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UPCOMING AFA EVENTS: Regional Dinners: Auburn January 17, 2012 6:00 P.M. - 8:00 P.M. CAT Training Center 6155 Heath Road Auburn, AL Tuscaloosa January 26, 2012 6:00 P.M. - 8 P.M. 421 Queen City Ave. Tuscaloosa, AL Camden January 31, 2012 6:00 P.M. - 8:00 P.M. Gaines Ridge Dinner Club 933 Hwy 10 E Camden, AL CONTACT: Liz Chambers Alabama Forestry Association 555 Alabama Street Montgomery, AL 36104-4395 334-481-2135 (Dir.) 334-262-1258 (Fax) |
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Volume 7 No. 2 - January 15, 2012 First Black BElt Initiative Meeting Held ALICEVILLE, Ala. -- The first in a series of meetings in the Black Belt region to tout the  Black Belt Initiative was held on January 9, 2012 in Aliceville.The Black Belt Initiative is a program developed by the Alabama Forestry Foundation to raise awareness of the extent of the forestry industry in the Black Belt with an eye toward getting school students to consider pursuing careers in the forest industry. Lt. Gov. Kay Ivey, herself a native of the Black Belt region, has agreed to  sign on as spokesperson for the BBI.Lt. Gov. Ivey welcomed about 40 local education and government officials and forestry company executives to the inaugural BBI meeting. "We want to deliver the message that if students in the Black Belt stay in school, concentrate on math and science, they can get good-paying jobs in the forest industry and continue to live and w0rk" close to home, Lt. Gov. Ivey said. For a list of all the planned meetings, click here. PHOTOS: Above, Lt. Gov. Kay Ivey (second from left) discusses the Black Belt Initiative with Pickensville Mayor Mary Fuseyamore, Pickens County Board of Education Chairman Travis Bailey (second from right) and an unidentified attendee. In photo above right, the Lieutenant Governor talks with Joe Patton (left) and Jim King, both officers in The Westervelt Company. Mid-Winter Agenda Set for February Meeting The agenda has been set for the February 24-26, 2012 AFA  Mid-Winter Meeting at the Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa.Program sessions will include a Continuing Legal Education seminar worth 6 CLE credits, and great program sessions on all three days that run the gamut of interesting subjects that you won't want to miss. Those who attend all of the program sessions, the 24th-26th can receive a total of 12 CFE/PLM credits. For the 2012 AFA Mid-Winter flyer/registration documents, click here. Make your hotel reservations NOW and start planning your Winter Escape to the Beach. To make your room reservations CALL the Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa at (800) 367-1271 and request the special AFA room rate. Logger Notes: Equipment Theft on The Rise  Ray Clifton talks about a new spate of logging equipment thefts that has the New Year started off on the wrong foot!Read Latest Logger Notes No, Really... We Still Have Lots of Books to Sell  Unless you've already bought your copy of the new book, Managing Forests, it is still in the AFA basement waiting to brighten up your home or office library. Now that it's 2012, you need a new book to celebrate the New Year. Managing Forests is a 500-page book that should quickly become the "go to" guide on all subjects related to forest management. So, don't delay, get yours today! For flyer/order form, click here! ANRC and W. Kelly Mosley Environmental Awards Committee to Hold Awards Banquet The Alabama Natural Resources Council (ANRC), in partnership with  the W. Kelly Mosley Environment Awards Committee and the Alabama Tree Farm Program, are hosting an awards banquet to recognize the 2011 award recipients of the Helene Mosley Award, the Alabama Tree Farmer of the Year, the W. Kelly Mosley Environmental Award, the Outstanding Alabama Forestry Planning Committees, the Alabama Tree Farm Inspector of the Year, Alabama Tree Farm Leadership Award and the Alabama Tree Farm Hard Hat Award Winners.The ANRC Awards Banquet will be held at 5:30 pm on February 10, 2012 at the Auburn Hotel and Conference Center. Prior to the start of the awards banquet, the Council will host a Symposium on Applied Forestry and Wildlife Research and Extension starting at 2:00 that afternoon at the School of Forestry Building in Auburn. For a copy of the agenda and list of speakers for the awards banquet, click here. Registration for both the symposium and the banquet is $35.00. You can register online at https://mell-base.uce.auburn.edu/wconnect/CourseStatus.awp?~~C120210 or by contacting Kelly Knowles at (334) 844-1010. Neil Ward is FRA Vice President of Public Affairs FRA President Richard Lewis announced recently that he has promoted Neil Ward to be FRA’s Vice President for Public Affairs.  Neil started with FRA in August 1982 as a secretary/administrative assistant and, according to Lewis, “over the last 29+ years his contributions to the Association and to our industry have been many, varied, and very valuable.“On an annual basis Neil now manages and updates six FRA web sites, produces our quarterly Forest Operations Review magazine, writes 12+ issues of the FRA e-Bulletin, develops and distributes 12+ FRA News Releases, staffs FRA’s Bio-Energy Task Group, FRA’s National Supply Chain, and National Public Affairs Committees, develops and conducts FRA webinars, and helps me draft FRA National policy statements and position papers,” Lewis added. “For this amazing annual accomplishment record as well as Neil’s work ethic and his loyal commitment to our industry this was an easy decision to make. Please join me in congratulating Neil Ward, FRA’s new Vice President for Public Affairs.”
Federation Welcomes Rick Oates as New Staff Rick Oates has been named director of the Alabama Farmers Federation’s Forestry, Wildlife Resources and Catfish Divisions within the Department of Governmental and Agricultu  ral Programs. Oates’ announcement joins the reassignment of duties for other department employees.“I have worked with the Federation staff for nearly 20 years while at the Alabama Forestry Association and the Department of Agriculture,” said Oates, who begins his new job Jan. 17. “During this time, I have witnessed the great work done by the Federation staff to represent farmers and forest landowners, and I am thrilled to be joining this team.” Prior to joining the Federation, Oates served as chief of staff for Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries Commissioner John McMillan. He also held several positions with the Alabama Forestry Association including forest resource coordinator, regulatory affairs director and executive director of both the Alabama Loggers Council and Alabama Pulp and Paper Council. A native of Corpus Christi, Texas, Oates received a bachelor’s degree in natural resources from The University of the South in Sewanee, Tenn., and a master’s degree in forestry from Auburn University. He and his wife, Kelly, live in Montgomery and have two children: Andrew (15) and Lauren (12). Governmental and Agricultural Programs Director Jimmy Carlisle said he is confident of Oates’ ability in his new role, adding that he is a welcome addition to the Federation staff. H-2B Ruling Delayed Until October 2012 Thanks to the U.S. Congress, the H-2B rule that could have caused the wages paid to tree-planters to rise to unsustainable levels has been put off until October 1, 2012. Congress passed a bill that barred implementation of the new rule until that date. Read more... Ann Coulter Argues that Romney is Right about Firing Non-Performing Employees  GOP Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney was hammered by the liberals for his recent statement about how he enjoys firing people hired to perform a service who do not perform the service.This prompted conservative columnist Ann Coulter to point out that sometimes firing non-peforming or poorly performing employees is the only sane thing to do, particularly if they work for the government! Read more... U.S. Energy Information Administration Report Hencefo  rth, as a regular feature we will include data on gasoline and diesel prices from the US Energy Information Administration (EIA).For the latest on the price of diesel fuel and gasoline, click here. Dr. Do lk Lee Wins Distinguished TAPPI Award ATLANTA, GA. -- Dr. Do lk Lee, Adjunct Professor, Western Michigan University, has been named the recipient of the Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry (TAPPI) 2012 Gunnar Nicholson Gold Medal Award. The award is the highest honor that the Association can bestow upon an individual. The award will be presented to Dr. Lee at the 2012 PaperCon Conference Awards Dinner, to be held on April 24, 2012 in New Orleans. Read more... ALSC Approves Design Values for 2X4s, No. 2 and Lower Grades Effective June 1, 2012 With an effective date of June 1, 2012 to allow time for an orderly implementation, the American Lumber Standard Committee (ALSC) Board of Review announced its approval of the Southern Pine Inspection Bureau's (SPIB) proposed design value change for only No. 2 2X4 Southern Pine visually graded dimension lumber. Read more... FROM THE EVP: 2012 A Dramatic Year Ahead Looking ahead, 2012 is shaping up to be a busy and eventful year. With the presidential campaign season in full swing, the airwaves are filled with punches, counter-punches and plenty of commentary on the fighters. The primaries are only a warm-up bout for the main event in November, which by all measures should be one of the most contentious in recent history. Forest landowners and the forest industry have more at stake in the November outcome than at any time in my lifetime. A second Obama administration would likely result in:
In Alabama, there are only a handful of statewide offices on the ballot. Most important are the judicial elections where we will be electing 5 Supreme Court Justices, including the Chief Justice, and 3 judges each for the Court of Civil Appeals and the Court of Criminal Appeals. In the near future, we will be communicating our endorsements for these races and will provide information about each of the endorsed candidates. In the interim, the 2012 Legislative Session will begin on February 6th. Senate President Pro-Tem Del Marsh has indicated the Senate Republican leadership will focus on the 3 “E’s”: employment, education and efficiency. Echoing that theme, House Speaker Mike Hubbard stated, “We have a three facet focus for 2012: boosting private sector job growth, improving schools through education reform and making government more efficient.” We whole-heartedly support these priorities and will work with the leadership to support their efforts. In addition, our “pine tree” agenda includes rural road and bridge funding, county road ordinances, green building, and state tax treatment of reforestation expenses. Over the last year, we have been discussing with the Governor and other state officials ways to provide funding for replacement or rehabilitation of an ever-increasing number of weight-restricted rural bridges. Based on recent press comments by the Governor, we are encouraged that we are moving forward on this initiative. In the coming weeks, we will keep you informed and will let you know when you can help. As we have in the past, AFA will continue to be your eyes and ears in the state Legislature and beyond, but there will be times when we need you to add your voice to the process. Remember; NEVER underestimate the importance of your voice and your vote!!  As Always… Thanks For Your Support! |
read the most recent FSA newsletter, 
The American Forest & Paper Association has taken issue with a Federal District Judge's Ruling to remove a stay EPA placed on its Boiler MACT rules.|
Tel: (334) 481-2129
Fax: (334) 262-1258 Email: sduvall@alaforestry.org |
