| The North Carolina State
Forest Fertilization Cooperative (NCSFFC) was
organized in 1969 by J.O. Cantrell, T.E.
Maki, and C.B. Davey, bringing together
interested parties from North Carolina State
University, forestry industry, and fertilizer
manufacturers. Initially, the Cooperative was
a five-year program with the objective --
"to determine the economic feasibility
of forest fertilization" for loblolly
pine in the Piedmont and northern Coastal
Plain regions of the southeastern United
States -- complemented the Cooperative
Research in Forest Fertilization (CRIFF)
program begun in 1967 at the University of
Florida. The first Advisory Council meeting
was held May 28, 1970 and the first field
study (Regionwide 1) was begun in winter
1970-71. Since 1970, the Cooperative has
evolved from being a regionally based
fertilizer cooperative into an
internationally recognized research and
education program in forest production,
silviculture, and soils. In 1986, the
Cooperative's name was changed to the North
Carolina State Forest Nutrition Cooperative
(NCSFNC) to reflect a broader emphasis on
forest production and nutrition. The name was
shortened to Forest Nutrition Cooperative
(FNC) in 2003 when North
Carolina State University, Virginia
Tech, and two years later, the University of Concepcion (UCO),
entered into a partnership to provide joint
university leadership for the Cooperative.
Wayne Haines served as the Cooperative's
first director until 1977. He was followed by
Bob Kellison (1977-1978), Russ Ballard
(1978-1980), Lee Allen (1981 - present) and
Dan Kelting as co-director (2000-2003). Tom Fox (VPI) and Lee
Allen (NCSU) now serve as co-directors.
Starting in January 2006, Rafael
Rubilar (UCO) became associate director
for South America.
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