The 61^th Southern Hardwood Forest Research Group annual meeting will be held Feb. 4 at the Capps Entrepreneurial Center, Delta Branch Experiment Station in Stoneville, Miss. The program starts at 8 a.m.

Registration begins at 7:30 a.m. with coffee and donuts available. A $25 registration fee will cover meeting handouts, refreshments, a catered lunch, and Continuing Forestry Education Credits. Checks should be made out to Delta Research Foundation.

The theme of this year’s program is: Southern Hardwood Market Viability during Changing Times. (Download the complete program for the 2014 Southern Hardwood Forest Research Group annual meeting.)

Presentations addressing the theme will be made by: Dan Meyer, editor, Weekly Hardwood Review, Charlotte, N.C.; Dr. Brooks Mendell, president, VP research, Forisk Consulting LLC, Athens, Ga.; and Dr. David Jones, associate professor/Extension specialist, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, Miss. Drs. Tim Baldwin, Nathan Schiff, Brian Roy Lockhart, and Mel Warren, staff scientists with the Center for Bottomland Hardwoods Research, will report on their current research projects.

Following a lunch catered on-site, Chip Morgan, executive vice president of the Delta Council, will give a status report on congressional support for hardwood research.  Dr. Greg Ruark, assistant director for research at the Southern Research Station, will give his perspective on support for bottomland hardwoods and related stream research conducted by the Center, and Dr. Ted Leininger, project leader, will summarize the latest research accomplishments at the Center.

Approval is being sought for Continuing Forestry Education credits of 5.0 Contact Hours in Category 1-CF. Copies of the CFE contact hour notice will be available at the registration desk, as will a signup sheet for those wanting to receive credit for this meeting.

The fourth annual Dr. John Adams Graduate Student Poster Competition is open to any currently enrolled M.S. or Ph.D. student working on original research that investigates some aspect of Southern hardwood forestry. Competition guidelines and an entry form are available at: http://www.deltacouncil.net/southern-hardwoods.html. Submissions must be received by 5 p.m., Jan. 25. Scientific contributions from non-students are also welcomed. Non-student attendees should send their poster title, author(s) and abstract to Leininger ([email protected]) as soon as possible to reserve a spot.

For more information, contact Penny Byler at (662) 686-3154 or Brenda Marshall at (662) 686-3152.