April 2016
Forestry Commission protects forests from above
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he Arkansas Forestry Commission (AFC) works year round protecting more than 15 million of Arkansas’ private and public forests. To keep Arkansas’ forests properly managed, the Forestry Commission relies on the aviation department for support. The aviation department’s 15 planes cover each of the eight districts in Arkansas, looking for timber damage, wildfires and completing insect and disease surveys. According to AFC records, the Forestry Commission detected 1,178 wildfires in 2015 that consumed 14,652 acres. This amount is down considerably from just 2011 when over 41,000 acres burned. AFC uses 13 of the 15 aircraft for wildfire detection, surveying for timber damage and other forestry related purposes. These planes are single-engine aircraft. Two of the 15 aircraft are twin-engine planes, known as aero commander planes. The aero commander planes play a key role in coordinating air tanker suppression aircraft. If pilots spot a need for a water drop or ground crews, they will alert dispatch. Ground crews will then manage the fire with the help of aviation. “We have predetermined routes around the state that we fly, when requested, to detect wildfires and timber damage, said Michael Sellers, AFC aviation manager. “Whether or not we fly is based on instructions given from the district forester. A delay in flight could be caused by weather, drought and fire potential.” Arkansas’ busy wildfire seasons occur from February-April and August-October. During these times, AFC contracts with a private company to bring in Single Engine Air Tanker (SEAT) planes. These planes are utilized for water drops to assist the ground crews. The SEAT planes are stationed at the
Michael Still, AFC Pilot Hot Springs Airport Tanker Base. “The primary cause of wildfires is arson and malicious activity,” Adriane Barnes, AFC Director of Communications, said. According to Billy Black, AFC Law Enforcement Supervisor, arson related fires destroyed 4,990 acres in 2015. Fires are not the only cause of timber damage in Arkansas. Forests in Arkansas see damage from tornadoes, ice storms, droughts and floods, as well as Ips bark beetles in pine trees, large scale diseases, such as needlecast and defoliators in pine and hardwood trees. “AFC routinely completes insect and disease surveys in July and August when Arkansas’ trees start to die off,” Sellers said. “It is easy to distinguish pine from hardwood in the air, but often a ground check will be needed to confirm the cause of damage,” Chandler Barton AFC Forest Health Specialist said.
The aviation department is on track to completely switch over to the satellite based Automatic Dependent SurveillanceBroadcast (ADS-B) by early 2017. ADS-B is part of the next generation air traffic control system in the United States. The Federal Aviation Administration has mandated that all aircraft switch over to the new system by 2020. ADS-B allows for safer flying conditions for pilots by allowing traffic and weather conditions to be sent directly to the cockpit. Dispatch centers are able to see each plane’s location and airspeed data. AFC works hard for the private landowners in the state, whether it be detecting wildfires or timber damage using the latest equipment helps keep Arkansas’ forests safe and healthy. To report a wildfire or timber damage, call the AFC Dispatch at 501-332-2000. The dispatch office is open 365 days a year, 24 hours a day and is located in Malvern, Arkansas.
AFA looking Kids across Arkansas celebrate to grow Earth Day communications committee
The Communications Committee is a standing committee that oversees the strategic communications plan to promote AFA’s mission and vision. The Committee provides guidance on the implementation of the marketing and communications tactics, which include maintaining the integrity and increase the usage of AFA’s brand, providing content ideas for partnership wide communications as needed and promoting best practices through various media modes, including social media, e-newsletters and print newsletters.
Children enjoy making tree cookie bracelets to observe Earth Day in downtown Little Rock.
If this sounds like a committee that you would like to be a part of, please contact Rebecca Neely, AFA Communications Director. Her email is rneely@arkforests.org.
Rob Beadel, Director of Forestry Education, presented an Earth Day Program to 96 second graders at King Elementary in Van Buren. Fourth graders at Don Roberts Elementary in Little Rock celebrate Earth Day and the end of testing week wearing Log A Load For Kids shirts donated by the AFA Education Foundation.
AFA Calendar April 28
Forestry Field Day Hope, AR
May 9
Central Arkansas Log A Load Golf Tournament Harbor Oaks, Pine Bluff
May 11
Tree Farm Committee 10 a.m. AFA Office, Little Rock
May 12-13
Spring Board Meeting Winthrop Rockefeller Institute Morrilton, AR
May 30
AFA Office Closed Memorial Day
June 9
South Central Log A Load Golf Tournament Glenwood
June 9
2nd Annual Tree Farm Conference Arkadelphia June 11 Log A Load Fish Fry Arkadelphia
Log A Load kickoff a success
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n March 31, 2016, Log A Load For Kids Campaign kicked off at Arkansas Children’s Hospital(ACH)!
President and CEO of ACH, Marcy Doderer, welcomed the group and extended her thanks to the Log A Load team for all they have done and continue to do for the children of Arkansas. Dr. Robert Steele, Chief Strategy Officer, gave an overview of the upcoming plans ACH has to provide pediatric healthcare to children across the state. Kickoff attendees participated in a tour of ACH that included the NICU, Emergency Department and a trip to the helicopter pad! We are so excited to kick off 2016! Log A Load would not be the success that it is without our volunteers! Thank you for all that you do! May 9 – Central Arkansas Log A Load For Kids Golf Tournament, Pine Bluff June 9 – South Central Arkansas Log A Load For Kids Golf Tournament, Glenwood June 11 – South Central Arkansas Log A Load For Kids, Arkadelphia August 6 – Drew County Log A Load For Kids, Monticello September 24 – River Valley Log A Load For Kids, Russellville September 24 – Bradley County Log A Load For Kids, Warren October 29 – Central Arkansas Log A Load For Kids, Sheridan TBA – Southwest Arkansas Log A Load For Kids Golf Tournament, Texarkana Registration is available for select events online: http://www.arkforests. org/?page=logaload
Legislative recap
The end of the Fiscal Session of the 90th Arkansas General Assembly may be in sight after Gov. Asa Hutchinson signed Senate Bill 121 last week. The legislation will keep the state’s reworked hybrid Medicaid expansion in place until December 31, 2021. How the bill got to the Governor’s desk and what he did upon arrival was the news of the session so far. In an earlier Special Session, Legislators voted to approve the expansion plan, called “Arkansas Works” by a large majority, but the appropriation bill to fund the program needed a 75% majority during the Fiscal Session. It was expected that an interesting and possibly divisive fight would take place, and to some degree it did. In the end, Senator Jim Hendren, R-Gravette, filed an amendment designed to allow those opposed to Arkansas Works to maintain their opposition, but allow the program to be funded and move forward. The amendment added a sunset clause, which moved the end date for Arkansas Works to December 31, 2016. The version that passed in the Special Session was effective through December 31, 2021. It also added a severability clause, which would protect the law if a piece was successfully challenged in court. The bill passed both Chambers. Governor Hutchinson then exercised a “line item veto” of the amendment, thus reestablishing the 2021 ending date. Critics called the strategy shortsighted, while proponents commended the effort as a creative and constitutional way to achieve the Governor’s goal. With only a slight possibility of a successful override effort, the rest of the session will focus on the other components of the state’s budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1, including that of the Arkansas Forestry Commission, which by all indications shouldn’t face any significant challenges.
2nd annual Tree Farmer Conference scheduled The second annual Tree Farmer Conference is scheduled for June 9, 2016 in Arkadelphia, AR. Attendees will have the opportunity to receive a Tree Farm update, hear a logger’s perspective on harvesting considerations, learn about herbicide usage and more. Participants in the conference will take part in a tour of the Ross Foundation Tree Farm. This tour will provide participants with various herbicide application methods and more. Registration is online at http://www.arkforests.org/ event/2016tfconference
Next on the agenda will probably be a Special Session to consider the state’s highway plan.
AFA congratulates US Green Building Council on decision to recognize small woodland owners
The Arkansas Forestry Association (AFA) applauded the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) announcement to create a new path in its Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building rating system, to encourage more wood use, including wood from family woodlands. The USGBC this week released its quarterly addendum to the LEED rating system which aims to encourage more use of responsibly sources building materials, by allowing builders to get credit in the LEED system for using wood products from forests certified by the American Tree Farm System (ATFS) and the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI). “The Arkansas Forestry Association applauds USGBC’ s efforts to create more opportunities for using wood in LEED buildings, including the wood grown here in Arkansas by our family and private forest owners,” said Max Braswell, AFA Executive Vice President. In Arkansas, there are more than 860 certified family forest owners who manage 469,000 acres of forest land, providing sustainable wood fiber while also conserving clean water and air, wildlife habitat, and ensuring the overall health of our forests. The forestry industry in Arkansas generates $3.2 billion in economic revenue each year. “Our family forest owners in Arkansas need markets for their sustainably grown wood products to help them keep their land as forest and continue to practice forest management . USGBC’s announcement is not just a win for wood; it’s a win for the thousands of families and small landowners who own and manage our forests in the state,” said Braswell. Over the past ten years, hundreds of political leaders, governors, state foresters and forest organizations have worked together to urge USGBC to change its LEED rating system to better recognize wood, especially wood from ATFS and SFI certified lands. Leaders in Arkansas have weighed in on this issue with USGBC throughout the years, providing effective advocacy to make this change happen.
The 2016 AFA Spring Board of Directors Meeting will take place at the Winthrop Rockefeller Institute in Morrilton, May 12-13. Register for the meeting at http://www.arkforests.org/event/ boardmeeting. Registration deadline is April 29. This year’s hotel accommodations are available at Winthrop Rockefeller Institute with a room rate of $89 per night for a single or double occupancy. Call 501-727-5435 or 866-972-7778 and reference Group # 65389 to receive the AFA special discounted rate. The room reservation deadline is April 29.