Timber Talk 1/13/2026
- Jenna Reese
- Jan 12
- 7 min read
OFA Update
Register for Annual Meeting Now!
It's time to book your hotel and register for our 2026 Annual Meeting happening on March 11-12, 2026 at the Hyatt Regency, downtown Columbus, Ohio. The event begins on Wednesday with our President’s Reception at Middle West Distillery. Come join us and experience the perfect collaboration between Ohio's Forest and Grain production industries. This is sure to be a fun evening of networking with your peers. The meeting will continue Thursday with a full day of industry sessions and our annual awards luncheon. We hope to see you there!
Buses to Middle West Distillery will leave the Hyatt every 15 minutes starting at 4:30pm.
Register for Annual Meeting HERE
Book your hotel HERE using code G-FRST. Check in at 3:00pm, Check out at 12:00pm.
Submit your nominations for conservation awards HERE
Download the full schedule below.
Nominations Due for 2026 Conservation Awards
Do you know someone who deserves recognition for any of the following?
Outstanding Individual in Government Service
Outstanding Individual in Industry
Outstanding Individual in Private Service
Outstanding Logging Activist
Walt Lange Conservation Education Award
Please submit all nominations ASAP.
2026 Membership Renewals
You received a renewal packet in early December by mail including a letter highlighting any major changes for OFA in the last year, an inventory of the benefits you received in 2025, corporate sponsorship opportunities, an agenda and lodging details for the 2026 Annual Meeting, information about how to get involved, and your membership invoice. Please return invoices with payment ASAP to ensure your membership benefits remain uninterrupted. Please feel free to renew your membership online at any time by logging in to your account. Please email kalah@ohioforest.org if you need assistance logging in or making a payment.
Please ensure that we have your current address on file for 2026.
Land Clearing and Tiling Cost Survey
The Department of Taxation in consultation with OFA and Ohio Farm Bureau has created a survey to keep cost-to-clear data accurate. These figures determine CAUV values and valuation of CAUV-designated land. The more responses received, the stronger and more reliable the data will be. All submissions will be used exclusively for the annual CAUV calculation. No personal information will be collected unless voluntarily provided.
Please only include data from land cleared in Ohio.
Market Update
HardwoodReview Forecasting
Year-end lumber sales “aren’t setting anything on fire,” as one contact put it, but we are surprised at the number of hardwood companies concluding that 2025 was “not too bad,” especially in terms of lumber sales volumes. With KD-green margins compressed, however, and most manufacturing and overhead costs higher, few saw higher profits in 2025, and those that did—or came close to matching 2024—were generally secondary manufacturers or lumber producers that shifted focus to more specialized products and/or value-added services. Many are now expecting a market turnaround to begin in Q2, though opinions are mixed as to whether it will be driven by new demand or additional industry attrition.
The Sep spike in Red Oak exports to China may have been an early indicator that Chinese demand will rebound after Lunar New Year. However, exporters say Chinese buyers still aren’t willing to pay the KD prices necessary to cover green lumber costs, and the rapidly growing flow of hardwood lumber sawn in Vietnam from U.S. logs isn’t going to help. Most are aware of the explosive growth in Walnut log exports to Vietnam, but Red Oak, White Oak, Ash, Cherry and Maple logs also soared to Vietnam in 2025. Expect this to be an even more contentious issue next year.
Legislative Update
The following is brought to us by our national partner, the Forest Resources Association (FRA)
Independent Contractor Rule
The Trump Administration has initiated the process of rescinding the Biden Administration’s 2024 independent contractor (IC) rule and replacing it with a more employer‑friendly standard under the Fair Labor Standards Act. The Office of Management and Budget has received the Department of Labor’s (DOL) proposal to withdraw the 2024 final rule, and although the text has not yet been released publicly, DOL has made clear its intent to rescind it. Enforcement of the 2024 rule has already been halted, and the Department has indicated that its forthcoming proposal will place greater weight on factors such as a worker’s opportunity for profit or loss and the level of control exercised by the hiring entity—an approach more consistent with the 2021 Trump‑era framework. The Administration’s goal is to provide clearer, more predictable guidance for businesses that depend on contract labor.
For FRA members, this rulemaking carries significant implications across the wood supply chain, where contractors are essential to logging, trucking, and specialized forest operations. While courts ultimately determine worker status, the revised federal framework will influence how the Wage & Hour Division reviews complaints and conducts investigations. FRA will stay fully engaged throughout the rulemaking process to ensure the final standard supports a stable, legally sound contractor workforce and reduces compliance uncertainty for member companies.
FRA Submits Comments on WOTUS Proposed Rule
FRA submitted comments on January 5 supporting the Administration’s proposed revisions to the Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule under the Clean Water Act, which would realign federal jurisdiction with the Supreme Court’s Sackett decision and provide clearer, more workable boundaries for how the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulate waters. The proposal clarifies that “Traditional Navigable Waters” must be capable of commercial navigation, removes the “interstate waters” category, defines “relatively permanent” tributaries to establish an objective hydrologic threshold, and specifies that wetlands qualify as WOTUS only when they share a true continuous surface connection with navigable waters—not merely wet soils, shallow subsurface flow, or groundwater. The rule also reaffirms exclusions of ditches, converted cropland, and waste treatment systems. FRA supported the proposal because it offers a clearer, more predictable regulatory framework while preserving flexibility for regional hydrologic conditions and operational realities across the wood supply chain.
Appropriations
Yesterday, the full House passed a three-bill “minibus” appropriations package that includes the Fiscal Year 2026 Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies appropriations bill. The conferenced version of this package is a marked improvement over the House Appropriations Committee-passed bill, as it includes $15 million for the Community Wood Grant program. The committee-passed product was silent on Community Wood.
In addition, the legislation funds the Wood Innovation Grant program at $30 million and includes FRA’s long-supported directive encouraging EPA, USDA, and DOE to recognize biomass energy as carbon-neutral. Also, the bill increases funding slightly for the Forest Inventory and Analysis program, which is the USDA’s main tool for tracking the health and viability of our country’s forested resources. While the package passed the House, it is unclear whether it will move cleanly through the Senate before the next funding deadline of January 30.
Trade
It was expected that the Supreme Court would rule today on the legality of the Trump Administration’s use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) as the basis for its “Liberation Day” tariffs imposed on our trading partners earlier this year. While the Court did issue opinions this morning, evidently, it will not rule today on IEEPA. The consolidated cases before the Supreme Court that will decide this issue are VOS Selections Inc. v. Trump, Oregon v. Department of Homeland Security and Learning Resources v. Trump. Should the Court rule against using IEEPA as a basis for imposing tariffs, the Administration has signaled that it does intend to use other channels to pursue its tariff agenda. We will keep you apprised of developments in this space.
Safety Update
Sedgwick Safety Services
Group Retrospective Rating
If you are a private employer that did not enroll or qualify for a Group Rating premium discount program in November for the 2026 policy year, Group Retrospective Rating may be an excellent option for your organization to still consider.
Group Retrospective Rating is a performance-based incentive program designed to recover a portion of premium for employers that reduce injury rates and lower associated claims costs. It is similar in concept to Group Rating, as employers are evaluated as if the group was one big organization. However, with this program, organizations continue to pay their own individual premium but have the opportunity to receive retrospective premium adjustments (refunds or assessments based on the performance of the group) at the end of each of the three evaluation periods performed by the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (BWC).
To have successful outcomes in a group retrospective rating program, employers must be committed to improving workplace safety and accident prevention and take appropriate action to reduce the frequency and severity of accidents involving their employees. In order for Sedgwick to timely file all July 1, 2026 program year enrollment information with the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (BWC), we request that your enrollment materials be received by our office on or before Friday, January 23rd, 2026.
If you are evaluating other group retrospective rating programs, we recommend carefully analyzing the savings quote to make sure you are comparing similar discounts, maximum assessment levels, service offerings and of course, past results of the group administrator.
If you have any questions, contact our Sedgwick program manager, Peyton Rosier, at peyton.rosier@sedgwick.com.
Additional Links
Application for Export Interns
The Ohio Export Internship Program helps small and medium-sized businesses who want to improve their export initiatives. Ideal applicants are seeking a trained intern for a 12 week summer opportunity. Ohio Department of Development will reimburse 50% of the interns wages. Applications are a request for a meeting about the program with Development and the local export advisor, not a final commitment to hosting an intern.
Sedgwick Safety Article
NEOFA Newsletter
ECOFA Newsletter
Upcoming Events
Saturday, January 24, 2026 |
1/24/2026 Location: Lancaster, Ohio Time: 9:00 AM |
Wednesday, March 11, 2026 |
3/11/2026 » 3/12/2026 Location: Columbus, Ohio |
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