Hardwood erks Industry lobbies to expand

rFHE hardwood industry is workI ing feverishly to convince legislators to include in the 2O02 Farm Bill incentives for landowners who grow hardwoods. Millions of acres of hardwood forests could be in the balance.

"Getting hardwood incentives into the Farm Bill has become our top priority," said David Pritchard, National Hardwood Lumber Association. "lf we get what we hope for, it could mean an additional two million to over l0 million acres of hardwoods over the next 10 years."

NHLA has been leading the charge for hardwood incentives over the last six months, said Pritchard, and "things are suddenly coming to a head. The House has already passed it, and now we're trying to hurry it through the Senate before they break for recess in October."

fine furniture, floors and musical instruments.

Reauthorization of the Farm Bill offers a unique opportunity to expand the resource, while also greatly enhancing the conservation and economic value of the bill itself. With moderate changes to the existing Farm Bill, millions of additional acres of hardwood forests could once again thrive on the land that they once covered, and many small, private landowners could actively manage their hardwood forests to produce greater economic and conservation value for everyone.

To best accomplish increased conservation of our natural resources, while also providing critical assistance for our national food and fiber interests, NHLA is pushing for several changes inthe20O2 Farm Bill.

(l) Improving the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) by providing 3O-year contracts for hardwood plantings (similar to successful program in Wetlands Reserve Program);

(2) Setting a minimum level of 25Vo of all CRP acres on hardwood sites to be planted to hardwood annually on state-by-state basis: i It's a trend NHLA hopes to reverse. The association sees hard- ' wood forests as America's greatest, , and "greenest," naturally renewable resource. They are environmentally green in that they provide long-term conservation benefits, including clean air, clean water, carbon sequestration and rich biodiversity. They are economically green in that they produce extremely valuable products, such as

Millions of acres of existing forestland currently are being converted to non-hardwood uses, such as crop and pasture land, often simply because of the long-term investment required to sustain a viable hardwood forest.

(3) Assigning highest conservation value priority (in other words, awarding more points) to hardwood plantings and providing continuous sign-up for hardwood plantings (similar to riparian buffer and filter strip programs);

(4) Funding a Forestry Incentives Program at $100 million annually and cost-share assistance for all aspects of hardwood management, including management planning, regeneration, post-regeneration treatments, and intermediate stand improvements in the program, and

(5) Improving all conservation programs. That means increasing and guaranteeing funding for all conservation programs that include long-term commitments to hardwood regeneration and management. Requiring guideline development for hardwood plantings to improve regeneration success (e.g., nursery stock origin and condition, species/site relationships, competition control, etc.). Prioritizing funding to increase the capacity of state agencies to assist landowners in proper regeneration and sustainable forest management. And expanding qualifying forestry practices for costshare under all programs to include all aspects of sustainable forest management, including activities like timber stand improvement, plantation weed control. tree planting. forest management planning, livestock-exclusion fencing and regular woodland inventories.

For more information on prioritizing sustainable hardwood forests in the 2002 Farm Bill, contact the NHLA at (901) 371- l8l8 or email d. pritchard @ natlhardwood.org.

CTAIR PARTS aren't impulse items. Dealers can't sell lJthem to builders or homeowners who aren't specifically looking for them.

But there is one way to increase your stair parts sales: by upselling to those with a need.

Most stair system manufacturers ofl'er basic commodity parts. A growing number also offer high-end options, such as different hardwood species and elaborately designed finials and balusters.

"We encourage our dealers to suggest upgrades, to find a way to make more money on the same sale," says Bob Green, v.p. of ECMD division Crown Heritage, North Wilkesboro, N.C. "Dealers should sell the job, not the parts. They can show people that when they upgrade