UAM’s Blazier Speaks to Arkansas Farm Bureau
July 28th, 2021 by
Dr. Michael Blazier spoke to members of the Forest Commodities division at the Arkansas Farm Bureau meeting Tuesday at its annual meeting in Hot Springs, Arkansas.
Blazier, who started July 1 as the new director of the Forest Resources Center and Dean of the College of Forestry, Agriculture and Natural resources, spoke on various topics. He addressed the addition of five new faculty positions to forestry and natural resources. Other topics included in the presentation included the Five Oaks research and teaching partnership that will launch this fall, with Dr. Doug Osborne heading the projects. Students will get hands-on education in waterfowl management practices at the Five Oaks duck club Humphrey, Arkansas. The 3,500-acre property and lodge is one of the premier duck clubs in Arkansas.
Blazier also addressed the status of faculty research being conducted by Drs. Ben Babst, Mohamad Bataineh, and Don White.
Babst is in the midst of a multi-year study on root respiration and the impact flooding has on green tree reservoirs. Bataineh has been studying invasive plant species and how to control or eradicate them. In addition, he has a project on Emerald Ash Borer insect and its impact on Arkansas Forests. Bataineh has introduced wasp larva to the forests. It’s hypothesized that the wasp’s sting can neutralize the invasive insect.
He also spoke to bear research conducted by Dr. White. The data collection of the year’s final project is scheduled toward the end of July 2021. The black bear populations have slowly been returning to the state of Arkansas.
Dr. Blazier also discussed the recent development of a Forest Business Center within the UAM College of Forestry, Agriculture, and Natural Resources under the direction of Dr. Matthew Pelkki. The Forest Business Center will be dedicated to developing publications and tools to facilitate new investments in Arkansas’s forest products industry and to keep forest landowners, professionals, and the general public informed on economic contributions and trends associated with the state’s forest industry.
He also shared information about a new scholarship developed by the Arkansas Division of Forestry, the Arkansas Foresters for the Future Scholarship. This scholarship program will provide $4,000 per student per year for promising forestry students. The College recently selected its first student to receive the scholarship.
Classes at UAM and the College of Forestry, Agriculture, and Natural Resources are scheduled to begin on August 18.
About the College of Forestry, Agriculture and Natural Resources and the Arkansas Forest Resources Center
The College of Forestry, Agriculture and Natural Resources, and the Arkansas Forest Resources Center, a University of Arkansas System Center of Excellence, brings together interdisciplinary expertise through a partnership between the University of Arkansas at Monticello and the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. The College and Center are headquartered at the University of Arkansas at Monticello campus, but their programs range statewide with the mission of developing and delivering teaching, research, and extension programs that enhance and ensure the sustainability and productivity of forest-based natural resources and agricultural systems. Academic programs are delivered by the College of Forestry, Agriculture, and Natural Resources through the University of Arkansas at Monticello. Through the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, research is administered by the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, and extension and outreach activities are coordinated by the Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service.
The University of Arkansas at Monticello and the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offer all of their programs to all eligible persons without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected status, and are Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employers.
About the Division of Agriculture
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s mission is to strengthen agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption of best practices. Through the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service, the Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work within the nation’s historic land grant education system.
The Division of Agriculture is one of 20 entities within the University of Arkansas System. It has offices in all 75 counties in Arkansas and faculty on five system campuses.
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs and services without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected status, and is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.
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