MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR 4 West Virginia Forestry Association Mountain State Forestry | Spring 24 www.wvfa.org It is unbelievable how fast the time goes. As of this writing, we are halfway through the 2024 legislative session. There have been a few bills introduced that peripherally impact the industry, mostly through their effect on the labor force. However, Senate Bill 618 was introduced to create a carbon exchange in West Virginia. The bill gives the WV Division of Forestry a mandate to develop a state operated carbon exchange and requires that all carbon credits sold in West Virginia be sold through this government managed system. As with most bills, more questions are generated than are answered by this bill, and these answers will only be known once the rules are drafted. I will keep the association posted as things proceed. House Bill 5013 was introduced to eliminate the subdivision section of the code. It was sent to the Energy Committee and is moving slowly. I have met with Delegate Hillanbrand and Anderson several times and with the Energy Committee attorney a couple of times to try and get this bill moving forward. The changes will allow more people to participate in the program if it passes. Hopefully it will come out of committee soon. January is an event month for the association. We had several sponsors of our events and a big thank you to everybody who made each of them successful! First, the WVFA sponsored Legislative Reception at the Capital Cultural Center was a great success. The event drew roughly sixty-five members and approximately thirty legislators. This important event provides our members with the opportunity to chat with their legislators and state their opinions on upcoming legislation. WVFA also fostered the Senate Resolution for the Tree Farmer of the Year, which was awarded to Myles Lumber Company! We want to send out a big thank you to Senator Karnes for making this presentation. WVFA also cosponsored The Taste of West Virginia in cooperation with the WV Farm Bureau. As usual, this event was well attended by legislators, WVFA members, and Farm Bureau members—as they say, “Feed them and they will come!” A lot of legislators attended and mingled with the attendees. And there were close to seventy members registered for this event, drawn by good fellowship and great West Virginia sourced food! Finally, the A.B. Brooks Symposium was held the following day with over eighty members from across the state attending. The focus of the symposium focused on current market conditions. There was a full agenda with some outstanding speakers from the Appalachian Hardwood Export Council and the Hardwood Market Report. The message was sobering: market conditions are tough, and it is up to us as an industry to develop new, more stable markets for our wood products when the economy recovers. It will be a nice reprieve for me when this legislative session is over, and I can get back out to visit with members. In the meantime, if there is anything I can do to help any member, don’t hesitate to contact me. Turkey season will be here before we know it… Bob Boyles Executive Director There was a full agenda with some outstanding speakers from the Appalachian Hardwood Export Council and the Hardwood Market Report. The message was sobering: market conditions are tough, and it is up to us as an industry to develop new, more stable markets for our wood products when the economy recovers.
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