Fast Facts
Vol. 5 No. 15 July 23, 2008
FLAME Act
The Federal Lands Assistance, Management and Enhancement Act (H.R. 5541), best known as the FLAME Act, passed the U.S. House earlier this month. The bill creates a special fund to cover emergency suppression costs for catastrophic wildfires. Under the current system of budgeting for wildfires, the USDA Forest Service typically borrows from other public land management programs to fund fire suppression costs during severe fire years. The bill is now in the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources for debate. There may be action on the FLAME Act before the Senate goes on recess at the beginning of August.
The Forest Landowners Association (FLA) supports this legislation as many of our members, particularly in the West, have suffered great losses due to disastrous wildfires moving from poorly managed public forest landed onto adjacent private forest land.
Best States for Biomass
This week Forbes Magazine released its list of the top five states most important to the emerging biomass industry. Iowa, North Dakota, Georgia, Mississippi and North Carolina are unique in land composition, farming, economy, and distinctive biomass feedstocks.
Georgia and Mississippi are listed due to their vast private forestland and the amount of waste wood each state's wood products industry produces. While Forbes is correct about the high volume of waste wood produced from private forest land in Georgia, Mississippi and much of the south, FLA feels strongly that all wood, not just waste wood, is needed for cellulosic biomass to be part of the solution to U.S. energy needs.
Timberland for Sale
The Forest Landowners Association is excited to announce the addition of the timberland for sale section of the FLA website. Buyers can browse over 60,000 tracts for sale, and sellers can sign up for a listing on this network of over 250 websites, which receive over 2 million visitors a month. Visit www.forestlandowners.com to take advantage of this new FLA member benefit.
For more information, please contact Government Affairs Coordinator Brendan Davis at bdavis@forestlandowners.com
