By Kati Moore, MEM ‘16

DURHAM, N.C. - The Duke Student Chapter of the Society of American Foresters (SAF) will host its 9th Annual Fall Symposium on Friday, Oct. 16 from 8:30 am to 2:30 pm in Environment Hall’s Field Auditorium on Duke’s West Campus.

The symposium, titled “A Closer Look at Forest Certification,” will feature talks and panel discussions by nine professionals who work in various aspects of forest certification.

The event, which is sponsored in part by the Nicholas School of the Environment’s Career and Professional Development Center, is free and open to the Nicholas School and Duke communities, but registration is required. RSVP here by Friday, Oct. 9.

Attendees will learn about current trends and issues in forest certification, different types of forest certification, the various organizations that offer certification, and the advantages and disadvantages of certification. For SAF certified foresters, the symposium counts as 4 hours of continuing forester education credits.

Speakers at the event will include Bob Radspinner, a licensed environmental management systems auditor, Erin Sills, a professor of forest economics at North Carolina State University, Paul Trianosky, vice-president of conservation and external affairs with the Sustainable Forestry Initiative, and Jenna Schreiber, operations manager of Duke Forest.

“The goal of this year’s symposium is to provide a more in-depth understanding of certification and certifying bodies from varying perspectives,” said Michael Asch, co-president of Duke SAF.

Breakfast and lunch will be provided for registered participants at the symposium.

A reception sponsored by the Nicholas School’s Office of Development and Alumni Relations will follow the symposium at 2:30 pm in the second floor lounge of Environment Hall.

A full schedule of events is available here.

###