Email from Alabama Forestry Association

AFA NEWSROOM V17N37, September 15, 2022

It's a Wrap For The Largest AFA Annual Meeting On Record

What a wonderful time at the beach! Thank you to everyone who joined us at the Perdido Beach Resort for this years annual meeting. The combination of fantastic speakers, amazing sponsors, exciting exhibitors, great food, and the best members in the state ushered in our largest attended meeting to date. In a quick recap, we had:

478 Attendees

37 Sponsors

27 Exhibitors

23 Public Officials

16 hours of possible Continuing Education

Pictures and video coming soon - after we take a nap!

Two Wood Products Companies Announce Projects Totaling $92 Million In Wiregrass Area

A pair of economic expansion projects in Dothan will inject a combined $92 million into the Wiregrass economy.

SmartLam North America, which makes cross laminated timber products at a Dothan factory, has announced it will invest $62 million to build a new manufacturing facility to produce large beams and columns for construction, creating 43 jobs.

Join AFA In Thanking Hoover's First Responders -September 23, 2022 - 11:00 -1:00

USDA: US pellet exports at 649,186 metric tons in July

The U.S. exported 649,185.7 metric tons of wood pellets in July, down from 832,092.2 metric tons the previous month, but up when compared to the 546,519.1 metric tons exported in July 2021, according to data released by the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service on Sept. 7.

AFA Newsroom Special Feature:

AFA Political Endorsements

Interested in who AFA has endorsed so far? Visit our AFA ForestPac Endorsement Pages, linked below, as more endorsements will be added soon

AFA ForestPAC Endorsement Page

Gopher Tortoise Conservation Gets a Boost in South Alabama

Gopher tortoise conservation reached a new level recently when the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR) teamed with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), Eckerd College and Birmingham Zoo to release 98 young tortoises into the Geneva State Forest Wildlife Management Area (WMA) in Covington County.

The gopher tortoise is considered a keystone species, which impacts about 365 species of amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals and invertebrates in the sandy-soil habitat across their southeastern range.

Alabama ANRC Landowner Conference -

October 27 - 28, 2022

Westervelt Announces Leadership Changes-

New Vice President of Westervelt Wood Products in 2023

Tuscaloosa, Ala. – September 12, 2022 – The Westervelt Company recently announced a change of leadership in the Wood Products business.

Mark Richardson has been promoted to the position of Vice President and General Manager, Wood Products, effective January 1, 2023. He will be promoted into the role currently held by Joe Patton, who recently announced his retirement after a 24+ year career with the Company.

In the weeks leading up to and during our Alabama Woods to Goods Week 2022 celebration, we will be sharing stories about why forestry is "more than an industry" to people throughout the state of Alabama. Let us know what forestry means to you by clicking the link below.

Learn More

Alabama Loggers Council Annual Meeting October 29, 2022

Join Loggers from all over the state. Special keynote speaker, Wendy Ferrand and a celebration of ALC's 30 year anniversary. This years program focuses on Transportation:

Main Topics

Loggers - Don't Leave Culture
Commercial Auto Insurance -What About the Future
Alabama Motor Carrier Safety Unit Update
Understanding Log Truck Gross Weights

Learn More

What Forest Carbon Pool Types Store the Most Carbon in the US?

Forest2Market’s newest analytical tool – Carbon Analysis 360 – was specifically designed to help participants across the forest value chain better understand the important ways in which they can impact climate concerns, inform decision-making, and identify new opportunities in developing markets. This data can be used to pinpoint critical trends that will impact climate initiatives going forward, and it can also help stakeholders answer important questions to better understand how forest management regimes can impact forest carbon stores.

Mark your calendars for our ForestPAC Sporting Clays Fundraiser at Selwood Farm on Decembers 6! Help us keep and get quality candidates elected! Register now!