1. THE SOUTHERN FOREST NURSERY MANAGEMENT COOPERATIVE:
30 + Yrs of Nursery Research
Scott Enebak
Professor & Director
Forest Health Dynamics Laboratory

2. MISSION STATEMENT
The mission of the Nursery Coop is to develop and disseminate cultural, biological and chemical technologies in an integrated system for the economical production and utilization of forest tree seedlings in the southern United States.

3. THE SOUTHERN FOREST NURSERY MANAGEMENT COOPERATIVETM
Headquarters: School of Forestry & Wildlife Sciences at Auburn University
Staff: Dr. Scott Enebak – Director & Professor
Dr. David South – Professor
Dr. Edward Lowenstein – Associate Professor
Dr. Tom Starkey – Research Fellow
Tommy Hill – Forest Research Technician
Marietjie Quicke – Research Associate
Elizabeth Bowersock – Outreach Assistant
Paul Jackson – PhD Graduate Student
Barry Brooks – Forest Research Technician
>125 yrs of cumulative expertise in nursery problems and nursery culture

4. Auburn Nursery Cooperative
1970’s – State, private, federal and forest industries were facing critical pest issues that were affecting forest tree seedling production.
1980’s - Weed, insect and disease control technologies examined and developed.
1990’s – Seedling quality and out-planting survival strategies implemented.
2000’s – Representative of Nursery Community to EPA, USDA, APHIS regarding policy decisions affecting nursery business.

5. MEMBERSHIP 2009 States Industry Private Arkansas Plum Creek ArborGen
Georgia Rayonier Joshua Timber
Louisiana Smurfit-Stone CellFor
North Carolina Weyerhaeuser IFCO
Oklahoma Federal
South Carolina US For Service
Tennessee
Virginia Members

6. Forest harvest intensity in the U.S.

7. = Coop Nursery

8. SEEDLING PRODUCTION Total Production Southwide 1.045 Billion seedlings
Billion bareroot conifer seedlings
36 million containerized seedlings
44 million hardwood seedlings
The southern region produces 80% of all US seedling production
Coop Members = 86% of all tree seedlings in the southern region and >70% of all tree seedlings in US
AU Nursery Coop Tech Note

9. INCOME STRUCTURE Dues Full member - $8,300 / yr
Associate $4,150 / yr
Annual Income Dues $132,000
Grants $121,000
Total $253,000

10. RESOURCE ALLOCATION Personnel: 70% of annual Coop budget
Research Fellow – 1 Dr. Tom Starkey
Research Technicians – Half Time
Office Administrator – Half Time
Student labor – Full Time
Graduate Student – As Needed/Approved
Operating: 30% budget - travel, equipment, supplies

11. Personnel with SFNMC
Dr. Tom Starkey
Research Fellow

12. Personnel with SFNMC
Elizabeth Bowersock –
Worked for SFWS 5 yrs.
Outreach Coordinator for
Nursery Cooperative &
Longleaf Alliance

13. Personnel with SFNMC
Tommy Hill –
Worked for SFWS 24+ yr
Forestry Technician for the Nursery Coop

14. Barry Brooks –
Field Technician
for Nursery Cooperative
Funded through the USDA
ARS – Methyl Bromide
Alternatives Program,
South Atlantic Region

15. Marie Quicke –
Field Technician
for Nursery Cooperative
Funded through the
USDA ARS – Methyl
Bromide Alternatives
Program, South Atlantic
Region

16. ACCOMPLISHMENTS Herbicide Testing & Labeling
Fungicide Testing & Labeling
Fumigant Testing
Seedling Quality

17. A typical nursery with weed competition ~ 1980’s

18. MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Herbicide labeling
Goal Reflex
Cobra Stinger
Ronstar Devrinol
Poast Barricade
Estimated reduction in nursery weed control costs of 2 million dollars annually (based on 1975 costs)

19. MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Nursery Coop efforts lead to the labeling of triadimefon (Bayleton) for Fusiform rust - Cronartium quercuum - control in nurseries.
Best estimates indicate rust incidence fell from 2.5% to 0.01% of all seedlings.
Pesticide usage fell from 4 lbs/ac/yr to less than 1 lb/ac/yr
IPM at its’ best

20. METHYL BROMIDE Backbone of nursery pest control Soil borne pathogens
Pine weed control (particularly nutsedge)
Hardwood weed control
Seedling quality improvement
Nematodes
MANDATORY PRODUCTION PHASE-OUT IN 2005 THROUGH INTERNATIONAL PROTOCOL TO PROTECT THE OZONE LAYER

21. METHYL BROMIDE
The Coop has coordinated a $1,800,000 research program over the past 13 years to find a methyl bromide substitute.

22. METHYL BROMIDE - Alternatives
The Nursery Cooperative filed a CUE on behalf of forest tree nurseries in 12 southern states. Nursery Coop was awarded CUE for 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009 by the “Parties” of the Montreal Protocol.
Have Provided testimony to Congress on MBr issues related to Montreal Protocol
Part of USDA Areawide MBr Alternatives - South Atlantic Region.
Identified possible replacements: Chloropicrin, Pic +, Dimethyl Disulfide (DMDS), Pic Chlor 60, Iodomethane.

23. TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER Annual Contact Meeting Nursery Short Course
Web Page for Coop only and public access
Research Reports
Special Projects IUFRO
Newsletter 2 times / year
Consultancy Functions

24. TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER
Liaison to the Environmental Protection Agency for the Nursery Community.
Crop Profile
Regulatory questions
Pesticide labels (FQPA)
New Chemistry
Re-registration
Methyl Bromide Issues

25. FUTURE COOP ISSUES Nutsedge & weed control Rust control Fertilization
Research Priorities
Methyl bromide substitution
Nutsedge & weed control
Rust control
Fertilization
Seedling size & survival
Biological treatments