Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer

Federal-State Partnership Protects Forest Resources, Generates Funds for Schools, County Services
Timber revenues from forestland managed by the Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR) are used to fund public schools, universities, county services and other state projects. In 2004, the state legislature directed the DNR to inventory the remaining old-growth forest on its land and to develop management strategies for its conservation.The management of old-growth forests in the Pacific Northwest has been a contentious issue for decades. Lawsuits in the courtroom and protests in forests have made it a frequent front-page news story. Legal costs and delays in timber harvests impact state budgets and regional economies. Tami Miketa, Ecosystem Services Manager for the DNR, turned to scientists from the Pacific Northwest Research Station, USDA Forest Service, for help. "We have a legislative requirement to map old-growth forest," said Miketa. "DNR maintains a comprehensive stand inventory of what's growing on our land, but we needed help coming up with an index of characteristics that could be used to define 'old growth'." Coming up with a definition of old-growth in drier eastside forests is harder than one might expect, according to Miles Hemstrom, a research ecologist with the Portland Forestry Science Laboratory. Washington is divided by the Cascade range. Forests west of the mountains are wetter, whereas forests to the east are generally drier. This difference in climate leads to different forest types, and means westside and eastside old-growth has different characteristics.

DHS Harnesses Latest Technology for Security
In 2009, more than 300 trained maritime law enforcement and first responder personnel from federal, state, local and tribal agencies participated in an operational maritime exercise in Washington State's Puget Sound. Maritime law enforcement and first responders conducted nonintrusive small vessel radiological screenings at three Puget Sound security zones located at Admiralty Inlet, Bellingham Bay and North Skagit Bay.The exercise is part of a pilot demonstration funded by the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Domestic Nuclear Detection Office (DNDO) to evaluate radiation detection sensors and operational protocols for the small vessel maritime environment. Small vessels are considered to be watercraft under 300 gross tons, such as recreational boats, yachts and small commercial vessels. Team members used radiation detection equipment ranging from portable handheld sensors to boat-mounted systems. Puget Sound was selected for the pilot demonstration because it is home to the third largest commercial and naval port in the U.S, hosts the nation's largest ferry system, and sees significant small vessel traffic regularly entering U.S. waters across the 125 miles of open maritime border. "Our goal was to coordinate efforts by DHS and regional partners to prevent illicit radiological or nuclear materials from entering Puget Sound waterways by way of small vessels," said PNNL Maritime Project Manager Bill Peterson. "The exercise allowed us to operationally assess these advanced technology systems and protocols. The pilot directly supports the DHS Small Vessel Security Strategy, which serves to reduce potential security and safety risks on our waterways and at our nation's many ports."