7 minute read
PARTNERSHIPS IN FORESTRY:
NORTH CAROLINA
North Carolina Forestry Association
North Carolina Tobacco Trust Supports North Carolina Loggers
THE NCFA Awarded Grant to Expand Business Classes for Loggers
By Mike Powell, Director of Forestry Programs, and Amanda Murphy, Director of Communications
The team at the North Carolina Forestry Association (NCFA) through the Forest Education and Conservation Foundation applied for and received a three-year grant from the North Carolina Tobacco Trust Fund Commission (NCTTFC) in late 2023, “From Tobacco to Sustainable Forestry.” The NCTTFC was created to assist current/former tobacco farmers, former quota holders, persons engaged in tobacco-related businesses, individuals displaced from tobacco-related employment, and tobacco product component businesses in NC. The NCTTFC makes grants for economic development in tobacco-dependent communities.
Logging is an integral part of the forest products circular economy; without loggers, landowners are not able to harvest crops from their land, sawmills and pulp and paper mills won’t have inventory to create products, and global consumers are unable to purchase the forest products they rely on in their daily lives. This grant will provide resources through the NCFA’s ProLogger safety certification program to inform North Carolina’s loggers on business practices necessary for success. The ProLogger program promotes three pillars of safety, business, and environmental awareness.
The ProLogger program would not be possible without the support of our collaborative partnerships, including instructors from Forestry Mutual Insurance Company, the North Carolina Department of Labor, the North Carolina Forest Service, the North Carolina Department of Agriculture, the North Carolina Highway Patrol (Division of Motor Carriers), and the North Carolina Sustainable Forestry Initiative State Implementation Committee.
More information is here: https://www.ncforestry. org/prologger.
TENNESSEE
Tennessee Forestry Association
FORESTRY MUTUAL TRUSTED FOR INSURANCE AND SAFETY BY TFA AND FOREST INDUSTRY IN THE VOLUNTEER STATE
Candace Dinwiddie Executive Director, Tennessee Forestry Association
The Tennessee Forestry Association (TFA) is so thankful for the commitment that Forestry Mutual Insurance Company has demonstrated to our forest industry in Tennessee. FMIC is also trusted by the TN Dept. of Agriculture to provide safety training to loggers, industry and even future forestry leaders
through our partner training opportunities throughout the state. Thanks to chainsaw safety trainer Greg Helton, 60 high school FFA students were able to learn the importance of chainsaw safety at the annual camp held at Falls Creek Falls. Also, in Tennessee during 2023, FMIC safety trainer Justin Guyer, provided safety related training to 74 new Master Loggers. Justin also provided safety training to 261 current Master Loggers to enable their designation to continue for two more years.
Forestry Mutual is the go-to resource for common sense insurance options that appeal to our wood industry and loggers in Tennessee. TFA is very proud to always recommend FMIC to our members. The partnership continues to grow in Tennessee with folks like Justin Guyer, Greg Helton, Eddie Campbell, Alan Schaefer, and others serving as the trusted faces of FMIC in the Volunteer State. Through the partnership with FMIC, our association has been able to change the perception of our forest industry in the eyes of the public by operating in a safer and more professional manner. The forest industry in Tennessee continues to face challenges. 2024 does look like there are some silver linings on the horizon. At TFA we know that the partnership we enjoy with FMIC, and its highly respected staff will ensure that our forest industry is prepared to find the silver linings that will help us to prosper and grow in the Volunteer State for years to come.
VIRGINIA
Virginia Loggers Association
PARTNERS IN PROGRESS: YOUR TRUST, OUR COMMITMENT
Ron Jenkins, Executive Director, Virginia Loggers Association
This article is submitted based on the trust and commitment earned through the building of relationships over many years. In this short article, VLA proudly offers examples of how the two have worked closely together to build industry trust and commitment to safety by our industry partners. Together Forestry Mutual and VLA have worked in unison to place safety as the number one priority. We hope this foundation will carry forward with an equally strong level of trust and commitment to the importance of each into the future.
Forestry Mutual Insurance has been known for its superior workers compensation policies for VLA members. Our focus on workers safety has led to industry investment to high safety standards, fewer accidents and fatalities, and ultimately a healthier bottom line for their business.
VLA is committed to safety for every member and makes Forestry Mutual’s message a central part of its events and programs. Working together we are able to double-team on the importance of safety and repeat important messages.
Over time, Forestry Mutual Insurance and VLA have been part of important Truck Driver Appreciation & Safety Day sponsored by mills. Together Forestry Mutual and VLA worked side by side with company representatives to meet and greet every driver pulling up to the scales and offered them a safety message, safety information, and an invitation to stop on the way out to get a lunch and some safety gear.
The two organizations also worked together on many SHARP Logger trainings with each visibly committed to safety and reinforcing the idea every day.
The question is whether Forestry Mutual and VLA should continue its partnership as it has in the past? VLA strongly believes the answer is yes because workers safety is still our highest priority.
Virginia Loggers Association looks forward to working closely as a partner with Forestry Mutual Insurance in the future to ensure the foundation built on safety will continue to echo in our businesses!
MISSISSIPPI
Mississippi Forestry Association
GROWING GREEN: MFA'S DYNAMIC YEAR IN MISSISSIPPI FORESTRY
Casey Anderson, Mississippi Forestry Association Executive Director
Last year proved to be a busy, but successful, year for Mississippi Forestry Association. With our yearly Legislative Luncheon and Annual Meeting, the biannual Mid-South Forestry Equipment Show, and countless landowner, forester, and logger education classes held across the state, our staff was hard at work spreading the good news of forestry throughout Mississippi.
To kick off this year, the 2024 Regular Session of the Mississippi Legislature convened on January 2. As always, MFA will be closely monitoring proposed legislation for any items that affect the forest industry or forestry businesses in our state.
With a new year also comes a new look for MFA and our sub-brands. We have been working on a rebrand of our suite of logos and were pleased to roll those new logos out to the public beginning on January 1!
One thing that will not change this year is our continued partnership with Forestry Mutual. Partners like Forestry Mutual play a vital role in the success of our association. By offering commercial insurance to our members, Forestry Mutual helps us help our members succeed. We look forward to another great year of this partnership, as both MFA and FMIC work to grow the forest industry in Mississippi and beyond.
