05/01/2002

Forest Sustainability Topic of Upcoming Weaver Lecture

AUBURN, Ala. – "Where We've Been and Where We're Headed in Forest Sustainability" is the topic of the Auburn University (AU) School of Forestry's spring Weaver Lecture Series presentation by Dr. James P. Shepard on Thursday, May 3, at 2 p.m. in meeting room E of the AU Dixon Conference Center.

Shepard, who is manager of the Sustainable Forestry Program for the National Council on Air and Stream Improvement (NCASI), will discuss the history of sustainable forestry and implications for the future.
According to Shepard, the effort to introduce scientific, sustainable forestry in the United States began at the turn of the 20th Century. Pioneers in this area faced a difficult task, because wood was plentiful and cheap and "lumbering" was more economically attractive than forestry. A century later, many strides have been made toward more sustainable forest management; however, some issues remain unresolved. Questions about the use of national forests, public perceptions about forestry, the economics of sustainable forestry in a global economy and the definition of sustainability in relation to chemical use and harvesting practices are still on the forefront of forestry discussions.

Shepard will provide a brief summary of the research underway in NCASI's Sustainable Forestry Program that will highlight examples of the industry's research priorities for sustainable forestry. Three focus areas he will discuss include long-term site productivity, environmental considerations of intensive forestry and landscape management. The lecture will conclude with thoughts about the directions forestry might take in the 21st century.

Shepard, a native of Indianola, Miss., received a BS in forestry from Mississippi State University (MSU) in 1979, a MS in physiological ecology from Purdue University in 1981 and a Ph.D. in forest soils from MSU in 1985.

He served as a research scientist for five years at the State University of New York where he conducted research on atmospheric deposition effects on forest soils and water quality in the Adirondack Mountains. In 1990, Shepard joined the NCASI staff at their Southern Regional Center in Gainesville, Fla. He manages NCASI's Sustainable Forestry Program and is the 2001 chair of the Suwannee Chapter of the Society of American Foresters.

The Weaver Lecture Series is sponsored by the Earl H. and Sandra H. Weaver Endowment. The Weavers, who reside in Brewton, have long been interested in Auburn University and in forestry. Their gift brings these two interests together in a program that benefits both faculty and students.

The lecture is free and open to all AU faculty, staff and students and also to the general public. For more information, call 334-844-1006.

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Contact Jamie Creamer, 334-844-2783 or jcreamer@auburn.edu