Senator Blanche Lincoln Tells Our Story
Last night, I had the pleasure of hosting family forest owners from the American Tree Farm System. They came from across the country to talk with their elected officials, and we met at the offices of the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry . I always stress our full Committee name because I want people to know how important forests are to me and to our ranking member, Mr. Chambliss. We both come from heavily forested states, and we recognize that trees are a crop just like corn or rice. My family grew cottonwood trees on our farm in Phillips county, so tree farming is in my blood.
Tree Farmers represent the very best of our great tradition of private conservation. Family forest owners take the greatest care, and make the greatest investments to sustain America’s forests for the future. I’m determined to fight for policies which recognize, and reward, those investments.
I know that the future of America’s forests depends on new markets, like biomass energy, and continued access to traditional markets like lumber and paper. I’m doing everything I can to help open these markets, such as helping to ensure that forest biomass is eligible for renewable energy credits, and to pressure those who seek to keep domestic, sustainable timber out of the green building movement to change their ways.
I also have led efforts to make sure family forest owners are treated fairly under the tax code, from reducing the burden of the estate tax to ensuring that timber income is treated fairly for all forest owners. I got the chance to speak with Tom Crowder, whose family owns timberland in southern Arkansas. Tom told me about his family’s experience with the estate tax, which has taken nearly every penny of their timber income since 1997 when his grandmother passed away. To have this unfair tax drive forest management, and deprive a new generation of any benefits from the forestry investments they make, is unconscionable.
I’m eager to help tell the story of family forest owners, and I hope we can expand the message about America’s successful, private forest conservation movement in the future. By staying involved with the American Forest Foundation, and coming to Washington to spread the word about the good work of sustainable forestry, private forest owners can help inspire other woodland owners to new conservation achievements, and help ensure that policy makers will do their part to assist in those efforts.
Senator Blanche Lincoln
