About Continuing Forestry Education (CFE) Credits

The purpose of the Continuing Forestry Education Program developed and implemented by the Society of American Foresters (SAF) is to provide foresters with recognition for expanding upon their professional knowledge.

CFE's are obtained by attending organized course work through seminars, short courses, workshops, district training sessions, regional training sessions, state training sessions, or through out-of-state training.

There is a requirement in North Carolina that 10 hours of CFE's must be obtained per year to keep one's forester registration up-to-date. These 10 hours must include a minimum of 6 hours in Category 1 and 4 more hours of either Category 1,2,3 or 4. A brief description of each category is listed below.

• Category 1 are those courses that deal with forestry or forestry-related subject matters such as silviculture, mensuration, forest pest management, habitat management, urban forestry, forest policy, forest protection, fire control, prescribed burning, tax workshops, water quality, GPS/GIS training, etc. You earn 1 hour for each hour of course work.
• Category 2 are those courses not specifically in forestry or forestry-related subject matter, but which are professionally enriching or directly benefit the individual in his or her present position. Examples include leadership workshops, computer course work, public speaking, real estate, safety courses, etc. You earn 1 hour for each hour of course work.
• Category 3 hours are earned through the development, preparation and presentation of course work or activities such as described in Categories 1 and 2 that require effort beyond the general scope of the individual's normal duties or job description. With this category you earn 2 hours for each 1 hour of presentation, if it is on a subject matter that is not part of your normal assigned duties. No hours are earned if it is a requirement for your position to do a presentation on the subject matter.
• Category 4 hours are earned through the preparation, writing and publication of forestry or forestry-related subject matter that requires effort beyond the general scope of the individual's duties or job description. You can obtain 5 CFE hours for an article or series of articles of a substantial nature published in a magazine, newspaper, or similar publication and 15 hours for each publication requiring technical review.

Field tour CFE hours are calculated at the rate of 1 hour credit for each hour of the tour.

How does one know how many CFE hours a course is worth and whether or not the course is approved? There is an individual in each state that determines how many CFE hours a course is worth and for what category.

Process for Requesting CFEs in North Carolina

Only Category 1 CFE hours need to have an approved CFE contact sheet. The coordinator of the outreach event needs to do the following:

Have an agenda that includes:
• Topics to be covered with specific times and breaks
• Location of training
• Date of workshop or training
• Your contact information (email and telephone number)

1. Hans Rohr has assumed NC CFE Coordinator duties from Ed Pomeroy. CFE requests should be emailed to hans.rohr@ncagr.gov at least 3 weeks prior to the education event to be considered. The submitted email should have a subject line heading that indicates it is a CFE Request. The SAF NC CFE Coordinator will determine how many hours are approved and send you a CFE contact hour notice for you to distribute to the attendees, namely any registered foresters (RF) wishing to receive CFE credit hours.
2. The SAF National Office is close to finalizing an online CFE Request web application. It is currently operational, but SAF has not yet made its use mandatory. SAF’s intent is to make its utilization mandatory at some future point. Anyone interested in submitting their CFE request online through this SAF application can use the following weblink: SAF CFE Evaluation Request Click on the button “Apply Online”. You will need to create an account if you don't already have an SAF logon, but there is no fee. You'll be able to complete the application, upload your agenda, and once SAF evaluates the request you'll receive an email with directions to download your CFE for further distribution. This application process will also automatically post the event in the CFE event calendar once approved. If you need assistance with this new process please contact NC CFE Coordinator Hans Rohr at 910-588-4964 or hans.rohr@ncagr.gov or SAF’s Director of Professional Development Naomi Marcus at 866-897-8720 ext. 888 or marcusn@safnet.org
3. SAF CFE Coordinator Guidelines state that CFE Coordinators may not evaluate events or programs that a. are organized or managed by the CFE Coordinator and/or b. organized or managed by their employer. Since Hans Rohr is an employee of the North Carolina Forest Service, all CFE requests for events or programs that are organized or managed by that organization will need to be submitted via the SAF online website mentioned above rather than being emailed to him for review.

The Participants or Registered Foresters will need to do the following:

1. Pick up a CFE contact hour notice at the training session for Category 1 hours Only! DO NOT SEND them to the SAF CFE Coordinator for NC. Hold onto these forms, as they are proof that you attended a course. Keep them to prove that you obtained the required CFE's for the forester registration. Category 2, 3 and 4 are on the honor system. However, it is best to keep a copy of the agenda, articles, etc. that you are involved in for auditing purposes.
2. List any training or workshops attended and the appropriate CFE's on your Personal Activity Record that will need to be sent in with your membership renewal form for the NC State Board of Registration for Foresters. For more information about registration requirements contact the NC Board at info@ncbrf.org.

Training/Workshop Retention of Documentation

The organizer of the CFE event must keep a roster or list of attendees for any training or workshop, in case the N.C. Board of Registration for Foresters conducts a periodic audit. A file that includes copies of the CFE contact hour notice approved and the list of attendees should be kept for at least 1 year.