A year ago, we were just learning about a new disease known as COVID-19 and were in the thick of businesses and economies shutting down in an attempt to slow the spread. Today, because of vaccines, we are on track to return to normal, including in-person meetings of forestry organization events.

“Last spring, I talked about how sawmills were curtailing production,” writes Marshall Thomas, president of F&W Forestry Services, in his company’s spring newsletter. “It seems ironic to think of that now, as demand for lumber continued through the crisis and prices reached all-time highs.”

“Unfortunately, this hasn’t translated into higher prices being paid to landowners for trees, since we still have an oversupply of trees in the forest,” he adds.

Thomas notes that rural real estate has done very well during the pandemic, with higher-than-normal interest in tracts near urban areas.

“It will be interesting to see if this and other COVID-19-related trends hold up as we move back to ‘normal.’”

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When Joe Biden takes office in January, one of his top priorities will be climate change, which is likely to have a huge impact on forest policies.

On day one, Mr. Biden said he would take steps to have the U.S. rejoin the Paris Climate Accord.  He also plans to invest in green infrastructure, buildings, transportation, and renewable energy in order to put the U.S. on track to have net-zero emissions by 2050.  Forests are likely to play a critical role in climate mitigation strategies because of the ability of trees to capture and store carbon. 

The Biden Administration is also expected to revisit rules and regulations implemented under Trump, including Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS), the Endangered Species Act, and the Affordable Clean Energy Rule, all of which could impact forest landowners.