This legislation is expected to have many favorable impacts for sustainable forestry practices. We have compiled statements from three major organizations here:
1. National Alliance of Forest Owners (NAFO) also has a statement: https://nafoalliance.org/inflation-reduction-act-of-2022-statement-from-nafo/
2. The American Forest Foundation (AFF) notes the following “…specific provisions for family forest owners: 

• $400 million in competitive grants and cost share to support underserved forest landowners or those who own less than 2,500 acres in forest resilience activities and climate mitigation markets.
  
• $50 million for competitive grants to owners of private forest land for implementation of forestry practices to increase carbon sequestration and storage.
• $8.45 billion for Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) to improve soil carbon or reduce nitrogen losses or greenhouse gas emissions, or capture or sequester greenhouse gas emissions
• $100 million for the Wood Innovation Grant Program to support solutions that utilize forestry residue for innovative end uses.
• $1.8 billion for the National Forest System to support wildfire risk-reducing activities within the wildland-urban interface including eligible biomass removal."
  

3. National Woodland Owners Association (NWOA) notes aspects that “…have special relevance to forestry…

• Forest Conservation: $700 Million for the USFS Forest Legacy Program
• Climate-smart Forestry: $450 Million to USFS for forest carbon incentives to private landowners
• Conservation Programs: $20 Billion to “Climate-Smart Agriculture” via NRCS programs that in many cases include tree and forest-related practices (e.g., RCPP)
• Wildfire Resilience and Ecosystem Restoration: $2.1 Billion for activities on national forests; $250 Million for BLM and NPS; $121 Million for USFWS and State F&W
• Science, Data and Innovation: $100 Million for USFS Wood Innovation and $50 Million for USFS inventory of old growth and mature forests on national forest system lands
• Urban Forests: $1.5 Billion for grants to cities and non-profits through USFS Urban and Community Forestry, with an additional $4 Billion to DOT and EPA climate justice programs that can and likely will provide substantial additional funding for urban forestry activities.”

Abandoned Oil & Gas Wells: If you become aware of an abandoned well, please report it to OrphanWells@ky.gov .
Note: Kentucky Resources Council, KRC, helped draft and negotiate a bill that allows Kentucky to obtain up to $104 million in federal aid to plug and reclaim the more than 14,000 known abandoned oil and gas wells in Kentucky

​Doug McLaren, KWOA President, is featured guest on May 18 From The Woods Today webcast
 
Now in his fourth year as president of KWOA, Doug McLaren presents the broad scope of how the association partners with private and public natural resources and forestry entities to inform and enable woodland owners in the many aspects of managing their properties.
 McLaren’s preference for a hands-on approach is evident in his suggestion that “trees have stories to tell’ about past historical use of the land, natural events, and migratory and permanent users of forests - some welcome and some not by landowners.

Enjoy Doug’s lively webcast about what KWOA is and does and how you can access its website, quarterly newsletter and monthly email blast and more at:
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https://youtu.be/tlUToZZK_gE .

WRUS radio, Russellville, hosts KWOA guests on American Chestnut restoration: KWOA board members Henry Duncan and Jimmie Sizemore were the featured guests on the April 27th broadcast of WRUS radio Feedback with Don Neagle. Henry’s ancestors owned forests in Logan County, home of WRUS radio 610 AM, Russellville. The hour aired a lively interchange on the history and demise of the American Chestnut. Jimmie described the three-pronged approach to its restoration by The American Chestnut Foundation (read more at ACF.org). Listen to the one-hour broadcast by going to the April 27 Podcast on the WRUS website at https://streamdb3web.securenetsystems.net/cirrusencore/WRUSAM. 

​Dr. Jim Corum of Stoney Fork received the Herman Bagganstoss Recognition Award, “… for an individual’s contributions to forestry beyond the demands of their regular employment” at the Kentucky-Tennessee Society of American Foresters winter meeting. Corum has continued five generations of woodland ownership and management in southeast Kentucky on the family property focusing on multi-resource planning of high-quality timber, protection of water quality and wildlife habitat. He has been a long-time KWOA board member.

Submitted by Karen Marshall, newsletter editor
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The UK Wildcats did not survive March Madness for their NCAA championship bid. But woodlands-related legislation passed smoothly through the 2022 Kentucky legislative session. Initially conceived by Dr. Jim Corum, KWOA Director at Large (Harlan County), House Joint Resolution 41 has been 20 years in the making. HJR 41 directs the Department of Revenue and the University of Kentucky's Department of Forestry and Natural Resources to recommend equitable property tax assessment procedures for well-managed forests. The resolution was introduced to the legislature by Representative Adam Bowling, District 87 (Bell and Harlan counties).
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 We are thrilled that Governor Beshear signed HJR 41 on April 8, 2022. Thank you to all who contacted their legislators and to the legislators who supported this measure. KWOA will do our best to keep you posted as the process continues. The goal is to support sustainably managed forestry practices and provide some tax relief to owners who steward their properties accordingly.

HJR passed both houses of the legislature and went to Governor Beshear for signature on March 31, 2022!  Thank you to all who called and all who supported this resolution through the process.