WVFA Mountain State Forestry Winter 2021-22

6 West Virginia Forestry Association Mountain State Forestry | Winter 2021–22 www.wvfa.org A nother year is in the books and as we start a new one, it’s always interesting to reflect on the last twelve months. On the upside, demand for most wood products was high and hardwood lumber prices for almost all species increased dramatically. The downside, labor shortages in the woods and in the mills stymied production at many facilities and fuel prices increased (and are still increasing) by over 50% since last January. These two “downsides” have also been major contributors to the increase in raw material costs and it looks like the trend will continue into 2022. Our labor problems don’t end at the mills. We are also having a tough time recruiting young people to go into the logging business, or to go into forestry or wood science. We find ourselves with an abundance of healthy, mature hardwood forests growing twice as fast as we can harvest them. We also have the potential to become West Virginia’s largest industry. So why are many of our state and political leaders not recognizing our needs and seeing our potential to provide high-paying jobs, and why are our college and university presidents not emphasizing and adequately funding our forestry and wood science curriculums? As we begin the 2022 legislative session, I urge all of you to speak to your representatives and inform them of your needs, the obstacles that we are currently facing, and the importance of our industry to West Virginia. You may be surprised how receptive they will be to you. Many of them are curious and want to be informed so that they can make a cognizant decision on legislation that affects our industry, and besides, they work for you! The bill to eliminate the WV Board of Registration for Foresters last year that passed the house, but failed in the senate, is a good example. I have spoken to many house members after the fact who would not have voted for the bill if they had been adequately informed of the negative ramifications to professional foresters in our state. This year’s legislative session will be open to the public again, so you can speak to your representative face-to-face, which I think is more affective than a phone call. Senate and Legislative Districts have been redrawn, so it is important that you look at the new maps to see who your representatives are. You can see the new maps at this link: www.wvlegislature.gov/ redistricting.cfm. “As we begin the 2022 legislative session, I urge all of you to speak to your representatives and inform them of your needs, the obstacles that we are currently facing, and the importance of our industry to West Virginia.” 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