Policy
MOSAF has a Policy and Legislative Committee tasked with monitoring, reviewing, and considering all legislative activities, both national and state, that deal with all aspects of Forestry and making recommendations for the action to the Executive Committee. This committee may also identify areas where legislation may be needed. This committee will formulate positions and actions to be considered by the Executive Committee and/or the SAF membership.
March 2015
MOSAF Letter to the Editor on current legislation before the State of Missouri House of Representative and Senate.
February 2015
Position Statements from MOSAF on current legislation before the State of Missouri House of Representative and Senate:
HB763 (PDF)
SB337 (PDF)
HB833 (PDF)
HJR27 (PDF)
January 2011
With growing interest in utilization of alternative energy sources away from coal and oil, much attention has recently been focused on potential utilization of woody biomass from forests for generating energy. MOSAF believes that new biomass markets could be beneficial to forests by creating markets for low or no-value woody material that needs to be removed for a variety of reasons (forest health, etc.), but is too costly to remove. Biomass markets could also provide an economic incentive to forest landowners to keep their forests forested rather than converting them to non-forest uses.
However, MOSAF is concerned that depending on how such markets are structured, they could also cause unintended impacts including unsustainable forest harvesting rates, soil erosion, nutrient depletion, increased sediment in streams, degradation of the natural forested landscape, and negative impacts to wildlife. Other concerns include potential impacts to other sectors of the forest products industry, recreation and tourism implications, and threats to the intrinsic forest values held by Missourians. To ensure that potential biomass markets do not become a detriment, MOSAF believes that certain safeguards should be put in place.
With these opportunities and issues in mind, MOSAF membership recently approved a Position Statement relating to Woody Biomass in Missouri.
MOSAF has a Policy and Legislative Committee tasked with monitoring, reviewing, and considering all legislative activities, both national and state, that deal with all aspects of Forestry and making recommendations for the action to the Executive Committee. This committee may also identify areas where legislation may be needed. This committee will formulate positions and actions to be considered by the Executive Committee and/or the SAF membership.
March 2015
MOSAF Letter to the Editor on current legislation before the State of Missouri House of Representative and Senate.
February 2015
Position Statements from MOSAF on current legislation before the State of Missouri House of Representative and Senate:
HB763 (PDF)
SB337 (PDF)
HB833 (PDF)
HJR27 (PDF)
January 2011
With growing interest in utilization of alternative energy sources away from coal and oil, much attention has recently been focused on potential utilization of woody biomass from forests for generating energy. MOSAF believes that new biomass markets could be beneficial to forests by creating markets for low or no-value woody material that needs to be removed for a variety of reasons (forest health, etc.), but is too costly to remove. Biomass markets could also provide an economic incentive to forest landowners to keep their forests forested rather than converting them to non-forest uses.
However, MOSAF is concerned that depending on how such markets are structured, they could also cause unintended impacts including unsustainable forest harvesting rates, soil erosion, nutrient depletion, increased sediment in streams, degradation of the natural forested landscape, and negative impacts to wildlife. Other concerns include potential impacts to other sectors of the forest products industry, recreation and tourism implications, and threats to the intrinsic forest values held by Missourians. To ensure that potential biomass markets do not become a detriment, MOSAF believes that certain safeguards should be put in place.
With these opportunities and issues in mind, MOSAF membership recently approved a Position Statement relating to Woody Biomass in Missouri.
