ESFPA E-News

ESFPA Saranac Lake Regional Meeting 2023

Sign up for our Saranac Lake Regional Meeting being held this month on September 21st at Mt. Pisgah! Registration is required. To register, please call Dorian Johnson at (518) 463-1297 ext. 224. or email dorian@esfpa.org

The outline for the meeting is as follows:

• Date: September 21^st
• Location: Mt. Pisgah.
• Info:
  • 10:00-10:30- SFI/ SIC Meeting
  • 10:30-12:30- Adirondack Committee Meeting and ESFPA Regional Meeting
  • 12:30-1:15- Lunch
  • 1:15-3:30- Guest Presentations
  • After- Reception

Reminder: we are changing the format of our regional meetings this year. We want to spend less time talking and more time listening.  We want to hear from you!  What you like, what you dislike, suggestions for how to do things differently- we want to hear all of it. Each meeting will have a brief rundown of the association's past year, a vote for the Board of Directors, and plenty of time for networking and fellowship. 

Assemblymember Kelles Takes Tour of Wagner Mill  

This Thursday, Assemblymember Dr. Anna Kelles took a tour of the Wagner Cayuta Hardwood Mill. There was great discussion regarding markets, the need for jobs, and the role of wood and forests in climate change. The meeting was very successful, and Assemblymember Kelles will be working with us to ensure that more members of the legislature can better understand our industry and issues. 

Pictured below from left to right: Brian Hughes, Mike Hanlon, John Bartow, Ty Bowgren, Assemblymember Kelles, and Tom Gerow. Both Mike Hanlon and Tom Gerow serve on ESFPA's Board of Directors.  

Jobs in the Woods Act

On Tuesday, Congresswomen Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-OR-5) and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-WA-3) introduced the bipartisan Jobs in the Woods Act. The legislation would create a grant program for nonprofit organizations, state governments, and colleges to utilize for workforce training in forestry-related fields – helping prepare students for jobs in the U.S. Forest Service and the timber industry.

FRA, over the past several months, worked with the offices of Congresswomen Chavez-DeRemer and Gluesenkamp Perez and the House Agricultural Committee staff to prepare the legislation. Our goal is to include the bill in the 2023 Farm Bill. To do this, we need to add cosponsors to the bill. You can help us do that. For your convenience, FRA has developed an Action Alert allowing you to contact your representative to urge them to cosponsor the legislation. The link to the Action Alert is here. We encourage you to take a couple of minutes to complete the form and send the letter to your representative.

Nearly 60 forestry associations have signed on in support of the Jobs in the Woods Act, including ESFPA.

Below are statements from Representatives Chavez-Deremer and Gluesenkamp Perez.

“As I crisscross the 5th District, I’ve heard repeatedly from constituents in forestry-related industries that a lack of workers is negatively affecting their operations. Our bipartisan legislation will help expand education opportunities in an effort to grow our workforce. I’d like to thank Congresswoman Gluesenkamp Perez for introducing this bill with me – it will greatly benefit forestry-related commerce across the Pacific Northwest,” Chavez-DeRemer said.

“The only way we’ll keep the woods working for future generations is if we provide the next generation a pathway to pursue careers in forestry,” said Gluesenkamp Perez. “This bipartisan bill will make that possible and connect people to careers in this critical field that is essential to Southwest Washington.”

FRA’s statement on the legislation can be found here.

 DEC Releases Final Forest Preserve Work Plan Policy

On Wednesday, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos announced the finalization of DEC's Commissioner Policy 78 (CP-78), the Forest Preserve Work Plan Policy. This policy will serve as a guide for newly proposed projects and the evaluation of their site-specific impacts to the environment and character of the Forest Preserve.

"The Adirondack and Catskill Forest Preserve is a treasured natural resource that provides premier destinations for outdoor recreation to people of all ages and abilities," said Commissioner Seggos. "The Adirondacks and Catskills continue to experience significant numbers of visitors and this new policy, finalized with input from New Yorkers, stakeholders, and other key partners, will provide DEC with the proper guidance when evaluating potential projects and any environmental impacts to the Forest Preserve."

The Forest Preserve Work Plan Policy establishes administrative procedures for assessing the impacts of construction and maintenance activities on the Forest Preserve and for drafting site-specific work plans. With the adoption of this new policy, DEC's previous Forest Preserve tree-cutting policy, LF-91-2 - Cutting, Removal or Destruction of Trees and Endangered, Threatened or Rare Plants on Forest Preserve Lands, is officially being rescinded. The new policy formalizes DEC's assessment of construction and maintenance activities beyond just the identification of vegetation impacts to include a more holistic analysis of all potential impacts to the Forest Preserve, with an emphasis on identifying ways to avoid, minimize, and mitigate such impacts.

Protected by the New York State Constitution as "forever wild," the Forest Preserve comprises State lands in the Adirondack and Catskill parks. Providing a welcoming and accessible experience while preserving the wild setting of the Forest Preserve continues to be a priority for DEC, and CP-78 will allow staff to design and evaluate projects to meet these important objectives.

DEC drafted CP-78 with input from the public, the Trail Stewardship Working Group, and partners at the Adirondack Park Agency (APA). The Trail Stewardship Working Group included members from local government, environmental groups, recreation groups, trail builders, and APA staff.

The policy can be viewed through the link below:

Carbon Offsets and the Value of Adirondack Trees

From the Adirondack Explorer

Adirondack trees have a long history of providing income for forest industries. Before the formation of the Adirondack Park Agency, loggers bought and harvested expansive lots in the park, yielding huge profits for timber companies and significant taxes for the state. The practice has faded due to regulations, although tree-cutting continues on some lands. 

Now, wood-product companies and landowners can benefit from an emerging forest operation: Carbon offset projects. 

The North Country offers forest-rich lands for owners willing to protect them and for companies looking to achieve a net-zero status or shrink their so-called carbon footprint.

Log-A-Load for Kids T-Shirts Still Available

Over the years your donations have helped create miracles for countless local children and their families, some of whom are part of our forest industry family. This year, Log-A-Load for Kids is selling Log-A-Load/ Children’s Miracle Network t-shirts for only $20! T-shirts are available sizes M-2XL.

Please make all donations to the Empire State Forestry Foundation (ESFF) and mail them to:  47 Van Alstyne Dr. Rensselaer, NY 12144 Or you can VENMO your donations to @ESFF-LogALoad. Donations through the Empire State Forestry Foundation are 100% tax deductible. We greatly appreciate your help in making even more miracles possible this year.