Fighting over fire blame — AgMinute for Sept. 2, 2013

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack largely defended the federal government's management of national forests amid criticisms that massive buildups of hazardous fuels have added to wildfires' intensity.

The House talks timber — AgMinute for Aug. 2, 2013

A package of legislation is moving through the U.S. House of Representatives that seeks to improve forest management and reduce the threat of wildfire on federal lands.

Read about how farmers are confronting controversy over biotechnology in "Surviving a Biotech Backlash," available at http://bit.ly/BiotechBacklash

Unfueling the fire — AgMinute for April 10, 2013

National cattle and grazing groups are backing a bill reintroduced in Congress that seeks to expedite the process to reduce hazardous fuel loads on federal lands through livestock grazing and timber harvesting.

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Ending with the Fiscal Cliff — Podcast for Dec. 7, 2012

Capital Press reporter Mateusz Perkowski and soon-to-be-former copy editor Will Koenig talk about fiscal cliff strategies and the increasingly complicated court battle over Clean Water Act permits on logging roads in their 78th and final podcast. Adieu!

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Podcast: Fire, runoff and taxes

In this podcast, editors and reporters look at the upcoming federal trial of two ranchers charged with arson on public lands, EPA’s deregulation of runoff on logging roads, and what some rural Californians are calling an illegal tax to fund fire suppression efforts.

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Podcast: Budget cuts are not fair friendly

In this podcast, editors and reporters discuss California’s fair crisis, the Labor Department’s U-turn on child labor regulations, an upcoming court hearing on genetically modified sugar beets, and a new development in a lawsuit challenging an international agreement on the softwood lumber trade.

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Podcast: PETA's dairy fight and timber education

In this podcast, editors and reporters explain why dairymen in California are celebrating a legal victory over the animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and how the forestry industry is educating the world about the value of timber production.

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Podcast: Longshoremen and EGT make peace for grain ship, aquifer recharge, and resolving a timber crisis

In this podcast, editors and reporters of the Capital Press look at an easing of tension in the dispute between a grain terminal and Longshoremen as the first grain ship arrives, examine state funding to better understand aquifer recharge efforts in eastern Idaho, and share the Capital Press position on how to resolve the crisis among federal timber counties.

Also, check the latest location of the grain ship Full Sources by clicking here.

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Podcast: Advances in the sheep industry and forestry

The sheep industry is in the news this week with a study showing that sheepdogs make livestock more relaxed and profitable, according to reporter John O'Connell. Also, strong prices for wool and lamb have prompted industry leaders to recruit more people to raise sheep.

Reporter Mateusz Perkowski says that foresters are looking at ways to improve the growth rate of trees through new advances in seedlings and weighing the trade-offs of container "plugs" and bare-root seedlings.

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Podcast: Boutique wines, potential pollution, California rain and a WOPR

Some of the highlights from this week's edition of the Capital Press include efforts to sell boutique wines, a lawsuit over evidence of substantial potential to pollute, never-ending biotech crop court battles, a sudden turn in California's weather, and the shifting tug-of-war over the Western Oregon Plan Revision logging guidelines.

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Podcast: The battle over green timber

The market for ecologically harvested “green” wood is expanding, at least partly because of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design's efforts. But the growth has generated controversy, including investigations by the Federal Trade Commission and Internal Revenue Service. Capital Press reporter Mateusz Perkowski explains some of the issues.

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Prices for U.S. wood up worldwide

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[Photo caption: Cut logs are loaded onto a truck on private timberland east of Shingletown, Calif.]

From a quarterly report published by Wood Resources International LLC:

Higher lumber production, increased log trade and a weak US dollar were three factors that pushed sawlog prices up in dollar terms worldwide in the 1Q/11.

Wood fiber costs for pulp mills worldwide rose for the third consecutive quarter in the 1Q/11.

Global pulp prices stayed strong during the quarter and actually increased to record-high levels in the month of April.

Global demand for softwood lumber increased by about 18 percent in 2010. Lumber imports to Japan were up 21 percent. The weak building and construction market in Europe late last year resulted in lower lumber demand. During the first two months of 2011, lumber production was up in most provinces of Canada.

The housing market in the US South has fared relatively better than the rest of the country resulting in higher lumber consumption.

While the US and Canadian domestic pellet industry struggled through another year of weak domestic market demand and overcapacity, pellet exports to Europe continued to rise.

Sunny day, outlook at logging conference

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It was another balmy day Friday at the Sierra Cascade Logging Conference in Redding, Calif., as people walked around the equipment expo, watched logging sports exhibitions and attended seminars at the Redding Convention Center and Turtle Bay Exploration Park.

At one panel discussion this afternoon at Turtle Bay, experts saw a ray of hope that things will improve for the beleaguered timber industry, which has seen two of its worst years since World War II.

Here is the schedule for Saturday, the final day of the conference and expo.

7:00 a.m. Truckers Seminar

Redding Convention Center 2nd Floor Lobby

4 Units ProLogger Credits

9:00 a.m. Exhibits Open

8:00 a.m. – 11 a.m. “Fleet Truck Regulations and Enforcement”, Repeat of Friday’s Presentation

Redding Convention Center Room 125

Panel discussion presented by Loggers Association of Northern California. Facilitated by Kathleen Mead of the Air Resources Board (ARB), followed by discussion on the Enforcement of Regulations.

2 Units ProLogger Credits

9:00 a.m. Backhoe Rodeo

Redding Convention Center South Parking Lot

Can you dig it, or can you balance it? That is the question that contestants from far and wide will answer. Join us as we watch experienced operators fight against time and gravity to take home the prize money. Thanks to Sponsor Axner Excavating for this popular event and for securing sponsors to keep this event growing.

10:00 a.m. Truck Driving Skills Competition

Redding Convention Center West Parking Lot

11:00 a.m. Wild Things, Wildlife Show

Redding Convention Center 2nd Floor Lobby

Wild Things, Inc. was founded in 1987 for the explicit purpose of housing and caring for displaced wildlife and educating the public with a message of conservation and appreciation for natural wonders.

11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Logging Sports Exhibition

Logging Sports Arena, Convention Center SouthParking Lot

2:00 p.m. Wild Things, Wildlife Show

Redding Convention Center 2nd Floor Lobby

Wild Things, Inc. was founded in 1987 for the explicit purpose of housing and caring for displaced wildlife and educating the public with a message of conservation and appreciation for natural wonders.

3:00 p.m. Raffle Drawing

Redding Convention Center 1st Floor Lobby

3:30 p.m. Gates Close

Trio feted at logging conference

Three timber industry stalwarts were given awards at the 62nd Sierra Cascade Logging Conference this week in Northern California.

The Logger of the Year is Harold Kiper, 83, the owner of Kiper and Kiper Logging in Squaw Valley, Calif. He has been a contract logger in the central Sierras for almost 60 years, and is "still going strong," say conference organizers. He and his wife, Mary, have been married for more than 60 years and have two sons and nine grandchildren.

The Roy Derek Berridge Award goes to Sherry L. Crawford of Seiad Valley, the owner and office manager of a logging company since 1979. She's had numerous school and civic leadership positions through the years and has been a member of the USDA's Resource Advisory Council since 2001. She's been married 44 years and has four children, 21 grandchildren and two adoptees coming.

The John Jarrett Award recipient is Buzz Eades, a lifelong logger and past president of the logging conference who is now its Logging Sports Show co-chairman. He and his wife, Murial, just returned from China, where their son is a missionary.

Congratulations to Harold, Sherry and Buzz.

Property rights activist speaks to loggers

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Landowners should take advantage of local government’s power to stave off federal regulations that deprive them of their liberties, a property rights advocate said.

Cities, counties and local districts can frustrate new wilderness designations and other federal land-use orders by invoking coordination under U.S. and state environmental laws, author Michael Coffman told a logging conference here Feb. 10.

Under coordination, a city council or county commission could appoint a citizens’ advisory committee and enact an ordinance opposing a federal rule and the agency would have to involve the local government in its decision, Coffman said.

The coordination process was used to stop a planned highway through Texas that was part of implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement, he said.

“Local coordination … is very, very powerful if it’s done correctly,” said Coffman, whose book, “Rescuing a Broken America,” addresses the environmental movement’s role in the nation’s cultural divide. “It allows your local government to become part of the process.”

For more on his speech, check CapitalPress.com soon.

The irony of the green shrine

Michael Coffman is probably the antithesis of what you'd call a "greenie." He's a veteran of the property-rights wars in the woods, perhaps most notable for his role in killing the U.S. ratification of the Convention on Biological Diversity in the 1990s. On the Redding Tea Party's Sunday radio show, "We The People," Coffman talked about how the modern environmental movement is based more on an almost religious adherence than it is on sound science.

So I had to get a kick out of the announced venue for his keynote speech Thursday at the Sierra Cascade Logging Conference's kickoff breakfast -- the uber-eco-conscious Gaia Hotel and Spa in Anderson. For those who don't know, Gaia in Greek mythology was the goddess of the earth. So chances are, Coffman may well wax poetic about the perceived idiosyncracies of the environmental religion -- at a shrine to the goddess of the earth. It'll be sort of like an atheist giving a lecture on the errors of Catholicism in the sanctuary of Sacred Heart Catholic Church.

Hey, I'm not criticizing the logging conference for booking the Gaia. For one thing, it's one of the few venues in the area that's big enough to accommodate a large crowd, as last year's kickoff breakfast at the Holiday Inn was a little cramped. And it lets the conference keep its ties with Anderson, which hosted the conference for many years before it moved to the Redding Convention Center last year.

I just thought it was funny, in an ironic sort of way.

SPI announces huge carbon sequestration effort

From Sierra Pacific Industries:

Los Angeles, CA – California’s largest private landowner – Sierra Pacific Industries, and Equator, LLC, a natural resources asset management firm, announced today that they have entered into the nation’s single largest pre-compliance forest carbon transaction to date. The transaction will consist of a series of projects focused on developing compliance-ready carbon offsets registered under the recently approved Climate Action Reserve (CAR) forestry protocol Version 3.0. These offsets would be used to comply with emissions reduction goals under California’s landmark legislation, Assembly Bill 32.

The transaction will sequester an additional 1,500,000 tons of carbon dioxide over the next five years in excess of what would have otherwise occurred. The investment in the projects will be made through the Eco Products Fund, LP (EPF) – a private equity vehicle co-managed by Equator and New Forests, Inc.

Sierra Pacific’s Chief Financial Officer Mark Emmerson stated that SPI is pleased to be able to participate in California’s carbon market with Equator. “This project demonstrates the utility of California’s new forestry protocol, and recognizes the value of working forests in meeting the state’s climate change goals and ecosystem sustainability.” Emmerson added “We are pleased to be able to work with a global leader like Equator in this effort”.

“We are very excited to partner with SPI on this landmark transaction, and to utilize the new forest protocol approved by the Climate Action Reserve and endorsed by the California Air Resources Board,” said Gerrity Lansing, Chief Executive Officer of Equator. “These projects will not only address climate change, but will also protect critical wildlife habitat, improve biodiversity, and enhance water quality,” added Lansing.

Elements of this transaction are unique to California; the first project in the series of activities will be designed to protect the genetic diversity and integrity of Giant Sequoia trees in the Sierra helping to expand its range as an adaptation strategy in the face of climate change. Noted for their enormous potential to sequester carbon dioxide, over 20,000 Giant Sequoias in this first project area will be conserved in perpetuity. As a further demonstration of the co-benefits associated with these projects, the rare Pacific Fisher will be reintroduced on part of the project lands in cooperation with the California Department of Fish and Game.

William Libby, Emeritus Professor of Forestry and Genetics at the University of California Berkeley, noted that the agreement will provide broad ecosystem benefits. “I am encouraged to see that these firms have joined together in partnership to proactively conserve Giant Sequoias and enhance habitat for wildlife,” Libby said. “This is truly a landmark agreement for California,” he added.

Climate Action Reserve president Gary Gero offered that the agreement between SPI and Equator so soon after the approval of the new forest protocol is a “validation that the hard work of the Climate Action Reserve Forest Project Protocol work group, members of the public, and staff resulted in an approach that has real world practicality. The protocol was designed so that it could be integrated into business practices while still supporting effective activities to mitigate climate change. We are honored that the largest forest project to date will use the Reserve’s protocol,” said Gero.

“The endorsement of the CAR Forest protocols by ARB provides some clarity to investors who want to help develop carbon offset supply from forests,” said David Brand, Managing Director of New Forests, Inc., “This should stimulate the development of forest-based carbon projects in advance of the implementation of a California or US carbon trading market.”

Overall, some 60,000 acres of SPI’s private timberland in California will be dedicated to this transaction. The projects will be submitted to the Climate Action Reserve for registration in the Reserve’s registry of carbon offset credits consistent with CAR’s recently approved forest protocol; Version 3.0. The Climate Action Reserve is a national offsets program working to ensure integrity, transparency and financial value in the U.S. carbon market. The protocol was approved by the Climate Action Reserve on September 1, and endorsed by the California Air Resources Board on September 24, 2009.

Supreme Court forestry decision lauded

From the Pacific Legal Foundation:

SACRAMENTO, Calif., March 3, 2009 — Ruling in agreement with arguments submitted by Pacific Legal Foundation, the Supreme Court today restricted environmental organizations from challenging forest clean-up plans when the environmentalists cannot show they have suffered any direct harm.

"This ruling is a victory in the fight to prevent catastrophic forest fires, because it makes it harder for environmental groups with an ideological agenda to block responsible forest-management plans to clear away dead and rotting timber," said PLF Litigation Director James S. Burling.

"The Supreme Court's decision also protects basic principles of representative government," Burling continued. "Judges aren’t lawmakers and the judiciary isn't a policy-making forum. You must be directly harmed by a policy before you can bring a lawsuit against it. If you can't show real harm, the place to air your grievance - in a democracy - is Congress or the state legislature, not the courts."

PLF is the nation's leading legal watchdog for property rights and a balanced approach to environmental regulation.

The case decided today is Summers v. Earth Island Institute. It concerns a timber salvage plan for a portion of the Sequoia National Forest that had been damaged by fire in 2002. The Forest Service had established rules that expedited salvage and restoration activities for very small – less than 250 acres – sections of previously burned forest.

Although their members visited only one particular area in the Sequoia, the environmentalists claimed the right to challenge the rule as it applied nationwide.

The Forest Service settled with the environmentalists, agreeing not to salvage the Sequoia plot. Nevertheless, the Ninth Circuit went on to throw out two of the expedited nationwide1 rules – even after the settlement and even though the environmental plaintiffs had not shown that their members were affected by any similar salvage plans elsewhere in the United States.

Today, the Supreme Court held, 5-4, that the environmental groups lacked standing to litigate the issue before the Ninth Circuit because, after the Sequoia salvage plan had been dropped, the plaintiffs could not claim any real harm or concrete interest in the regulations.

More about the decision here.

Is your neighbor clearing timber on your land?

Over at the Back Forty, Kay Marikos passes along some advice.

Housing slump already hurts Silverton, Ore. business

A community in Oregon of approx. 9,000 people is about to feel the impact of a national problem: The sales of new homes is down to a 13-year low, and analysts say this slump could last from 2006 to 2009, according to an Associated Press story.

Meanwhile, according to the Statesman Journal newspaper today, “Champion Enterprises notified Silverton's mayor that it would shut down its Redman Housing plant by May 23” in Silverton, Ore. When the company that builds manufactured homes closes, it will cost about 160 jobs to the community.

While the city hopes another business will buy the manufacturing facilities and generate other jobs, this may be a sign of bigger problems down the road: A recession on its way.

“Many analysts believe the (housing) slump could combine with a multitude of other problems including a severe credit crunch, soaring energy prices and plunging consumer confidence, to push the country into a full-blown recession,” said AP.

Large companies in small towns mean jobs, and when those businesses close down, their impact is huge, not just for those directly who are employed, but for all the other benefits and money injected into the community.

Outside of Silverton, other natural resource industries and businesses will also be watching closely what happens with housing across the country. For example, the slower sale of new homes will hit the timber and nursery industries that supply materials and landscaping to these new homes.

The Western states are supposedly not facing the housing crisis as badly as other states. “Sales dropped the most in the Northeast, falling by 40.6 percent. Sales were also down in the Midwest, dropping by 6.4 percent, but posted gains in the South of 5.7 percent and 0.7 percent in the West,” reported AP.

I’d be curious to hear from our blog readers in other parts of the country on what they are seeing in their communities, especially in how it may affect their rural areas and agricultural businesses.