Page 23 - Georgia Forestry - Winter 2018
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which may only get worse if no action is taken. Private landowner and GFA member Benjie Tarbutton agrees that it is time to make a change.
“Ad valorem taxes are a significant issue for forestland owners, partic- ularly given that most owners only harvest timber and generate revenues two or three times over a rotation that can last 30 years, or even longer for hardwood stands,” Tarbutton said. “Georgia is the leading state for for- estry in the nation, and we need to ensure that our public policy, and particularly our tax policy, creates a competitive environment for our state.”
Strides were made in the 2017 session — the first half of a biennial session that will conclude this year — when the Association ushered House Bill 85 through the House. As the bill awaits action in the Senate, the Association will continue to advocate for a sensible approach to removing unnecessary burdens from forest landowners.
Georgia Forestry Foundation License Plate
Connecting 10 million Georgians to the state’s 22 million acres of privately owned forests is an institutional prior- ity of the Georgia Forestry Foundation (GFF), the outreach arm of the Asso- ciation. This year, GFA will seek to enact a bill to support the mission of the Foundation through the creation of a revenue-sharing vanity license plate.
“We are excited about the great work we are already doing through the Foundation focused on leadership, education and research,” GFF Exec- utive Director Ember Bentley said. “This license plate will help us to unify the forestry community in our effort to connect the importance and relevance of Georgia’s working forests to the 10 million citizens of our state.”
The license plate will help to increase the visibility of Georgia’s forestry community, while implementing a new revenue stream that will support the Foundation’s mission and vision to educate Georgians about the benefits of our state’s working forests. Learn more at www.gaforestryfoundation.org.
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