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CAPITAL IDEAS -- LIVE!
JANUARY 2015
News Conference for Forest Owners
Sponsored by the Alabama Forest Owners' Association, Inc.
This Conference was recorded on January 21, 2015.
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Hayes D. Brown
starting time: (00:00)
Comment |
Moderator
Hayes D. Brown, attorney and forest owner, will moderate this news
conference. Hayes' email address is
hbrown@hayesbrown.com.
Click Here to View & Hear Prior News Conferences.
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Christopher H. Jones, M.S., Esq.
(00:23)
Hear Conference
Comment |
Endangered Species Act Comment Assistance
Chris Jones is a
Trial Attorney "who
specializes in the constitutional rights of citizens, families and
businesses affected by international, federal and state wildlife and natural
resources laws. Jones works closely with legislators, the US Department of
Justice and the US Fish and Wildlife Service to change policies of
destructive wildlife enforcement actions brought on by rogue government
officials." "Licensed in state and federal courts nationwide, Jones relentlessly protects
the freedoms of Americans that governmental powers are surreptitiously
taking away under the auspices of public health and safety, animal welfare,
and natural resources protection."
In early November Chris made us aware of the
December 8th 2014 deadline to comment for or against the US Fish and
Wildlife Service’s
proposal to enlist the Black Pine Snake (Pituohis melanoleucus
lodingi) under the Endangered Species Act in western Alabama/southeast
Mississippi. If this snake is protected under the Endangered Species Act,
private timberland harvesting and management decisions will be hindered by
first being required to have costly, time consuming federal consultations
and permits. The Black Pine Snake is not believed to warrant federal
endangered species status being already protected at the state level as
Threatened, and populations may be abundant in the wild. The Service will
propose enlisting another 136 species in Alabama under the Endangered
Species Act every year until 2018 as a result of litigation with
environmental groups.
Chris helps landowners with endangered
species problems and the commenting process on proposed listings of
threatened and endangered species. Landowner comments can make a difference
in the government’s decision whether to enlist an endangered species or not.
We thought we should introduce him to our members and friends.
Links to Chris's website:
Websites to lists of federal endangered
species by county:
Phone: (423) 486-7020
Email:
wildlifelawyer@gmail.com
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Dr. Nancy J. Loewenstein
(04:42)
Hear Conference
Comment
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Eradicating Cogongrass Infestations
Nancy Loewenstein is a
Research Fellow at the
Auburn University School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences and
serves as an invasive plant specialist with the
Alabama Cooperative Extension System. Research by Nancy and
co-worker Stephen Enloe, which demonstrated that cogongrass can be
successfully eradicated, was featured in a November 24, 2014 Auburn
University College of Agriculture press release entitled:
New study shows progress towards eradicating cogongrass infestations.
Cogongrass is an aggressive, highly
flammable, nonnative grass that invades and can quickly overtake forests
and other uncultivated areas. It spreads by seeds and by underground
rhizomes and forms dense stands that choke out native plants. The
cogongrass rhizome system can account for up to 80 percent of the weed’s
biomass, making it difficult to eradicate.
“No research has successfully demonstrated eradication of an infestation
of cogongrass before,” Enloe said. “So we are very excited that we know
we can do it, even on some of the most severe infestations.”
The three-year study, conducted at Tillmans Corner, and Bayou La Batre,
Alabama, used herbicide treatments of glyphosate, imazapyr and a mixture
of both. The combinations of herbicide treatments and application timing
produced nine treatments in addition to a nontreated control.
Further Reading:
Phone: (334) 844-1061
Email: loewenj@auburn.edu
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Thomas B. Skaggs
(07:47)
Hear Conference
Comment
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Fire Damage Insurance for AFOA Members
Tom Skaggs is the
Senior Program Underwriting Manager assisting with business development
and risk management for all of
Outdoor Underwriters’
specialty markets. Outdoor Underwriters,
Inc., is the insurance agency that provides coverage to AFOA members for
Hunting Lease
Liability Insurance and
Timberland
Liability Insurance. Tom is with us today to introduce us to a new
insurance coverage available to AFOA members:
Standing
Timber - Fire Damage. This new policy shields landowners from
casualty losses -- actual property damage losses -- which is different from
our Hunting and Timberland policies, which protect us from liability claims.
While it is important to recognize that many wildfires cause little or no
damage to timber or regeneration, the Alabama Forestry Commission reported
1,682 wildfires in 2013 which burned a total of 30,340 acres with an average
fire size of 18.03 acres (there are about 23-million acres of forestland in
Alabama). Some of those fires caused serious damage that could have been
covered by the new AFOA Standing Timber - Fire Damage policy.
Examples from
Standing
Timber - Fire Damage -- Specifications and Application:
Landowner A owns 33 acres of
standing timber mostly comprised of mature hardwoods. Landowner A
selects a limit of $25,000 to protect his timber stand from fire damage
and subsequent reforestation cost. A lightning strike causes a fire and
burns 10 of the 33 acres. The actual cash value the adjustor comes up
with for the 10 acres is $18,000. In this scenario the most Landowner A
would receive for his claim is $7,500 or the per acre maximum of $750
per acre based on the overall limit chosen of $25,000. (Subject to
deductible)
Landowner B owns 33 acres of standing timber mostly comprised of
young pine trees. Landowner B selects a limit of $25,000 to protect his
timber stand from fire damage and subsequent reforestation cost. A
lightning strike causes a fire and burns all 33 acres. The actual cash
value the adjustor comes up with for the 33 acres is $22,500. In this
scenario Landowner B would receive the entire value of $22,500 because
it is less than the per acre maximum based on the overall limit chosen
of $25,000. (Subject to deductible)
Phone: (865) 809-1588
Email:
tskaggs@outdoorund.com
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Roger F. Bryant
(11:31)
Hear Conference
Comment
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3 Smartphone Apps Every Forest Owner Should Have
Roger Bryant is a
Software Engineer and
Consulting Forester from Smyrna, Georgia. He is the owner of
Genesis Forest
Management and enjoys blogging at
Forest Geek Blog. A
list of the apps he has spoken about in the past (Roger led a breakout
session at AFOA's Annual Meeting in Tuscaloosa) are at
http://forestgeek.com/afoa.
Three Apps
1. Mapping/GPS/GIS
Smart
(Android) is a free GPS collection app that I use quite a bit. It was
developed by a French team of developers but the app is in English and is
quite easy to use and is packed full of features. This is an app that will
allow you to GPS roads, stands lines, and area (like harvest areas, food
plots, ponds, etc.). GIS Kit
(iOS) is still my favorite iOS app, but comes with a price tag of $99
(great app for an iPad).
2. Navigation
Waze (Android
/
iOS) – I use Waze everyday. This is an app that everyone who drives
should have. Whether I'm traveling to the woods to look at timber, on a
trip, or I'm driving around town I use this app to keep me informed on my
drive. This app will guide you to your destination, let you know if of
hazards on the road like accidents and construction, help find the cheapest
gas, and will even tell you if police are nearby. The app gives you route
options and will alert you if there is traffic up ahead. This app has been a
lifesaver for me!
3. GeoTagging Camera App
Every smartphone comes with a pretty decent
camera these days. Smartphones provide a unique ability to take pictures
that are geotagged with GPS coordinates. This allows the user to display
photos on a map like Google Maps. Whether you have a unique or special area
on your property, you are keeping track of wildlife signs or markings, or
maybe want to take a picture of a trophy deer, these types of apps will
allow you to track exactly where and when the moment occurred. An app I use
most often is
GeoCam Free for Android (there is also a paid version). There are many
similar paid and free apps for iOS as well.
Phone: (678) 310-4787
Email:
roger.bryant@genesisforestry.com
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Jim Furubotten
(15:08)
Hear Conference
Comment |
Applying Drone Technology to Forest Management
Jim Furubotten, "a consulting forester from Aberdeen, Washington, is
retiring from For-Con Inc., a forestry consulting firm he founded 31 years
ago, to start a new company called Aerial View Solutions. This year
For-Con started using drones over the 500,000 acres of timberland they
oversee. Jim said, 'I originally thought of using this system for reconning
possible marijuana plantations, but I've used these systems for pre- and
post-logging audits. I have also worked on mapping projects and cell tower
inspections.' His new company has plans to use drones for forest fire
reconnaissance, mass erosion surveys, creek erosion, and rock quarry
depletion surveys." Source:
Are Drones the Next Big Idea in Forestry?, The Consultant,
2015 (pages 21-27).
"...faster, cheaper, better..."
http://www.suasnews.com/
Phone: (360) 581-0941
Email:
aerialviewsolutions@gmail.com
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Sgt. Ira J. Whitehead
(18:06)
Hear Conference
Comment |
Timber Theft and Woods Arson Investigation -- 2015
Jay Whitehead is a
Supervisory Special Agent assigned to the
Agriculture & Rural Crime
Unit of the
Alabama Law Enforcement Agency.
Beginning officially on January 1, 2015, the law enforcement
responsibilities of a dozen state agencies, including the Alabama Forestry
Commission, were merged under the new
Alabama Law Enforcement Agency headed up by
Secretary Spencer Collier. Since many forest landowners have been
satisfied with the skilled and focused investigative assistance we have
received from the law enforcement personnel of the Alabama Forestry
Commission, it is understandable that we are concerned that the
investigative efforts of the new agency may not be capable or interested in
the needs of forest landowners. We asked Sergeant Whitehead to help us
understand how the Agency will handle cases that involve timber theft or
forest arson.
As we understand it:
For Further Information:
Phone: (256) 603-9032
Email:
ira.whitehead@dps.alabama.gov
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Michael Buchart
(22:30)
Hear Conference
Comment |
The Benefits of Growing & Selling Christmas Trees
Mike Buchart is
Executive Secretary of the Southern Christmas Tree
Association (SCTA). "SCTA is primarily an organization of Christmas
tree growers in Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi [, but they] welcome
other state growers. SCTA's mission is to assist growers in the production
and marketing of high quality, REAL Christmas trees for consumers. Members
provide unique experiences for customers while creating memories and
traditions for families lasting a lifetime." We asked Mike to introduce us
to the Southern Christmas Tree Association, describe the
work involved on a cut-your-own Christmas Tree Farm and tell us about the
benefits provided to traditional working farms and forests by cut-your-own
Christmas Tree Farms. SCTA is affiliated with the
National Christmas
Tree Association (NCTA).
SCTA Membership Application Form
Some of the Benefits of Membership:
- Learn from experienced growers and those
new to the industry
- Have your farm listed on the association
website as a dedicated sub-page or linked to your own
- Receive quarterly newsletters
highlighting meeting activities, growers, tips, marketing, business
management and more
- Receive important e-mail notifications
of immediate interest
- Participate in the annual, fall meeting
covering a broad range of subjects
- Meet and interact with government,
business and industry leaders
- Have a direct connection with NCTA
through SCTA's National Director
- Benefit from a national locator service
hosted on NCTA's website
- Interact with industry suppliers for the
latest and most effective products
- Stay tuned with technical developments
in all aspects of our industry
Phone: (225) 505-6335
Email: sctaes@gmail.com
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Dr. Robert C. Abt
(26:06)
Hear Conference
Comment |
Is It Time to Focus on Pulpwood?
Bob Abt is
Professor of
Natural Resource Economics, and
Management Co-director of the
Southern
Forest Resource Assessment Consortium (SOFAC) at the
College of Natural Resources,
NC State University. During a recent AFOA brainstorming session, a
consulting forester brought up the current low differential between pine
sawtimber stumpage prices and pine pulpwood stumpage prices and questioned
whether growing pine sawtimber was still a good idea. For example, the
Timber Mart-South price of Alabama sawtimber was $51.97/ton in the 2nd
quarter of 2005 while pulpwood was $7.65/ton - a ratio of 6.79. The
most recent report (4th quarter 2014) listed Alabama sawtimber at $24.98/ton
and pulpwood at $10.30/ton -- a ratio of 2.43. Is it worth it to
focus on sawtimber, which requires a longer time to harvest (rotation
length), or should shorter pulpwood rotations be considered? We turned to
forest economist Bob Abt to help us answer that question. Current prices and
expected future prices as well as species choices and planting spacing are
all involved in the decision making process.
You may want to play some "what if" games
with
the
Timberland Decision Support System developed by Texas Forest
Service's Dr. Weihuan Xu.
Listen to Dr.
Xu's Capital Ideas - Live! 2003 interview and try out the sample
calculation.
Phone: (919) 515-7791
Email: bobabt@ncsu.edu
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