This is a call to all Foresters and Landowners (sawyers and loggers too)

[Tom]

We get so involved in chainsaws and sawmills, sometimes, that we forget that this Board is primarily about Forestry.  All of these side industries, logging, sawmilling, chainsaws, timberframing, woodworking and even our delving into politics, are incidental.

If you are a Forester, Logger, or Landowner, your life is being changed and your core beliefs challenged by environmentalists, the green industries and, most prominently, the Federal Government.  You need to be aware of what is going on and take part in its direction. 

To get started, you must educate yourself.  The USDA, USFS, Park service, all have websites and you can learn a lot by reading their news releases.  Each State has different ideas of how they are going to get the owners of Forest and forest related industries under their thumb.  We've talked of Forest Certification here before.  Now the rubber is beginning to hit the road.  It's up to you to make sure that the Gov. entities are on your side.

You can begin your education right here, on the Forest Education board.

https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php/topic,44747.new.html#new

Our own experts are gathering, right now, to discuss what is and could be happening.  If you don't become a part of this new trend, you will be answering to rules that will be made by people who have no clue what Forestry is about.   Be prepared to read, ask questions, state opinions and be involved.

You will still have time to mess around in the other topics, it's not going to consume your entire life.  But whether you take part, or not, may affect your entire life.

So, Foresters and Landowners, especially, and others who care for the land's timber, take part.   Learn what is going on and make up your mind which path you wish for all of us to take.  This could effect whether you have logs to saw, timber to sell, and even whether your material will have a market.  There are High Level decisions being made as early as July 4th that you still have time to affect.

[Slabs]

Thanks for the info Tom.  My quarter quarter of scrub oaks and wetlands has some fair boards standing up out there and I've been concerned about where I stand with the establishment/bureaucracy.

[WDH]

To be required to only have FSC certification to qualify as a "green building product" is strictly political and has nothing to do with how well one manages his/her land.  The fight between FSC and the other certifiers like SFI (Sustainable Forestry Initiative) or the American Forest Foundation thru the American Tree Farm Program has been going on for 15 years.  The American Forest Foundation is at the forefront of this battle, so become a contributing member today.

[JohnG28]

Thanks for the heads up and info guys.

[fishpharmer]

Tom, thanks for bringing these issues up. It wasn't something I was previously aware, but will educate myself.

[Magicman]

the American Forest Foundation thru the American Tree Farm Program has been going on for 15 years.  The American Forest Foundation is at the forefront of this battle, so become a contributing member today.

Danny and I have tried a couple of times to generate interest for the American Tree Farm Program among our FF members.

I still hope that a ATF "badge or logo" would be available for us to use in our profiles.

I've had a couple of neighboring landowners to question me about what they need to do to get a ATF sign for their property.



I'm going to move my sign from the tree to the entrance fence, but it is very visible as it is .

[OneWithWood]

Magic here is an idea for you:





The more prominent the Tree Farm sign the better.  I have replaced the newer Tree Farm sign with the older version like yours since the photo was taken.
I really like the sign with Wood, Wildlife, Water and Recreation on the border. 

[WDH]

uh oh, now I guess that I will have to go out and take a pic of my sign ;D. 

Becoming a certified Tree Farm is not just a formality.  You have to develop and implement a forest management plan, keep records of your management activities, follow all the best management practices to protect water quality, prevent erosion, and promote wildlife habitat and diversity.  There is no reason that someone meeting these requirements should be excluded from qualifying as producing a sustainable "green" wood product.

[Magicman]

Magic here is an idea for you:

When I qualified as a Tree Farm my entrance and rail fence wasn't there.  I've just got to take time to move it out.  Just like today.  When I finished Bushhogging everything, I was finished.  Never enough time.