2024 FRA Joint Appalachian & Southeastern Region/Forest Products Security Group Fall Meeting Summary of Business
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Last week, the Appalachian/Southeastern Regions, including the Forest Products Security Group, kicked off their joint meeting in Greensboro, NC. A pre-meeting tour hosted by Canfor Southern Pine in Graham, NC, was offered to members arriving early on Tuesday afternoon, and attendees were treated to an impressive walk-through of a high-tech, high-production southern yellow pine sawmill operation.
Clay Altizer, Southwide Region Manager, began the program the following day by welcoming members and guests to the meeting. The first speaker was Tom Inman with Appalachian Hardwood Manufacturers Inc. Tom’s presentation was Real American Hardwood Promotion where he discussed the importance of recognizing the benefits of using real American hardwoods. Tom shared some of the ads sponsored by The Real American Hardwood Coalition (RAHC) running on the Magnolia Network. The message is aligned with promoting the beauty and functionality of using American hardwood in our homes.
Scott Barrett, Associate Professor and Extension Specialist at Virginia Tech, shared the results of a research project investigating the Economic Sustainability of Logging Businesses in Virginia. The survey, completed in 2023, summarized the responses of loggers in Virginia and their view of the future. An aging workforce, challenging market conditions, and a reluctance of younger people to join the forest products industry as a career were all expressed as concerns when making plans for the future.
The following two speakers specialized in timber security. Aaron Gilland, President of Dendro Resource Management, Inc., and Tom Kazee, Senior Director of Operations for Woodland Security, Inc., are experienced investigators skilled at detecting fraud, preventing theft, and lowering risk in our industry. Aaron’s presentation was titled A Case Study: Sustainable Harvesting Misrepresentation to Investors, and Tom shared his experience with Recent Timber Theft Investigations and Universal Threats to Asset Security. Both presentations described actual cases that were investigated and later prosecuted.
Tom Kain, Senior Manager Forest Management Certification Markets- Forest Stewardship Council US, talked about Reporting & Investigating FSC Integrity Claims: Case Study of a Transactional Loop Verification. In the world of forest certification, verifying data can be a challenge and an opportunity for fraud and deceptive claims. Glen Coley, Law Enforcement Chief- NC Forest Service, presented Timber Theft in North Carolina. He described his role and what’s being done to combat timber theft in NC. Working with law enforcement partners in adjoining states is one activity that’s helping to close some of their timber theft cases.
The FRA region awards luncheon followed the Forest Products Security presentations. During the luncheon, Jessica Ireland, Director of Education Programs-North Carolina Forestry Association, and Abigail Ridge, Education Programs Coordinator-NCFA, gave a presentation on the North Carolina Forestry Association (NCFA) AN53 Natural Resources II- Forestry Course Overview discussing their efforts to promote forestry and create interest among young people in pursuing a forestry career path. The programs and work done through the NCFA are a great model for other states to use when developing similar programs.
At the end of the luncheon, the 2024 Appalachian Region Technical Writing Award was presented to Roy Reaves, Reaves Timber. Jay Phaup, Wood Procurement Supervisor with Greif, talked about his longtime friendship with Roy and his family. He described seeing the “Ridge Link” detailed in the winning Technical Release (TR) at an equipment show and why he felt it was worthy of a TR award. Bill Dempsey, AR Steering Committee Chairman, presented Roy with a plaque and a check for $500 from FRA.
(L-R Roy Reaves, Bill Dempsey, Jeff Jenkins)
The 2024 Appalachian Region Outstanding Logger Award was presented to Aaron Street of Aaron Street Logging, LLC. Bill Dempsey introduced Aaron and detailed his mechanized logging operation, including his weekly production, safety focus, and success with mountain logging. Aaron and his family were presented with a solid walnut crosscut saw from FRA. Scott Heseltine, STIHL USA, also presented Aaron with a certificate for an MS 462 STIHL chainsaw and a check for $500. STIHL has been a longtime sponsor of this important award.
For the afternoon session, members and guests visited the EGGER facility in Linwood, NC. EGGER is a manufacturer of particleboard, medium-density fiberboard, and other wood-based products. FRA members were given an informative tour of their state-of-the-art facility before enjoying a dinner hosted by EGGER.
The final day was for the AR/SER Steering Committees. Many of our member companies have been challenged to meet the requirements of the new EUDR rules, which were expected to be implemented by Jan. 1, 2025, but have since been delayed. Jeff Widmer, Sales, Value Chain North America, ResourceWise, Andrew Rutter, Senior Business Analyst, Legna Software, and Calum Mackey, Trimble all provided presentations, giving FRA committee members more insight and understanding of the requirements of the new EUDR rules and how to use the software that their companies developed to address those requirements.
AR Committee Chairman Bill Dempsey kicked off a roundtable discussion, asking members to share wood supply issues, challenges, or concerns facing the industry. A lot of discussion centered on having a unified voice and avoiding fragmentation. It was agreed that the legislative fly-in in Washington, D.C., is a great opportunity to unite in numbers with one voice. Using social media effectively and reaching more teachers at a grassroots level were two additional areas that committee members agreed on.
After the steering committee meeting, there was a tour of Prime Lumber Company in Thomasville, NC. Bill Graben, CEO of Prime Lumber Company, provided a walk-through of their lumber drying, sorting, and shipping activities. Shipping lumber overseas is complicated, and Prime Lumber Company has been doing it right for many years, being recognized in 2014 as the North Carolina Exporter of the Year.
The joint Appalachian and Southeastern Region meeting, along with the Forest Products Security Group meeting, was a great success, bringing FRA members from two regions together. The agenda was packed with valuable information, and our member companies’ tours were engaging and insightful.
For those in attendance, we value your experience and feedback, and ask that you please take a moment to complete this meeting survey. Your feedback is crucial to our continued growth. Thank you for being a part of this event!
