Each year, the Arkansas Tree Farm committee inspects a required number of properties to evaluate their management plans according to the Tree Farm Standards of Certification. In 2013, volunteer inspectors visited 215 Tree Farms and signed up 59 new woodlands into the program, administered in Arkansas by the Arkansas Forestry Association (AFA). There are 1,835 [read more]
This week a forest markets focused magazine, FDM Asia Solid Wood and Panel Technology, published an extensive article written by Florida State Forester Jim Karels and South Carolina State Forester and NASF Forest Markets Chair Gene Kodama. The article focused on the importance of forest markets in the South and their ability to achieve sustainable [read more]
US Sen. Jon Tester’s long-stalled forest bill, the Forest Jobs and Recreation Act, which would newly designate acreage for both wilderness and logging in three Montana forests, could be finding some new momentum, the senator and bill supporters say. Tester’s bill was introduced in 2009. It designates at least 100,000 acres of national forestland for [read more]
With support from the NASF Foundation and NASF have chosen the 2013 Photography Fellow. This year's fellow, Joel Prince of Ohio, was chosen from a pool of candidates who submitted their applications and portfolios earlier this month. The theme for this year's photo fellowship is "Embrace the Possibilities." "The phrase, “Embrace the Possibilities,” immediately stirs [read more]
Last week the Maryland General Assembly passed HB 706, more commonly referred to as the Forest Preservation Act of 2013. State Forester Steve Koehn was integral facilitating the process that provided the General Assembly with the background and information to support the passage of the Forest Preservation Act of 2013. The bill recognizes that the [read more]
Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant signed legislation Wednesday specifying that rating systems used in green building projects funded by the state government "shall not exclude certificate credits for forest products certified by the Sustainable Forestry Initiative, Forest Stewardship Council or the American Tree Farm System." The new law positively positions Mississippi wood products in green building [read more]
Rick Cantrell has joined the NASF team as an independent contractor to staff the Forest Markets Committee. Rick is currently President and CEO of BlackBriar Environmental LLC, which focuses on the conservation of working forests. He previously held leadership positions at the Sustainable Forestry Initiative, Inc. and American Forest & Paper Association. Rick will be [read more]
State Foresters met with Butch Blazer, USDA Deputy Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment, this week to discuss priorities established by NASF for the next term of the Obama Administration. The priorities include: I. Commit to Protecting the Nation’s Forests, Rangelands and Communities from Wildland Fire II. Support Efforts to Improve Markets for Forest [read more]
South Carolina residents Walt and Barbara McPhail were recently named the National Outstanding Tree Farmers of the Year by the American Tree Farm System. They have invested in hundreds of thousands of trees and grow them on their 2,800 acres of land. Many experts say trees are one of the safest investments you can make [read more]
