September 2016
Log-A-Load on track to fulfill commitments early It’s been a busy few months for Arkansas Log-A-Load for Kids! We are well on our way to reaching our goal of $2 million ahead of schedule to fund the Emergency Services Department and Trauma Program by 2017 for Arkansas Children’s Hospital (ACH). Earlier in the summer, the South Central Log-A-Load chapter hosted a golf tournament, dinner and auction. These events are expected to bring in over $115,000. Drew County Log-A-Load hosted their event on August 6. This year, the Drew
County chapter raffled off a fully restored 1965 Ford Mustang. Tickets were $100 each. Overall, the Drew County event raised over $113,000, a new record for the chapter!
in Bradley County to benefit ACH. We are always excited to see the creative events our Arkansas Log-A-Load chapters come up with.
Arkansas Log-A-Load had a busy September! Two events were hosted on September 24, one in Russellville, by River Valley Log-A-Load and the other in Warren hosted by Bradley County Log-A-Load. River Valley Log-A-Load had a raffle drawing for $5,000 cash and raised over $100,000 at their event! Bradley County Log-A-Load raised over $55,000. A trap and skeet shoot was hosted for the first time this August
In October, Central Arkansas Log-A-Load will host a dinner and auction in Sheridan. This event is expected to bring in over $110,000. We are elated that all of the Arkansas LogA-Load events have exceeded their 2015 totals thus far! These events take massive amounts of time and support to put on and would not be possible without all of our volunteers. Arkansas Log-A-Load continues to be the #1 Log-A-Load in America and is the second largest fundraiser for the only children’s hospital in Arkansas, following Wal-Mart.
Ashley Collins shares her son, Carter’s story. Carter, a 10-year old from Russellville, was born with spina bifida and has undergone numerous surgeries at Arkansas Children’s Hospital. Carter was a special guest at the River Valley Log A Load on September 24.
AFA member spotlight AFA congratulates the following members on their recent achievements.
Joe Friend, a retired district forester for Arkansas Forestry Commission, has taken a position with the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff as an Extension associate-forester to work with the Sustainable Forestry Initiative and African American Land Retention Program. Friend serves on AFA’s
Board of Directors and Program Committee. Shaun McKamie, Vice-President of Farm Credit of Western Arkansas and Wes Ward, Arkansas Agriculture Secretary have been selected as a Leadership Arkansas participant. The mission of Leadership Arkansas is to challenge, inform, inspire and engage current and future business leaders to enhance the economy of the state of
Over $8 million has been raised for ACH since the Log-A-Load initiative began in Arkansas in 1993. Three endowments have already been funded because of the generous support of the forestry industry. These endowments include a $1.5 million endowment toward cardiovascular surgery, a $1.5 million endowment for Angel One, the helicopter transport for ACH patients and a $1 million endowment for radiology and imaging equipment to better care for the children at ACH.
Arkansas. Leadership Arkansas is operated by the Arkansas State Chamber. If you have a special announcement concerning you or one of your employees, please send Rebecca Neely an email with details. She can be reached at rneely@ arkforests.org.
H-2B and what it means for you Sustainable forestry practices in the United States include utilizing the H-2B Guestworker Program to ensure highquality reforestation. The season for reforesting a harvested site is approximately December through April. The H-2B program is necessary for U.S. forestry companies to stay on target to meet reforestation goals. Reforestation work is not appealing to most U.S. workers because of the temorary, four-month work season, the nature of the work and the need to move throughout a large region in a short amount of time. Economists estimate that each H-2B worker supports 4.6 permanent, full-time U.S. jobs. Supported jobs include logging, nursery management, pulp and paper production,
sawmilling, secondary manufacturing and the rural economies that depend on the forestry industry. According to the Forest Resources Association, the U.S. House of Representatives has voted to renew the Returning Worker exemption. The Senate has yet to vote on this measure. This issue will likely not reach the President’s desk until after the November Arkansas has thousands of H-2B workers working in the agriculture 2016 election, according and timber industries. These workers are protected by U.S labor to the Forest Resources regulations along with the Migrant & Seasonal Workers Protection Act. Association.
10 things to know about fall webworm in Arkansas Arkansas Forestry Commission
Fall webworms are a common sight across Arkansas from late August until late October. Don’t get too concerned – this small creature is not considered a “forest pest” because it rarely kills the host tree. It is, however, unsightly and occasionally may cause damage to pecan groves. Fall webworms are most commonly found on pecan, persimmon and other fruiting trees, and occasionally other hardwood leaves. Fall webworms can be removed by simply clipping and disposing of the web, or at the very least – creating holes in the web so that birds, ants and other predators/insects can eat the caterpillars. Below, find 10 Things to Know about Fall Webworm in Arkansas: 1. Fall webworm, Hyphantria cunea, is a native moth that is found throughout the eastern U.S. 2. It is capable of consuming about 120 species of hardwood trees, but prefers persimmon, walnut, and hickory. 3. The caterpillars create silken tents that keep them safe while feeding on leaves. These webs are on the ends of branches, which can be easily pruned out. 4. The adult is a good-looking moth with a 4 cm wingspan. Females are pure white
and males may have black spots on the wings. 5. In Arkansas, the moth may have up to four generations per year, and webs will appear more abundant late-summer. 6. Like most native pests, they become abundant when conditions are favorable (i.e., mild weather and less biocontrol). Native insect outbreaks have a tendency to crash when natural controls lower their population to normal levels again. 7. Fall webworm is unlikely to kill trees because their damage occurs late in the growing season. Complete defoliation and multiple years of damage could weaken a tree enough to cause harm. 8. Caterpillars remain in the tree unless they run out of food due to competition with siblings. They will move to the ground to pupate over the winter. 9. Keeping the webs under control can take some effort. Prune webs as early as you see them over summer months. 10. Some insecticides are labeled for webworms. Products with the active ingredients carbaryl and Bacillus thuringiensis are easily available to homeowners.
Follow AFA on social media for the latest updates!
Westerman’s forestry bill advances UALR Public Radio
Republican U.S. Representative Bruce Westerman’s bill to revamp the management of federal forests is moving its way through Congress. The Resilient Federal Forests Act of 2015 passed the House last year 262-167, largely along partisan lines, and in mid-September was approved by the U.S. Senate Agriculture committee. It was also recently incorporated into a larger energy bill under consideration in Congress. Westerman, who represents Arkansas’s fourth district, says it is possible that one of the competing versions could clear both chambers after the November election. “Anything you do in Congress is slow and painstaking and it sure has taken a long time to get a hearing on the bill in the Senate. But we’ve been working with them and they’ve kept the main points of the bill that I got passed out of the House,” Westerman says.
The Senate Agriculture committee voted 11-9 to pass the bill on Tuesday. But it struck a controversial provision of the original bill that would have required an entity challenging a forestry project in federal court to post a bond on legal expenses incurred by the U.S. Forest Service. Westerman is part of the House and Senate conference committee working on a more encompassing energy bill, which includes the forestry bill’s language. The Arkansas lawmaker is the only member of Congress with a graduate degree in forestry from Yale. Westerman’s legislation reduces some regulatory measures and allows forestry officials to opt out of certain environmental studies now required before federal forestry projects can begin.
areas,” allowing federal emergency management funds to go toward fighting the fires. Westerman says this will allow forestry officials to devote more funds to management practices. “[It] really addresses what’s wrong with the forests right now. They really have not been managed and we’re seeing an increase in wildfires as the amount of management has decreased. So as all that money flows to the west to fight fires, it hurts forests in the east and in Arkansas, because it depletes funds that could be used to manage those forests,” he says. Environmental groups have criticized the legislation for seeking to remove certain regulatory hurdles currently required before forestry projects are carried out. In a blog post last year, the Sierra Club called the House version of the bill “nothing more
One provision would establish a process for declaring wildfires as “major disaster
A word from your President As my term as AFA President ends, the word to sum it up is “thankful.” I’m thankful for AFA staff and all members who contribute to a successful association. We have an Association that is financially sound and well-respected. Our members are all ambassadors as the “Voice of Forestry” in Arkansas and beyond. Whether we’re coaching a soccer team, teaching Sunday school, or serving on a national board, we’re always representing
forestry. I’m proud to be in the forestry profession, where we associate with some of the best people in the world. Many of us in AFA are not big talkers, but we’re all ambassadors by integrity and business practices. At a late age I’ve learned about politics and AFA’s key role in Arkansas policy. It’s clear that personal, “grassroots” efforts are most effective in sharing our message. When misinformed editorials or letters to editor appeared in 2016, several AFA members responded. Dialogue was established and our story was told by AFA ambassadors. We’re fortunate to have foresters (and AFA members) Ken Bragg and Bruce Westerman willing to serve in public office. There’s room for more AFA ambassadors in public office,
where our integrity is greatly needed. It’s been a great experience, serving as AFA President, and I encourage all to start/ continue to be active in our association. We’re all called to act like the ambassadors we’re meant to be. It’s never too late.
AFA CALENDAR October 3-7 Prescribed Fire School Camp Robinson - North Little Rock October 4-6 AFA Annual Conference Fayetteville, AR
October 17-21 Forest Products Week October 27 Tree Farm Tour Guion, AR October 29 Central AR Log-A-Load Auction Sheridan Recreation Center - Sheridan
November 15 PLT Steering Committee Meeting AFA Office - Little Rock November 24-25 Thanksgiving AFA Office Closed