Become a Member of Florida Forestry Association

Membership in the Florida Forestry Association provides the access you need to connect, learn and bring greater value to your land or business. Well-developed tools and professionals are standing by to help you amplify your investment as you grow, harvest and enjoy your forest!

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 how to get things done. For the latest legislative update follow this link.

-Continually fighting to protect Green Belt Tax treatment for forested lands

-Continually opposing local, state and federal attempts to regulate timber harvesting with overly restrictive laws requiring permits, fees and applications

-Supported and helped pass legislation preventing county governments from adopting more stringent ordinances regulating forestry if the activity is managed through Best Management Practice's (BMPs)

-Recommended and supported the formal adoption of forestry BMPs

-Initiated and continually protecting special forestry truck tag

-Initiated and continually lobbying to secure 10% truck weight tolerance

-Advocate and help secure weight increases to move fire-damaged wood and hurricane damaged wood during natural disasters

-Actively protecting Florida's non-regulatory approach for forestry BMPs

-Recommended and supported sales tax elimiation on farm and forestry equipment

-Continually protecting the service tax exemption for manufacturing, forest business and agriculture

-Continually fighting to keep citizen initiatives off the ballot which could further tax or prohibit the growth of the forestry business

Information

Keep on top of business issues and trends through FFA's publications and communications. We keep you informed on legislative and regulatory actions, as well as the latest ideas to assist with business and land operations.

-Providing up to the minute information through email news (Forestry Friday); and daily newsclips

-Providing in-depth coverage of landowner, logger and mill issues and events through Pines & Needles newsletter and Florida Forest magazine and Managing Your Forest web page

-Providing local, state and federal updates on issues affecting property, the environment, taxes, insurance, transportation, labor and government services

-Developed and maintain Green Belt Tax Guidelines to help inform and educate property appraisers and other elected officals of the importance of special tax treatment for forest lands

-Develop and maintain DOT Trucking Manual of federal and state transportation rules and regulations

-Providing an annual forum for the latest developments in technology, forest management and trends to watch for in forest investments

-Promoting value of forest and forest business to people of Florida through media

Education

Making you more knowledgeable is the first step to a healthy forest and profitable business. We provide workshops to enhance logger and forester professionalism and offer landowners and businesses new ways to gain value from their forests.

-Developed and continue to provide logger training to help reduce on-site accidents and reduce workers' compensation rates

-Manage and maintain 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

-Provide continuing eduation courses for professional loggers to help maintain CEU requirements

-Work with University of Florida Extension Service and Divison of Forestry to provide landowner workshops on forest management, marketing, hunting leases, and other timely topics

-Helped develop and continue to support Forest Discovery Center at Florida State Fair to help raise awareness of economic and environmental contributions of Florida's forests

Networking

FFA 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.

-Provide an annual forum where landowners, consultants, loggers and mill colleagues can visit while learning about current timberland and forest business issues

-Provide regional opportunities to meet for updates on key issues affecting the forestry business

Strength in Numbers

As a member of FFA, 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.

-Work with current members and allied businesses to grow the membership to remain an effective voice for the forest products community

-Developed and maintain a young leaders program to help identify future leaders for the Association