Property rights continue to be a difficult issue in maintaining the health and sustainability of America’s workng forests. Sound conservation practices go hand-in-hand with respecting and protecting essential property rights for caretakers of the land. This section highlights policy initiatives that impact property rights, and actions needed to take to address those issues.
Webinar: Casualty Loss and Income Tax Deductions Related to Timber
Sign up for the live webinar “Casualty Loss and Income Tax Deductions Related to Timber and Landscape Trees” taking place at 1pm on December 7th, 2018, with Dr. Linda Wang, a National Timber Tax Specialist with USDA Forest Service in Washington D.C.
Supreme Court rules 8-0 in favor of private landowners in Weyerhaeuser v. U.S. Fish and Wildlife case
The Forest Landowners Association hails the property rights victory of the unanimous ruling by the Supreme Court in favor of private property rights. Tuesday’s 8-0 decision in the Weyerhaeuser v. U.S. Fish and Wildlife case is a clear win for forest landowners.
ESA Bills Move in Congress; RCW 5 Year Assessment Underway
On September 27, 2018, the U.S. House of Representatives Natural Resources Committee held a hearing on nine bills that would amend the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA). Four of those bills were voted to the House floor for consideration.
FLA Submits Comments on Administration’s Proposed Regulatory Rollback
On September 25, FLA submitted technical comments to the Federal Register providing the private forest landowner perspective on three proposed rules that would modify several current regulations under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). FLA urges the Trump Administration to consider a stricter stance toward the USFWS’s ability to designate critical habitats, which have been shown to infringe upon private property rights.
Weyerhaeuser vs USFWS: Private Property, the ESA, and the Supreme Court
The security of private property rights has been a guiding principle for the work of the Forest Landowners Association since our formation in 1941. FLA is deeply troubled by the potential outcome of the Weyerhaeuser Company vs US Fish and Wildlife Service case, which heard oral arguments in front of the Supreme Court on October 1st, 2018.
Trump May Repeal an Endangered Species Act Rule That’s Punished Landowners For Decades
The Daily Caller |2:16 PM 04/05/2018 Michael Bastasch | Contributor The Trump administration proposed repealing a decades-old Endangered Species Act (ESA) policy that critics say undermines congressional intent and offers landowners no incentive to aid in...
Significant ESA Rollbacks in Motion
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) has submitted two proposed rules of keen interest to forest landowners. The proposed rules, if implemented, will significantly change USFWS’ implementation of the Endangered Species Act (“ESA”). Removal of Blanket 4(d) Rule...
FLA Commends the USFWS for Clarifying the Regulatory Burden on private Forest Landowners
The US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) has issued a memo directing its staff that the use of mandatory language related to incidental take permits is “not appropriate” in communications with private forest landowners. The decision confirms that seeking an Incidental...
Forest America – We are the real owners and stewards of America’s private forests
Welcome to Forest America, an initiative among family forest landowners, as well as those engaged in all aspects of private forests. Forest America is committed to informing policy makers, the media and the public about how the responsible management and utilization of forests ensures—and not endangers—the sustainability of working forests in America. There’s a reason why we believe this is so important—while our forests are our livelihood, they are also our heritage and our legacy. We are the owners and stewards of America’s private forests.
The Proposed Listing of the Black Pinesnake as Threatened Under the ESA
The US. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) is proposing to list the black pinesnake (BPS) as threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) with a proposed section 4(d) rule. This ruling is vital to forestry stakeholders because it has the potential to set a precedent on forestry management restrictions not only for the BPS, but for all future ESA listings as well.