By:
Chuck Woods (352) 392-0400Source(s):
Ann Bartuska abartuska@fs.fed.us, (202) 205-1665
Timothy White tlwhite@ufl.edu, (352) 846-0850
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Ann Bartuska, deputy chief for research and development at the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, will speak March 28 at the University of Florida’s John Gray Distinguished Lecture Series. The topic of her presentation will be “Why Biomass is Important – The Role of the Forest Service in Managing and Using Biomass for Energy and Other Uses.”
Bartuska’s lecture, which is free and open to the public, will be at 10:30 a.m. in the grand ballroom of the Paramount Plaza Hotel in Gainesville (2900 Southwest 13th Street).
Her lecture keynotes the 37th annual spring symposium for the Florida Division of the Society of American Foresters. Hosted by UF’s School of Forest Resources and Conservation, the symposium will feature experts from around the country discussing the role of woody biomass in energy production.
Prior to her current USDA appointment, Bartuska was executive director of the invasive species initiative at The Nature Conservancy.
From 1982 to 1989, she managed research for the national Acid Precipitation Assessment Program at North Carolina State University and the USDA Forest Service. In 1989, she was named assistant director for research in the Southeastern Forest Experiment Station, overseeing programs in Florida and Georgia.
In 1991, she moved to the Forest Service’s office in Washington, D.C. to develop a national wetlands research program. She became the first director of ecosystem management in 1992 and director of forest health protection in 1994.
In January 1999, Bartuska became the first woman and the first ecologist to be named director of forest management at the Forest Service.
She is active in the Ecological Society of America and the Society of American Foresters. She has also served on the board of the Council of Scientific Society Presidents and other organizations that promote the use of science in public policy. Other memberships include the National Commission on the Science of Sustainable Forestry and the steering committee of the Aldo Leopold Leadership Program.
Bartuska has a bachelor’s degree from Wilkes College, a master’s degree from Ohio University and a doctoral degree from West Virginia University.
Tim White, director of UF’s School of Forest Resources and Conservation, said woody biomass has received considerable media attention recently as a “fuel of the future.” He said public and private forests could provide a reliable supply of woody biomass for energy production while reducing the threat of wildfires and the high cost of fighting those fires.
“Development and commercialization of such bio-based and bio-energy products provide new and expanded markets, helping to reduce our dependence on nonrenewable energy sources,” White said. “The expected increase of biomass energy, particularly from woody biomass, could help diversify the forest economy and revitalize communities that depend on this resource.”
The John Gray Lecture Series was established in 1994 to recognize Gray, who served as director of the UF forestry school from 1963 to 1977. He developed outstanding research and teaching programs that have become models for other universities.
White said Gray’s leadership included development of programs in forest biology, wildlife and range sciences, fisheries, outdoor recreation resource management and cooperative programs with USDA, the Florida Forestry Association, the Florida Division of Forestry and the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Fish and Wildlife Service. The school is part of UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.
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