Experts fear a host of factors are coming together to create a storm, possibly even a perfect storm, across Alabama’s forest landscape, which is the reason why they are stepping up efforts to warn timberland owners about this potential calamity and to advise them about the steps they should take to avoid it.
Among the main factors: sagging demand for forest products and a hangover from the 2008 market crash.
“Our forest industry is not doing well,” says Ken McNabb, an Alabama Cooperative Extension System forester and W. Kelly Mosley Environmental Professor in Auburn University’s School of Forestry.
“The domestic housing market is suffering, harvest levels are down, and consequently, landowners who have depended on timber harvesting have been adversely affected too. In addition, some forest landowners are less likely to invest in management activities like replanting, weed control, and thinning when profitability is low,” McNabb said.
The industry is also threatened by a host of systemic issues.
From Southeast Farm Press: https://southeastfarmpress.com/management/alabama-timber-industry-facing-tough-times