************************************Media Advisory************************************

North Central Research Station
USDA Forest Service
Media Advisory
DATE: September 22, 2000

TO: News Editors, Directors, and Environmental Reporters

FROM: Tim Swedberg, Public Information Officer
Office Phone: 651-649-5257 (messages checked regularly) 
Cell phone during conference: 612-916-2935

RE: 21st Meeting of the International Poplar Commission
Poplar and Willow Culture: Meeting the Needs of Society and the Environment 
The commission is associated with the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) of the United Nations.

WHEN: Sunday, September 24 - Thursday, September 28

WHERE: Red Lion Hotel at the Quay in Vancouver, Washington
Phone: 360-694-8341

NEWS Poplar plantations have the potential to rapidly produce a renewable source
INTEREST: of wood, fiber, and energy to meet human needs throughout the world. 

In addition, poplar trees may be planted and used to restore and rehabilitate riparian and terrestrial habitats. 

Wood grown in intensively-cultured plantations can increase supplies and thereby decrease pressure to harvest trees in native or natural forests, such as National Forests.

The world's leading experts on these trees are gathering in the Northwest to observe the extensive local plantings and exchange information about poplar growth and uses.

Keynote Addresses begin Monday, September 25 at 10 AM

* "Poplars: Trees of the People, Trees of Commerce, Trees of the Future" 
by John Gordon, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut

* "Poplars and Willows, Meeting the Needs of Society and the Environment - World Perspective"
by Vic Steenackers, IPC Chair, Belgium


Poplar culture has received past coverage by the local media. 



BACKGROUND:

The USDA Forest Service and the Canadian Forest Service are hosts for the 21st Meeting of the International Poplar Commission (IPC). The IPC was formed after World War II to help restore the damaged and destroyed forests of Europe. This marks the first meeting of the IPC in the United States since it was founded in 1947. Members of the IPC represent 36 countries, of which 14 are developing countries and 5 are countries with economies in transition. North Central Research Station Scientist, Jud Isebrands, is the conference organizer.

The IPC meets in Session every 4 years. This session is divided into 5 working parties that reflect the main issues concerning the cultivation and utilization of poplars and willows:
* Poplar and willow breeding
* Diseases
* Insects and other animal pests
* Production systems
* Logging and utilization

The Northwest was chosen as the site of this conference because the region has large natural populations of poplars and willows, extensive industrial plantations for fiber and energy, and outstanding research projects in genetics, molecular biology, and the physiology of poplars.

Benefits of the Research
Fast growing hybrid poplar-cottonwood research may lead to trees that can:
* restore and stabilize stream banks. 
* provide an alternative crop for family farmers and add diversity to agricultural landscapes. 
* intercept runoff and pollutants before they reach a stream.
* stabilize stream channels and improve water quality for downstream residents
* provide paper and building products while decreasing pressure to harvest in existing natural forest lands such as National Forests.
* reduce herbicide and fertilizer applications plus soil disturbance on lands converted from agriculture crops to tree plantations.
* reduce green house gases especially carbon dioxide.
* provide biomass to produce clean-burning and renewable electrical power.


For further information and actual conference schedules visit the following website:
http://www.ncfes.umn.edu/IPC2000/

Media Facilitation
Cynthia Miner will be available on Sunday afternoon and Monday morning to facilitate journalists needs and may be reached via cell phone at 503-819-8711. 

Tim Swedberg will be on-site in Vancouver Monday afternoon and throughout the remainder of the conference to facilitate access to scientists during and after the conference. Tim can also facilitate arrangements for journalists who wish to tour on September 28 and 29 to view a wastewater reuse site, a poplar nursery, and industrial plantations along the Columbia River.