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Wood Producers Council Meeting March 30
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 We'll be holding a Wood Producers Council meeting on Thursday, March 30 at the Bluebonnet Diner and Banquet Hall in Northampton. The meeting is generously sponsored by Barry Equipment.
The meeting will start at 4:30 pm with registration and a social hour. The Bluebonnet's famous buffet dinner will be served at 5:30, and there will be presentations from 6:15 to 8:30.
We'll have a speaker from the US Fish and Wildlife Service to discuss the endangered species declaration of the Northern Long-Eared Bat (see below for more information).
We'll also have a legislative update from Evan Dell'Olio, MFA's Policy Committee chair, updates from DCR on their forestry programs, and market updates, with a number of speakers discussing the state of markets for specific wood products.
The cost of the meeting will be $40 for MFA members and $50 for non-members. Registration will open shortly for the meeting, and we'll send another short email alerting you to that when it's online.
This is just the first of a number of programs. Over the next 4-6 months, we expect to have an event on climate-smart forestry techniques, with a classroom and field tour component; first aid and CPR training with a wilderness component; a chainsaw safety course; and a Foresters Council meeting. Stay tuned!
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After some time unsuccessfully trying to solve our main phone number issue with Verizon, it appears we will have to start over and find a new phone number. In the meantime, you can contact Chris Egan directly at 617-645-1191 with any questions or issues. Sorry for the inconvenience - we're as frustrated as you are!
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This month's issue of the Forest Update is brought to you by:
 For more than half a century, Hull Forest Products has crafted high-quality wood products with timber from well-managed New England forests. Offering custom wide plank flooring, stair parts, paneling, post and beam timbers, and lumber, the family-owned and operated sawmill produces more than 10 million board-feet of wood products annually. The forestry division of Hull Forest Products works with New England landowners, helping them to grow beauty and value in their woods and keep their forests as forests.
The Hull family also owns forestland in their Hull Forestlands entity, and they have permanently protected thousands of acres of working woodlands across New England. Their Maine forestlands are enrolled in a carbon credit program.
Believers in sustainable forest management, their land is Tree Farm certified, and they have been recognized with awards for their preservation efforts, including the inaugural Leopold Conservation Award for New England in 2019.
Thanks to Hull Forest Products for their generous support! |
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Northern Long-Eared Bat and Forestry
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 We told you last April that the Northern Long-Eared Bat (NLEB) would be listed as an endangered species, and that took place late last year. The bats have seen population declines of more than 90% due to White Nose Syndrome, a fungal infection that wakes the bats from hibernation throughout the winter and causes their deaths.
Forest management is clearly not responsible in any way for the decline of the bat, as there are more suitable roosting trees today than before White Nose Syndrome first appeared. Emerging research also suggests that actively managed forest creates better habitat for bats.
Nevertheless, there could be significant impacts on forestry by this declaration. That's because as a protected species, the Endangered Species Act prohibits a "take" of NLEB, and it's virtually impossible to see roosting bats in forest trees during their active period (generally mid-April through October). Bat surveys by habitat biologists can help detect local NLEB populations, but that's not simple to do.
We've met with the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to discuss this issue, and have also been in touch with MassWildlife's Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program (NHESP). Here's what we've learned.
 First, the statements below apply only to areas with NLEB populations, which are limited and not present everywhere in Massachusetts. A map at right shows NLEB populations in pink, but it may be hard to see. In a few weeks, you will be able to draw your timber harvest borders on a map to learn if endangered species are present on the USFWS IPaC website. To use the full IPaC website to formally apply for consultation and get an accurate map, you will need to create a federal Login.gov account.
- The declaration, announced late last year, was originally scheduled to take effect on January 30. It was postponed until March 31 to give USFWS more time to develop materials and guidance around the impact on forest management and other projects.
- When it does take effect, there will be a difference in regulation between projects with federal involvement vs. projects with no federal involvement. "Involvement" obviously means projects on federal land, but also projects using federal funds, such as NRCS funding. Federally involved projects will need to comply with Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act (ESA), involving consultation, review, and a final opinion if review shows the NLEB would be affected.
- Non-federally involved projects fall under section 10 of the ESA. They are not mandated to contact USFWS for review and approval. It is likely that USFWS will issue new rules for non-federal projects for the next year (through the end of March 2024) that look similar to the status quo of 4(d) rules for threatened species, resulting in no effective change for the next 12 months. That means if you're not cutting a known maternity roosting tree or cutting trees within a quarter-mile of a known hibernation site (or within 150 feet of a known maternity roosting tree in June and July), you can proceed.
- Going forward, if a timber harvest takes place November 1 to April 14, is not near a known hibernation site, and is 10 acres or less, you can receive automatic compliance confirmation through a five-minute online application in IPaC. This will apply to a only a subset of projects given the small area size, however. USFWS will offer trainings on how to use this online application at some point in the near future.
- Two other local bats - the Tri-Colored Bat and the Little Brown Bat - are under review and could be listed as endangered this fall or winter, which would expand ESA protections to these species as well.
- NHESP can set their own regulations for Massachusetts. At present, they are working with USFWS to understand more about the declaration, and it's likely that any state regulations will take some time to develop.
This is all a bit complicated and technical. We'll have a speaker from the USFWS Regional Office in Hadley at our Wood Producers Council meeting on March 30 - the day before the declaration takes effect. They will have a presentation with more details and be available to answer questions.
We'll continue to monitor this issue closely and communicate out what we've learned.
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Healey Administration Moratorium
and Boston Globe Article
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 As you know, Governor Healey proposed a moratorium on timber harvesting on state-owned lands in her climate plan as a candidate. As of right now, no moratorium has been announced, and we understand meetings are ongoing and a decision should be made soon.
However, we believe a moratorium is essentially in effect right now, as our understanding is that DCR, MassWildlife, and the Division of Water Supply Protection have paused bidding on new forest management projects that were carefully planned by their foresters. DCR, as we told you in December, went a step further and has been holding back approved 2022 forest management projects, preventing them from going out to bid last year.
We have opposed a moratorium, and urged the Healey Administration, in both written comments and meetings, to choose not to implement one. New scientific reports from conservation groups and the Commonwealth's own extensive climate change planning support a mix of reserves and active forest management, combined with more building with wood instead of concrete and steel, as the most effective climate change mitigation strategy.
Leading environmental organizations have publicly expressed their support for forest management on state-owned lands. Anti-forestry groups have pointed out that these groups haven't publicly opposed the moratorium, although the position of these organizations on forest management should make their feelings on the matter clear.
Opponents of forest management insist that a moratorium will have no effect whatsoever on timber harvesters and not a single job would be lost. But for some mechanized harvesters who own millions of dollars of equipment and must keep busy to pay for it, management on DCR, DFW, and DWSP lands can be a quarter or even up to a third of their business. Losing that amount of work for up to a year or even longer would have a serious impact on their livelihoods. And without enough timber harvesters, the Commonwealth would be challenged to reach the goals outlined in the 2025/2030 and 2050 Clean Energy and Climate Plans related to forests.
MFA was invited to write one side of "The Argument" - a Boston Globe feature that asks a question and has two opposing viewpoints. The question for this edition was whether Governor Healey should implement a moratorium. The article appeared in the Local subsection of the Metro section in Sunday's paper. A subscription may be required to read the article (and vote in the associated poll). You can subscribe to the Globe digital edition for $1 total for six months, which would enable you to read Globe articles like this one. For those who can read it, the article can be found here.
We will continue to advocate against a moratorium, and will keep you posted as we go forward.
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Tax Tips for Forest Landowners
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 The University of Florida Extension, University of Georgia's Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, and the USDA Forest Service joined to recently release Tax Tips for Forest Landowners, updated for the 2022 tax year. This four-page document has information about various situations that may apply to you as a forest landowner, and the tax implications of them.
Click here to download the Tax Tips document.
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Western Mass Tree Wardens Spring Meeting
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 Our friends at the Western Mass Tree Wardens are hosting their Spring Meeting at the Bluebonnet Diner & Banquet Hall in Northampton on Thursday, March 16, from 5 pm - 7:30 pm. MFA is a co-sponsor of this event.
 There will be two main presentations - one before dinner and one after. The first is our friends at Acorn to Arabella. Steve Denette and Anne Bryant will discuss the project of building a wooden sailboat from local wood. MFA honored Acorn to Arabella with our Friend of Forestry Award last year. You can view their popular YouTube videos on their YouTube channel, or visit their website to learn more about the project as they prepare for their June 17 launch in Mattapoisett.
The second speaker will be Jonathan Parrott, an MFA Board member, who will discuss modern wood heat and the cost and climate benefits of switching from fossil fuel heat. Jon will also share information about MFA for attendees.
The cost to attend (which includes the Bluebonnet's famous buffet dinner) is $40. You can register online by clicking here.
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MFA presents awards at our Annual Meeting in the fall. As part of our award process, we alert local papers so they can consider an article about the winner. Two local papers recently took us up on this outreach, sending reporters to profile award winners from last fall.
 Ed Brightman, Sr. won MFA's Douglas B. Cook Wood Producer of the Year Award for 2022.
The Taunton Daily Gazette sent a reporter to do an article about Ed and the Brightman Lumber business. The article discusses the various family members involved in the different aspects of the company, the challenges they've faced along the way, and the changes they've made to respond to different economic conditions.
Click here to read the article.
 Jamie Dammann won MFA's highest honor, the John H. Lambert, Jr. Forest Stewardship Award. Jamie helped found MFA in 2012 and has served on the board since.
The Gardner News profiled Jamie in a recent article, discussing his 45-year work history and his connection with the former Pinetree Power plant in Westminster. Jamie's alma mater, the University of New Hampshire, shared the Gardner News article on their social media, helping amplify it further.
Click here to read the article.
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Thompson Forestry Article
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 MFA Vice President Charlie Thompson continues his series of articles on forest stewardship for the Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust.
This month, Charlie focuses on wood - the growing of timber, harvesting and milling it into finished products, and the use of those products by Massachusetts residents.
Click here to read the article.
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Keystone Program Applications Due Feb 28
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The Keystone Project is an intensive three-day retreat-style training which focuses on forest ecology and stewardship, wildlife management, and land protection.
For more than 30 years, Keystone has educated forest owners and local leaders who have a significant impact on their communities. Keystone Cooperators can own forestland, be involved in the care and stewardship of a property or be an active community leader. Learn more about Keystone.
This spring, the program will take place on: Thursday evening, April 13, through Sunday afternoon, April 16 at the Harvard Forest in Petersham. The Keystone Project is a competitive program. Applications are due February 28th.
You can download the application by clicking here.
Contact Paul Catanzaro if you have any questions.
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Black Faces in Green Spaces Publication
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 A new first-of-its-kind resource, Black Faces in Green Spaces: The Journeys of Black Professionals in Green Careers, has just been released by the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI), Project Learning Tree (PLT), and Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Related Sciences (MANRRS).
The guide highlights 22 Black Americans who share their personal stories about finding their passions and overcoming challenges, and offer advice to the next generation about exploring their own careers in the forest and conservation sector. The project was overseen by an SFI-MANRRS Advisory Committee, and Black-owned businesses were hired as consultants, designers, content writers, and photographers.
To ensure the guide is shared with as many young adults, educators, and guidance counselors as possible, the digital version of the guide is available for free. Individual printed copies are also available for $39.99. Bulk orders for organizations that want to distribute printed copies to employees, students, networks, and partners are welcome ($800/box of 25 copies).
Click here to learn more and download a free copy of the guide.
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The Woodcraft Collaborative Launches
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Hall Tavern Farm in Charlemont is a sawmill and Tree Farm owned by Jay Healy and Jared Bellows, descendants of the original founder of Hall Tavern Farm 100 years ago.
They have now launched The Woodcraft Collaborative, and are trying to create a directory of wood-using and wood-producing businesses in northwest Massachusetts. Directory listings are free, and you can create your listing by clicking here.
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