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Leadership Update, May 2012

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Leadership Update, May 2012

The monthly e-newsletter exclusively for ATFS State Committee leaders.   

Special Announcements

Announcing our 2012 Inspectors of the Year
A hearty congratulations goes out to these hard working and dedicated foresters whose work on the ground is helping us put more good forestry on more acres:

  • Southern Region:  Justin Dewberry, Mississippi
  • Western Region: Doug Stinson, Washington
  • North East Region: Andy Fast, New Hampshire

And the 2012 Wes R. Meier National Inspector of the Year is John Stambaugh, of Indiana!

These outstanding inspectors will be recognized at the 2012 National Tree Farmer Convention, June 14-16, in Jacksonville, Florida.  Many thanks to our partners at STIHL, Inc. for sponsoring this recognition program!

Registration is almost closed!
The last day to register for the 2012 National Tree Farmer Convention is May 18!  Please help us with one final push for registration by encouraging Tree Farmers in your state to attend.  The Convention is June 14-16 in Jacksonville, FL, and all full-price attendees will be automatically entered to win one of four $100 gift certificates from STIHL, Inc – good for STIHL merchandise at any STIHL dealer nationwide.  Registration can be completed online or over the phone at 202-463-2733.

2012 STIHL, Inc. Photo Contest Entries are Due June 1
While spring is a great time for Tree Farmers to capture the beauty of their woodlands, the 2012 Tree Farm Photo Contest, sponsored by STIHL, is their opportunity to show off the year-round beauty of their land.  Please share the above link with your network so that someone in your state will have the chance to win a $500 gift certificate for STIHL products!  Photos should fall into one of two categories: scenic Tree Farm landscapes or multiple generations on your Tree Farm.  E-mail submissions to photos@treefarmsystem.org; entries are due June 1!  Photos from Tree Farmers in your state may also show up in the 2013 Tree Farm Calendar!

 

Tools

Webinars for State Leaders – Mark Your Calendars!
Every quarter, we host exclusive webinars to update state leaders on new program developments.  The second quarter webinars will be held June 27 at 3:00 p.m. EDT and June 28 at 10:00 a.m. EDT (same agenda both days).  Dial-in and registration information will be e-mailed out to leaders in June, but please go ahead and make plans to attend.

Articles Available for Your State Newsletters
Each month, we post articles to the Leaders Only portal for state committees that choose to print them in state publications.  This month’s article is:

  • Keep the Forest in the Family: Fix the Estate Tax for America’s Family Forests!
    • By: Melissa Moeller


ATFS Webinar Series
ATFS values our Tree Farmers’ commitment to good stewardship and we strive to provide the tools they need to keep their forests healthy, productive, and enjoyable.  The ATFS webinar series provides important information to our Tree Farmers and covers a range of topics from invasive species to legacy planning.  Here is what’s coming up:

ATFS is using mail and e-mail to inform Tree Farmers about the webinars and we encourage you to help spread the word throughout your state network.  A great way to encourage more participation in the webinars – especially to landowners who may not have access to the internet – is to host a webinar “viewing party” and invite landowners in your state to gather for the webinar presentation in a centralized location and participate in related discussion with other area landowners.  If you cannot participate in a webinar, live recordings will be posted online after the completion of each webinar. 

There’s an app for that!
Have you ever been out in the woods and needed to identify an unknown bird species, obtain a soil survey, or wanted to map your own trail?  Take a look at this list of useful apps for smart phones, compiled by the team at Project Learning Tree, and get back outside and explore.

 

On the Ground

Landowner Engagement Strategy (LES) Updates
The Landowner Engagement Strategy is a multi-faceted initiative designed to strengthen support of the volunteer and landowner network, communicate the value of participation in ATFS, and ensure ATFS’ financial sustainability for the future.  Here are some of projects the LES team has been hard at work on this month:

  • Update from the Test States
    ATFS continues to work with the LES test states (MO, OR, PA, and SC) on a number of activities related to improving outreach and education, service delivery, and building long-term financial stability for the system.  We are currently discussing the details of our first round of membership communications to Tree Farmers with the LES Test States.  Thanks to our Test States for leading the effort to help build the future of ATFS!   The membership communications sent to Tree Farmers in these states will help identify and expand a solid core of active Tree Farmers and inform decisions going forward about a national membership program.  Thanks also to the Stakeholder Consultation Team (consisting of State Committee leaders and partners from across the country) who have provided valuable input.  For more information on the work taking place within the Test States, or about the membership benefits program, please contact Mike Burns or Jennifer Jones.


Optional Inspections and Statistical Sampling
One way to continue to provide Tree Farmers with the on-the-ground validation that they need is through optional inspections; optional inspections are generated from a sample of Tree Farms which were last inspected 6 years prior to the year the report is generated. If optional inspections are not completed or requested by states, Tree Farms exceeding this 6 year threshold will miss the opportunity for a reinspection unless they make a special request. Committees should consult the ATFS database to determine if your state has a significant population of Tree Farms that are long overdue for an inspection. Currently, there are 7,500 Tree Farms that have not been inspected in over 10 years. For assistance with generating a backlog, and integrating landowner information into 004 forms, please contact Justin Lindenberg.

ATFS Mailing List Policy
Reaching out to our network through electronic and/or “snail mail” communications is vital to the sustained success of our program on the ground.  We continue to make the ATFS mailing list policy available online; please help us to reinforce this policy throughout our network by sharing this link or handout with your state’s own network.

AFF Public Affairs Team Updates
AFF’s public affairs team continues to work aggressively in Congress to represent Tree Farmers.  Here are some activities going on this month:

  • Farm Bill Progress
    At the end of April, the Senate Agriculture Committee passed a Farm Bill that promotes rural jobs, strengthens rural communities, and for the most part, reflects the priorities that AFF and the Forests in the Farm Bill Coalition fought to include.  Along with several other conservation partners, we hope to see the Farm Bill now proceed to the Senate floor for a full Senate vote.

    The House Agriculture Committee will hold a forestry hearing on May 18th as they work toward finishing their version of a Farm Bill.  John Burke, AFF Chair of the Board of Trustees, has been invited to testify at the hearing, giving Tree Farmers a seat at the table in the Farm Bill process. 

  • Positive Developments on Fix to Biobased Program in Farm Bill and New Legislation
    The Senate Agriculture Committee’s Bill included a fix to the Biobased Markets Program that would open the door for forest products that have been innovative in their approach to growing, harvesting, procuring, processing or manufacturing regardless of the age of the product.  In addition, Senators Pryor and Blunt introduced the Forest Products Fairness Act of 2012 (S. 2346), which would allow all forest products into the Biobased Program simply based on the recognition of their biobased content.   AFF has been in daily conversations with our champions on the Hill to open up the Biobased Markets program to forest products in an effort to help strengthen markets for family forest owners.

  • Keep the Forest in the Family Estate Tax Campaign
    Check your e-mail! Last week, Jo Pierce, Maine Tree Farmer and Chair of the National Public Affairs Committee, sent an e-mail asking for support as we continue to raise money for the Estate Tax research project that will provide data crucial to expressing our Tree Farmer’s concerns with the Estate Tax on the Hill.  We're fighting for a fix to the estate tax that works for family forest owners and encourage you to join us by giving to this campaign.  With your gift, we will be able to gather better research data to make our case and we will be able to continue the Keep the Forest in the Family campaign with strong lobbying and grassroots relationship building.

 

Future

Bettina Ring, Our New VP of Family Forests
As many of you already know, Bettina Ring will be joining the staff of ATFS on May 29 as the new Vice President of Family Forests.  Since making the announcement to our network, we have received glowing reviews from many of her peers within the ATFS network of leaders.  Here is just a sampling:

  • I have known Bettina for some 20+ years now and she is one of the most respected and trusted individuals that I know… she has always been creative, innovative and collaborative to find solutions and improvements.  –Carl Garrison, Virginia Department of Forestry

  • For the past eight years Bettina has been working for the non-profit conservation community out west and has gained some valuable experience in protecting working forests and partnering with folks to protect and restore forested landscapes.  She is a very impressive individual with a great public policy resume, which should make her a great fit for the Tree Farm Program.  I am looking for great things from Bettina in the upcoming years.  –David Halley, True North Forest Management Services

  • [Bettina] will be able to hit the ground running and add a tremendous perspective to the “family forests” table of issues.  She is one of us…and will be a great addition to the Tree Farm / State Forestry Agency partnership.  We could not have hand-picked a better choice… and I urge you to get her to your state soon and welcome her home.  –Tom Boggus, Texas Forestry Service


Legacy Society Newsletter
Later this month, the American Forest Foundation’s Legacy Society Newsletter will be sent out which will feature articles on what to include in a will, planning for long-term care, and a personal story from Tree Farmer and AFF board member Clint Bentz about how estate planning helped his family keep their land. If you would like to receive this newsletter, or for more information on joining the Legacy Society, please contact Laura Tuel at (202) 463-2585 or ltuel@forestfoundation.org. You can also check out past editions of the newsletter and learn more about leaving a legacy of your own at http://www.forestfoundation.org/planned-giving.