WVFA Mountain State Forestry Fall 2020

4 West Virginia Forestry Association Mountain State Forestry  | Fall 2020 www.wvfa.org M E S S A G E F R OM T H E E X E C U T I V E D I R E C T O R D espite the challenges we’ve endured now for months, WVFA is moving ahead. That last minute decision to cancel the Annual Conference was hardest for me, hoping to meet many of the members and families. The Area meetings with smaller groups may the ideal place this year to meet everyone. Look forward to seeing those announcements. We are taking some actions that will lay the foundation for WVFA over the next few years. The first was to complete a Membership Survey. This is timely for two reasons, a new Executive Director needs a snapshot of the members expectations, and the Board of Directors can use it for strategic planning. During this pandemic, it has been nearly impossible to visit with companies concerned about the possible impact of COVID to operations. MEMBERSHIP SURVEY The good news, 37% of all our members responded, a good number, considering this had 60 questions ranging from our core purpose, to the programs we need to drive those programs, and how we obtain the financial support we need to operate. There was noticeably a lack of loggers responding, which was expected with many loggers lacking an online presence. Responses must recognize that shortcoming using an online survey. The following is a quick summary of what we found: POLICY AND COMMUNICATIONS At the top is policy and legislative advocacy that affects West Virginia—92% of all respondents’ desire to engage advocacy. Second, over 75% of respondents want us to continue to work on professional development for loggers, forester, sawmills, and secondary manufacturers. An overwhelming 93% want outreach on forestry issues. However, our current tools, the WVFA weekly email and WV Mountain Forestry Magazine printed quarterly are viewed by over 44% as not the best tool. Something we must consider. Other areas of outreach favored are press releases, television interviews, and expanding the use of social media, in contrast to WVFA using paid media ads, which we’ve already suspended this year, as a cost savings measure. PROGRAMS AND SERVICES Current programs—American Forest Foundation Tree Farm System, the Sustainable Forestry Initiative, and the West Virginia Loggers Council— have as many supporters as detractors, with another third in the middle. A bright spot was the support for youth programs and Project Learning Tree, where over 78% of respondents favored these programs. Lastly, a resounding 66% of respondents favored eliminating the Timber and Wood Festival support and only17% were promoters to attend fairs and festivals. These are indicators our members desire to shift our outreach methods and practices. Eric Carlson Executive Director Membership Survey Results (a few key metrics) 93% 92% Desire to Engage in Policy and Legislative Advocacy Want Outreach on Forestry Issues