TEXAS FORESTER NAMED TO NATIONAL RESEARCH PANEL

COLLEGE STATION – U.S. forests face a shortage of people capable of researching ways to improve them, according to a blue-ribbon panel policy report released in August 2004. But a leading Texas forester with ties to college forestry students will have a stake in changing that.

Dr. Tat Smith, head of forest sciences at Texas A&M University, has been named to the Forest Research Advisory Council. The research group advises the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture about the agency’s forestry research.

“In industry, in government and in universities, there are not enough people to study urgent priorities facing the nation’s forests or to project issues into the future,” Smith said. “That has implications for our department in that we need to bring in faculty and students to address those needs.”

Smith is one of 19 advisory council members from the forest industry, academia, non-profits and public agencies across the nation.

The nation’s forests face many issues – many of which compete in ideology as well as for funds. While university-related research programs are a natural for seeking unbiased information and solutions, Smith noted, state and federal funding for such studies has declined.

“So, if we wanted to increase the faculty to establish programs to look at forestry issues,” he said, “the question is whether there is enough money to hire them and grants to fund their projects.”

He cited current issues such as outsourcing of jobs to foreign countries and pointed to potential new ideas such as redesigning pulp mills based on older technology into “forest bio-refineries” to create new products.

The advisory council will look at all issues related to how to maintain healthy U.S. forests with sustainable management, especially in production, the environment and forest operations. Smith said the group also looks at consumer demand, rural economic development, manufacturing and energy production, and product delivery logistics.

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