Page 10 - Tree Line - North Carolina Forestry Association - Second Quarter 2024

Senate Bill 354: NC Ten
This legislation contained a provision that would have removed
the cap on the sales tax for commercial vehicles. The NCFA joined several members of the business community to successfully oppose the measure. We will continue to monitor this throughout 2024.
House Bill 259: 2023 Appropriations Act
The NCFA worked with members of the business community to successfully advocate for a clarification of the 2011 workers’ compen- sation legislation in response to a recent appeals court decision.
FEDERAL ISSUES
National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for fine particulate matter (NAAQS PM2.5) regulation
Every five years, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reevaluates the NAAQS standard for fine particulate matter. In 2020, the EPA reevaluated this standard and concluded that the current level would be protective of public health. Despite this finding, the EPA issued a new, more stringent standard that:
Does not result in any appreciable gains to public health goals.
Will stifle investments in the manufacturing sector.
Will make it harder for new investments to comply with the standard.
EPA’s administrator signed the final rule on February 7, 2024. On March 6, 24 states and a coalition comprising various industry groups filed a petition for review to challenge the rule. The NCFA will keep its members apprised of any further developments through our weekly newsletter.
European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR)
On June 29, 2023, the EU signed a regulation on deforestation-free products into law. The regulation intends to tackle deforestation and forest degradation. The regulation requires geolocation
data for all forest products (sawdust, chips, lumber, pellets, etc.), making compliance difficult if not impossible for some segments of the forest products industry.
Trade associations that represent members of the forest products industry are working with other affected commodity groups, U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai, and the EU Commission to minimize the impacts of the regulation before its effective date of January 1, 2025.
On March 8, 2024, members of the U.S. Senate sent Ambassador Tai a letter underscoring their concerns with the EUDR, requesting her continued engagement with EU officials to ensure the U.S. and the EU can maintain its mutually beneficial trade relationship.
Chip Export Trade to the EU
In 2023, the NCFA continued its work with a broad coalition working to prevent U.S. log and wood chip producers from facing unwarranted phytosanitary restrictions and technical barriers to trade, while supporting the development and advancement of science-based standards. In 2023, the coalition was successful
in being granted a pilot program for oak log exports to the
EU. In 2024, we will continue our work on opening a critically important wood chip market that would bring some relief to
all our members who have been impacted by mill closures and curtailments over the last couple of years.
Teachers enjoy a tour of International Paper’s New Bern mill through the NCFA’s Sustainable Forestry Teachers Experience.
EDUCATION
U.S. Forest Service (USFS)
Landscape Scale Restoration Grant
The FECF was officially awarded a three-year, $200,000 grant through the USFS Landscape Scale Restoration program to support forestry workforce development in North Carolina. The grant is funding the development and implementation of a new high school forestry course with a Forest Worker Credential in North Carolina, as well as teacher training and ongoing support.
AN53 Natural Resources II –
Forestry & Forest
Worker Credential
The NCFA signed a memorandum
of understanding with the Forest
Workforce Training Institute and is
now an official state affiliate of the
ForestryWorks® program. Through this program, we are adapting and implementing forestry workforce development programs in North Carolina, specifically the Forest Worker Credential.
We partnered with the NC Future Farmers of America (FFA), which oversees the agricultural education pathway within the NC Department of Public Instruction’s Career and Technical Education program, to adopt and adapt the Forest Worker Credential for NC. Given that NC does not have a forestry course for high school, we needed to develop a course. Throughout
the year, NCFA’s Director of Education Programs Jessica Ireland and Education Programs Coordinator Abigail Ridge, along
with the NCFA Education Committee, worked with NC FFA to complete a variety of tasks required by the NC Department of Public Instruction (DPI). This included creating a Research and Justification document, writing standards and objectives and a course user guide, and writing a full curriculum guide. The course and credential have been officially approved
by NC DPI and will be implemented in NC high
schools in the 2024-2025 school year.
More information on the course and its credential can be found on our website:
8 ncforestry.org / SECOND QUARTER 2024
IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN LEARNING MORE ABOUT
NCFA’S EDUCATION COMMITTEE, please email Jessica Ireland at jireland@ncforestry.org.
ANNUAL REPORT 2023