10 things
AFA has done for its members lately...
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Voice of Forestry -- AFA’s vision is to be the respected leader and credible information source for all issues related to forestry, especially when we see misinformation about forestry presented to the general public. The association recently worked with our partners at the Arkansas Forestry Commission and U of A School of Forestry and Natural Resources to respond to a guest editorial in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette that was filled with factual errors. We set the record straight on the benefits of sustainable forest management, its essential link to forest health, and provided facts on many other positive contributions from the timber and forest products community. And, we pointed out the devastating consequences of failing to match the growth of our forests with removals, which include stagnant, dense forests that will be plagued by insects, disease and wildfire. Advocacy -- AFA’s advocacy effort is the number one reason people join the association. However, successful advocacy on public policy issues is rarely a solo effort. You need a big choir, all singing the same song! AFA partners frequently with fellow forestry organizations to engage in public policy outreach activities and those efforts have resulted in significant, positive developments on several broad issues. There is a new and improved final 4(d) rule for the northern long-eared bat, inclusion of a carbon neutrality amendment in the Senate energy bill, and a Supreme Court stay of the Clean Power Plan. AFA played a role in moving these issues forward by either making direct contact with the Arkansas Congressional delegation, meeting with state regulatory agencies or working with coalition partners from across the nation to voice our concerns. Congressional Outreach -- An example of direct outreach and the value of coalition building – the association recently joined the U.S. Forest Service and the Arkansas Forestry Commission to host an Arkansas Congressional Staff update session that covered a wide-range of current issues. Topics included an overview of the President’s Clean Power Plan, Forest Inventory and Analysis data, Farm Bill programs, wildfire budgeting, restoration accomplishments, transportation, facilities and recreation realignment on federal lands. Representatives from all six Arkansas members of Congress routinely attend these important updates, which in most cases includes forestry tours and other on-the-ground opportunities. Representing Your Interests -- The carbon neutrality of forestderived biomass is one of the most important issues the timber and forest products community has faced in some time. AFA has spent significant time on the carbon neutrality issue to ensure forest derived biomass maintains its historical status as a carbon neutral fuel that can be included as part of our state and nation’s energy solution. In comments on the Federal Implementation Plan and Model Trading Rules submitted to EPA by the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality and Arkansas Public Service Commission in late January, the agencies included language stating that biomass, when sustainably harvested and used as fuel to generate electricity, is carbon neutral. The comments also acknowledged the abundance of available biomass in the state, and how including forest biomass as part of the state’s energy solution will create new markets for landowners and provide them incentives to continue growing healthy sustainable working forests which serve as carbon sinks.
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Building Relationships -- Supporting qualified candidates who understand the issues that impact forestry is an important component of AFA’s advocacy effort. AFA formed the Forest Express PAC in 1998 to provide financial support to those seeking election or reelection to Constitutional offices or the state legislature. PAC contributions may also support campaigns for or against Constitutional amendments, initiated actions, recall petitions or any other type of ballot measure. PAC contributions are not tax deductible. Individual donors can receive a $50-per-person or $100-per-couple tax credit on their Arkansas income tax return. The Forest Express PAC is a non-partisan state PAC that can accept contributions from any U.S. individual, corporation, union, association or partnership.
Heightening our Profile -- It is an honor each year to be able to nominate a deserving forestry representative for inclusion in the Arkansas Agriculture Hall of Fame. This year that honor goes to the late Henry “Hank” Chamberlin, considered to be the Father of Forestry in Arkansas. He is responsible for starting the state’s first and only school of forestry with three students and no budget. He taught every forester graduating from what is now the School of Forestry and Natural Resources at the University of Arkansas-Monticello from 1945 to 1980, and is very much deserving of this outstanding honor. In addition to his induction into the Ag Hall of Fame, Chamberlin was an inaugural inductee in the Arkansas Forester’s Hall of Fame in 1994. AFA is proud to have nominated Mr. Chamberlin and to be part of heightening the profile of forestry within the agriculture community in Arkansas. Community -- Nancy Loomis of Clearwater Paper Corporation and Patsy Thornton of Potlatch Corporation are the 2016 Log A Load For Kids Volunteer Champions. This national award recognizes their more than two decades of leadership and service in Arkansas Log A Load’s charitable efforts. As leaders in Bradley County, they played an important role in helping the Arkansas program raise more than $567,000 in 2015 to support the Log A Load For Kids of Arkansas Emergency Department and Trauma Unit at Arkansas Children’s Hospital (ACH). Log A Load For Kids has raised more than $7.5 million for ACH since 1993 and is the hospital’s second largest volunteer fundraising organization in Arkansas, behind only Walmart. Networking and Learning -- AFA continues to play an integral role in the Southeast Partnership for Forests and Water. The first initiative of the partnership was the creation of the Arkansas Forests and Drinking Water Forum in May 2015. The forum provided an opportunity to position forestry as the preferred land use within watersheds. Since that successful forum, AFA has taken the initiative to invite members of the state’s drinking water community to participate in the Landowner Education Committee and is actively partnering with the Beaver Watershed Alliance to plan forest landowner workshops with a forestry and drinking water theme. Family Forests -- The Arkansas Tree Farm Program is gearing up for several major initiatives that will help ensure the program delivers an increasing level of value to its members for years to come. In April, 34 Tree Farms will undergo an audit by PriceWaterhouse Coopers to ensure they are adhering to the Tree Farm Standards. In June, the Tree Farm Committee will host its second annual Tree Farmer Conference at the Clark County Training Center. The conference will provide valuable education and networking opportunities for all attendees and include a tour of the Ross Foundation Demonstration Forest. Ongoing is the development of a plan that will ensure the resources are available for the long term financial sustainability of the program in Arkansas.
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Forestry Education -- The Arkansas Wildlife Federation recently honored Rob Beadel, Arkansas Forestry Association Education Foundation (AFAEF) Director of Forestry Education with its Conservation Educator of the Year award for his environmental education work, which includes Project Learning Tree (PLT) and a variety of other outreach efforts. Project Learning Tree is an award winning K-12 environmental education program that teaches children how to make sound environmental decisions based on facts. In 2015, Rob coordinated 57 PLT workshops across the state, training 1,034 educators. In addition, he conducted 12 school/community programs that reached 2,028 students and 269 adults. The five-day Teacher Conservation Tour, which focuses on all aspects of forestry and natural resources conservation, included 23 educators representing 13 school districts and two organizations. AFAEF and its partners participated in 19 forest landowner workshops and conferences totaling 1,172 landowner contacts.