Tree Farmer - Winter 2012 - (Page 12)

Time to For many of us, the 2012 election season was relentless and exhausting. Now that the ads, the debates, and the 24-hour news coverage are finally behind us, it’s tempting to sit back and give it a rest. Before we tune out for two more years, though, it’s good to remember an old adage: “You’re either at the table or on the menu.” In fact, with a whole new group of elected officials in town, now is the time to ensure that they are fully briefed on the issues we care about. Policymakers need our help to understand how policies they set can impact family forest owners. As we know, often those policies make it difficult for families to manage their forest or even to keep their forestland. Tax issues, like the federal estate tax, may make it difficult for your children and grandchildren to keep the Tree Farm in the future. And green building policies may make it less likely that builders will use wood in construction projects, ultimately hurting markets for your wood products. “Unless we speak up, our members of Congress may have no idea how these policies affect us as family forest owners,” says Dianne Saloom, an Alabama Tree Farmer, and along with her husband, Salem, National Outstanding Tree Farmers of the Year in 2010. “I have found that our representatives and their staff have been very surprised as they learn that some green building policies discourage the use of wood in building construction, hurting not only jobs and the economy in Alabama, but also making it more difficult for family forest owners to continue to keep their forests healthy. When they learn about issues like this, the staff are very responsive. They want to learn more, and they want to help.” Dianne and Salem first became active advocates on Tree Farm policy issues when they attended the 2009 American Tree Farm System® (ATFS) convention in Washington, D.C. As part of the convention, they attended a training session to learn about current policy issues and spent the next day visiting the offices of their Alabama delegation in Congress. On that first trip, Dianne remembers being worried the staff might not want to hear what she had to say. She was surprised when they listened and asked questions. The Salooms have made similar visits since then as part of the annual ATFS Fly-in in Washington, D.C. Now when they visit, staff in the congressional offices greet them with hugs. “We have built a relationship with many of the staff and some of the members of Congress,” Dianne says. “They know that we are bringing them credible information about forest policy. But they also know we’re advocating for these policies because we are passionate about our Tree Farm and truly care about keeping it healthy.” AFTER THE 12 Tree Farmer Winter 2012

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Tree Farmer - Winter 2012

Tree Farmer - Winter 2012
Contents
From the Director
Forest News
After the Election, Time to Re-engage
Finding Their Way
A Woman’s Touch
Real-World Education
Connecting Kids to Nature
Sharing Your Experiences
Ties to the Land
Woodland Security
Taxing Issues

Tree Farmer - Winter 2012