The 2016 Winter Meeting of the
Appalachian Society of American Foresters

WINTER MEETING HIGHLIGHTS

ONLINE REGISTRATION DEADLINE EXTENDED TO SUNDAYJANUARY 24 DUE TO REGIONAL POWER OUTAGES.

The 2016 Winter Meeting will be asking us to discuss some of the toughest issues that confront us daily in the Southeastern region. Experts from around the ApSAF region will provide insight into keeping participants in sync with forest management trends and perspectives on the future. Below are some of the highlights of the meeting, but be sure to check out the latest version of the tentative agenda.

• Claim an exhibit spot for your organization while they last: Call Thresa Henderson at 919-428-8825.
• Bring your best ideas and concerns to the ApSAF and state society business meetings.
• Take advantage of one the three technical workshops on January 27th.
• See a special screening of the documentary, “America’s First Forest: Carl Schenck and the Asheville Experiment”
• Celebrate professional achievements at the January 28th awards luncheon.
• Crash an Alumni Social and just enjoy the “street party” atmosphere on Thursday night at the covention center.
• Join the Thursday excursion for family members to the Duke Lemur Center, a lunch stop (cost on your own), and a tour of the Bennett Place State Historic Site from 9am to 4:30pm.
• While your here, visit downtown Durham’s many attractions, shops, eateries, and art scene.
• CLICK HERE to download the mailer with the latest agenda.

Pre-Conference Leadership Workshop: Accelerating the Growth of Leadership in SAF and Your Own Neck of the Woods
Wednesday, January 27, 2:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Instructors: Matt Menashes CEO of SAF and Tom Davidson of Leadership Nature. This pre-conference workshop for new and experienced leaders will start with a big-picture look at leadership in SAF, featuring the CEOs vision for leadership development, key leadership theories in use and the results of SAF’s national leadership survey. As a result, participants will gain a strategic understanding of SAF’s challenges and directions, including an interactive exercise to collect opinions and trends from participants in the room. This session will continue with a boots-on-the-ground workshop featuring three of the top skill sets deemed necessary for success as leaders in our profession and beyond, including what they didn’t teach us in forestry school about communication, motivation and collaboration. Participants will regenerate and accelerate key principles and practical take aways on each competency so that they can apply them on the job, in their communities, and in their volunteer roles with SAF.  Fee $35. Space is limited! (4.0 hours CFE in Category 2)

Pre-Conference Technology Seminar: Forestry GIS and Remote Sensing
Wednesday, January 27, 2:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. 
Instructors: Jim McCarter, NC State University, David Jones, NC Forest Service and David Schnake, NC Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
Vendor demonstrations, tips to getting spatial data, free mapping software, NC Forest Service apps, and other mobile apps useful for foresters. Fee $35. Space is limited! (4.0 hours CFE in Category 1-CF)

REGISTRATION OPTIONS AND FEES

• Members and non-members registering early (by December 1) receive the lowest individual registration fees; members at $145 and non-members at $225. On December 2 fees increase to $205 for members and $260 from non-members.
• Students receive a special fee of $50. 
• Register a spouse or significant other for $65 which includes participation in all of the food and beverage activities and social events.
• Add a technical workshop from among those being offered on January 27th. Note: FSC workshop has been cancelled.
• Add an exhibitor space to your registration fee: $100 for non-profit organizations and $250 for commercial organizations.
• Add a sponsorship to your registration fee in the amount of $500, $1,000, or $1,500.  
• Can't make it to the meeting this year, please consider making a donation to the meeting of $50 or $100 to help offset meeting costs.

Register Now!

LODGING INFORMATION

A special group rates are available at two hotels within walking distance of the Durham Convention Center:

• Marriott Durham City Center Hotel, 201 Foster Street, Durham, NC 27701. This is a full service hotel with restaurant and valet parking. The hotel shares its lobby with the Durham Convention Center. The group rates for the nights of January 26-28 are $132+tax (single or double occupancy). The deadline for reserving rooms at the group rate is January 1, 2016. Call 800-909-8375 and ask for the APSAF group rate. 
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• Aloft Durham Downtown Hotel, 345 Blackwell Street, Durham, NC 27701. This is a  "Euro-style" hotel with lobby bar, pool table, and snack bar. It is located a few blocks walk from the Durham Convention Center. The group rate for the nights of January 26-28 is $129+tax (single or double occupancy). The deadline for reserving rooms at the group rate is January 15, 2016. Call 866-716-8133 and ask for the APSAF group rate.

Invest in the Future of SAF:
Foresters Fund and K. P. Funderburke Endowment

The Silent Auction and 50/50 raffle are fundraising traditions of the winter meeting. The net proceeds of the raffle ticket sales are split between the Foresters Fund and the K. P. Funderburke Endowment. The Foresters Fund is a national program used to provide grants to chapters for their use in providing natural resource educational programs throughout the USA. The K. P. Funderburke Endowment is an APSAF-based endowment designed to grant funds that benefit SAF students within the 3-state APSAF region. Volunteer raffle ticket sellers are needed for Wednesday night, Thursday, and Thursday evening. To volunteer your time, send an email to Jim Gray or James Jeuck.

Let's fill up the silent auction tables with valuable and interesting items. Please send an email to Jim Gray or James Jeuck with your pledged items. In the mean time, here are some ideas to get your creative juices flowing. 

• Specialty food items from your home state (APSAF region or beyond)
• Hand crafted decorations or useful objects
• Forestry souvenier clothing or logo attire 
• Tickets to a collegiate or professional sports event
• Use of your beach or mountain cabin for a weekend
• Fine art, framed or unframed
• Anything made of wood that other might covet
• Collectable forestry literature, vintage or new