6 West Virginia Forestry Association Mountain State Forestry | Spring 2022 www.wvfa.org It was nice to see a good turnout for the 36th Annual A. B. Brooks Memorial Forestry Symposium on February 1, and it was refreshing to go back to an in-person format. We had a very good slate of speakers covering some interesting topics. I would like to take this opportunity to thank our speakers and all of those who attended. I also want to thank Eric Carlson and Kayla Springer for organizing the event. One topic of interest was forest carbon markets. These markets aren’t new, but they’re making an impact on West Virginia forests of late. Many of TIMOs and REITs, who collectively own hundreds of thousands of acres of forest in West Virginia, have been engaged in forest carbon projects for many years, but now forest carbon programs have been created for the small, non-industrial forestland owner. These programs are affecting how our forests are managed and could have an impact on raw-material sourcing in the future. Today’s forestland owner is faced with a myriad of choices regarding forest management. Along with timber production, considerations may be as broad as implementing a forest carbon program or a stream mitigation banking program to hunting and recreational activities. Does it make sense to diversify your forest management activities? If so, what should you be doing? How do you receive the highest return on your investment? And then there are external factors such as state and federal regulations, taxes, and economic conditions that will change from time to time. Being an active forestland owner can be very complex in today’s world indeed! With that said, if there are any WVFA members reading this and you have some ideas regarding forest management (or other) topics that we can cover at our upcoming annual meeting or any speakers that you think would be beneficial to the program, please contact Eric or me and we would be happy to consider them. Enjoy all that the spring season has to offer. “Today’s forestland owner is faced with a myriad of choices regarding forest management. Along with timber production, considerations may be as broad as implementing a forest carbon program or a stream mitigation banking program to hunting and recreational activities. ” 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
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