For Immediate Release Contact: Sam Duvall
Thursday, June 05, 2015 Phone: 334-481-2129
AFA THANKS CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION FOR STANDING WITH FORESTRY
MONTGOMERY – The Alabama Forestry Association today thanked Congresswoman Terri Sewell and the other members of Alabama’s U.S. Congressional Delegation for a bipartisan effort to help preserve timberland tax provisions in an ongoing national tax reform effort.
The AFA thanked Congresswoman Sewell for leading an effort to encourage House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Paul Ryan and Ranking Member Sander Levin to retain the current tax treatment applicable to timberland owners and investors as the Committee examines ways to modernize the tax code.
Sewell co-authored, with Dan Benishek (R-MI), a letter signed by 80 Members of Congress and sent to Ryan and Levin urging retention of the timberland tax provisions in any tax reform.
“We thank Congresswoman Sewell for her leadership in getting bipartisan support to acknowledge that private forests are fundamental to America’s natural resources and economic infrastructure,” said Chris Isaacson, Executive Vice President of the Alabama Forestry Association.
“Her efforts send a strong signal to Committee leadership to recognize the importance of our private timberlands and the need to preserve timberland tax provisions in any tax reform in order to retain the 2.4 million jobs and $102 billion annually that private forests contribute to the national economy. In Alabama, those forests contribute $19 billion to the state’s economy and support more than 10% of the jobs for Alabama workers,” Isaacson said.
Isaacson also thanked the other six Congressmen from Alabama who signed the letter: Bradley Byrne, Mike Rogers, Martha Roby, Robert Aderholt, Morris Brooks and Gary Palmer. “We thank all of the members of our U.S. House delegation for recognizing the importance of forestry in our state and national economies,” Isaacson added.
The letter notes Congress’ recognition that healthy, productive forests require significant up-front investment and continued annual forest management expenses over a 20-80 year period before a stand of trees reaches maturity and provides financial returns. But it’s not all about money. Forests also provide us with cleaner air by sequestering carbon and giving off life-sustaining oxygen while also cleansing rain water as it cycles through the trees.
Alabama Forestry Association
555 Alabama St
Montgomery, AL 36104