Issues
To sustain private working forests, we must sustain the people who own them.Every year, Congress considers legislation with the potential to enhance or diminish private forest landowners ability to own and manage their land. Additionally, regulatory constraints imposed by federal and state governments hinder forest landowner incentives, discourage industry growth, and drive some landowners to abandon forestry for economic survival by selling their land for development.
Viable markets and reasonable regulations are fundamental to sustaining private forests, forestry-related jobs and forest stewardship.
National Forest Products Week 2018
During National Forest Products Week, FLA recognizes that challenges remain for the family forest landowners who supply the resources that we celebrate this week. We examine the issues that our members face in today’s economy.
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.
Narrative Gone Wrong: 3 Myths that Reveal the Inaccurate Story About America’s Family Forests
Until the popular narrative disseminated from the NWOS and its summary reports tells the story of America’s true forest stewards, policy will continue to prescribe solutions to the wrong problems. We break down a few of the alarming facts originating from the NWOS and begin to offer a more accurate representation of family forest landowners.
Federally Funded Projects Should Use US Wood
FLA is encouraging the concept of “buy America” to include the use of US wood products in all federally funded projects including infrastructure projects. The use of US wood will help revitalize rural communities and economies throughout rural forestry communities.
Louisiana Pine Snake Ruling Deadline Extended Because of Data and Scientific Uncertainty
In response to concerns expressed by the Forest Landowners Association (FLA) and other stakeholders, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) announced last week a six-month extension on the final determination to list the Louisiana Pinesnake under the...
Q&A with Robert Crosby | Why do Landowners Need a Softwood Lumber Agreement with Canada?
The Forest Landowners Association (FLA) recently spoke with Robert Crosby, FLA president and fourth-generation landowner, to get his perspective on the Canadian softwood lumber trade issue and its critical importance to private forest landowners in the...
Recent Actions by Trump Administration on Fair Trade Positive for Forest Landowners
On Sept. 26, the U.S. Commerce Department imposed preliminary anti-subsidy duties on the import of Canadian aircraft manufacturer Bombardier’s CSeries jets. This indication of the Trump Administration’s strong stance on unfair trade subsidies is a...
Tax Reform Blueprint
On Sept. 27, 2017, a group of senior White House officials and Republican leadership in the House and Senate released a tax reform blueprint that includes several major provisions aimed at reducing complexities in the tax code and promoting growth and investment....
Forest Landowners Applaud Treasury Department Decision to Withdraw Section 2407 Proposed Regulations
OCTOBER 4, 2017 — In a significant victory for family forest owners, the Treasury Department, in response to President Trump’s Executive Order, announced on Monday that the Section 2407 proposed regulations would be withdrawn (view the full release). The proposed...