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CAPITAL IDEAS -- LIVE!
March 2006 News Conference for Forest Owners
Sponsored by Alabama Forest Owners' Association, Inc. Conference was recorded
March 13, 15, & 17, 2006.
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Hayes D. Brown
starting time: (00:00) |
Moderator
Hayes D. Brown, attorney and forest owner, will moderate this
news conference. Hayes' email address is
hbrown@hayesbrown.com.
Click Here to View & Hear Prior News Conferences.
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Senator Steve French
(00:40) |
Struggle to Prevent Eminent Domain Abuse Not Over Yet
Senator French is serving his second term representing the 15th
District (Jefferson & Shelby Counties) in the
Alabama Senate. He is the sponsor of
SB368, a bill which would propose a constitutional amendment to
prohibit the
condemnation of property for the purposes of private retail, office,
commercial, industrial, or residential development or any purpose other than
actual use by the public. The Senator gives us an update on this bill and
other legislative actions regarding eminent domain. Rural forest
landowners should be aware that none of these bills protects them from the
taking of their land for parks or other public recreational uses.
Phone: (334) 242-7851
Email:
steve.french@alsenate.gov
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Alberto Goetzl
(05:12) |
The Phenomenon of Timberland Ownership Changes
Alberto Goetzl is a forestry consultant with Seneca Creek
Associates, LLC, and resides in Poolesville, Maryland. Over 23 million
acres of industrial timberland has changed ownership in the past five years
in large transactions (Wilent
2004) in the United States. Goetzl has extensive experience in
industrial forestry, and will tell us about this phenomenon in timberland
ownership transfers over the past few years and what it means to us. Do we
need to change our investment strategy?
Phone: (202) 463-2713
Email: agoetzl@sencreek.com
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David J. Hunnicutt
(08:10) |
Oregon Supreme Court Supports Property Rights
Dave Hunnicutt
is the President of
Oregonians In Action, a non-profit corporation dedicated to
preserving the rights of private property owners, headquartered in Tigard,
Oregon.
Since early 2001, we've been following Hunnicutt and his state's
fight against government abuses regarding private property.
Measure 37 will
be re-instated thanks to a unanimous decision on February 21, 2006 by the
Oregon Supreme Court.
Hunnicutt explains Measure 37, what role the Oregon timber industry
played in the measure, how Measure 37 helps the forest landowner, and
discusses whether other states are following Oregon's lead.
Phone: (503) 620-0258
Email: dave@oia.org
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Douglass McConnell
(11:17) |
Coosa County To Require Logging Permits July 10,
2006
Douglass McConnell is co-owner of
Forest Owner Consultants and runs
Hatchet Valley Farms in Rockford, Alabama. Doug has been keeping
AFOA informed about the
Coosa County Commission's desire to require timber harvesters to
register and/or post performance bonds. Recently, the Commission created a
resolution which will require permits
before landowners can cut trees. McConnell gives us an update on this
resolution from the point of view of a Coosa County landowner. Since
enforcement of this resolution may ultimately cost forest owners timber sale
income and reduction in land values, you may want to
contact the commissioners and share your perspective on the issue.
Phone: (256) 377-2656
Email: forestowners@caec.com
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William N. Gray
(16:04) |
Unintended Consequences
Bill Gray is a supervising wildlife biologist with the
Alabama
Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries located in Montgomery,
Alabama. We all do things on our property that might cause potential
problems for others. Bill opens our eyes to kinds of management activities
we might practice that could cause legal problems or other unintended
consequences.
Phone: (334) 242-3469
Email:
bill.gray@dcnr.alabama.gov
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Alan B. Curtis
(20:34) |
A Wood Collector's Guide
Alan B. Curtis is a retired
forester and botanist from the U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of
Land Management, who lives in Eugene, Oregon. He is the co-author of
A
Guide for Developing A Wood Collection. If you have been
collecting wood samples on your property, this guide will give you the
advice and information you need to be a serious wood collector.
Specifically, you'll learn how to accurately identify the wood in your
collection, how to store and view your collection, and where to find the
best resources on your hobby.
Phone: (541) 345-2571
Email: abcwoods@pacinfo.com
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Henry Barclay, III
(24:02) |
Income Averaging for Average Incomes
Henry
Barclay is president of the
Forest Landowners Tax Council
and is also managing partner of
Lehmann, Ullman & Barclay, LLP,
in Birmingham, Alabama. Most of us will make only one considerable timber
sale in our lifetime. If you're "land rich" yet "cash poor," that could mean
an overwhelming tax burden. If landowners who make infrequent sales are
allowed to
average their timber income over three years, as farmers are
allowed, they will not be penalized for making infrequent sales. Henry will
explain how income averaging works, why it was taken away, and provide an
update on its current status.
"A hypothetical scenario: You and your
spouse file a joint tax return. For each of the last three years - and for
this year - you have a normal income of about $30,000. Suppose in 2006 you
make your first big timber sale in twenty years. That sale generates a gain
of $120,000, which may seem like a big amount, but remember, you haven't
made a sale in twenty years. Now, before your timber sale, your Alabama and
Federal tax would be about $5,400, but when you throw in all of the gain
from your timber sale, you'll owe $27,000! If forest landowners could use
income averaging - like farmers and fishermen can - your tax would only be
$17,000. That's a savings of $10,000." Henry Barclay, III
Phone: (205) 439-6520
Email: henryb@lub.com
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John McMillan
(28:02) |
The Business of Montgomery
John McMillan has spent most
of the
last twenty-three years defending the forestry community before our
state legislators by serving as executive director of the
Alabama Forestry
Association, where he recently retired. In addition, he served as
Commissioner of the
Department of
Conservation and Natural Resources during the administration of
Governor Fob James. McMillan also served six years in the
Alabama House of Representatives, where he was Chairman of the
Conservation and Natural Resources Committee. Before his election to the
House, he was a member of the
Baldwin County Commission. Thus, as AFOA's Business of
Montgomery expert, we've asked him to talk about what folks can
expect at AFOA's 25th
annual meeting.
Phone: (251) 202-1541
Email: jmcmillan@alamail.com
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