Timber Talk 2/11/2026
- Jenna Reese
- Feb 10
- 8 min read
OFA Update
Annual Meeting Room Block Expires on 2/23/26!
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 or view the schedule 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.
Save the Date for the 2026 Legislative Reception
This year's legislative reception has been set for May 12, 2026. Mark your calendar's and get excited about this huge opportunity for networking and industry advocacy with other OFA members, lawmakers, and legislative experts. The reception will take place in the beautiful museum gallery at the Ohio State House. We can't wait to see you there for an impactful night to remember.
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.
Hocking College Seeking Forestry Site Manager
Hocking College is looking for a talented and motivated forestry professional, to serve in the role of Forestry and Natural Resource Site Manager. This is a great opportunity to invest in future foresters, through educational instruction and field based learning experiences.
This is a full time 12 month position, with an annual salary range of $55-65,000, that is commensurate with education and experience.
Interested candidates can apply online.
For additional information please contact Dave Runkle (Director, Forest Management) at runkled@hocking.edu, or by phone at (740) 753-7196.
Market Update
HardwoodReview Forecasting
While second-half optimism remains, and some contacts say 2026 markets have already improved, our two-month price forecasts are rather flat, reflecting the widespread market uncertainty that persists and the relative price stability that even some of the more volatile items achieved at year-end. Expectations of lower interest rates and stronger U.S. housing activity are growing, but consumer confidence is at a three-year low. Lower interest rates won’t spur a major housing revival without significant improvements in confidence, which will be hard to come by during this period of sharp ideological and political differences, and on the eve of a mid-term election that will deepen those divides. Securing and retaining good workers has been a long-term struggle for the hardwood industry, even with industry production falling dramatically. It is to the point that nearly every planned capital improvement hardwood companies have shared with us for 2026 has an end goal of reducing labor requirements.
Distribution yards and millwork/component manufacturers generally had a better 2025—and have somewhat better outlooks—than sawmills and concentration yards. And U.S. component manufacturers managed that even with a 7% reduction
in domestic cabinet production.
Legislative Update
The following is brought to us by our national partner, the Forest Resources Association (FRA)
Farm Bill
House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn Thompson (R-PA-15) indicated earlier this week that his committee is targeting February 23 for marking up a “Farm Bill 2.0” reauthorization package. Recall that last year, as part of the budget reconciliation bill signed July 4, parts of the Farm Bill were reauthorized, namely row crop agriculture subsidies and nutrition programs—the two engines that normally drive a Farm Bill rewrite process. That action left other programs we care about—including the Wood Innovation and Community Wood Grant programs—in limbo, and they were packaged and simply extended through September of this year. The Farm Bill 2.0 effort would include these two items, as well as the Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program and the Jobs in the Woods Act language. Chairman Thompson hopes to move this package to the House floor in the second quarter.
Appropriations
Congress is staged to avert a prolonged shutdown, but a brief lapse in funding is still possible as lawmakers work to finalize the last outstanding FY2026 appropriations measure and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding. The Senate has advanced a two-week extension for the DHS to buy time for negotiations on immigration-related policy riders, while the rest of the government agencies without a full-year appropriation will remain funded under the emerging bipartisan agreement. Because the House is not scheduled to vote until after the deadline, leaders in both chambers acknowledge that a short shutdown window could occur for some government functions, though no extended disruption is expected.
In terms of timing, the Senate is expected to clear the short-term DHS extension today, then resume negotiations on the full-year DHS bill with the goal of reaching a bipartisan agreement before the two-week window expires. A final Senate vote on the DHS appropriations bill is unlikely before mid-February, after which the House would need to act. Most federal operations relevant to forestry, transportation, and workforce programs should continue with minimal disruption, though DHS-related functions may face temporary uncertainty.
How will this impact H-2B supplemental visas?
Under the prior Continuing Resolution from November, DHS and the Department of Labor (DOL) were authorized to increase the H-2B visa cap and to provide supplemental H-2B visas, as has been the practice for the past several years. DOL announced on December 31 that an additional 35,000 supplemental H-2B visas would be available for fiscal year 2026. In prior years, the agency had made about 65,000 supplemental H-2B visas available.
Since the December 31 announcement, however, there have been no further statements or information from the Administration about when or how the supplemental visas will be made available. This has caused a great deal of uncertainty among H-2B employers who had been planning to hire H-2B workers before the April 1 biannual release of 33,000 visas.
If there is a DHS shutdown, that could potentially further delay any announcement of the availability of the 35,000 supplemental visas.
Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS)
Earlier this week, a letter was sent to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin advocating for modernizing the treatment of woody biomass under the national Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) so that liquid fuels derived from forest biomass could qualify under the mandate. The current definition disqualifies virtually all fuel from woody biomass from eligibility. Under the existing statute enacted in 2007, only trees sourced from plantations growing on land cleared prior to December 19, 2007 (date of enactment) would qualify. Fiber from federal land is also not eligible, nor is any slash from private land that may include whole trees. Sawmill residuals also face eligibility challenges if the sawmill owner cannot trace all the fiber back to qualifying tree plantations.
We understand that Rep. Cliff Bentz (R-OR-02) plans to introduce legislation to expand the definition of renewable biomass under the RFS. Forest landowner advocates are looking to move biomass definitional language as part of a broader effort underway by ethanol advocates to extend E-15 blended gasoline sales year-round. We will keep you apprised of developments.
FRA Fly-in: Chief Schultz to Address FRA Members
Chief Tom Schultz will address FRA members during the 2026 Washington, D.C. Fly‑In, February 24–26, offering timely insight into the Forest Service’s priorities for active forest management, timber program delivery, and wildfire mitigation. His remarks come as the agency advances a major internal reorganization aimed at improving program alignment, modernizing operations, and strengthening field‑level capacity. With many FRA members relying on a predictable and reliable federal timber supply, the Chief’s perspective on how these structural changes will affect timber sale planning, staffing, and decision‑making will be especially valuable. His participation underscores the importance of continued collaboration between the Forest Service and the wood supply chain.
To learn more about the FRA Fly-In and register, Click Here.
Safety Update
Sedgwick Safety Services
Sedgwick Ohio rebranding
We have exciting news to share! Sedgwick Ohio is rebranding effective February 2, 2026.
What will change is how our brand looks, sounds and feels. This is to better reflect the
growth of Sedgwick’s global footprint, solution offerings and investments in technology.
Under our new branding, we’ll continue to build on our capabilities, so we can be the
forward-looking, consultative partner you need to navigate the unexpected in today’s
evolving risk landscape.
What won’t change due to this rebranding is our commitment to helping you thrive by
delivering the very best experience and outcomes. We understand the importance of
continuity, rest assured knowing that your Sedgwick contacts will remain in place.
If you have any questions, contact Paul Feck with Sedgwick at paul.feck@sedgwick.com.
Additional News and Links
Ohio Department of Agriculture Expands Box Tree Moth Quarantine Area Adding Seven Counties
REYNOLDSBURG, Ohio (January 30, 2026) – The Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) is expanding the Box Tree Moth (BTM) quarantine zone to stop the spread of the invasive insect.
Beginning January 30, 2026, the updated quarantine will include Preble, Clark, Cuyahoga, Ashtabula, Lorain, Lake, and Lucas in addition to the existing quarantine which includes Miami, Montgomery, Greene, Butler, Clermont, Hamilton, and Warren.
A quarantine will allow ODA to restrict the movement of boxwood shrubs. ODA is encouraging landscapers and residents in these counties to check the quarantine boundaries and not transport the plants outside of the area. The extension of the current quarantine is due to the detection of the moth in new locations last May - October. Box tree moths were detected in Ohio in June 2023, near the border of Hamilton and Clermont counties.
A map of the new quarantine zone can be found here.
Box tree moths are an invasive pest from East Asia that pose a threat to boxwood plantings and Ohio’s horticulture industry. Boxwood is an important ornamental shrub that is a valuable part of the state’s nursery stock economy. Federal and state officials are asking industry and the public to report suspected box tree moth sightings through ODA’s reporting tool.
ODA plant health inspectors and United States Department of Agriculture staff will be conducting inspections and placing traps to monitor populations. Box tree moths are not a threat to Ohio’s native plants.
Residents can look for and report any potential infestation by following these steps:
Familiarize yourself with the insect's appearance and evidence of damage on boxwood shrubs.
Check any boxwood plants you have for signs of box tree moth life stages.
If you find any evidence of infestation, take a picture, and report it.
Evidence of damage includes chewed, cut, or missing leaves, yellowing or brown leaves, white webbing, and green-black excrement on or around the plant.
Box tree moth caterpillars are green and yellow with white, yellow, and black stripes and black spots. Adult box tree moths are nocturnal and have white, slightly iridescent wings, with an irregular thick brown border.
Landscape professionals, nursery, and others in the green industry with questions about the new regulation can contact the Plant Pest Control Section at 614-728-6400.
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
Wednesday, March 11, 2026 |
3/11/2026 » 3/12/2026 Location: Columbus, Ohio |
OFA Proudly Supports RAHC
Comments