Timber Talk 3/24/2026

Jenna Reese
15 hours ago
9 min read

OFA Update

2026 Annual Meeting Recap

Our 2026 Annual Meeting Wrapped up the week before last, and it was one for the books. The event kicked off with FAC and LSC meetings leading into the President's reception at Middle West Distillery. The evening featured tastings of local spirits, hand-crafted cocktails, tours of the distillery, and delicious catered bites for those in attendance.

Thursday was jam-packed with industry networking, speaker presentations, a silent auction, and our annual awards luncheon. During the luncheon, members voted on bylaws adjustments and board activity that included re-adding Mike Krol to the Board of Directors. Also during the luncheon, exit comments and thanks were shared by outgoing 2025 Board President, Jared Lute, who graciously welcomed incoming 2026 Board President, Don Rawn. The OFA Foundation Committee and Ohio Tree Farm Committee express their gratitude for all of the generous silent auction donations and bids.

To conclude, Jared Lute and Executive Director, Jenna Reese, presented beautifully handmade wooden plaques crafted by Yoder Lumber to this year's Conservation Award recipients. OFA wishes to express congratulations to the list of recipients below and gratitude to Yoder Lumber for crafting the awards. Big thanks also goes out to all members in attendance for their continued support of the OFA.

Conservation Award Recipients

Dan Balser

Outstanding Individual in Government Service Award for 2025

Scott Holley

Outstanding Individual in Industry Award for 2025

Alex Kindler

Outstanding Individual in Private Service Award for 2025

Chad McCoy

Outstanding Logging Activist Award for 2025

David Parrott

Walt Lange Conservation Education Award for 2025

Eric Hayes

Tree Farm Inspector of the Year Award for 2025

Dennis Nisley

Logger of the Year for 2025

Millcreek Lumber

The Holden Arboretum

2026 Tree Farm of the Year

OFA Partners with NHLA on their 2026

Convention

OFA will be partnering with the NHLA to help support their 2026 convention. The conference will take place in mid-September and will cater to all types of industry professionals. OFA members can use code OFAMEMBER2 for a discounted registration price or code OFAMEMBER for those that are both OFA and NHLA members.

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OFA Foundation Workforce Development

E.B. Miller Scholarship Applications Close April 15th

The Ohio Forestry Association Foundation is now accepting applications for their annual EB Miller Memorial Scholarship. This scholarship is offered to Ohio high school graduates pursuing an education at an approved university, college, junior college, or technical university offering a forest resource curriculum.

The application deadline for students is April 15, 2026. Selection of grant recipients will be made by the Scholarship Committee of the Ohio Forestry Association Foundation and winners will be announced in June. Follow the link to forward the application to students pursuing an education in a forestry-related area of study.

Scholarship Application

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.

Market Update

HardwoodReview Forecasting

An early look at preliminary Dec export data shows that Chinese demand continued to recover after the early-Nov trade agreement, albeit more slowly than might have been expected. That less-than-urgent return may signal reduced Chinese demand ahead in 2026, or it may simply be a function of normal holiday seasonality. More importantly, a significant chunk of the hardwood log demand that had shifted from China to Vietnam during China’s log import ban shifted back in Dec. To date, the two markets have largely just traded volumes, but they could well combine for significantly higher purchasing in 2026.

Our KD lumber pricing index reversed course in mid-Feb and headed higher. Though largely driven by supply at this point, increased Chinese buying and seasonally stronger domestic demand will bolster that upward market price movement over the next couple of months. Red Oak and Cherry should see the biggest price boosts, based on what Chinese buyers were chasing right before the holiday period. It looks like tariffs may be giving an edge to domestic manufacturers of hardwood moulding, millwork and cabinets. U.S. imports of hardwood moulding dropped off significantly late in 2025—after two very strong years—as did wood cabinet imports following the imposition of 25% tariffs in mid-Oct.

Legislative Update

The following is brought to us by our national partner, the Forest Resources Association (FRA)

EUDR - Stakeholders Urge Commission to Maintain Stability and Avoid Reopening the Regulation

The current debate over the future of the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) has prompted a coalition of major agricultural‑commodity companies and NGOs—representing cocoa, coffee, palm oil, soy, rubber, cattle, and other smallholder‑dependent supply chains—to urge the European Commission not to reopen the regulation following the April review. Their letter warns that another amendment would destabilize global markets, undermine trust in EU commitments, and jeopardize significant investments already made in national traceability systems and smallholder compliance. The signatories argue that remaining implementation challenges should be resolved through guidance, FAQs, and collaborative practice rather than legislative changes, and they call for stronger EU support to producer countries to avoid shifting compliance costs onto smallholders. This stance contrasts with the forest products industry, which supports the EUDR’s goals but has raised concerns about definitions, geolocation requirements, and risk classification for low‑risk, sustainably managed forests. Unlike the agricultural groups seeking political stability and a freeze on further amendments, the forest sector views targeted technical fixes as necessary to ensure the regulation is workable for timber supply chains and aligned with existing legality and certification systems.

Independent Contractors – 21St Century Workers Act

The 21st Century Worker Act (S.4010), introduced by Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT), proposes a new federal framework for determining worker status under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), and Internal Revenue Code by replacing traditional “right‑of‑control” tests with bright‑line statutory categories. The bill establishes mandatory classifications for both independent contractors and employees, including automatic contractor status for licensed professionals, business entities, direct sellers, bona fide sole proprietors, and workers with limited or non‑exclusive economic relationships, while mandatory employee status applies when a worker has a substantial, time‑based economic relationship with a single payor or when the parties form an employment agreement. When neither mandatory test applies, the parties may elect a classification, with independent‑contractor status as the default. The proposal could benefit industries with diverse, project‑based workforces, but raises uncertainty for three‑party referral or platform arrangements where it is unclear which entity is the “payor” for classification purposes. FRA is currently reviewing the legislation.

The Coalition to Promote Independent Entrepreneurs, in their review of the legislation, concluded that the proposed tests move away from traditional control‑based standards and instead rely on bright‑line statutory criteria, a shift that could help industries built on flexible, project‑based work while creating new hurdles for sectors with more structured or long‑term engagements. A major unresolved issue is how the framework would apply in common three‑party or referral arrangements—where a worker contracts with one entity but performs services for another—because the bill does not clearly identify which entity counts as the “payor,” especially when compensation flows through an intermediary.

Tariff Refunds

According to sources, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is making good progress on developing an automated system to administer tariff refunds in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling that nullified tariff collection under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). The capability CBP is developing is named “CAPE,” which will feature a claim portal through which importers and customs brokers may set up secure accounts to receive payment. Refunds will be consolidated by date, and the importer of record (or a party designated to receive refunds) and CBP will send refunds electronically to the designated bank account. We do not yet know when the system will be fully developed and ready for deployment, but FRA will monitor and report on developments as CBP provides updates. CBP expects to offer detailed guidance to users when the system is implemented.

H-2B Visas

The H‑2B Workforce Coalition—on whose Steering Committee FRA serves—sent a letter urging House and Senate Appropriations leaders to include meaningful H‑2B cap relief in the FY 2027 Homeland Security bill by exempting certified seasonal employers with a strong program history from the annual 66,000‑visa cap. The letter warns that without congressional action, many small and seasonal businesses will face severe labor shortages, contract losses, layoffs of U.S. workers, and potential closures, noting that while supplemental visas and long‑standing appropriations riders have helped, they remain insufficient to meet economic demand. It underscores the program’s importance across seafood, hospitality, forestry, landscaping, amusement, and other seasonal industries, emphasizing that H‑2B workers are vetted, temporary, and essential to sustaining U.S. jobs—each supporting an estimated 4.64 American positions. The coalition concludes that employers should not be forced into a lottery for their seasonal workforce and urges Congress to enact predictable, demand‑based cap relief and continue the long‑standing regulatory provisions.

Department of Homeland Security

Yesterday, the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee advanced President Trump’s pick to head the Department of Homeland Security. Senator Markwayne Mullin’s (R-OK) nomination cleared the committee despite a “no” vote from committee chairman Senator Rand Paul (R-KY). The remaining Republicans on the panel were joined by Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) in voting “yes”, which provided the necessary margin for the nomination to proceed to the Senate floor.

Senator Mullin has a track record of supporting the H-2B program and lifting the cap on guestworker visas. Assuming his nomination clears the upper chamber, FRA looks forward to working with him and his team on guestworker visa reform.

Safety Update

Sedgwick Safety Services

OSHA Injury Tracking Application (ITA) Online Submission

Now that 2025 is behind us, hopefully you have finalized your OSHA Injury and Illness Log for 2025 and printed, signed and posted the 300A Summary form in a conspicuous location. This was due on February 1st and the Summary form must remain posted until April 30th. Excellent work if you have this completed, however, some employers may still have one more step – submitting their injury and illness information online to OSHA.

If you are unsure whether or not you are required to complete this online submission, the best way to check this is by going to OSHA’s Injury Tracking Application (ITA) Coverage Application at https://www.osha.gov/itareportapp. Input the required information on company size, location and industry type, then hit the “Submit” button and it will tell you what reports, if any, will need to be submitted. You may be required to submit information from your OSHA 300A Summary Form and possibly, information from your OSHA 300 Log and OSHA 301 “Injury and Illness Incident Report”. If your establishment is required to submit online, you must go to OSHA’s Injury Tracking Application at https://www.osha.gov/injuryreporting/ita/. If you are a New User to the website, you will first need to create an ITA account.

Once that has been completed, the second step is “Sign in with Login.Gov“ account. You must use the same email address when setting up your ITA Account and your Login.Gov Account. Be sure to follow the steps under “Get help submitting your injury and illness date”. The page allows you to access:

OSHA’s Injury Reporting Page
ITA Frequently Asked Questions
OSHA’s Record-keeping Page
Help Desk Ticket
OSHA’s ITA Data Page

Once you have successfully set up an account, then you can submit the required information. This may just be the OSHA 300A Summary information or it may also include information from your OSHA 300 Log and OSHA Form 301 (remember, you can determine what data is required for submission from the ITA Coverage Application discussed above). The online submission is a fairly straight forward process, but you will need a little patience. Some of the documents or information you need will include your NAICS number, average number of employees, total work hours, OSHA 300A Summary report and, if required, your OSHA Log and OSHA 301 Form(s).

Additional News and Links

Holden Arboretum Field Day

The Holden Arboretum is inviting OFA members to join them for their Working Woods Field Day on June 6th from 9am-4pm. Expect a different format from their traditional field day involving shorter tour loops throughout the day, and opportunities to network with landowners and forestry business professionals. Feel encouraged to bring your business cards or brochures to display.

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