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 October 2022, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed to designate 209,520 acres of forestland in Louisiana and Texas as critical habitat for the Louisiana Pinesnake. 72,925 acres of this proposed designation are privately owned, including 2,716 acres of unoccupied private land designated for reintroduction efforts on adjacent National Forest land. FLA prepared comments…
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is seeking data and input on the eastern diamondback rattlesnake to determine whether the species is warranted for listing as threatened or endangered. As part of the Species Status Assessment Committee for the snake, FLA is requesting data from our members. Layering private land data with the existing public…
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…
UPDATE: On July 3, 2023, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released the finalized rule on experimental populations. The final rule revises the regulations concerning experimental populations of endangered and threatened species under the Endangered Species Act by allowing for the introduction of populations into habitats outside of their historical range. The Service did little…
In 2020, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) announced its proposal to change the status of the red-cockaded woodpecker (Picoides borealis) from “endangered” to “threatened.” The bird had been listed as “endangered” under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) since its passage in 1973. The 4(d) rule associated with the downlisting included many caveats that…
Communication and collaboration between private forest landowners and land management agencies are key to produce policies and regulations that work for all parties and minimize unintended consequences. The Forest Landowners Association (FLA) strives to bridge the knowledge gap between landowners and administrative agencies through our Timber Talk program, which brings agency staff, landowners, and other…
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 21, 2021 Sen. Cassidy Emerges as Champion of Louisiana’s Timber Growers WASHINGTON, DC – With Hurricane Ida still on their minds, Louisiana’s timber growers are holding their breath hoping for a fix in the tax code to help them recover after a natural disaster. The solution is the Disaster Reforestation Act…
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 21, 2021 Sen. Warnock Emerges as Champion of Georgia’s Forest Landowners WASHINGTON, DC – As the third anniversary of Hurricane Michael approaches, Georgia’s forest landowners are holding their breath hoping for a fix in the tax code to help them recover after a natural disaster. The solution is the Disaster Reforestation…