Restoring The West Conference 2011

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Click here for the conference program booklet

Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Plenary Session

Biomass Utilization: A Tool for Forest Restoration
Mike Dudley, Director of State and Private Forestry, Regions One and Four, USDA Forest Service, Ogden, Utah

The History of Biomass Utilization in the West: From Tee Pee Burners to Woody Biomass Derived Aviation Fuel
Craig Rawlings, Forest Business Network, Missoula, Montana

Towards a Cohesive Federal Policy on Wood Bioenergy
Jay O'Laughlin, Professor of Forestry and Policy Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho

Energy Regulatory Policies Encouraging Biomass Power in the West
Daniel R. Simon, Partner, Ballard Spahr, Washington D.C.

Woody Biomass Utilization Update for Natural Resource Managers
Mark Knaebe, Natural Resource Specialist, State and Private Forestry Technology Marketing Unit, USFS Forest Products Laboratory, Madison, Wisconsin

Ecological Considerations Break-out Session

Can Biomass Use in Pinyon Juniper Woodlands be Considered Ecological Restoration?
Peter Weisberg, Associate Professor Landscape Ecology, Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Science, University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada

Pinyon Juniper Restoration Ecology: Compatibilities and Incompatibilities of Biomass Harvesting in the Southwest
Douglas Shinneman, Supervisory Research Fire Ecologist, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystems Science Center, USGS, Boise, Idaho

Silviculture for Pinyon Juniper Ecosystems
Douglas H. Page, Southwest Utah Zone Forester, BLM, Cedar City, Utah

Climate Change, Genetic Variability, and Associated Great Basin Woodland Dynamics: Implications for Long-Term Biomass Production
Robin Tausch, Science Leader, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Reno, Nevada

Q&A for Ecological Considerations Speakers

Woody Biomass Utilization Break-out Session

The Economics of Biomass
Jared Abodeely, Research Engineer, Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho Falls, Idaho

Biomass Business Principles of Success
Gil Miller, Economic Associates of Utah, Board Member Rural Life Foundation, Corinne, Utah

Marketing Strategies for Biomass Utilization
Dusty Moller, Dusty Moller, Wood Utilization Manager, Business Environmental Program, Small Business Development Center, University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada

New Developments in the World of Biomass Utilization
Christopher Wright, Senior Research Engineer, Biofuels and Renewable Energy, Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho Falls, Idaho

Q&A with Woody Biomass Utilization Speakers

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Plenary Session

Collaboration Successes Around the West and Why Collaboration is Important
Mary Mitsos, Vice President for Conservation Programs, National Forest Foundation, Missoula, Montana

What Works for Biomass Harvesting in Pinyon Juniper
Lance Lindbloom, Owner, Bloomin Ranch Services, Beaver, Utah

The Need for PJ Restoration in Eastern Nevada
Jeremy Drew, Resource Specialist, Resource Concepts Inc., Carson City, Nevada

Ecological Considerations Break-out Session

Biomass Energy: Seeing the Forest Through the Trees
Chad Davis, Forest Stewardship Program Director, Sustainable Northwest, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon

Native Utah Grasses for Biomass
Steve Larson, Research Geneticist, Forage and Range Research Laboratory, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Logan, Utah

Modeling Biomass and Canopy Fuel Attributes Using LIDAR Technology
Brent Mitchell, Remote Sensing Analyst, USDA Forest Service, Remote Sensing Applications Center (RSAC), Salt Lake City, Utah

Bioenergy Break-out Session

Billion Ton Report
Anthony Turhollow, Economist, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Logan, Utah

Bioenergy 101
Dallas Hanks,Director, Center for Agronomic and Woody Biomass, Utah State University Extension, Salt Lake City, Utah

Viable Bioenergy Options
Mark Knaebe, Natural Resource Specialist, State and Private Forestry Technology Marketing Unit, USFS Forest Products Laboratory, Madison, Wisconsin

Biochar Break-out Session

Biochar Basics
David Shearer, CEO/Co-founder, Full Circle Solutions, San Francisco, California

Land Reclamation and Restoration
David Shearer for John Gaunt, Director, Keysoil Ltd., Hertfordshire, UK

Biochar and Forest Ecology
Mark Coleman, Associate Professor of Forest Resources, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho

Ecology Break-out Session

Exploring the Biomass Accumulation Possibilities from Active Forest Management in Utah Forest Types
Justin DeRose, Research Ecologist, Rocky Mountain Research Station, USDA Forest Service, Ogden, UT

Regional Trends in Standing Forest Biomass in the Interior West
Sara Goeking, Biological Scientist, Rocky Mountain Research Station, USDA Forest Service, Ogden, Utah

Restoring Fire and People to the Land: The 2010 South Umpqua Study
Bob Zybach, Program Manager, Oregon Websites and Watersheds Project, Inc., Eugene, Oregon

Bioenergy Break-out Session

Fuels for Schools
Angela Farr, Regional Biomass Utilization Coordinator, Regions 1 and 4, USDA Forest Service, Missoula, Montana

Thermochemical Conversion of Biomass to Fuels and Chemicals - Pyrolysis and Gasification
Nii Ofei Mante, Visiting Research Scholar, Synthetic Bio-Manufacturing, Utah State University, Logan, Utah

Sanpete Valley Clean Energy Project
Jon Lear, Lear & Lear Law Offices, Salt Lake City, Utah

Plenary Session

Collaboration Panel
Moderator Ellen Drew, Rural Community Assistance Corporation
Mary Mitsos, National Forest Foundation
Mary O'Brien, Grand Canyon Trust
Bob Swandby, Payette Forest Coalition and Wood Utilization Partnership
Doug Martin, Nevada Tahoe Conservation District

The Forestry/Bioenergy/Carbon Connection
Jay O'Laughlin, Professor of Forestry and Policy Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho

Conference Sponsors
USU Department of Wildland Resources
USU College of Natural Resources
USU Ecology Center
US Forest Service State & Private Forestry
USU Extension Forestry
Western Aspen Alliance
Utah Biomass Resources Group
USDA-ARS Forage and Range Research Lab
USDA Rural Development
Rural Community Assistance Corporation
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Utah Office of Energy Development
USDI Bureau of Land Management