The West Virginia Chapter of the Association of Consulting Foresters (ACF) has been chosen as the host chapter for this year’s national convention. We as members of the West Virginia chapter are honored to serve as hosts and look forward to the opportunity to showcase the impact of the forest industry in West Virginia. Though consultants from West Virginia were among the founding members of ACF, this is the first time West Virginia has hosted the annual meeting. We ask that as a member of the West Virginia Forest Industry, you consider supporting the West Virginia ACF chapter’s effort to hold the meeting within the state for the first time. Enclosed is a brochure outlining the various sponsorship levels available for the 2015 national meeting. The West Virginia Chapter of ACF and the committee for the 2015 National Meeting thank you for your consideration of support.
Very truly yours,
2015 ACF National Meeting Committee:
Jeff Hutchinson ACF
Todd Lotter ACF CM
David Sirna ACF
David Warner ACF
Nat Sistrunk ACF
The Association of Consulting Foresters (ACF) has scheduled its annual conference and invites practicing foresters to attend. Membership in ACF is not required. The conference will be held at the Oglebay Resort and Conference Center in Wheeling, West Virginia from June 20 – 23, 2015, and offers a range of interesting and valuable courses and a great field tour, all of which contribute toward continuing education credits, as follows:
Category 1 courses:
The Practice of Consulting Forestry (14 hours CE): Topics covered in the course include management techniques, legal considerations, ethics in consulting forestry, client and timber sale contracts, dealing with TIMOs, state licensing issues, due diligence and marketing.
June 20-21, 2015, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. each day.
Field Tour (5 hours CE): The development of fracking technologies has enabled the extraction of vast but heretofore inaccessible natural resources. These practices are widely misunderstood and the cause of many concerns. This year’s field tour will focus on introducing and deepening foresters’ knowledge of these practices and the concerns of landowners affected by the activities surrounding the mining of these resources and their delivery to the market. The group will visit a well site and a mid-stream pumping station and tour West Virginia University’s research forest to review research on strip cutting practices on Appalachian hardwood stands and examine the effects of burning on upland Oak Stands.
American Tree Farm System Inspector Training (3.5 hours CE): Appropriate primarily for small landowners, attendees to the ATFS Inspecting Forester Training workshop will become Qualified Inspecting Foresters of the ATFS.
June 20, 2015 – 1 p.m. – 5 p.m.
Category 2 courses:
Transitioning Your Business (6 hours CE): The target audience is consultants in mid to late career as well as those considering entering a business. Topics include: valuing your business, compensation if bringing in a successor, contracts, tax considerations, estate planning and family meetings to communicate exit goals.
June 20, 2015, 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Marketing Your Business (3 hours CE): This interactive workshop will focus on four components to help small firms market their business: writing a marketing plan, branding, networking and shoestring action.
June 21, 2015, 9 a.m. to noon.
Ethics Forum (1 hour CE)
June 21, 2015, 2 p.m. – 3 p.m.
Additionally, the Technical Session provides three hours of Category 1 and 1.5 hours of Category 2 CE credit. It covers regulatory, legal and legislative issues and runs all day June 22, 2015 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
The ACF conference is open to all foresters and interested landowners. Further information on cost, accommodation and schedules for guests can be found at
acf-foresters.org.
