TreeLines

Time to Reforest – Now What?

When the reforestation process starts, most landowners know the amount of land they own, and they want to plant the most productive seedlings available. With new options and genetics available today, both site preparation and seedling selection are two key factors where it pays to talk to a Reforestation Advisor (RA) to make sure you are getting the most value for your investment.

In talking to landowners, the first question RAs always ask is, “What do you desire at the harvest of your trees?” At that point, we begin to ask a landowner about the site they want to plant. Some basic questions that have to be addressed immediately, such as:

• What type of soil is in the planting site – Sand, Silt or Clay?
• What is the soil pH?
• What nutrients do you have in the soil?

After investing both money and time in site preparation, it is essential that landowners must do their homework to determine the best seedlings for their goals. Let’s look at pine seedlings. As breeding and technology have advanced, landowners continuously have new options available to them. Following rigorous progeny testing, Open Pollinated, Mass Control Pollinated (MCP®), and Varietal seedlings are now available to the public. In addition, landowners have classifications within each of those types. The rankings with the classifications are influenced by:

• Height
• Volume
• Straightness in regards to form
• Disease resistance
• Forking probability

ArborGen can provide clear performance data of all traits to customers supported by university co-ops and internal trial data. By asking the right questions, we are able to use our knowledge of forestry and genetics to partner with a landowner to help establish a stand of trees that has the highest probability of reaching their goals.

Bringing the Trees to You Video Series

Issue Update from FRA

Rep. Cuellar Introduces H-2B Legislation

On Tuesday, Congressman Henry Cuellar (D-TX-28), along with Representatives David Joyce (R-OH-14), Bill Keating (D-MA-9), Chellie Pingree (D-ME-1), Steve Chabot (R-OH-1), and Andy Harris (R-MD-1), introduced the Returning Worker Exemption (RWE) Act (HR 3897). This bill addresses the antiquated H-2B visa cap by making more workers available to ensure that seasonal businesses, like tree planting, can meet their labor needs. “The cap of 66,000 H-2B visas is arbitrary and does not always reflect our labor needs,” said Congressman Cuellar. To qualify for the exemption, an H-2B guest worker would need to have been working in the U.S. in one of the last three years. Demand for H-2B workers has exceeded the 66,000-visa cap by two to three times over the last several years. An FRA survey of employers of H-2B workers showed that one-third of the employers do not receive all the workers they request. FRA partnered with the H-2B Workforce Coalition Steering Committee to prepare and have the legislation introduced. Both FRA and the H-2B Workforce Coalition released statements when the RWE Act was introduced on Tuesday. In addition, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce issued a statement supporting the legislation, and Members of Congress who cosponsored this bill will receive credit on the Chamber’s “How They Voted” rating.

Take Action: The H-2B Workforce Coalition has set up a site where seasonal businesses can contact their Representatives and urge them to support the RWE Act. You may also contact your members through the Capitol Switchboard at 202-225-3121. Once connected to the office, ask to speak to the staff person who handles immigration policies and urge them to support HR 3897, the Returning Worker Exemption Act. For more information on the importance of H-2B guest workers to the forest products industry, click on the links below:

• H-2B Reform (forestresources.org)
• H-2B’s Importance to Forest Products Industry (forestresources.org)

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