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A SNEAK PEEK AT THE PROTOTYPE 865 LOGGER
A purpose-built logger, the Tigercat 865 will offer many advantages over excavator conversions, including better service access, stronger swing torque and superior operator visibility. The Tigercat FPT N67 engine delivers 165 kW (221 hp) at 1,900 rpm.
The 865 logger can be configured as a loader with boom options for various grapple types, or as a high capacity processor, capable of running large harvesting heads in demanding duty cycles. Dual swing drives will provide ample torque and speed for high-performance loading or processing.
Service access has been carefully thought out with the ability to step down into the centre of the machine for clear, unobstructed access to the engine and daily service points. Large enclosure doors and a spring assist side service platform provide a large, stable work area for performing maintenance on hydraulic components and changing filters. A large cast counterweight provides excellent stability with a swing-out door that allows access to the engine from the rear of the machine.
The rear entry elevated cab, full-length front window, and additional floor windows provide superior visibility with clear sightlines. LED lighting and the rearVIEW camera system further augment operator visibility. Stay tuned.
Risch, Colleagues Introduce Small Business Capital Recovery Bill
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), former Chairman and Chairman of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, along with Senators Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), introduced the Small Business Access to Recovery Capital Act. The legislation would provide expanded relief measures to the 7(a) loan program for one year to help businesses cope with challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Until Congress can pass comprehensive COVID-19 relief, small businesses need access to capital to keep their doors open and their employees compensated,” said Risch. “This common-sense legislation will make low-interest loans available to Idaho’s small businesses who are unable to access lines of credit until additional relief is available.”
“The SBA’s 7(a) loan program is critical in providing flexible working capital to small businesses,” said Rubio. “These relief measures would ensure that firms can access long-term loans that provide much needed financial stability as they recover from the economic impacts of the pandemic. I am proud to partner with my colleagues to make this program meet the needs of today’s small businesses.”
“Small businesses are the engine of our economy, but the COVID-19 pandemic is tragically forcing many families to close the doors to their small businesses that they have spent years or even generations to build,” said Collins. “As the co-author of the Paycheck Protection Program, I have worked to help small businesses stay afloat and continue paying their employees. This bipartisan bill would provide additional assistance for small businesses to weather this public health and economic crisis.”
“Small businesses are the backbone of our economy, and it is vital Congress pass legislation to provide relief to them and working families who have suffered thanks to the coronavirus pandemic,” said Hawley. “This legislation will expand access to working capital for small businesses through the 7(a) lending program to help keep businesses afloat and secure wages for their employees.”
The Small Business Access to Recovery Capital Act would expand small business’ access to the 7(a) Loan Guaranty program for one year by:
Waiving borrower and lender fees;
Increasing the government guarantee to 95%;
Increasing the maximum loan value from $5 million to $10 million; and
Waiving debt repayment of principal, interest, and fees for any new loans made under the 7(a) program for one year.
The bill text can be found here.
Source: Office of James E. Rich
Don’t Overlook America’s Loggers
October 21, 2020 — The backdrop for President Trump’s visit to Duluth, Minnesota, last week featured two powerful American symbols. Air Force One, a symbol of American leadership and strength, and three loaded logging trucks, personifying one of the nation’s most important agricultural products and the many hard-working small-business owners that make up the logging industry.
The forest products and logging sector was deemed critical during the COVID pandemic as the nation continued to rely on sustainably harvested timber to produce everything from home building materials to toilet paper. Logging has a rich American history going back to building the original settlements, ship building, and the expansion of railroads. Today it is no less important, with countless commodities produced from forest products used in every home and office.
Unfortunately, for many logging companies, the COVID pandemic has taken a heavy toll. Lumber and paper mills across the country have reduced or ceased production in response to drops in demand. The closure of major paper mills in Wisconsin Rapids and Duluth, Minnesota, are among the most devastating regional examples. Nationwide production curtailments have led to lower prices for log delivery to mills. Logging companies are generally small, family-owned businesses that have high operating costs and are more susceptible to prolonged periods of economic decline. Many are in danger of permanent closure. That means when the economy recovers, there simply will not be as many loggers to do the work and respond to demand. Consequently, consumer costs will rise dramatically across the nation.
Virtually all raw material delivered to mills by loggers and truckers have experienced price drops greater than 5 percent in 2020 compared to 2019. A 6.7 percent (21.4 million tons) reduction in nation-wide wood consumption has reduced wood prices and generated a $1.83 billion (-13.0 percent) loss in revenue.
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act was intended to provide much-needed relief to businesses struggling to survive during this economic shutdown, and for most industries the stimulus was very helpful. However, CARES Act programs like the Payroll Protection Program (PPP) are limited to a percentage of actual payroll and don’t take into consideration fixed costs, such as monthly payments on expensive equipment that many in the logging industry are faced with. These fixed costs are like a mortgage — they must be paid whether a person is working or not. Loggers in some regions are experiencing 40 percent losses, making it impossible to keep up with overhead costs.
Logging is categorized as an agriculture product by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), but when it comes to providing assistance it is not given the same consideration as other products by the agency. Congress authorized $9.5 billion to support agricultural producers affected by COVID. In May, USDA launched the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program in the CARES Act for a limited number of commodities. In July, it expanded the program for additional commodities. Timber and logs were not included. This Fall USDA created CFAP-2 which allocates additional funds to agricultural producers impacted in the second two quarters of 2020. This now includes Christmas trees that have yet to be harvested this year, ornamental fish and tobacco -- but not commercial timber harvest.
Six U.S. Senators -- including Susan Collins (R-ME), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), and Tina Smith (D-MN) -- have urged the USDA to provide financial assistance to American loggers and log haulers who have experienced serious financial strain due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In a letter to USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue, the senators stated that, “Loggers and log haulers are critical to America’s forest products industry – which is a top-10 manufacturing industry in 45 U.S. states. Our nation’s loggers and haulers harvest and transport the raw material that supports over $283 billion in value-added wood and paper products – with a supply chain that includes nearly one million Americans earning over $54 billion in combined payroll. In light of the dire situation facing loggers and log haulers, we urge the Department to use its broad authority and funds already provided by Congress to immediately make financial assistance available to loggers and log haulers impacted by the pandemic.”
These U.S. Senators are right: the logging and forest products industry needs a lifeline like other similarly situated agricultural producers. President Trump has been an ally of hardworking blue-collar workers in our forests, mines, and factories. He understands how critical these jobs are. He also knows the important role logging plays in manufacturing, trade, and wildfire mitigation. Hopefully USDA will be able to find a way to include logging in CARES funds that have already been allocated so logging can continue to remain an American symbol of greatness.
Trump to Sign Trillion Trees Executive Order
October 13, 2020 - President Trump today will sign an executive order boosting U.S. involvement in the international Trillion Trees Initiative, the White House said this morning, an effort to bolster the president's environmental credentials ahead of the election even as he continues to downplay climate change.
The initiative, launched early this year at the World Economic Forum, aims to plant and preserve 1 trillion trees around the world to sequester carbon.
"Through today's Executive Order, and on the heels of the Great American Outdoors Act signed into law by the President just 2 months ago, we continue to prioritize forest conservation in America and around the world," Ivanka Trump, the president's daughter and adviser, said in a statement.
The president committed the United States to the initiative at the forum's annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, in January, and it has since become a talking point for the GOP and one of the few climate-related policies Republicans are willing to support, despite their continued backing for fossil fuels.
The new executive order, first reported by Axios, will create a Trillion Trees Interagency Council made up of representatives from 14 federal agencies, a White House official said.
Trump's daughter and her husband, White House adviser Jared Kushner, will serve on the council, which will create a methodology to track the progress as well as identify governmental and regulatory limitations to planting and conserving trees.
Kushner has led much of the White House focus on the Trillion Trees Initiative, at the urging of Salesforce.com Inc. CEO Marc Benioff, according to reporting from Bob Woodward's book "Rage."
Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue and Interior Secretary David Bernhardt will co-chair the panel. Other members include economic adviser Larry Kudlow, Council on Environmental Quality Chair Mary Neumayr, EPA chief Andrew Wheeler, and Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought.
The White House has not released the official text of the order, but its background material does not mention climate change or carbon sequestration.
The order mirrors an idea proposed by congressional Republicans in the "Trillion Trees Act," introduced earlier this year as H.R. 5859 by Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.).
Westerman spokeswoman Rebekah Hoshiko said the congressman had been in touch with the White House about the order but was still awaiting final details this morning.
While planting trees would sequester carbon, experts say it would do little to solve climate change without more expansive policies to reduce industrial greenhouse gas emissions.
The initiative is nonetheless at the forefront of Republican messaging on climate. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) included Westerman's bill in a package of carbon capture and climate bills he put together with his deputies earlier this year (Greenwire, Feb. 12).
Trump also brought up the initiative during the first presidential debate when moderator Chris Wallace asked about climate change, though the president referred to it as the "billion trees project."
Westerman has said his bill is not a panacea for addressing climate change. Trump, for his part, has aggressively downplayed climate science and attacked Democratic proposals to tackle it on the campaign trail.
The president has instead sought to make energy issues central to his campaign — falsely accusing Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden of saying he would ban hydraulic fracturing throughout the country.
Tonight, Trump will hold a campaign rally in Johnstown, Pa. — an energy-rich state that both campaigns see as critical.
by Nick Sobczyk and Kelsey Brugger, E&E News Reporters
Twitter: @nick_sobczykEmail: nsobczyk@eenews.net
President Trump Announces Intent to Appoint Scott Dane to President’s Export Council
October 8, 2020 - Scott Dane, Executive Director, Associated Contract Loggers & Truckers of Minnesota has been selected for an appointment to the President’s Export Council. The President’s Export Council serves as the principle national advisory committee on international trade. The Council advises the President of government policies and programs that affect U.S. trade performance; promotes export expansion; and provides a forum for discussing and resolving trade-related problems among the business, industrial, agriculture, labor and government sectors. This unique opportunity will bring the American timber and forest products industry’s voice to the table when trade policies are discussed, considered and implemented.
“It is a distinct honor and privilege to have been selected for an appointment to the President’s Export Council. I do not pretend to bring a CEO perspective to the Council, but the boots on the ground perspective of the loggers, truckers and forest products workers. These individuals / jobs have been impacted by prior trade policy and agreements, often with negative consequences to the U.S. timber industry. This is another example of President Trump recognizing the forgotten, unheard American worker and giving them a seat at the table. I look forward to supporting and promoting President Trump’s America First economic agenda and ensuring that America’s timber and forest products industry is part of it.” said Scott Dane.
The American timber and forest products industry represents a $200 billion economic impact to the U.S. economy and employs approximately one million workers, making this sector one of the most significant employers in U.S. manufacturing. Additionally, sustainable forest management ensures America’s forests remain healthy, creates rural jobs, reduces wildfire hazards, provides essential products and contributes to the energy independence of the U.S.
U.S. Department of Agriculture Releases Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Alaska Roadless Rule
WASHINGTON, Sept. 24, 2020 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced the upcoming publication of a Final Environmental Impact Statement that describes the environmental effects of six alternatives, including whether the Tongass National Forest should be exempted from the 2001 Roadless Rule.
A copy of the final statement will be available on the project website after a notice is published in the Federal Register.
Consistent with applicable regulations, there is a 30-day waiting period before a final Record of Decision and rule would be issued by the Secretary of Agriculture.
For nearly two years, the USDA Forest Service reviewed citizen input provided through public meetings and subsistence hearings, written public comments, government-to-government consultations with federally recognized tribes and Alaska Native corporations, and engagement with cooperating agencies.
Background:
In 2001, the USDA adopted the Roadless Area Conservation Rule (2001 Roadless Rule). The roadless rule prohibits road construction, and cutting, selling or removing timber within inventoried roadless areas, with certain exceptions. The 2001 Roadless Rule applies nationwide and includes more than 45 million acres of national forests and grasslands. Currently, 9.2 million acres -- around 55% -- of the Tongass National Forest are designated and managed as inventoried roadless areas, which has limited economic opportunities in some areas.
In January of 2018, the State of Alaska petitioned the Secretary of Agriculture to consider exempting the Tongass National Forest from the 2001 Roadless Rule. In response, the USDA, Forest Service, and the State of Alaska agreed to examine state-specific rulemaking. In June 2018, the Secretary directed the Forest Service to begin evaluating state-specific roadless rule for Alaska.
Part of this evaluation is governed by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), which requires federal agencies to analyze significant environmental impacts of proposed actions through a thorough and public process. The specifics of the NEPA process vary according to the circumstances, but federal agencies solicit public involvement at significant steps in the process, which begins with determining the scope of the analysis and ends with publishing the final decision.
The NEPA process began in August 2018, when the Forest Service published a Notice of Intent to conduct an environmental impact statement on a potential roadless rule exemption for the Tongass National Forest and solicited public comments on the scope of the analysis. In October 2019, the Forest Service published a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) and proposed Rule for a 60-day public comment period. The Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) responds to substantive public comments to the draft, contains additional analysis of management options and identifies the preferred alternative to fully exempt the Tongass National Forest from the 2001 Roadless Rule.
The 30-day waiting period will provide time for the Secretary to consider the purpose and need, weigh the alternatives, balance objectives and issue a record of decision on the final rule. Any record of decision on the final rule will not directly authorize any ground-disturbing activities
Make Logging Great Again - Kathy Hunter with Wade Biggs Logging - Pinetown, NC
As I walked through a wooded area the other day, I saw some beautiful, big old trees. I walked around admiring the beauty of the place, and then I looked down and saw some cute little tree sprouts. They were already standing straight, green, and even a little majestic for such a little tree. I thought about how if it were nurtured and left to grow, in years to come it would become shade for rest and refuge. This tiny sprout could become a home for birds, squirrels, opossums, or even a treehouse for children to climb and play. Working for a Logging Company I also thought about how it could provide shelter as wood for building homes, or pulp for paper or even chips to be made into toilet paper. If you live in a home and get the privilege to use toilet paper-thank a Logger!
The Logging business could also be considered a farm industry. We might cut down the trees, but we also plant them. It might take some time (even a generation) before we harvest, but these trees are our future. We are more than loggers, we are “Tree Farmers”. Our “crops” just take a little more time to reap what we sow. But without us Tree Famers who is going to provide what we provide (think toilet paper)?
Running and maintaining a logging business has become increasingly more challenging. We are limited by quotas on what we can bring to the mills. Some mills have closed completely. The severely depressed and diminishing log markets mean that an entire valuable supply chain could be disrupted. Loggers and Log Trucking companies face high operating costs, our insurance is astronomical, and lately we have seen a drastic loss of return on our investment. Logging throughout the United States is being reduced and new investments in the logging sector are extremely limited.
On July 21, 2020 bills H.R. 7690 and S. 4233 were introduced to Congress, and both were immediately sent to committee. Did you know that 90% of all bills die in committee? Languishing there with no thought, discussion, or action. The Logging and Log Trucking industry is suffering and needs the help these bills would provide.
The American Loggers Council has urged all Loggers to write or call their Congressman and the President and urge them to consider Logging as important as Farming, and to pass the
“Loggers Relief Act”. It will allow the USDA that already oversees Forestry Services to provide grants and loans that will help companies that have seen a 10% revenue decline due to COVID-19 and have been hit hard by this pandemic. The Loggers Council has told lawmakers, "This program is intended to ensure that contractors can have the opportunity to remain in business over the next 12 months and to adjust their operations as markets begin to stabilize."
During this pandemic we definitely learned from the great “Toilet Paper Shortage of 2020” how important TP is to all of us. We urge you to assist us Loggers, or “Tree Farmers” who bring this vital resource to you to get HR 7690 and S.4233 out of committee to the House and Senate floors for a vote, have it pass and go to President Trump to sign into law. Write or call your Congressman. Flood them with emails and messages imploring them to get it done. Remind them that they, too use what we provide, and they need to help a Logger-so we can keep helping you!
Chair Abigail Spanberger Statement Following 2020 Wildfires Hearing
9/24/2020 - WASHINGTON- House Agriculture Subcommittee on Conservation and Forestry Chair Abigail Spanberger of Virginia delivered the following statement on today's hearing on 2020 wildfires, response and recovery.
"How we come together to help our Western states respond to, recover from, and rebuild stronger can be a defining act in these times. In addition to our important conversation today, there is much work to be done beyond the jurisdiction of this Subcommittee; including: support for community and home rebuilding, for rural development, for health care services, other emergency management and response needs in the areas devastated by wildfires, taking meaningful actions to reduce our carbon footprint across all sectors of the economy, and building a more resilient and sustainable economy
"There is also clearly more work that needs to be done by this Subcommittee and this Committee on both questions of climate solutions in the agricultural and forestry sectors. I stand ready to continue this work. As I said at the top of this hearing, we should not have to wait for the ash of the wildfires to reach the Capitol’s steps to take action.
"I look forward to our continued work together as a Subcommittee, Committee, Congress, and Nation to support these efforts. I would like to thank USDA staff and our witness here today for their commitment to addressing this grand challenge."
1301 Longworth House Office Building | 202-225-2171 | agriculture.house.gov | @HouseAgDems
Shaheen, Capito Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Help Granite State Forest and Commercial Building Owners with Sustainability
(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) reintroduced the Forest Incentives Program Act with Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), which would help landowners make forest management more affordable and provide them with sustainable options to preserve their land. With financial assistance from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), private forest owners would be encouraged to employ environmentally-conscious forest management techniques. Additionally, non-residential building owners would be incentivized to use less-energy intensive products, such as wood, for structural building materials.
“Private forests are important in New Hampshire and rural communities across the country, protecting our natural resources and wildlife and providing support to regional economies. Our bipartisan bill helps private forest owners implement sustainable practices to maintain their land, which is an investment in the safety and stability of both our environment and local workforce,” said Senator Shaheen. “This bipartisan legislation is a common-sense measure that would empower our forest owners and commercial building owners with additional tools to steward forest lands and invest in their own financial security. Safeguarding America’s forests and prioritizing healthy rural economies are bipartisan concerns and this legislation helps make good on those efforts.”
“West Virginia’s mountainous forest lands are important to our tourism economy and scenic beauty, which is why we must do what we can help support our landowners by making forest management affordable and sustainable. Many landowners in West Virginia have benefited from conservation easement programs that have improved our streams, restored our bird populations, supported our fish stocks, and helped meet Chesapeake Bay water quality targets. This legislation would help encourage more of this by recognizing the valuable role our forests play in sequestering carbon and reducing greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere. I’m proud to join Senator Shaheen in introducing this legislation that will go a long way in not only keeping our forest lands healthy and beautiful, but it will also help support our local economies here in West Virginia,” said Senator Capito.
"The New Hampshire Timberland Owners Association is happy to support Senator Shaheen’s legislation, which unites four critical priorities for the Granite State: sustainable forestry and land management, rural jobs, green construction and environmental protection,” said Jasen Stock, Executive Director of the New Hampshire Timberland Owners Association. “This bill is an important step forward to help New Hampshire private forest owners invest in sustainable management practices.”
“The reintroduction of the Forest Incentives Program Act is great news. We know that forests can play a major role in addressing climate change. Of course, they also provide other important environmental and economic benefits. The challenge has been to make sure that private forestland owners, who own almost 75% of the forested areas in New Hampshire, can continue to hold onto their woodlots. Avoiding the permanent conversion of forests into other uses is essential if we want to maintain these benefits. This legislation will offer the support these landowners need to accomplish that goal. On behalf of the Forest Society, I want to thank Senator Shaheen for emphasizing why we must keep forests as forests,” said Jack Savage, President of the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests.
“We deeply appreciate Senator Shaheen’s leadership in sponsoring this important legislation,” said John Judge, President and CEO of the Appalachian Mountain Club. “In the face of our planet’s climate crisis, we need a quiver full of arrows like the Forest Incentives Program to keep forests forested and expand our capacity to store and reduce atmospheric carbon. We look forward to working towards passage of this timely bill.”
Specifically, the bill directs the USDA to establish an incentive program that allows eligible forest landowners to enter into a long-term contract to adopt conservation practices that have been proven to deliver emissions reductions. The bill also creates financial incentives for commercial building owners to use biological products, such as wood, as structural building materials instead of more energy-intensive materials.
The Forest Incentives Program Act has been endorsed by numerous local and national organizations, including: The National Alliance of Forest Owners, NH Timberland Owners Association, American Forests, American Forest Foundation, The Lyme Timber Company, Northland Forest Products, Trust for Public Land, Pinchot Institute for Conservation, Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests and Appalachian Mountain Club. Bill text of the legislation is available here.
Senator Shaheen has long advocated for America’s forests and initiatives that would survey and repurpose biomass for clean energy initiatives. In the funding bill for fiscal year 2020, Shaheen secured $5 million for the USDA Agriculture’s Community Wood Energy Program (CWEP), a competitive grant program that aims to assist with the costs of installing high-efficiency, biomass-fueled energy systems. This is the first time this program has received funding since it was first authorized in 2008. Shaheen’s bipartisan legislation with Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) – the Community Wood Energy Innovation Act – was included in the Farm bill signed into law in 2018. Their bipartisan bill expands eligibility for CWEP, incentivizes investments in energy-efficient wood energy systems and supports facilities that repurpose low-grade, low-value wood that would otherwise be sent to landfills. Additionally, Shaheen has included language in recent funding bills to ensure portions of Northern Border Regional Commission funds be directed to assist rural communities affected by past mill closures, as well as support new markets and the infrastructure needs of the forest products industry.
Collins Requests Pandemic Emergency Funds for Nation’s Loggers, Log Haulers
U.S. Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) and a bipartisan group of several colleagues last week urged the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to help prevent American loggers and log haulers from falling through the gaps of the federal government’s COVID-19 economic relief programs.
“We believe that USDA is uniquely positioned to respond to the crisis facing so many loggers whose operations have been seriously harmed by the effects of the pandemic,” Sen. Collins wrote in a Sept. 18 letter she led to USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue.
The senators pointed out that America’s forest products industry supports over $283 billion in value-added wood and paper products, as well as a supply chain of nearly one million Americans who earn more than $54 billion in combined payroll.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security also has deemed the nation’s forest products industry as part of the essential critical infrastructure workforce during the COVID-19 response.
“Given how vital this workforce is to our economy, it is alarming that loggers in some regions have reported 40-50 percent losses this year due to COVID-19,” wrote Sen. Collins and the lawmakers, who included U.S. Sens. Thom Tillis (R-NC), Roger Wicker (R-MS), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), and Tina Smith (D-MN).
The CARES Act appropriated a total of $16 billion to USDA to “respond to coronavirus by providing support for agricultural producers impacted by coronavirus,” according to the senators’ letter.
“In light of the dire situation facing loggers and log haulers, we urge the department to use its broad authority and funds already provided by Congress to immediately make financial assistance available to loggers and log haulers impacted by the pandemic,” they wrote.
Sen. Collins also in July joined U.S. Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN) and U.S. Reps. David Rouzer (R-NC) and Jared Golden (D-ME) to introduce the bipartisan, bicameral Loggers Relief Act, S. 4233/H.R. 7690, which would authorize USDA to provide direct support to loggers and log haulers who experienced at least a 10 percent loss in the first seven months of 2020, as compared to 2019.
The measure remains under committee consideration in both houses of Congress.
Click HERE to read the full letter.
Article Source: Ripon News Service