ESFPA E-News

Volume 6 - Issue 42

October 20th, 2025

National Forest Products Week is Here

Join us as we celebrate the importance of forests and the many products that come from them, which include renewable materials for construction, paper, and even biofuels. The week is also a time to recognize the economic contributions and sustainable management practices of the forestry and logging industries.

This week we will also raise awareness of how forest products contribute to the nation's economy and provide sustainable solutions for everything from everyday items to next-generation technology. Most importantly, we will celebrate the men and woman who steward our forests and deliver the wood products that we use every day in our lives. Follow us this week as we acknowledge and appreciate everything our forests and those who work in them do for all of us!

European Union Deforestation-free Regulation (EUDR)

As reported a couple of weeks ago, an anticipated “official” EUDR delay announcement from the European Commission (EC) is pending. Several of our national affiliate organizations have already begun outreach to the EU Commission (EC) urging the EC to take full advantage of a delay period to solicit more inclusive input from global stakeholders on ways to simplify EUDR for non-EU entities.

A recent letter sent by nine forestry related affiliates specifically urges the European Commission to “engage in productive dialogue with forest owners and operators in highly forested, low-risk countries like the U.S. to understand implementation challenges and reduce unintended consequences.” While this is early in the delay process, it nevertheless stresses the importance of addressing the U.S, issues that remain unresolved in the EUDR.

Silver Fly Establishment in New York Advances Hemlock Conservation

In summer 2025, DEC and Cornell University’s New York State Hemlock Initiative (NYSHI) confirmed the first establishment of Leucotaraxis argenticollis, a type of silver fly, in New York State. These silver flies are released to help control hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA), an invasive insect that attacks and kills hemlock trees. The silver fly population was confirmed in Bath, NY, marking an important step forward in HWA control and hemlock conservation.

With the support of DEC, the U.S. Forest Service, and many other partners, NYSHI has been releasing insects that prey on HWA across the state for nearly two decades. NYSHI began releasing Laricobius nigrinus beetles in 2008 and silver flies in 2015. Both insects are from the northwest U.S., where HWA is a native forest pest. Since these insects feed exclusively on HWA, they are safe and effective tools for keeping HWA populations in check. So far, the Laricobius nigrinus beetles have been thriving, with established populations at 18 release sites and documented long-distance dispersal in the Finger Lakes, Lower Hudson, and Catskills regions. The success of the Laricobius nigrinus beetles suggests that silver flies may also be able to take hold and contribute to long-term biological control.

Silver flies may be the key to an effective biological control strategy for HWA because their feeding habits complement those of the Laricobius nigrinus beetles. HWA has two generations per year. Laricobius nigrinus feeds only on the first generation, while silver flies feed on both generations. The combined effect of the beetles and silver flies may suppress HWA populations enough to help hemlock trees survive.

In the past year, NYSHI has released over 45,000 insects that prey on HWA in New York, an effort that builds on years of investment in science-driven conservation. NYSHI will continue to work with partners to monitor for Laricobius nigrinus beetle and silver fly establishment across the state, building a biological control community to preserve New York’s hemlock forests for generations to come.

Fall Forestry Roundtable Agenda & Registration

This year’s ARC/ESFPA Fall Forestry Roundtable will be held on Monday, November 3rd, at SUNY Adirondack. Key discussion topics will include mass timber development and the state’s RPTL 480a program & future forest tax policy considerations.

Mass Timber - The future of New York’s forests needs new opportunities in markets and uses for wood products. Using wood in mass timber and in addressing embodied carbon is one opportunity we want to explore in this panel. Mass timber construction is still in its infancy, especially in the U.S., but there are clear reasons to believe that it will become much more common. Mass timber provides a much-desired carbon sink, allows for rapid construction, and can provide cost savings not just in time but also in a reduced need for finish materials because the structural wood product can also serve as a finish. Bringing together panelists that have design and research experience in the use of wood in buildings and in deploying mass timber projects is the primary goal of this panel.

RPTL 480a and Future Forest Tax Policy - For almost as long as Real Property Tax Law Section 480a has been adopted (since 1972), there has been talk of amending it to make it simpler and more inclusive of forest stewardship objectives. As part of the work of the Climate Scoping Plan Agriculture and Forestry Working Group, there were several recommendations for amending RPTL Section 480a to adopt new provisions for broadening forest stewardship tax benefits. This panel will flush out some of those proposals from the Climate Scoping Plan as well as new concepts that have arisen in the years since the Scoping Plan. The panel will also discuss what may be necessary to bring diverse stakeholders along to reach consensus on changes in forest tax law that would make the program more attractive to forest landowners and beneficial in concerning New York’s forests.

More details on the panels, including speakers, will be announced very soon. We look forward to seeing you!

Click the link below to register: