With support from his former state Senate colleagues, West Virginia Agriculture Commissioner Kent Leonhardt is pushing a bill that would transfer the Forestry division from the Commerce Department to the agency he oversees — a move that could restore forester jobs that were cut last year.
“I need those people who were laid off,” said Leonhardt, a former Republican state senator who took over as Agriculture Commissioner last month. “They have that expertise to make sure logging is done properly to protect the beauty of our state and our natural resources. But we also want to make sure we have commonsense regulation so the timber industry can flourish.”
In July, the state laid off 37 foresters — half the forestry division’s field workers who battle wildfires and monitor logging operations. Timber industry executives blamed former Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin for the cuts. Tomblin aides countered that the industry refused to support a severance tax rate that would have kept the foresters on the state payroll.
A lower severance tax — approved by the Legislature last February — slashed $1.8 million from the forestry division’s budget. Leonhardt said the Legislature would have to fund the forestry division “properly” before he could bring back the forester jobs.
“There were some good people there,” he said. Leonhardt said the division fits best under the Department of Agriculture’s umbrella. “Timber is a crop,” he said. “It just takes longer to grow than corn or potatoes.” His former Senate colleagues introduced legislation (SB183) last week to move the forest office. The bill was referred to the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development.
From the Charleston Gazette-Mail: https://www.wvgazettemail.com/news/20170225/wv-forestry-division-move-could-restore-jobs-