WVFA Mountain State Forestry Fall 2021

6 West Virginia Forestry Association Mountain State Forestry | Fall 2021 www.wvfa.org A nother summer has come and gone and fall is upon us. The summer of 2021 was particularly extraordinary because of the COVID-19 lockdown that we all experienced last summer which caused many of us to change or cancel our vacation travel plans, abandon outings and get-togethers with extended family and friends, and even compelled us to cancel our 2020 WVFA Annual Meeting. The restrictions of 2020 planted the seeds of enthusiasm that we experience today. You could feel that same enthusiasm at our 2021 WVFA Annual Meeting. The fact that it was well attended is a testimony to our resilience. I want to thank our director and all the volunteers who helped to make the Annual Meeting a success. For those of you who attended, thank you for coming, and please let us know if you saw some opportunities where we can improve for next year’s meeting. For those of you who were not able to attend, I encourage you to do so next year. Our hardwood lumber producers are still experiencing high demand for most species and grades, but the bottleneck is still labor, both at the mills and in the woods. There is also a shortage of truck drivers to move the logs and the lumber. This situation should prompt us to explore ways that we can attract lumber and forest workers to our state. Recently, I was sent an article from a newspaper in North Carolina that suggested that loggers in that region were not benefitting from the increase in lumber prices. This sentiment was echoed by the communications director of the Carolina Loggers Association in the same article. With the shortage of loggers in West Virginia, could the situation in the Carolina’s (and other regions) present an opportunity for the West Virginia Economic Development Authority and/or our industry to showcase the opportunities for loggers here in our state? Should we be doing a better job recruiting established loggers in other states to work (and live) in West Virginia? With our vast timber resource, not to mention the beauty of our state and our good people, I think this may be our chance to help satisfy an immediate need here at home. To satisfy this need over the long-term, we need to create more forestry and logging programs in more of our high schools and vocational schools around the state. The few high schools that have such programs have been successful with many students moving on to enroll in forestry and natural resource programs at Glenville State College and West Virginia University and many more taking forestry and forest industry related positions with wood products and logging companies right out of high school. There have also been discussions in the past to create a degreed logging program at Glenville State College, which would not only instruct students in forestry and logging, but also small business administration and finance. It may be worthwhile to open these discussions again with our partners in education. Lastly, with every economic upturn there are indicators that point to a “cooling-off” period. One indicator that I’m sure everyone reading this article is aware of is rising fuel prices. As of early August, of this year, diesel fuel prices have risen from $2.430/ gal. a year ago to $3.289/gal. according to AAA. This is over a 35% increase (and may be higher by the time you read this). Rising fuel prices equal rising costs for almost everything, so this is on thing to keep an eye on. Enjoy the autumn weather and I wish you all the best that fall has to offer. “Our hardwood lumber producers are still experiencing high demand for most species and grades, but the bottleneck is still labor, both at the mills and in the woods.” John Holstine Board President M E S S A G E F R OM T H E P R E S I D E N T