Celebrate North Carolina’s Arbor Day at the State Farmers Market

Seedling give-away at NC Arbor Day 2010The public is invited to participate in North Carolina’s Arbor Day Celebration to be held at the State Farmers Market in Raleigh, March 19, 2011, 9am to 2pm.  Exhibitors from a wide variety of forest-related organizations will be on site in the Farmers Building to share information and materials about how trees heighten our quality of life.

In addition to exhibits, demonstrations, and hands-on activities for youth, the Triangle Chapter of the Society of American Foresters will be giving away 1000 redbud seedlings.  Youth will also be able to “adopt” a plant to take home.  At noon, the winner of the NC Arbor Day Poster Contest will be announced and presented with their award.  NC State University faculty, staff, and students will provide information on educational and career opportunities in forestry and environmental resources.  Even Smokey Bear plans to join the celebration!

Arbor Day is celebrated in state observances across the country to show just how much trees are appreciated.  According to the NC Division of Forest Resources website, the NC state legislature ratified a bill in 1967 stating in part, “Whereas, it is desirable that the planting of seedlings and flowering shrubs be encouraged to promote the beautification and conservation of the vast and varied resources of North Carolina, and whereas the designation of a particular day each year as Arbor Day would encourage and draw attention to a concerted effort by North Carolinians to beautify and conserve the

Triangle Chapter of SAF will distribute 1000 redbud seedlings at the 2011 NC Arbor Day Celebration

state’s resources by planting young trees and shrubs.”  As host to the NC Arbor Day Celebration, the NCSU Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources honors that spirit, encourages community involvement, and thanks these organizations for their participation in the festivities:

Triangle Chapter of SAF
Sustainable Forestry Initiative
NC Forestry Association
NC Division of Forest Resources
NC Division of Forest Resources – Urban & Community Forestry
City of Raleigh – Urban Forestry
NeighborWoods Program
NCSU College of Natural Resources – Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources
NCSU College of Natural Resources – Department of Forest Biomaterials
NCSU Extension Forestry

Exhibits during NC Arbor Day Celebration 2009

This event is free and open to the public. For more information, visit go.ncsu.edu/arborday2011, or contact Lisa Schabenberger at 919-513-7368 or lisa_schabenberger@ncsu.edu.

Read our blog about the 2009 Arbor Day Celebration!

NC State Receives $3.67M Grant to Examine Effect of Climate Change on Southern Loblolly Pines

NEWS RELEASE:
For Immediate Release

North Carolina State University is part of a team of 12 institutions across the Southeastern United States selected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture to establish a regional network to monitor the effects of climate change on southern pine trees. The goal is to use the information to develop new management methods and varieties of pines to help Southeastern pine forests adapt to changes in climate.

Researchers will study climate-change mitigation and adaptation as it relates to southern pines, particularly loblolly pine, which comprises 80 percent of the planted forestland in the Southeast. NC State researchers, led by Dr. Ross Whetten, associate professor of forestry, will participate in establishing the monitoring network to collect information on response to climate change, examining the genetics of  pine to learn how the trees grow and respond to temperature and rainfall, and measuring the nutrients the trees take in from and release into the atmosphere and soil.

Key components of NC State’s research effort include creating and disseminating knowledge that helps landowners harness planted pine forest productivity to mitigate atmospheric carbon dioxide; use nitrogen and other fertilizers more efficiently; and adapt their forest management to increase resilience in the face of changing climate.

Dr. Ryan Boyles, North Carolina state climatologist and assistant professor of marine, earth and atmospheric sciences, will also play a key role in coordinating state climatologists with forestry extension personnel to engage land managers across the region.
 
“We want to find out from landowners early on in the research process what questions they have about the impact climate is having on their ability to manage their land,” Boyles says. “This proposal is going to be very interesting not only in helping to improve forest production in a changing climate, but also in understanding the positive impact the timber industry plays in improving carbon sequestration. There are few tools as successful as forestry in having a positive effect on climate change.”

By the study’s conclusion, researchers hope to develop a computer model that incorporates climate variables – like temperature, rainfall and other factors – to predict forest productivity under different climate conditions. They also want to identify new varieties of loblolly pine, and new management techniques for existing pine plantations, that will allow plantations to better tolerate predicted climate change.

“In the end, we want to provide information and tools that equip landowners and forest managers to increase the sustainability and productivity of planted pine forests, and that empower environmental agencies and policy makers to make informed decisions about how forests will respond to climate change,” Whetten says.

The overall grant, a $20 million, five-year project, will be led by Dr. Tim Martin at the University of Florida. NC State will receive $3.67 million to perform its research, education and outreach activities.

Media Contact: 
Caroline Barnhill, NCSU News Services, 919/515-6251 or caroline_barnhill@ncsu.edu

Zobel – Forest Genetics Pioneer Passes

Dr Bruce Zobel

Dr Zobel came into the office regularly for almost 30 years following his official retirement as Professor of Forestry at NC State.

In Memoriam

Dr. Bruce J. Zobel, NC State professor emeritus and pioneer in the field of forest genetics, died February 5 2011 at his home in Raleigh. He was 90.

Zobel’s connection with NC State lasted 55 years.  It began with his move to Raleigh in 1957 to lead the Cooperative Tree Improvement Program.  He remained active following his first retirement from that position in 1979, founding the Camcore program in gene conservation and forest genetics.
He continued to teach undergraduate and graduate classes and mentor graduate students until 2001.  In 2004, Zobel received the Alexander Quarles Holladay Medal for career achievements and contributions to the university.

A native of California, Zobel earned a forestry degree from the University of California, Berkeley in 1943 and took a job as a logging engineer in redwood forests until he was drafted the following year. The Marine served in California, Virginia and North Carolina, where he was appointed forestry officer at Camp Lejeune near Jacksonville, NC.

Dr. Bruce Zobel - the early years

Zobel in the treetops during the genesis of the field of tree improvement

After his military service, Zobel returned to Berkeley to earn master’s and doctoral degrees in forestry. He oversaw a new program in forest genetics at Texas A&M University until 1956. The following year he joined NC State.

Zobel, who served as the E.F. Conger Distinguished Professor of Forestry, received the O. Max Gardner award, the UNC Board of Governors’ highest faculty honor, in 1972 for outstanding contributions to the welfare of humankind.

Bruce Zobel accepts the TAPPI Gold Medal in 1975

Dr. Zobel accepts the TAPPI Gold Medal in 1975

The late Dr. Bruce J. Zobel accepts Nc State University's presigious Holladay Medal

In 2004, Zobel received the Alexander Quarles Holladay Medal for career achievements and contributions to the university.

Recognized as an authority on genetic improvement and variation of wood properties, Zobel earned international recognition in 1975 as the first forester to be awarded the TAPPI Gold Medal for outstanding contributions to the technical progress of the pulp and paper industry.

Zobel did consulting work around the world, authored six books and mentored more than 100 graduate students, many of whom hold leadership positions with universities, government and industry. In 1998, he and his wife created the Bruce and Barbara Zobel Endowment for International Forestry to allow students to gain firsthand experience with forestry production around the world.  In 2004, he received the Alexander Quarles Holladay Medal.

Donations in his memory may be made to Avent Ferry United Methodist Chiurch in Raleigh, North Carolina, the Bruce and Barbara Zobel Scholarship Fund in care of Campus Box 8010 NC State University 27695 or a charity of your choice.

Cracking the Glass Ceiling in College Sport Administration

NEWS RELEASE –     
Think Manager, Think Male? Impact of Gender In Sport Administration Hiring

The “glass ceiling” for women administrators in college athletics may be cracked, but is not completely broken, according to a new study co-authored by a North Carolina State University researcher.

Results of the study, which surveyed athletic administrators at universities across the country to determine how, and if, gender roles made a difference in hiring practices, may disappoint those who think double standards for women have been relegated to the past.

Dr. Heidi Grappendorf, assistant professor of parks, recreation and tourism management at NC State University, and colleagues  surveyed 276 athletic administrators at Division I universities to have them evaluate fictitious vignettes of male or female candidates for intercollegiate athletics positions such as athletic director, compliance director or life-skills director. They then ranked the candidates’ attributes and the likelihood of hiring them for the respective positions.

The research found that female candidates for the athletic director position, despite having the same background as their male counterparts, were viewed as less feminine. However, if the same female candidates applied for life skills positions – positions which are predominately held by women in real-life athletic administration – they were viewed as more feminine.

Meanwhile, males were more likely to be chosen for athletic director positions, even with the exact same background and attributes as  female candidates.

Researchers believe the study lends support to the notion that men tend to be hired in management roles not just for their skills and experience, but because of the perceived view that management roles require masculinity.

“It seems like there is, unfortunately, a ‘catch-22’ for women in management roles – particularly in sports,” Grappendorf explains. “The assumption has been that masculine attributes like aggressiveness and competitiveness are needed for management-level positions, yet women who display those attributes are still not given the same opportunities as men. Even worse, if they do happen to be hired, women are often looked down upon by colleagues for having those masculine qualities.”

Similar research has been conducted in business settings, but this research is the first of its kind conducted in the sports industry, which continues to be male-dominated. The research, which is published in the Journal for Sport Management, was conducted along with lead author Dr. Laura Burton from the University of Connecticut and co-author Dr. Angela Henderson from the University of Northern Colorado.

NC State’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management is part of the university’s College of Natural Resources.

-barnhill-

Note to editors: The study abstract follows.

“Perceptions of Gender in Athletic Administration: Utilizing Role Congruity to Examine (Potential) Prejudice Against Women”
Authors: Laura Burton, University of Connecticut; Heidi Grappendorf, North Carolina State University, Angela Henderson, University of Northern Colorado.
Published: 2011, Volume 25, 36-45, Journal of Sport Management

Abstract:
Based on the tenets of role congruity theory, the current study examined the unequal representation of men and women in athletic administration positions. A total of 158 female and 118 male (n = 276) athletic administrators evaluated a male or female candidate for an athletic director, compliance director, or life skills director position within athletics. Participants indicated no significant differences in masculine ratings of male or female candidates and significant differences in feminine ratings for female candidates in the life skills position. Male and female candidates were perceived as similar in potential and likely success in all positions. Finally, the female candidate was evaluated as significantly less likely to be offered the athletic director position when compared to the male candidate.

Media Contacts: 
Dr. Heidi Grappendorf, 919/513-0060 or heidi_grappendorf@ncsu.edu
Caroline Barnhill, News Services, 919/515-6251 or caroline_barnhill@ncsu.edu

College Honors Distinguished Alumnus

Ernie Alexander, 2010 Distinguished Alumnus Winner, accepts award from NC State Natural Resources Dean Robert Brown

Dr. Alexander and Dean Brown at the NC State "Evening With the Stars" Gala - January 2011

NEWS RELEASE

The College of Natural Resources at North Carolina State University is pleased to announce the selection of our 2010 Distinguished Alumnus -Dr. Ernie Alexander.

 Dr. Alexander ’67, ’72, combined an undergraduate degree in pulp and paper technology with a PhD in chemical engineering to build a successful career in the forest products industry. After completing his doctorate, Dr. Alexander joined Westvaco, a leading paper, packaging and specialty chemicals corporation, as a research engineer.  After seven years, he was transferred to Covington Mill as supervisor of the newly formed paper process group. Dr. Alexander spent 23 years at Covington Mill, taking on positions of increasing responsibility, including technical director, pulp mill superintendent and pulping expansion manager.

 After the merger of Westvaco and Mead Corporation in 2002, Dr. Alexander joined the company’s corporate engineering department, which was relocated to NC State’s Centennial Campus in 2006.

There, he led a team of production superintendents from all MeadWestvaco Mills to handle property conservation and operational improvements. Specifically, Dr. Alexander supervised major capital improvement projects at plants in Texas and South Carolina.

 Dr. Alexander retired in 2009 and launched his own consulting firm to provide valuable advice to forest products companies, including his former employer, MeadWestvaco.

 Throughout his career, Dr. Alexander has been a strong supporter of the NC State College of Natural Resources.  Following his retirement from MeadWestvaco he became a volunteer employee in the College’s development office assisting with industry and foundation relations, student mentoring and fundraising.

 Understanding the importance of donors to the university’s future, Dr. Alexander and his wife Beverly established the Ernie and Beverly Alexander Endowed Scholarship in Paper Science and Engineering at NC State. 

 Dr. Alexander accepted the distinguished alumnus honor on January 29, 2011 at the NC State University Alumni Association’s “Evening of Stars” Gala in Raleigh.  He lives in Cary, NC with his wife, Beverly.

See a complete list of previous honorees

For more information contact Tilla Fearn at  (919) 513-4644 or tilla_fearn@ncsu.edu