Governor Vetoes $500,000+ in Budget
On Thursday, Governor Ron DeSantis signed a record $116 billion budget for FY 2023-24. But first he vetoed more than $500 million of funding, including $100 million for the state's Rural and Family Lands Protection Program.
According to Politico, the reason for the veto is that the governor supported funding for the land buying program last year and that at least $240 million is still available.
“Given those facts, the governor made the prudent decision to continue to support the program through the remaining resources that will roll into next year’s budget,” Politico quoted Redfern saying via email.
Read the Politico article here.
See the full list of vetoes here.
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Rural and Family Lands Protection Program
Florida Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson has announced the opening of an application cycle for landowners to apply to the Rural and Family Lands Protection Program.
The Rural and Family Lands Protection Program is an agricultural land preservation program designed to protect important agricultural lands through the acquisition of permanent agricultural land conservation easements.
Landowners can now submit their application online to the department through July 27. For the 2022-2023 fiscal year, Simpson secured more than $300 million for the program.
Learn more.
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Angle Named University of Florida Interim Provost
University of Florida President Dr. Ben Sasse announced that Dr. J. Scott Angle, currently Senior Vice President for Agriculture and Natural Resources, will serve as UF’s interim provost when Dr. Joseph Glover steps down next month.
“I’m thrilled that Dr. Angle will bring his leadership, experience, and passion for UF to the provost’s office for this interim role,” said Sasse. “UF has a special role as both the state’s flagship and land-grant university, and few people see that more on a day-to-day basis than Scott. At IFAS, he’s working at the intersection of teaching, research, and extension education. He's a respected member of our community and he’s ready to roll up his sleeves ahead of the fall 2023 semester as our national search for UF’s permanent provost moves forward."
Learn more.
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USDA Offers $43 Million to Expand Innovative Uses of Wood
the U.S. Department of Agriculture is investing more than $43 million to expand innovative uses of wood, including as a construction material in commercial buildings, as an energy source, and in manufacturing and processing input for wood products used in framing homes, making paper products and more.
Learn more.
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Be Part of the Fun!
In honor of our centennial celebration, we are going live! In addition to our traditional silent auction, we will also be hosting a live auction this year. We need your support to make this year’s auctions the biggest and best we’ve ever had.
You can be a part of this effort by 1) donating items and 2) bidding on items. We always have phenomenal donations, so we encourage everyone to bid high and bid often on them!
Suggested Items • Sports Items and autographed memorabilia • Hotels, trips and vacation home rentals • Golf equipment and outings • Hunting and fishing equipment • Experiences: hunting trips, fishing trips, behind the-scenes tours, etc. • Gift certificates (retail and restaurants) • Knives and guns • Art • Hand-crafted wood items • Jewelry • Tickets to entertainment or sporting events
All donors are welcome to bring business cards, brochures, etc. to put on the table with the auction item.
If you have questions, please feel free to contact Whitney@FLForestry.org or 850.222.5646.
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Audubon Sustainable Forester Award
As the state’s oldest statewide conservation organization, Audubon Florida knows that working forests aren’t just essential to our economy, they’re critical for Florida’s environment. Forest benefits for water, wildlife, carbon and recreation are a big part of what makes our state so special.
That’s why each year, Audubon recognizes one forestry professional with our Sustainable Forester of the Year Award, to showcase the creative and dedicated professionals who use their career in forestry to go the extra mile for Florida’s environment.
Do you know a forestry colleague, landowner or consultant who is an unsung conservation hero in this field? Drop us an email describing why they should be considered for this year’s recognition by July 15 to flconservation@audubon.org.
The award will be presented at the Awards Breakfast at the Association's upcoming Annual Meeting.
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BMP Implementation Survey Results
For the 2021 Silviculture Best Management Practices (BMP) Implementation Survey, foresters with the Florida Forest Service evaluated 3,490 practices on 155 individual forestry operations (sites). This cooperative effort involved 79 individual public and private landowners and covered 18,859 acres in 37 Florida counties. Of the visited sites, 125 were located on private non-industrial, 11 on industrial, and 19 on public forest lands.
Eighty-five percent of the sites surveyed were 100% compliant with all applicable Silviculture BMPs. No site scored below 82% for its overall BMP implementation rate. The average overall Silviculture BMP compliance rate for all sites was 99.1%, a slight decrease from 99.7% in 2019.
Learn more.
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Federal Protection for Hognose Snake?
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has agreed to reconsider extending Endangered Species Act protections to the nonvenomous southern hognose snake.
The Center for Biological Diversity petitioned the Fish and Wildlife Service in 2012 to protect the snake, which inhabits Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina. In 2015, the service announced that, based on the best available science, protections for the tiny snake “may be warranted.” In 2019, the service reversed course, denying the snake endangered species status and the protections that come with it. The center filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia in January challenging the 2019 decision. As a result, Fish and Wildlife agreed to re-evaluate and make a new decision by August 2025.
Learn more.
Image Credit: Wikipedia
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Logger Survey
Did you actively operate a logging business in 2020?
The North Carolina Agromedicine Institute is conducting a survey. Help them learn about the impact of COVID-19 on the increased rate of logging fatalities in the US by completing a brief survey.
All survey responses are confidential. No one will be able to link your answers to you or your logging operation.
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Attention, Master Loggers and Other Participants!
2023 CLE Workshops:
July 20 – Virtual
November (TBD) – Field Training
December 7 – Virtual
To sign up online and pay with credit card, register here.
To sign up with a paper registration and pay by check, please print the form here.
Initial Core Training*:
October 12th - Virtual
*Please note that this is now a one-day class.
To sign up online and pay with credit card, register here.
To sign up with a paper registration and pay by check, please print the form here.
If you have any questions, please contact Krista Harvard at 850.222.5646 or Krista@FLForestry.org.
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Got Savings in Your Sites?
Partnering with Outdoor Underwriters, Inc., the Association offers our members special reduced rates for liability insurance for hunting leases and timberland.
Click here for details or contact Krista Harvard (Krista@FLForestry.org).
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CALENDAR OF EVENTS
MASTER LOGGER CLE TRAINING
July 20, 2023
Virtual
2023 ANNUAL MEETING
August 29-31, 2023
Sandestin Golf & Beach Resort
Miramar Beach, FL
BOARD MEETING
August 30, 2023
4 PM
Sandestin Golf & Beach Resort
Miramar Beach, FL
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