Page 12 - Tree Line - North Carolina Forestry Association - Second Quarter 2022

ANNUAL REPORT 2021
applications have been submitted and nearly $2 million in initial payments have been disbursed. Prior American Loggers Council surveys and estimates indicate that far more are eligible. The application is quite simple — only one and a half pages. The local Farm Service Agency (FSA) offices are prepared to assist loggers and truckers with the application process.
Waters of the United States (WOTUS)
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and the United States Corps of Engineers announced on September 3, 2021
a reversion to a pre-2015 definition of WOTUS following a ruling
by the U.S. District Court in Arizona, finding that the rule issued in 2020 was inconsistent with the federal Clean Water Act. The NCFA has joined several national and state forestry trade associations in submitting comments that make the following recommendations:
1. Congress’s Stated Policy in Clean Water Act Section 101(b) must guide any revision of the definition of “Waters of the United States.”
2. Anyrevisiontheagenciesmakeshouldincludeclear definitions that allow for consistent application.
3. Only non-navigable waters that are relatively permanent tributaries to, and have a clear surface connection with, traditional navigable waters should be “Waters of the United States.”
4. Most ditches should remain non-jurisdictional.
5. Only wetlands that directly abut other “Waters of the United
States” should be jurisdictional.
6. The agencies should maintain specific exclusions in any revision.
ProLogger
The NCFA’s
ProLogger program,
which consists of
a base course and
an annual continuing
education requirement, is one of the nation’s top logger training programs.
Since 1995, the ProLogger program has been teaching loggers how to be smart, safe, and environmentally conscious in the woods. The base course runs two days, of which one and a half days take place in the classroom. The final half-day is a field demonstration where soon-to-be ProLoggers learn proper felling techniques, in addition to updates from OSHNC officers, and a water quality review session from members of the NC Forest Service.
Currently, there are more than 1,400 ProLoggers who have successfullymaintainedtheirProLoggerstatusbytakingtherequired course. Typically, the base course is conducted in three different locations each year. The continuing education course, referred to
as a module, is conducted throughout the year by NCFA member companies across the state and is now offered online. The annual training calendar for the program runs from July 1 to June 30.
The NCFA coordinates input from the North Carolina SFI Implementation Committee and the NCFA’s Safety, Logging, and Transportation Committee to develop the topics featured in each training module.
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10 ncforestry.org / SECOND QUARTER 2022