News Releases from the Southern Research Station

Forest Service Co-hosts Annual Air Pollution Workshop

Asheville, NC -- The USDA Forest Service Eastern Forest Environmental Threat Assessment Center (EFETAC) will co-host the 42^nd Air Pollution Workshop to be held in Asheville, NC, April 12-14. The annual workshop—sponsored this year by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Environmental Protection Agency, and National Park Service—provides an informal setting for discussion of issues surrounding air pollution and climate change effects on agricultural crops, forests, and natural ecosystems in North America.

  "This workshop is designed to foster sharing of new hypotheses, methods, and research results centered around current air pollution topics among participants representing a range of agencies, universities, and organizations," says Steve McNulty, EFETAC Southern Global Change Program team leader. "Over the past 42 years, this workshop has been instrumental in establishing many new areas of science direction." McNulty and David Grantz, University of California (Riverside) CE Air Quality Effects Specialist, are co-chairing the event.

In addition to a series of expert presentations and posters, the workshop includes a tour of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Climatic Data Center located in downtown Asheville.  An optional field trip is also being offered to observe air pollution monitoring stations and local pollutant impacts at Mount Mitchell State Park and Grandfather Mountain via the Blue Ridge Parkway. For more information, visit the air pollution workshop website www.apworkshop.org/ or www.forestthreats.org.

For more information:

Program Content—contact Steve McNulty at smcnulty@fs.fed.us or (919) 515-9489.

Program Logistics—contact Erika Cohen at eccohen@fs.fed.us or (919) 513-3189.

About EFETAC

Established in 2005, EFETAC is actively developing new technology and tools to anticipate and respond to emerging forest threats.  Headquartered with the Southern Research Station in Asheville, the Center also has offices in Raleigh and Research Triangle Park, NC. Visit www.forestthreats.org for additional information.