EPA Proposes New Silvicultural Regulations

Last August, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed amending the Clean Water Act’s (CWA) regulations to designate silvicultural activities as point source pollutants. This designation is a dramatic change in policy as silvicultural activities have always been designated as nonpoint source (NPS) pollutants. From a regulatory perspective, the primary difference between pointsource pollutants and NPS pollutants is that a discharge from a point source pollutant is required to have a National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit. Conversely, NPSs of pollution, such as agriculture and forestry, have generally been regulated by voluntary methods such as best management practices (BMPs). The American Tree Farm System recently announced that more than 2,700 Certified Tree Farmers have written to the EPA to voice opposition to the proposal. Some of the concerns mentioned include:

• Current voluntary BMP programs have been successful, with 47 states having adopted BMPs.

• Local forestry activities should not be regulated from Washington, D.C..

• The need to acquire a permit for silvicultural activities will increase the expense of managing woodlands.

More information concerning the EPA proposal is available at http://www.epa.gov/owow/tmdl. NEFCo encourages all landowners to learn more about the EPA proposal and to contact their State Representatives and Senators to voice their opinion.

Stumpage Prices

Stumpage prices received for NEFCo administered sales from October, 1999 to March, 2000.

* The information in this table should not be used to set stumpage prices. It is intended only as a guide and informational purposes. Stumpage prices can vary dramatically due to a number of factors. These include, but are not limited to current market conditions, access, weather, timber quality, harvest volume, etc.

* "-" indicates no trees of that species sold in the area during the time period.

Letter From the President

Thank you for reading the inaugural issue of our newsletter and allowing me to introduce New England Forestry Consultants, Inc. (NEFCo). Our roots date to 1944 with the establishment of the New England Forestry Foundation (NEFF), which is a non-profit land conservation organization. For many years, NEFF retained foresters on staff to assist private landowners in the management of their lands. In 1994, NEFCo was established as a subsidiary of NEFF and staffed by its foresters. In 1999, these foresters purchased NEFCo from NEFF and converted to an employee owned company. NEFCo and NEFF continue to have a close relationship, with NEFCo foresters assisting with the management of lands owned by NEFF.

The mission of NEFCo, however, has not changed from 1944. We continue to provide services to landowners to help them be good stewards of the land. Combined, the foresters of NEFCo have well over 200 years of experience. Many of our foresters have degrees or licenses in secondary specialties such as wildlife biology, land surveying, real estate appraisals & sales.

Through our 11 regional offices we provide a wide range of services such as:

• boundary maintenance to wildlife management

• woodland examinations to damage appraisals

• global positioning system surveys to database management

Each office is staffed by qualified, well-trained professionals who adhere to the Code of Ethics of the Association of Consulting Foresters.

If you need assistance in the management of your land asset, I am confident that NEFCo will provide you with the highest standard of professional services. I urge you to consider retaining NEFCo to represent you and your best interests.

- Dennis D. McKenney