WVFA Mountain State Forestry Fall 2021

www.wvfa.org Fall 2021 | West Virginia Forestry Association Mountain State Forestry 5 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 A s fall approaches and we enjoy the magnificent foliage here in West Virginia, I am reminded of the changes we’ve seen this year. We started out with a Legislative Session closed to the public, companies suffering great losses and as we are now seeing some improvements, and we are experiencing the frustration with supply chain issues in our daily lives. This issue has some great stories, some coming from our Annual Conference with over 220 attending, while others are the new Real American Hardwood marketing campaign we have joined. West Virginia State Forester Tom Cover’s article amplifies the unique capability that drones are having in forestry. Many federal pandemic relief bills passed by Congress this year, including one provision we feature in this issue is the Pandemic Assistance to Timber Harvesters and Haulers. This is the first time in recent history the federal government has aid to that sector. Loggers and log truckers could see some small benefits coming their way to offset the burdens they’ve shouldered this past year. Our advocacy efforts strengthened this year. We provided a detailed response to the West Virginia Tax Commissioner of the Managed Timberland Program rates in 2021 and just recently for 2022. This program has 4,400 forest owners and has enrolled 2.2 million acres helping assure a future wood supply. We want our forest owners to benefit from reduced rates based on the land’s ability to grow timber. It’s time to reform the rule that has been so complex only a few even understand the rule guiding this program. We initiated a letter writing effort to comment officially on the proposed 10-year timber harvesting plan on the Monongahela Nation Forest’s Upper Cheat River Project. Citizen engagement is new strategy for our association. In the past, we simply expected the association staff to do this work, but getting direct engagement is something that has been an effective tool for impacting public policy and it’s time you get more engaged. We had our first in-person Project Learning Tree (PLY) training this past month in Elkins. Anyone with an interest in telling the story of forests should consider taking this training. Thanks to the generosity of our members, we can purchase all the material educators need to conduct PLT session with children. Nothing is more important than educating our youth about forests and the products our society depends upon that come from those forests. Lastly, we have had a great year, with an increase in membership of 37%! My goal is seeing WVFA Membership exceed 1,000. We only need about 250 more members in the next year to achieve that goal. Our impact can mean so much more when we have an engaged and supportive membership. Simply ask one of your friends and colleagues to join and we will get to that target. Eric Carlson Executive Director “Many federal pandemic relief bills passed by Congress this year, including one provision we feature in this issue is the Pandemic Assistance to Timber Harvesters and Haulers. This is the first time in recent history the federal government has aid to that sector.”