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Forest Update
 

May 2019
Foresters Council Meeting
May 23rd - Last Chance!
There's still time to register for the Foresters Council meeting, which will be held Thursday, May 23rd at the Bluebonnet Diner in Northampton. The cost for the meeting is $40 for current MFA members, and $50 for non-members.

The meeting will start with registration and social time at 4:30 pm, followed by the Bluebonnet's famous buffet dinner at 5 pm. The meeting will begin by 5:45 and will end by 9 pm.

The meeting has been approved for credits:
  • 2.75 Mass Forester Credits in Category I
  • 2.5 SAF CFEs in Category I
  • 1.0 Connecticut Forester CEUs
  • 3.5 Mass Timber Harvester Credits
The meeting is open to foresters, timber harvesters, wood producers, forest landowners, and other MFA members. Ready to register? You can purchase tickets online at mfa-foresters-council.eventbrite.com or register by mail by downloading this form, printing, and mailing with a check. Hope to see you on Thursday!
New EEA Secretary Named
Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs Matthew Beaton recently resigned to take a job in the private sector. Secretary Beaton was an outdoorsman who enjoyed the woods and had an appreciation for forestry, and he will be greatly missed.

He's been replaced by Katie Theoharides, whose focus has been on climate change issues. She grew up in western Massachusetts, and worked for the Hilltown Land Trust in the past. You can learn more about her here. We welcome Secretary Theoharides, and look forward to working with her on important forest-related issues.
Legislative Updates

We continue to watch bills of concern to our members. MFA testified in opposition at the hearing for H.853, which would remove wood heat from the Alternative Portfolio Standard (APS), a renewable heating initiative. By installing ultra-modern wood pellet or chip boilers, Massachusetts residents can earn Alternative Energy Credits (AECs). The bill would kick these modern wood heat systems out of the program, despite convincing science that shows a climate benefit. We've asked MFA members in the districts of the legislators on the committee hearing the legislation to contact them and advocate against the bill.

H.897, which would ban virtually all forest management on state-owned lands, has not yet been scheduled for a hearing.We'll be prepared when that bill is heard, and will again mobilize our members. We believe many statewide environmental groups will not be in favor of that bill.

H.3080 relates to pup trailers. Under Massachusetts law, you're limited to 10,000 pounds of trailer (both the trailer and the contents). This is essentially useless, because the trailer itself could weigh that much. This bill would allow those with farm plates and an overweight permit for their truck to use a trailer with a combined weight for truck, trailer and contents up to 99,000 pounds. This is in line with other states as well as federal DOT guidelines. MFA supports this bill and has joined with the Massachusetts Farm Bureau Federation to support it. The bill was recently heard by the Joint Committee on Transportation. You can see the members of the committee here, and if one of your legislators is on the committee, please contact them and advocate for the bill.

There are also proposed changes in the Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS), which deals with electricity generation. When the regulations were originally finalized, they included a 50% efficiency requirement for biomass power plants, which meant that no large biomass plants could qualify - only smaller, combined heat and power (CHP) facilities. That hasn't changed in the new regulations. The biggest change is that a plant that uses 95% or more non-forest-derived wood - from utility and highway right-of-way clearings, tree service work, municipal tree trimmings and tree removals in parks and on streets - receives a waiver from the efficiency standards. A biomass power plant in Springfield that would use only non-forest-derived wood would likely open if these regulations are approved. We've asked that the efficiency requirement - which other renewable energy projects don't have to meet and, in fact, couldn't meet - be waived for forest-derived wood as well as non-forest-derived. There are some smaller, common-sense changes that we appreciate, such as a simplification of qualifying wood in the RPS program. We've testified at public hearings about these regulations and will submit written comments with our feedback on the changes.

We'll keep you informed on all these issues, and be alert for requests to contact legislators - your help is critical!

Join Us for Young Forest Bird Walks!
Massachusetts Forest Trust is holding a series of Thursday morning bird walks in May and June at the Taylor Forest Tree Farm in Ashfield and Hawley to see what birds and other wildlife can be observed at the 30-acre habitat area which was created in 2017.

Young forest habitat has become increasingly rare in Massachusetts and is important for many species of birds and wildlife which have become less common as suitable habitat shrinks. MFT received a grant to create this type of habitat on its forest that was severely damaged in an ice storm, which killed most of the mature trees in that stand.

For about 10 years following a young forest habitat cut, the regrowing woodland contains a wide variety of herbaceous plants and forbs such as raspberries, blackberries, and other plants not found in woodlands with a closed canopy. The wide variety of foods available means that it can serve as habitat for a wider variety of birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians until the new trees grow enough to close the canopy and shade out the ground plants below.  

We welcome birders and outdoor enthusiasts to take part in these bird walks and help document what species are observed (or heard) at the Taylor Forest. The walks will be held on Thursday May 30th and Thursday June 13th from 7:30 to 9:30 am.  

Participants should wear long pants and long sleeves and suitable boots for wet conditions. We encourage participants to treat their clothing against ticks and bring bug spray. Because the regrowing forest has many stumps and abundant slash, a sturdy walking stick may be helpful. These walks will be cancelled in event of heavy rain. 

Participants should meet at the Taylor Forest entrance by the hydrant on Hawley Road just east of Old Stage Road. Participants are encouraged to park along the north side of Hawley Road only to keep the road safe for traffic. 

For more information, click here or call Gregory Cox at (413) 475-2883.
MFA's Connecting Point Appearance
The debate over H.853, which would remove wood from the Alternative Portfolio Standard (discussed above) has generated press coverage in print, on radio, and on television. Supporters of the bill went on Connecting Point, a WGBY Springfield public television program, to argue for the bill (confusingly, they spent most of their time talking about biomass power, not wood heat).

WGBY wanted a fuller picture of the issue, and they taped a segment with Chris Egan, MFA's Executive Director, in which he made the case for the modern wood heat systems - pellet and chip boilers - that the bill would remove from the APS.

You can view the segment by clicking here.
Potential Lyme Disease Breakthough
Lyme Disease is a serious threat to those working in forests. Foresters, timber harvesters, and forest landowners are all affected in significantly greater numbers than the public at large. Massachusetts has funded research into the disease, and that funding may be paying off.

While discussions of "breakthroughs" have been announced before in reference to Lyme Disease, this latest innovation works quite differently. Instead of a vaccine, those at risk from Lyme Disease would be injected with a protein that blocks the bacteria that causes the disease. When an infected tick bites, it takes some time for the disease-causing bacteria to make its way from the tick into the bloodstream - which is why it's important to remove ticks right away. The preventative injection works by blocking the bacteria before it can make its way into the host. Because this isn't a vaccine, you would need an annual shot of the preventative protein, called Lyme PrEP.

Developed by the UMass Medical School and researcher Dr. Mark Klempner, the shot was 100% effective in tests in mice. The next step is to move to human trials. With good results, the new shot could arrive on the market in roughly three years.

Read more about this potential breakthrough here.
National Firewood Workshop Date Change
The National Firewood Workshop is a two-day event that focuses on the business side of the split firewood industry with the goal of assisting the firewood industry with ideas to grow sales, profitability and business success. The Workshop combines a series of group discussions with outdoor equipment demos and informational tables. The event is sponsored by the Forest Service’s Wood Education & Resource Center in Princeton, West Virginia.

To avoid a conflict with the Laconia Motorcycle Week, which draws a large crowd and monopolizes hotel rooms, the event has been delayed a week and will now take place June 19-20 in Epsom, New Hampshire. Forester and arborist credits will be available.

Tickets for the two-day event are just $45 and include two lunches. To purchase tickets and for additional information, click here. Questions can be addressed to Harry Watt of North Carolina State University at 704-880-3067 or harry_watt@ncsu.edu
New Conservation Award Announced
The Leopold Conservation Award recognizes a landowner that takes their deep and abiding love for their farm or forestland and translates it into careful and responsible land management and conservation. Sponsored by the Sand County Foundation, the award is handed out in select states across the country. For the first time, the award is coming to New England, with one winner annually from the region.

While other states focus on farmland owners, the New England version explicitly recognizes forestland owners as eligible, and we hope an MFA member will take home the prize. Besides a crystal trophy, the winner receives $10,000 and has a professional short video made showing why they won the award.

To download the nomination form, click here. Nominations are due by July 15, so start working on it today!
State Plants 20,000th Urban Tree
Governor Charlie Baker was present at an event in Quincy to plant the 20,000th urban tree in the state's "Greening the Gateway Cities" program. Urban trees are proven to help clean the air and lower ambient temperatures, so encouraging more tree planting can make a significant environmental difference in urban areas.

As part of the event, the Baker-Polito Administration also announced the winners of the 2019 Urban and Community Forestry Challenge Grants. The communities across the Commonwealth who won the grants will use them for purposes from creating or enhancing a community wood bank (Athol, Palmer, Plainfield and Montague) to planting street trees, planning for urban forestry projects, and surveying the health of community trees.

Click here to see the full list of grant recipients.
Upcoming Events
May 23        Foresters Council Meeting - Northampton

May 24        Birds in a Young Forest Tour - Heath

May 25        Foresters Licensing Board Meeting - Amherst

May 30        Estate Planning Workshop - Gardner

May 30        MFT's Young Forest Bird Walk - Ashfield

May 31        Regeneration Harvesting Workshop - Cavendish, VT

June 4         i-Tree Tools Training Workshop - Acton

June 5         White Pine Health Field Tour - Hadley

June 6         Planning for the Future of Your Land - Deerfield

June 7         Managing Town Forests Workshop - Fremont, NH

June 8         Logging with Farm Tractors Workshop - Bridgewater, NH

June 11       Finding Markets for Goods from the Woods - webinar

June 13       MFT's Young Forest Bird Walk - Ashfield

June 19-20  National Firewood Workshop - Epsom, NH

June 28       Management of Red Oak Workshop - Hillsborough, NH 

Additional information about these and other events will be posted at www.massforestalliance.net/calendar as information becomes available. 
Copyright © 2019 Massachusetts Forest Alliance, All rights reserved.


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