Lisa discussed management with U.S. Forest Service Manager Rex Mann in Daniel Boone National Forest, Kentucky.

There were several themes in the rest of the trip. Much of the time was spent in issues relating to forest management. We were able to see four different approaches. Appalachian Sustainable Development, an N.G.O., strives to facilitate economic and sustainable uses of the land. It provides landowners an opportunity to sustain ably harvest forest products by operating a sawmill and solar powered kiln and by developing markets for their products. We also visited private land under a sustainable harvest rotation, and the Boone National Forest where different ways to protect the forest from an anticipated gypsy moth infestation were being tested. Finally, we visited Great Smokey Mountain National Park, to see forest largely unaffected by humans. In contrast to the first part of the trip, this was quite hopeful, as we met interesting people with interesting ideas.

Wes and Lindsay hiking in the Smokies.
Students inspecting the forest products at Appalachian Sustainable Development's mill.  One effort is to market as "character wood" material that otherwise would be considered waste.	The solar powered kiln used to dry wood.  The daily heating cycles cause the wood to dry more evenly that it does in a conventional gas fired kiln, allowing more of the wood to be utilized
	(left) Foresters explain how the Tuuk's private property is managed to provide habitat and sustainable income from the land.

Next: Other aspects of the trip