ESFPA E-News Volume 2 - Issue 31September 3, 2021A round-up of our interesting stories from the past week. ESFPA Signs on to Letter to Gov. Hochul on Hero Act Along with a host of other business-focused state organization from across New York, ESFPA signed on to a letter to Gov. Hochul stating the detrimental impacts of triggering the Hero Act through an emergency declaration. on businesses in NY. Since the start of the pandemic, New York's employers have made extraordinary efforts to keep their employees and customers safe while keeping their doors open. Despite those efforts, tens of thousands of businesses closed for good and many more have had to lay off workers, take on massive debt, absorb additional costs, and struggle with lost revenue amid mandated restrictions and closures. Even as the state's economy continues to recover, small businesses are still struggling and are presented with new challenges of finding workers to fill available jobs and navigating supply chain issues. The Hero Act would present yet another burden on New York's struggling businesses. To read the full letter, please follow this link. ESFPA Membership Survey All members have been sent a Membership Survey to ensure that we have the best and correct contact information to connect with our members. This information will be used for our upcoming Membership Directory as well. ESFPA has initiated a new software program for our membership database and website. It's still new to us as well as for our members. If you are having issues creating a primary contact, password and updating your record, please reach out to Muriel Church at 518-463-1297 or mchurch@esfpa.org. That is why we are here! She can help and ensure we have the best information on your company. If you haven't seen the survey mailing, please use this BLANK FORM, and fill in your information and email to Muriel at mchurch@esfpa.org or fax to the office at 518-426-9502. We will be using all the information we have as of 9/10/2021. Any information received after that date will not be used in the next directory. NYLT Fall Schedule Now Available Launch of Mill Market Website Loggers and log buyers, are invited to be a part of a big change that's coming to the forest products industry. Mill Market is a website for buying and selling logs, helping log buyers streamline and diversify their supply chain, while helping loggers find the mill that's paying top dollar for their logs. Right now, participants are being recruited for an upcoming Private Beta Test. Requirements:
You can sign up here, or contact Mike Preminger at 603-321-5928. The Hill Features Article on Forests and Climate Change Solutions The HIll, an on line Washington, D. C. Based publication recently posted an article citing the benefits of our natural resource, the forest, to combat climate change. According to the article, climate change is the greatest global threat of our time, taking a toll on countries around the world with devastating wildfires, dangerous weather patterns and record-breaking heatwaves. We see now that our health, economies and global stability are threatened by this crisis. To read the full story, please follow this link. ESFPA Signs on to NE Forestry Reconciliation Recommendations Letter Along with the NYS DEC and the Nature Conservancy, ESFPA signed on to a letter which highlights several items that our sector would like to see included in the Federal Budget Reconciliation Bill. Items such as: 1. Provide $500 million annually with maximum spending flexibility for USDA Forest Service State and Private Forestry 2. $125 million annually for the Forest Stewardship Program 3. $125 million annually for the Landscape Scale Restoration Program 4. $100 million annually for the Forest Health Cooperative Lands Program 5. $80 million annually for the State Fire Assistance Program and $20 million annually for the Volunteer Fire Assistance program. 6. $50 million for the Urban and Community Forest Program 7. $100 million annually for a Forest Conservation EAsement Program. 8. $1.5 billion for an historic investment in the Forest Legacy Program. To read the full letter, please follow this link. |