In a recent meeting in New Hampshire to further President Obama's America's Great Outdoors initiative, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack affirmed USDA's staunch support of working forests and the role forest bioenergy can play in protecting them.  Building on the speech he gave almost one year ago outlining the USDA's vision for the Nation's forests, Secretary Vilsack stressed their environmental importance:

"Our forests supply us with clean, abundant water.  53% of the water the lower 48 states originates in our forests.  Forests are critically important for preserving wildlife habitat.  They are among our greatest assets in the battle against global climate change – sequestering carbon that offsets 12% of national greenhouse gas emissions."

Secretary Vilsack noted however that these benefits are in jeopardy due to forest loss and fragmentation, particularly on private forest lands.  To combat this, Secretary Vilsack affirmed USDA's commitment to making sure that forest ownership and stewardship create economic benefits:

"Protecting against fragmentation and loss of forest land ultimately requires that forest ownership be financially rewarding.  Put simply, forest stewardship must pay.  ... Markets will play a critical role in providing landowners with economic incentives to maintain forest lands.  Maintaining traditional markets for wood and paper is, therefore, a very important piece of the puzzle.  With growing interest in green building, it is vital that wood products be given appropriate value for energy savings and carbon sequestration.  The Forest Service has much to offer here through its research and procurement policies.   Development of new markets for carbon sequestration, water and other environmental services could also be important in rewarding landowners for stewardship activities." 

Secretary Vilsack specifically identified the development of a market for forest bioenergy as one way to create economic benefits:

“Likewise, markets for woody biomass will provide further incentives for landowners to maintain forests.  These markets can provide value for small diameter timber and thereby bolster forest restoration efforts.  Expanding markets for thinnings and slash could also help address hazardous fire conditions along the wildland urban interface.   We also know woody biomass can provide significant greenhouse gas benefits and thereby give us one tool to address climate change with home grown energy.  I recognize that there is some uncertainty right now as to how biomass will be dealt with through various federal policies.   But, USDA is committed to helping to develop these markets in ways that benefit forests, that are sustainable and that provide real greenhouse gas benefits.”

To read Secretary Vilsack’s entire speech, click here.  

What do you think of Secretary Vilsack’s speech?  In light of the challenges facing our loggers, landowners, and others in our rural forest communities, what do you see as the most important policy we could pursue?  To learn more about what John Deere is doing to help protect  and strengthen our forest communities through forest bioenergy, be sure to visit http://www.woodybiomass.com/.

On the heels of last week’s news that economic indicators show the pace of US economic recovery is slowing significantly, there are calls for the Obama Administration and Congress to do more – or less depending on how you look at it.
 
A review of recent newspaper editorials reveals, for instance, calls for another round of stimulus focused on such things as infrastructure investment – see Waiting for Obama and Why We Need a Second Stimulus in the New York Times.  

Other editorials urge broader and more fundamental changes, such as Why Another Fiscal Stimulus Won't Do found in the Washington Post.  

Even other editorials highlight growing concerns about government spending, as seen in Summer Sizzles, Economy Fizzles in the Washington Times.

However, we want to know what you think?  What policies do you think the US economy requires?  Also, and perhaps more importantly, what policies do you think an increasingly divisive US political environment would support?

When we look at economic indicators for July, we see how tough things are for the U.S. construction industry. 

Earlier this month the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released its Employment Situation report showing that employment in the construction industry continued to suffer in July, with the industry shedding almost 11,000 jobs.  As BLS statistics show, the construction industry lost a total of 61,000 jobs in May, June, and July, more than completely erasing the job gains experienced in March and April.  Construction industry employment is at its lowest level since July 1996.

Just today the US Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development issued their joint release for New Residential Sales. Sales of new single-family houses in July totaled 276,000, down 12.4 percent from June and down 32.4 percent from one year ago.

This coming Friday is also a big day for economic indicators relevant to construction.  On Friday the US Department of Commerce will revise its gross domestic product (GDP) figures for the second quarter of 2010.  Many predict that second quarter GDP will be revised significantly downward from the 2.4 percent initially estimated, further reflecting the lackluster pace of economic recovery.

John Deere, Common Ground Alliance and US DOT Join for Safe Digging

Representatives from John Deere Construction & Forestry, the Common Ground Alliance (CGA) and the Department of Transportation (DOT) rang the ceremonial closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange on Friday, August 20, to promote awareness of underground utilities through the use of the national 811 call-before-you-dig phone number. Though awareness and use of 811 has significantly decreased the number of underground utility strikes in the U.S., the fact that there are still fatalities and damages from hitting gas and utility lines underscores the need for a continued safety campaign.

"It's not enough that the number of strikes has decreased in each of the last five years, because even one strike is too many," said Bob Kipp, president of the CGA.

In 2004, it was estimated that there were 450,000 instances of damage from striking underground lines. However, as a result of the work of CGA and its many supporters, that number has decreased by over 60 percent to 170,000 damages in 2009.

"Through our support of CGA and 811, we strengthen our commitment to our customers. Our customers are our first focus and this initiative saves lives," said Michael Mack, Worldwide President, John Deere Construction & Forestry.

"Beyond personal safety concerns, the potential property damage, inconvenient service outages and the hefty fines to equipment operators resulting from digging accidents makes the 811 service incredibly valuable."

To further encourage safe digging, John Deere is also sharing portions of safety videos on YouTube beginning next month. The first video, featuring excavators, will be posted at http://www.YouTube.com/JohnDeere.

The FCC-designated 811 number was launched in 2007 by the CGA to eliminate the confusion of multiple call-before-you-dig numbers that were being used across the country. As a result, homeowners, farmers and contractors can call one easy-to-remember number to have crews mark a requested site for underground lines prior to any excavation.

Deere helped spread the word when the 811 number was first established in 2007 and has also been a driving force behind National 811 Day (each August 11) and the "Safe Digging Month" awareness campaign that occurs each spring. In addition to including information about 811 on its website, the company has featured the 811 logo prominently in its advertising and as part of its booth display during some of the construction industry’s most prominent trade shows.

The DOT's Pipeline and Hazardous Material Safety Administration Administrator, Cynthia Quarterman, was also on hand at the bell-ringing event to lend support.