Membership

Benefits of Belonging

Become a Member of Florida Forestry Association

The Florida Forestry Association is always working for our members.

Advocacy

Protection for your business and land from burdensome laws, taxes and regulations is our number one priority. With a full-time presence before lawmakers, we know the legislative process, the key players and the issues at hand.

• Lobbying to maintain the Greenbelt assessment of private timberlands;
• Protecting landowners’ ability to grow and harvest timber as part of an economically viable operation;
• Opposing regulations from all levels of government that threaten to impose unnecessary, unfair and expensive restrictions on forestry operations;
• Keeping wood moving to the mills by passing state legislation allowing for increased truck weights and by coordinating with the governor to lift truck weights during times of natural disaster;
• Reducing costs by passing legislation exempting forestry and farm equipment from state sales tax, including parts and repairs;
• Reducing costs by passing legislation preventing local governments from charging storm water fees for forestlands;
• Supporting elected officials that know and understand the importance of Florida’s forests;
• Working with the Governor’s Office to appoint Association members to boards and commissions of importance;
• Promoting government reforestation programs that provide maximum flexibility to landowners in establishing commercial plantations;
• Opposing the “listing” of wildlife species as Endangered or Threatened as the best way to provide for their protection;
• Aggressively supporting forestry BMPs as the best non-regulatory approach to water quality; and
• Supporting state efforts to provide maximum funding for fire prevention and suppression.

Education

Knowledge is power. The Florida Forestry Association works to provide quality, insightful information both to our members and to others seeking to learn about the forest industry.

• Managing and maintaining the Master Logger accreditation program for the forest products industry, which includes business, transportation, safety and environmental training approved for recognition by the Sustainable Forestry Initiative(SFI);
• Working with University of Florida Extension Service and the Florida Forest Service to provide landowner workshops on forest management, marketing, hunting leases, and other timely topics;
• Supporting the Forest Discovery Center at the Florida State Fair to help raise awareness of economic and environmental contributions of Florida’s forests;
• Educating Florida teachers on the many public benefits of our working forests so this knowledge is shared with thousands of young minds in the classroom;
• Providing timely publications to our members, focusing on news, issues and events important to them; and
• Hosting an annual forum for the latest developments in technology, forest management, and legislative and regulatory issues.

Networking

The Florida Forestry Association provides the opportunity through meetings and events to meet other business professionals and landowners and expand your relationships, share ideas, and develop contacts with the growers and users of Florida’s forests.

• Hosting an annual forum where landowners, consultants, loggers and mill colleagues can visit while learning about current timberland and forest business issues;
• Providing regional opportunities to meet for updates on key issues affecting the forestry business; and
• Offering the Forestry Forward leadership development program where the leaders of tomorrow can meet today.

Strength in Numbers

As a member of the Association, you will join thousands of other forest businesses, landowners and individuals providing the strength to bring about change. The larger we get, the more influence we have to help you succeed.

Join the Association and come grow with us!

Print a list of membership benefits.