National Community Forestry Center, Northern Forest Region
Instructions for adopting:
Groups,
individuals, and/or organizations concerned with the fate of the Northeastern low-value
wood market, or the Nation’s low-value wood market, are encouraged to use this
resolution to demonstrate their concern to federal lawmakers in Washington
D.C. The resolution’s language may be copied
verbatim or revised to reflect the particular interests and concerns of the
adopting group. Include with the resolution a signature page containing
signatures of each supporting individual, their name in print and the date
signed.
*****************FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE****************
March
10, 2003
Contact: Shanna
Ratner
Over the past few years, residents of Maine, Vermont,
New York, and New Hampshire have become increasingly concerned about the size
and stability of markets for low grade wood, small diameter thinnings, sawdust
and other mill waste, and underused species like red maple. The advisory
council for the National Community Forestry Center, Northern Forest Region
decided to do something about these concerns.
After learning as much as they could from one another and soliciting the
views of outside experts, council members drafted a resolution.
In the resolution, the advisory council asks federal
lawmakers to take action in support of critical low value markets that allow
non-industrial, private forest landowners to practice sustainable forestry.
They propose six specific actions: increased funding for U.S. Forest Service
research; Farm Bill allocation to support market development; adoption of
national energy policy to promote use of indigenous low-value wood for power;
adoption of a renewable energy portfolio standard; incentives for U.S.
companies to encourage use of low value wood; and demonstration projects to
showcase products made from low value wood.
All sixteen council members representing a diversity of
viewpoints from all four states of the Northern Forest Region voted to adopt
the resolution. Signed copies have been
delivered to all U.S. senators and congressional representatives of the region,
as well as to the Chief of the U.S. Forest Service and chairs of committees
dealing with natural resource issues in both chambers.
The advisory council of the National Community Forestry
Center, Northern Forest Region invites further participation in support of this
resolution. Those interested may download a copy of the resolution at www.ncfcnfr.net/notable.html, or
contact Yellow Wood Associates, Inc., 800-727-5404, 802-524-6141,
yellowwood@yellowwood.org.
The National Community Forestry Center (NCFC) is a project of the National Network of Forest Practitioners with funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The NCFC’s primary purpose is to help rural people gather and use information to inform decisions about forest resources. The National Community Forestry Center, Northern Forest Region is administered by Yellow Wood Associates, Inc. located in St. Albans, Vermont. For more information, contact us at 1-800-727-5404 or 1-802-524-6141.
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A Resolution in Support of Low-Value Wood
Whereas preliminary U.S. Forest
Service Forest Inventory Analysis data show that in 2001 landowners of
non-industrial private forest (NIPF) own 83 percent of all private forest in
the United States and supply 62 percent of the wood fiber used by the Forest
Industry, and
Whereas preliminary U.S. Forest
Service’s Forest Inventory Analysis data shows that 45 percent of all roundwood
products harvested in 2001 are considered low-value wood (e.g. pulpwood,
composite, fuelwood and other misc. products), and
Whereas most landowners of NIPF
have dedicated their forest lands to growing forest products, conserving and
enhancing wildlife habitat, creating and providing recreational opportunities
and providing clean air and water to society, and
Whereas NIPF landowners who
practice sustainable forestry need low-value wood markets which the U.S. Forest
Industry provides and NIPF landowners recognize that the level of harvest must
be commensurate with the productive capacity of the forest to be sustainable,
and
Whereas the Forest Industry has, in
the past ten years, lost a total of 93 Pulp and Paper mills throughout the
United States and more recently this Industry has lost more than 30,000 jobs or
14 percent of its workforce since 1997, due in large part to the high value of
the U.S. dollar on the global market.
Therefore be it resolved by the Advisory Council of the
National Community Forestry Center, Northern Forest Region, that the U.S.
Congress take action that will reduce and eliminate the loss of our Forest
Industry and its employee jobs that provide that critical low-value market
which is necessary for non-industrial private forest landowners to practice
sustainable forestry.
Proposed
actions include:
1.
Increase
funding to the U.S. Forest Service for research into products and processes
that will expand the market for low-value wood.
2.
Allocate
funds within the Farm Bill to support (financial and technical) the development
of new or expansion of existing low-value wood markets.
3.
Adopt
a national energy policy where the efficient utilization of indigenous
low-value wood is promoted over the non-indigenous power sources.
4.
Adopt
a renewable energy portfolio standard (RPS) to promote energy from indigenous
sources including biomass.
5.
Provide
incentives for U.S. companies that will encourage the utilization of low-value
wood.
6.
Promote
demonstrations of innovative manufacturing and use of products made from
low-value wood.
By
leveling the playing field for the Forest Industry on the global market, it
will in turn stabilize the low-value market for forest landowners in the U.S.
and relieve pressure to convert private forest to non-forest uses and enable
NIPF landowners to continue sustainable management of forest for the benefit of
all Americans.