Puyallup, WA. The Washington State Fair (often now just called “The Fair”), is consistently in the top 10 largest fairs in the world.  In recent years the annual attendance has been in the 1.0 to 1.2 million people through the gates over a 17-day run. It is a great way for the Forestry profession to interact with citizens about forestry issues and needs.

We share exhibit space in the Expo Hall (below the Grandstands) with the Washington Farm Forestry Association (WFFA); Washington Tree Farm Program and Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

How You Can Help

WSSAF needs volunteers to help staff the booth and provide outreach to the public for our profession. 

Shifts are generally 3-4 hours long In return for your time, volunteers receive free admission to The Fair and access to free parking.

The 2024 Fair continues September 9th through September 22nd. The Fair is closed Tuesday Sept, 10th, and 17th.

Contact Gene McCaul at mccauls1234(at)msn.com to sign up.

Northwest Active Management Tour Oct 4-5, 2024

This field tour October 4-5, 2024 in Idaho City, ID is organized by the Intermountain and Inland Empire Chapters of the Society of American Foresters and hosted in conjunction with the U.S. Forest Service, Idaho Department of Lands, Bureau of Land Management, and private timber industry to provide a learning and networking opportunity for students and to share information and management practices across the forestry profession.

Audience is anyone interested in ongoing, past, and future management of forest types in central Idaho, and similar dry and moist mixed conifer types of the Inland Northwest. In particular, students interested in natural resource management, current and retired land management professionals. Local landowners and those interested in collaboration are also encouraged to attend.

Camp sites and simple breakfasts and dinner will be provided at Grayback Group Site A, which provides simple accommodations in the heart of Boise Basin. Conveniently located off Highway 21, roughly 3 miles south of Idaho City, this site accommodates tents and RV/camper trailers (max 50 feet, no hookups), including pit toilets, picnic tables, and campfire rings for evening socials. The site offers a central launch point to diverse active management across federal, state and private lands. Sites can be reserved from Thursday through Sunday (October 3 to October 6, 2024).

Breakfast and dinner will be provided on Friday and Saturday. Depending on when people arrive on Thursday. Dinners will be simple items that can be cooked on a grill. Please inform of any dietary requirements. Everyone is responsible for providing their own lunch; snacks will be provided.
Registration includes lodging/camping at Camp Stanley and meals:
● Professional- $100
● Student – $15

Registration fees can be paid in advance with a credit card using the following PayPal link, or on site with cash or check. If you’d like to pay by check in advance, it can be addressed to:
Society of American Foresters
5484 N Collister Drive
Boise, ID 83703

Questions can be directed to ActiveManagementTour@gmail.com.

WSSAF Commissioner of Public Lands Candidate Forum

The WSSAF Commissioner of Public Lands Candidate Forum is coming up on October 7th, 2024, 6-7:30 PM and will take place at the Norman Worthington Conference Center at St. Martin’s College in Olympia, WA. Click here to check out additional details and the registration link on the calendar page.

Volunteering at the Washington State Fair 2024

Washington State Society of American Foresters (WSSAF) volunteers work each year to reach out to the public about the forestry profession at the Washington State Fair (The Fair) located in Puyallup, WA. The Washington State Fair (often now just called “The Fair”), is consistently in the top 10 largest fairs in the world.  In recent years the annual attendance has been in the 1.0 to 1.2 million people through the gates over a 17-day run.

We share exhibit space in the Expo Hall (below the Grandstands) with the Washington Farm Forestry Association (WFFA); Washington Tree Farm Program and Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

How You Can Help

WSSAF needs volunteers to help staff the booth and provide outreach to the public for our profession. Shifts are generally 3-4 hours long In return for your time, volunteers receive free admission to The Fair and access to free parking.

This year the Fair runs from August 30th through September 22nd. The Fair is closed every Tuesday (Sept 3rd, 10th, and 17th and on Wednesday, Sept 4th (only Wednesday closed).

Contact Gene McCaul at mccauls1234(at)msn.com to sign up.

Be Wary of Email Scams

The world of purchasing Gift cards “scam” has reached several members of Washington State Society of American Foresters (WSSAF). Recently some members of WSSAF have received an email originating from WSSAF Chair Samantha Chang requesting the purchase of Gift cards on behalf of WSSAF to donate to a veterans group.

We confirmed with WSSAF Chair Chang that this email request to purchase gift cards on behalf of WSSAF is bogus.

In this very real email request the sender states that they need a “favor” and have limited access to phone coverage. They direct the purchase of gift cards in dominations of $100 from local sources and then indicate once the gift cards are purchased to send a confirmation email them. Once the email is received they will direct where the Gift cards are to be sent.

Please be wary of this email request.

WSSAF Legend Patrick “Pat” Cummins passes away

Former Green River College Forestry Instructor and SAF Golden member Patrick “Pat” Cummins passed away on May 4, 2024 at the age of 98 years old. Pat was a fixture in WSSAF South Puget Sound Chapter events and the annual Golden Member Awards Luncheons. He always had great experiences and stories to share. He will be missed.

A memorial for Pat will be held on Saturday, July 20, 2024 at :00 PM at the Kent United Methodist Church, 11010 SE 248th St in Kent, WA. Afterwards, there will be a reception with refreshments and additional opportunities to share memories.

Donations in Pat’s memory can be made the the Rhododendron Species Botanical Garden in Federal Way, WA at https://www.rhodygarden.org/donate/

North Puget Sound Chapter Meeting May 15th

Hello North Puget Sound SAF Chapter members, and a special welcome to our new members! Please join us for a tour of the Pacific Rim Tonewoods mill and Utopia Figured Maple Project site, followed by a group dinner at Double Barrel BBQ.

Pacific Rim Tonewoods has been supplying premium wood to guitar makers and luthiers for over 30 years. They specialize in traditional, sonically graded, and torrefied tonewood from spruce species, bigleaf maple, and koa. The Utopia site is one of Pacific Rim Tonewood’s research projects into sustainable production of high-value fiddleback maple. This is an outdoor tour, so please come prepared for inclement weather and walking on uneven terrain. Participants will take their own vehicles, and carpooling is encouraged. 

Join us at Pacific Rim Tonewoods for the mill tour at 1:30 PM on May 15 at 38511 State Route 20, Concrete, WA. At about 3 PM we’ll take a short drive to the Utopia Plantation. The tour will wrap up at Utopia about 5 PM, and then we’ll head to Double Barrel BBQ, 108 West Moore St., Sedro Woolley, for dinner at 5:30 PM, with appetizers and drinks courtesy of the North Puget Sound SAF Chapter (order dinner on your own) where we’ll share news from state and national SAF.

Please RSVP with the button below so we can plan ahead for food, or email Samantha Chang at northpugetSAF@gmail.com. Guests are welcome – invite another forester!

New chapter members can pick up their complimentary WSSAF pint glass at the dinner – same goes for any other members who haven’t received theirs yet. We appreciate your continued membership, and hope to see you there!

WSSAF 2024 Annual Meeting-Don’t miss it!

Coming up fast April 3-5 – Register now

Early bird registration deadline extended for 2024 WSSAF Annual Meeting until March 8th.  After March 8, the price will increase to $250. The field trip is also capped at 40 attendees so don’t delay in registering. Can’t attend in person? There is a virtual option.

Meeting Theme: Forest Practices Act 50th Anniversary: Past, Present, and Future
Dates and Location: April 3-5, 2024 – Grays Harbor College, Aberdeen, WA
Hosted by the Southwest Washington SAF Chapter .
https://forestry.org/washington-annual-meetings/

Registration Pricing
SAF Members*: $200, add-ons banquet dinner $50, field trip $50
Non-SAF Members: $250, add-ons banquet dinner $50, field trip $50
Student Members: $75, add-ons banquet dinner $25, field trip $25
$50*Golden members receive a $50 discount when registering. 

Next year is the 50th anniversary of the Washington State Forest Practices Act. In recognition of this anniversary, the 2024 WSSAF annual meeting will explore how this significant piece of legislation changed forest management in Washington State. Presentations include: RMAP History & Fish Passage and Habitat Restoration Projects, Unstable Slopes and Habitat Conservation Plans.

The keynote address will feature Hilary Franz, Commissioner of Public Lands, Washington Department of Natural Resources. Other activities include an icebreaker social and student and early career mentoring event on Wednesday, a silent auction, and Friday field trip. On Friday morning, there will be a Tree Farmer Inspector breakfast hosted by the Washington Tree Farm Program, following by the field trip.

WSSAF 2023-2024 Awards Nominations open

Member nominations are being sought by the Washington State Society of American Foresters (WSSAF) Awards Committee for 2023-2024 for three categories: Forester of the Year, Chapter of the Year, and SAF District 1 Presidential Field Forester of the Year.

To receive the Award nomination form, please contact 2023/24 WSSAF Awards Committee Chair: Bill Horn, email hornbill66(at)msn.com WSSAF Award nominations are due March 5, 2024 and the Presidential Field Forester Award nomination are due to February 15, 2024

To learn more and download the nomination form (PDF)

Presidential Field Forester Award for District 1 (Alaska, Inland Empire and Washington State SAF) will be presented at the next National SAF Convention.

The Washington State SAF Awards will be presented at the 2024 WSSAF Annual Meeting (April 3-5, 2024).

Forester of the Year

To be presented annually to a member of the Washington State Society of American Foresers selected to be recognized by his/her peers for contributing to both the profession and the public through application of his/her professional skills to the advancement of forestry in Washington State and through public service that benefits his/her community or some larger segment of society.  The selection committee is made up of the five (5) previous Foresters of the Year with their chair being the most recent recipient,

Chapter Achievement Award

To be presented to a Washington State Society Chapter which has made extraordinary achievements in membership, service to members, community service, and chapter management and participated in forest policy and legislation in the preceding year.  Chapters are required to submit achievement data for the preceding year to qualify for the award.  This could also be the basis of a submission to National for an Outstanding Local Unit Achievement Award the following year.

Presidential Field Forester Awards

It is appropriate that SAF recognize those members of our profession who actively practice professional forestry in the field.  Practitioners are the true foundation of our profession. Practitioners often operate in nearly complete anonymity, yet their actions are the single most important contribution to the viability and understanding of our profession.  This is where forestry truly happens and it is important that we recognize those who perform the art and science of forestry each and every day.

There are a large number of field foresters in District 1 (Alaska, Inland Empire and Washington State SAF) who should be recognized for their talent and accomplishments.  These deserving individuals can be found in all regions of the U.S. Using SAF presidential prerogative, 11 members — one from each of the eleven SAF districts — will be selected by the District Board Representative to receive an outstanding field forester achievement award each year.

While WSSAF will recognize a nominee for District and National Presidential Field Forester, the actual District and National selection, meeting National selection criteria, will now be submitted through the National online submission portal site by March 15.  The site should be reached at eforester.org/awards which will then forward the information to the District board member who will then forward their selection to the SAF President.   

WSSAF Recognizes its Golden Members 2020-2023

On August 3, 2023, the Washington State Society of American Foresters (WSSAF) held its Golden Member Appreciation Luncheon in Fife, WA to recognize SAF members who achieved Golden Member status (50 years of SAF membership) in 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023. Twenty-six members were honored at the luncheon, and several were on hand to accept their plaques.

Also in attendance were previously recognized Golden Members who came to support the new golden Members and to network. In addition to recognizing the Golden Members, Chris Schnepf, SAF board member for District 1, provided a national update, and Andrea Watts, the SAF Northwest Office manager, gave an update on activities at the Northwest SAF Office.

Sponsors of the luncheon were Nuveen Nature Capital, Weyerhaeuser, American Forest Management, Robert Bass, and TTG Forestry Services; the venue sponsor was Wade Boyd.

This Golden Member Appreciation Luncheon has been held annually since 1996, apart from a brief hiatus
from 2020-2022 due to the ongoing pandemic.

Originally organized by South Puget Sound Chapter, the luncheon serves to acknowledge and honor senior members for their half-century membership in SAF. In 2017, SAF’s House of Society Delegates awarded the South Puget Sound chapter with a national recognition award for diversity & inclusion in recognition for organizing this annual luncheon. The luncheon is now organized by WSSAF.