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Betsy Bates

Trump Sets Aggressive Agenda

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While it may be some time before there are any major changes in forest policy under President Trump, it is very clear that the new administration is taking a sharply different approach on issues than the previous one.

Already President Trump and his new EPA Administrator, Scott Pruitt, have begun the process of rolling back the Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) rule and the Clean Power Plan (CPP) program, both major environmental policy initiatives of the Obama administration that have a huge impact on forestry.

Trump has also tapped former Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue to lead the Department of Agriculture. Perdue, a successful agribusiness man, will have oversight of the vast government agency that sets policy on issues ranging from agriculture, forestry, and natural resources to nutrition and rural development. He will also serve as the key liaison for the White House on the reauthorization of the Farm Bill by Congress in 2018.

TO SEE THE FULL ARTICLE IN THE SPRING 2017 F&W FORESTRY REPORT, SUBSCRIBE NOW

Betsy Bates

Timber Prices Flat In 2016; Washington Changes Create Challenges/Opportunities

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Timber markets didn’t have a great year in 2016. A lackluster home building sector, dry weather conditions, and increased Canadian lumber imports into the U.S. combined to hold timber prices in place.

“Housing starts stayed relatively flat and so did our (timber) stumpage prices,” wrote Marshall Thomas, president of F&W Forestry Services, Inc., in the winter edition of his company’s quarterly newsletter.

However, Thomas said the change in weather patterns towards the end of the year will hopefully give a boost to timber prices in the coming months.

Anticipated changes in Washington could also have a big impact on timber markets and the forest industry.

“Changes in taxes and trade positions could have dramatic impacts and we just don’t know which way that will go right now,” Thomas said.

“This election upset may lead to some economic changes that benefit us—let’s hope for the best as the new president sets up his administration and begins to set policy,” said Thomas. “It is a good time to get more involved with your Congressmen and Senators to make sure they are on their toes in terms of our specific forestry issues.”

TO SEE THE FULL ARTICLE IN THE WINTER 2017 F&W FORESTRY REPORT, SUBSCRIBE NOW

Betsy Bates

Sweeping Changes In Washington Likely To Be Felt By Forest Industry

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While the November election answered one question—who will lead the U.S. for the next four years—it raised many more.  President-elect Trump and the Republican majority in Congress are now embarking on the complicated task of implementing new domestic and foreign policy agendas.  Many of the policy changes expected to be considered are likely to have a significant impact on forestry, particularly as it relates to taxes, the environment and trade.

A major overhaul of tax laws, which has long been a goal of Congressional Republicans, could result in the elimination of several tax provisions that are very favorable to forest landowners, including the treatment of most timber sales as capital gains and deductions related to operating and management costs. It could also result in the elimination of the estate tax, otherwise known as the “death tax,” which could benefit family forests.

Forestry is expected to fare well under Trump’s pick to lead the Environmental Protection Agency.  Scott Pruitt, the current Attorney General for Oklahoma, is expected to dismantle many of the onerous rules and regulations put in place during the Obama administration.  And the administration’s new foreign trade policies could have a mixed effect on U.S. wood markets.

TO SEE THE FULL ARTICLE IN THE WINTER 2017 F&W FORESTRY REPORT, SUBSCRIBE NOW