On December 30, the Environmental Protection Agency and U.S Department of the Armyreleased a notice of their final rule defining Waters of the United States (WOTUS). The final rule relies largely on pre-2015 guidance: starting with the 1986 regulations as a baseline and updated to include limitations by the Supreme Court on federal jurisdiction since…
Update: Effective Date Delayed Until March 31, 2023The effective date of the final rule to reclassify the northern long-eared bat as endangered has been delayed until March 31, 2023. The Service notes that the delay is necessary to finalize conservation tools and guidance documents to avoid confusion and disruption with members of the public and…
In response to President Biden’s Executive Order 14072: Strengthening the Nation’s Forests, Communities, and Local Economies, the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management on July 15, 2022, released a Request for Information to inform their approach to defining and conserving old growth and mature forests. While landowners can appreciate the cultural significance…
By Bob Williams Most forest landowners understand the critical role logging plays in the long-term ownership and conservation of their forest resources, both from an ecologicaland economic perspective. The Britannica definition of logging is “the process of harvesting trees, sawing them into appropriate lengths and transporting them to a sawmill.” Of course, there is some…
President Biden recently released his $5.8 trillion fiscal year 2023 (FY23) budget proposal, which he plans to fund through tax hikes that may impact private forest landowners. The budget proposal relies heavily on an annual 20% tax on taxpayers with income and assets exceeding $100 million. While the tax is being dubbed as a “billionaires…
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEApril 22, 2022 Private forests provide clean air, clean water and essential wildlife habitat Carrolton, GA – It’s Earth Day, which means it’s time to thank a private forest landowner. America’s forest landowners are working behind the scenes managing their forests not only for wood supply but to provide clean drinking water, remove…