Annual/Termination Reports:

[01/13/2012] [02/25/2014] [02/25/2014] [11/02/2016]

Report Information

Participants

Ciolkosz, Dan - Penn State
Jacobson, Mike - Penn State
Kays, Jonathan - University of Maryland
Richard, Tom - Penn State
Smart, Larry - Cornell University
Singh, Kaushlendra - University of West Virginia
Connors, Terry - University of Kentucky

Brief Summary of Minutes

1. Meeting Welcome - Dan Ciolkosz, Penn State

Dr Ciolkosz gave a brief welcome, overview of the meeting agenda (see attached), and discussed the purpose and function of the regional project


2. Station Reports

--Penn State: Extension - bioenergy short course series, sun grant project including webinars and fact sheets, active web site and project support efforts, short rotation woody crops being grown at bioenergy crop display site; Research - conducting harvest time and motino comparison, working on tree genetics for bioenergy; Education - one undergraduate course in bioenergy, online masters in bioenergy under development


--Cornell/Geneva: See submitted report


--University of Maryland: Extension-Working to develop a Maryland Wood Energy Coalition, Working with Alliance for Green Heat; research - Working on poplar genetics, and use of poplar and sludge on mine land. A university biomass team is forming.


--West Virginia University: see submitted report

--University of Kentucky: bioenergy interest is minimal at present


3. Selection of Officers

Mike Jacobson was selected as chair

Jonathan Kays was selected as secretary


4. Discussion of Group Activities and Format

We will plan to have a conference call early in 2012 to firm up plans
Next meeting will probably be at Geneva


5. Close

Accomplishments

Publications

Impact Statements

Back to top

Report Information

Participants

Brief Summary of Minutes

Accomplishments

Accomplishments are included in the station reports attached.

Publications

Publications are included in the Minutes documents. In addition, publications are reported by individual Land Grant Institutions through USDA's REEport system.

Impact Statements

1. Impact Statements are included in the Summary of Minutes attachment.

Back to top

Report Information

Participants

Mike Jacobson (PSU)
Jingxin Wang (WVU)
Seth Carsten (SUNY Morrisville)
Ray Miller (MSU)
Zwyia Wojnar (CU)
D Ciolkosz (PSU)
T Richard (PSU)
S Wurzbacher (PSU)

Brief Summary of Minutes

============================================================

2013 Annual Meeting of the

NEERA 1005 "Sustainable Wood Energy" regional project group

============================================================

 

Date: 11 Nov, 2013, 18:30

Location: Desmond Hotel and Great Valley Conference Center, Malvern PA

Present: Mike Jacobson (PSU), Jingxin Wang (WVU), Seth Carsten (SUNY Morrisville), Ray Miller (MSU), Zwyia Wojnar (CU), D Ciolkosz (PSU), T Richard (PSU), S Wurzbacher (PSU)

 

1. Welcome and Agenda

Mike Jacobson welcomed all.  The broad goal of the meeting is to establish the overriding purpose and vision for the group's activities. 

 

2. Station Reports

Station reports were provided by Michigan State, Penn State, SUNY Morrisville and West Virginia University (see attached). 

 

3. Selection of Officers

Ray Miller was nominated for committee chair by Mike Jacobson, seconded by Tom Richard. 

Kaushlendra Singh was nominated for committee Vice Chair by Jingxin Wang, seconded by Ray Miller

Larry Smart was nominated for committee secretary by Mike Jacobson, seconded by Dan Ciolkosz

 

All three were unanimously approved for their new positions

 

4. Development of regional project focus and strategy

A wide ranging discussion ensued, including the following points:

-          This is a good time to look for funding.  MSU is very interested in torrefaction for co-firing (R Miller)

-          shall we go after a NE Sun Grant project?  Chemicals are the focus.  We could look to work with American Refining Group on bio-based FT products.  T Volk had ideas on coupling SRWC with Mixed Hardwood for reducing storage needs. (T Richard)

-          NSF grants are being announced, and DOE coal grants are being announced. (J Wang) 

-          Could the group function as a focal point for educational programs in the region?  Compare Coal/Wind to Coal/Biomass for meeting AEPS?  (D Ciolkosz)

-          SRWC as a wildlife cover?  Demos on forest thinnings?  Opportunities for fragmented and/or hygraded lands.  Partnership with DCNR could be good, since they are one of the only ones that do precommercial thinnings. (S Wurzbacher)

 

Action Plan - D Ciolkosz to prepare NEERA Planning Grant for developing a regional vision for sustainable wood energy.  Commercial partnerships to be sought for Sun Grant proposals. 

 

5. Adjourn

M Jacobson commended all on their participation. 

R Miller mentioned two upcoming SRWC meetings: 10-12 March in Gisbourne NZ, and Jul 20-23 in Vancouver BC. 

 

Accomplishments

Accomplishments included in the station reports attached.

Publications

<p>LeBoldus, J.M. Isabel N., Floate K.D., Blenis P.V., and Thomas B.R. Testing the hybrid susceptibility and phenological sink hypotheses using the P. balsamifera  P. deltoides hybrid zone and Septoria leaf spot [Septoria musiva] PLoS ONE. (In press)</p><br /> <p>LeBoldus, J.M. Zhang, Q. and Kinzer, K. (2012). First report of dollar spot caused by Sclerotinia homoeocarpa on Agrostis stolonifera in North Dakota. Plant Disease 96: 1071.</p><br /> <p>LeBoldus JM, Stanosz GR, Qin R, and Faria O. 2012 Screening hybrid poplar for resistance to Septoria musiva: Greenhouse to field correlations using a novel inoculation procedure. Oak Ridge, TN.</p><br /> <p>Brueggeman R, Friesen T, and LeBoldus JM. 2012. Genotype by sequencing and Marker Assisted Selection: Breaking the Bottleneck. Proceedings of the National Fusarium Head Blight Forum. Orlando, FL.</p><br /> <p>Dunnell KL, Nepal A, and LeBoldus JM. 2013. A medium thouput greenhouse phenotyping assay of Populus spp. for Septoria canker resistance. Southern Forest Tree Improvement Conference.</p><br /> <p>Clemson, SC. Nepal A, Friesen T, LeBoldus JM. 2013. Polyethylene Glycol (PEG) mediated transformation of Septoria musiva. North Central - American Phtypathological Society Regional Meeting. Manhattan, KS.</p><br /> <p>Qin R, Stanosz GR, LeBoldus JM. 2013. Non-wound greenhouse screening of hybrid poplar trees with Septoria musiva. America Phytopathological Society. Austen TX.</p><br /> <p>Walla, J., LeBoldus J.M., and Bergdahl A. 2013. The old and the New: Two needle diseases of spruce in North Dakota. F1680.</p><br /> <p>LeBoldus, J.M., Bergdahl, A., Knodel, J., and Zeleznik, J. 2012. Dutch Elm Disease in North Dakota: a new look. PP1635. Publications are included in the Minutes documents. In addition, publications are reported by individual Land Grant Institutions through USDA's REEport system.</p>

Impact Statements

1. Impact Statements are included in the Summary of Minutes attachment.

Back to top

Report Information

Participants

Brief Summary of Minutes

Annual Report submitted in previously covered work through September 2014; therefore a separate report would not be required as it encompassed this timeframe.

 

Specific details from July's informal meeting:

 

During the informal gathering held in July 2014, the small group present discussed the benefits of continuing forward with the Regional Project. We noted that the only time we can get people together is in conjunction with other meetings (like the SRWCOWG conference in Seattle) and therefore the goal of the NEERA-1005 group to bring collaborators together was already being met in other ways. We discussed transitioning to a group that might obtain research project funds, but that idea was not pursued (and even discouraged by my Experiment Station Director). I don’t recall official minutes being taken because it was not an official Project meeting as best as I can remember. So, I suppose there was no Project meeting in 2014 during FY15.

 

In short, the activity of this group as an organization has diminished and it has become dormant. It may be that Dr. Kaushlendra Singh of West Virginia University (vice-chair) or Dr. Larry Smart of Cornell University (secretary) have other recollections and ideas about how the group might continue, but we have not discussed this in over a year. I have copied them on this message and encourage them to respond if they feel strongly about reconstituting this Regional Project.

Accomplishments

Publications

Impact Statements

Back to top