SEVENTH AMERICAN FOREST CONGRESS

Many Voices -- A Common Vision

Committees of the Forest Congress Board of Directors

The following committees of the Board of Directors of the Seventh American Forest Congress carried out the planning and implementation of the events leading up to and through the February 1996 Forest Congress gathering in Washington, DC. Since the Forest Congress meeting, the Communities, Education, Management, Policy, and Research committees have continued to function in support of local and national initiatives aimed at realizing the vision generated by the Seventh American Forest Congress.

• Citizens' Involvement Committee
  • Facilitated input from the American people into the Seventh American Forest Congress process and reported these recommendations for use in the Forest Congress in February 1996. Methods for capturing input included:
  • Local Roundtables - Forums at which a full spectrum of people with an interest in forests developed recommendations, using the Nebraska Roundtable process as a model.
  • Collaborative Meetings - Meetings of various organizations, quite likely already scheduled, at which several hours of the agenda were dedicated to consideration of Forest Congress information and providing recommendations to the Forest Congress process.
  • General Public Input - Opportunities for individuals and groups (using Internet, fax, and written communication) to make recommendations to the Forest Congress process.

  • Gerald Rose, State Forester of Minnesota, served as the chair of the Citizens' Involvement Committee .

• National Program Committee
• Developed the program, format, process, topics, and speakers for the Seventh American Forest Congress meeting held February 1996 in Washington, D.C.

• John W. Moser, Jr., professor in the Department of Forestry at Purdue University, served as chair of the National Program Committee.
• Local Arrangements Committee
  • Handled the facility arrangements for the Forest Congress sessions in February 1996. This committee consisted of several sub-committees including: registration, meeting rooms/A-V monitors, student activities, VIP hospitality and transportation, Ambassador Corps, Press Room support, safety/emergency medical, exhibits/posters, and message center. The National Capital chapter of the Society of American Foresters served as the core leadership group for this committee.

  • Bill Banzhaf, Executive Vice President of the Society of American Foresters, served as the chair of the Local Arrangements Committee.

• Development Committee
• Coordinated fund-raising in support of the planning, preparation, and convocation of the Seventh American Forest Congress. The committtee raised funds from a balance of constituencies, including corporations, for-profit businesses, foundations, not-for-profit environmental organizations, and government agencies.

• Lisa Diekmann chaired the Development Committee.
• Communications Committee
  • Proactively provided information about the Seventh American Forest Congress to all citizens, thus promoting maximum participation in the 1995 pre-Congress activities and events and attendance at the Forest Congress in February 1996.

  • Donna Brown (Weyerhaeuser Company) and Dan Smith (American Forests) served as co-chairs of the Communications Committee.

• Forest Communities Committee
  • [An on-going committee in the Forest Congress implementation phase] Explores the links between people and the forest resources with which they live. Helps translate the results of the Seventh American Forest Congress for use by local communities, and disseminates the lessons learned from local forest communities to others.

  • Lynn Jungwirth of the Watershed Research and Training Center (California) serves at the chair of the Communities Committee.

• Forest Education Committee
  • [An on-going committee in the Forest Congress implementation phase]Facilitates communications among everyone involved in the Forest Congress process regarding the educational resources currently available related to forests, natural resources, and the environment.

  • Dennis LeMaster (Purdue University) and Maria Rivera-Maulucci (New York City Public Schools) serve as co-chairs of the Education Committee.

• Forest Management Committee
  • [An on-going committee in the Forest Congress implementation phase]Ensured that the voices of landowners and mangers were heard during the pre-Congress activities and is currently working with landowners and managers to implement the recommendations of the Forest Congress.

  • Keville Larson (Larson & McGowin, Inc.) served as chair of the Management Committee through February 1996; Bill Banzhaf (Society of American Foresters) is the current chair of the Committee.

• Forest Policy Committee
  • [An on-going committee in the Forest Congress implementation phase]Monitors policy developments at the federal, state, and local levels and to helps implement the policy recommendations of the Forest Congress through legislative and executive office changes.

  • Perry Hagenstein of the Institute for Forest Analysis, Planning and Policy, serves as the chair of the Policy Committee.

• Forest Research Committee
  • [An on-going committee in the Forest Congress implementation phase]Reviews the state of knowledge and information available to forest owners, managers, and policy makers, and recommends steps to close the most critical gaps.

  • Wayne Haines (International Paper Company) served as chair of the Research Committee through February 1996; William Bentley (Salmon Brook Associates) is the current chair of the Committee.

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