There were a lot of people at this year’s A.B. Brooks Symposium. Members and staff received compliments from attendees and, as one said, "If last year was ‘one of the best in years,’ well... this year was even better." (We hope we can keep this up.)

In 2012 there were 36 attendees at the event; in 2013 there were 40; last year we welcomed over 80. But this year we had almost 100. The economy is improving for our industry, and that’s one good reason that attendance was up, but the real draw was found in the great work by Program Committee Chair Greg Wilhelm of The Forestland Group, with help from WVFA President Ed Kraynok of Coastal Timberlands. They recruited speakers that addressed relevant current topics and were expert in their respective fields, which included: 1) Sen. Bob Williams and Del. Bill Hamilton on the 2015 legislative session; 2) Kathy Becket, of Steptoe & Johnson, on the Northern Long-Eared Bat; 3) Roger Sherman, Public Relation Consultant, Aaron Metz, of Cong. David McKinley’s office, on the proposed National Monument designation of the Birthplace of Rivers; 4) Kathryn Arano, of West Virginia University, on the Managed Timberland Tax; 5) Rebecca Judy, of McNeer, Highland, McMunn, & Varner, L.C., on Landowner Liability; 6) Steve Butler, of the WV Farm Bureau, on Waters of the U.S; and Liz Moss, on the WV Division of Forestry, on Urban Forestry.

Many thanks are owed our speakers, those who participated and Anita White, of Coastal Timberlands, who pitched in to help in innumerable ways. This was a significant event. We had a great time and wish you were there!

On February 3, the West Virginia state Senate unanimously passed a resolution commending and congratulating Dr. Allen M. Glasgow as WV's 2015 Tree Farmer of the Year. The Tree Farm, in Hampshire County, receives professional forest management assistance from Verso and FMA forester Jeffrey Bracken who represented Dr. Glasgow at the Senate Chamber ceremonies (pictured).

West Virginia Governor Earl Ray Tomblin recognized West Virginia Loggers of Excellence during Agriculture and Forestry Day at the Legislature last Tuesday, Feb. 3. Loggers of Excellence are professional loggers and logging businesses that have worked in full compliance with the state’s water quality laws, including having not received a noncompliance order from the Division of Forestry. "Professional loggers are the keystone for the entire forest products industry, which provides tremendous economic benefit to the state of West Virginia," said Tomblin.

Twenty-six companies were named as 5-Year Loggers of Excellence for five consecutive years’ work in full compliance with the West Virginia Logging Sediment Control Act. Another 229 companies earned 2014 Logger of Excellence status for completing a year’s work in full compliance with the our Logging Sediment Control Act.

Forestry Day at the Legislature is part of the A.B. Brooks Forestry Symposium held annually in Charleston, coordinated and sponsored by the West Virginia Forestry Association. The symposium was created in 1986 in honor of Alonzo Beecher Brooks, West Virginia’s first forester.

Completed Legislation:
Legislators have completed work on SB3 (H.B. 2003), relating to real property possessor's liability for trespasser harm, one of several legal fairness bills the business and industry community has supported. It has gone to the Governor for his signature. This is one of the bills that WVFA touted as one of our needs, prior to the legislative session; those who attended the era meetings heard about this. The other piece of the equation that is ended is for passage of "open and obvious doctrine" language to be reaffirmed, after a 2013 WV Supreme Court decision opened land-possessors to liabilities from trespassers.