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FLA Continues Push for Flexible Forest Management in Red-Cockaded Woodpecker Rule

In 2020, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) announced its proposal to change the status of the red-cockaded woodpecker (Picoides borealis) from “endangered” to “threatened.” The bird had been listed as “endangered” under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) since its passage in 1973. The 4(d) rule associated with the downlisting included many caveats that…

Best Management Practices Recognized in Alligator Snapping Turtle Proposed Listing
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Best Management Practices Recognized in Alligator Snapping Turtle Proposed Listing

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (the Service) is proposing to list the alligator snapping turtle as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act with a Section 4(d) rule to tailor “take” prohibitions. This proposal is one of many recently proposed species listings that provide exceptions in the 4(d) rule for forest management activities…

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Biden Administration Seeks to Uproot Progress Made on Collaborative Conservation Under ESA

In an effort to reverse many Trump-era decisions regarding the Endangered Species Act (ESA), President Biden on his first day in office issued an executive order directing the USFWS to revise, rescind, or reinstate five major ESA regulations issued by the Trump administration.  As a result of the Executive Order, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife…

FLA Holds Timber Talk on At-Risk Species and Forestry Best Management Practices
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FLA Holds Timber Talk on At-Risk Species and Forestry Best Management Practices

Communication and collaboration between private forest landowners and land management agencies are key to produce policies and regulations that work for all parties and minimize unintended consequences. The Forest Landowners Association (FLA) strives to bridge the knowledge gap between landowners and administrative agencies through our Timber Talk program, which brings agency staff, landowners, and other…

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FLA Launches Legal Challenge of Critical Habitat Designation for Black Pinesnake

On February 26, 2021, the Forest Landowners Association (FLA), filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Alabama challenging the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s designation of critical habitat for the black pinesnake (Pituophis melanoleucus). The lawsuit alleges that the Service designated areas of critical habitat based on insufficient scientific…