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Virginia''s forestry industry supports more than 100,000 jobs and generates more than $17 billion annually for the commonwealth''s economy. So Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe is anxious to make sure that one of the linchpins of the state economy is taken care of. The governor visited the Virginia Department of Forestry Center in Crimora on Monday. Standing in the shadow of seedlings that will help with reforestation of Virginia''s 16 million acres, McAuliffe announced a dual investment in forestry. In a press release announcing the investment, McAuliffe said forestry is part of Virginia''s new economy and said it is imperative we ensure our forestlands are protected, productive and healthy for the future of this vital industry. For the first time since the late 1990s, Virginia will match the revenue generated by a self-imposed tax on commercial timber harvesting. That money will help landowners pay for site preparation and reforestation of land after timber harvest. A second investment will provide the Department of Forestry with new bulldozers, transport trucks and pickup trucks to fight the nearly 1,000 wildfires that happen annually in the commonwealth. McAuliffe said the latter investment is urgently needed. The Department of Forestry has been forced to use vehicles more than 20 years old in emergencies. I do not like being 50th of 50 states,'''' the governor said in regards to replacing fire and rescue equipment. Twenty-nine of the Department of Forestry trucks have been driven for more than 150,000 miles. According to Virginia State Forester Bettina K. Ring, funds over the next two years will allow for the purchase of 71 pickup trucks, two brush trucks, three SUVs, four one-ton pickup trucks and 42 tractor/plow vehicles. Within 10 years, the Department of Forestry will have fully rotated its emergency response equipment. Del. Steve Landes, R-Weyers Cave, said it is vitally important to invest in Virginia''s forestry industry. We can''t harvest timber if we don''t have it,'''' he said. And referring to a massive forest fire in Shenandoah National Park in the spring, Landes said suppression equipment is a key. Virginia Secretary of Agriculture and Commerce Todd Haymore said Virginia''s unemployment rate is now 3.7 percent, but he said a vibrant economy is more than creating jobs. We must protect our natural resources,'''' said Haymore, who said Virginia needs to sustain wood products. Forest landowners run the gamut in size, according to Paul Howe, executive director of the Virginia Forestry Association. He said the average number of acres owned is 75, but said a portion of landowners own hundreds more. Howe said the investment announced Monday will go a long way toward aiding forest landowners with reforestation and sustaining our forest resources for the future. |
