Hello, good morning, and thank you for being here today.
My name is Forrest Wilkinson I am the Communications Director for the Forest Workers League of Minnesota.
Purpose: The Forest Workers League of Minnesota is organized exclusively for purposes of education, advocacy, and business promotion as a Minnesota nonprofit corporation and a tax exempt business league under Section 501(c)(6) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986.
The Forest Workers League is a member supported organization of people who work in the forest industry, their families, and their friends.
Our honest hard work provides the wood for the pallets and crates to haul the vegetables off to the farmers market, as well as the wood handle in the farmers rake.
The woodworker who makes your tables, and desks, and cribs and beds depends on forest workers.
We are not just timber cruisers, sawyers and log truck haulers of the rural forest; we have members working the urban forest as well.
Helping you manage your tree stand; urban forest workers trim the trees in your back yard, or remove those troublesome stumps, or recommend and plant a suitable tree after the wind blew down the old maple.
The men and women of the Forest Worker’s League work in our urban and rural forests to provide us the fine wood products and tree care services we expect and enjoy today.
There are well over 10,000 jobs directly related to the forest industry in Minnesota generating nearly a billion dollars of direct economic stimulus throughout the state annually.
In Minnesota we make hundreds of different forest products for people here, and around the world.
Well over 1000 urban forest workers throughout Minnesota feed their families on salaries earned managing your trees. We safely remove that leaning and looming, cottonwood before it crushes your garage; and its contents.
Point 1: Please consider the impact on the Forest Workers as you craft your legislation.
With the advent of modern materials and designs, the saws and trucks and other equipment that is used by the forest worker of today is much more efficient and safe than just ten years ago. Coupled with improved training and techniques, the forest worker is much safer today than in the past.
Point 2: The structure of the workers compensation rates should be revisited.
Daily the urban and rural forest workers gear up; and fuel up, and often in these difficult times, they are getting less than pleasant news from the front office workers. Although operational costs creep up, it is difficult to “just raise the price” as is often suggested.
Point 3: Anything that can help maintain an affordable and reliable gasoline supply would be helpful to the forest workers, their families, and in turn; the stores, cafes and shops they frequent.
Forest and tree management is hard work and is labor, equipment and capital intensive. The forest workers' financial burden to maintain such aggressive and demanding operations are considerable. Working outdoors all year in Minnesota is taxing on gear and equipment, yet people want their wood products; or that limb the tree dropped on the chimney removed before Santa comes to put presents under your Minnesota grown Christmas tree.
And because quality people are needed for this exacting work, they must be paid well; making their payroll an honestly earned, considerable amount to be met each week. And marketing must be done to get the work for the employees, there is nothing worse than laying off another quality forest worker due to lack of work.
Point 4: The customer base at all income levels has less discretionary capitol for direct expenditures or longer term capitol investments. Raising income taxes at any level now is not helpful to the forest workers of Minnesota seeking business; or capital investment loans.
The forests of Minnesota are strong, vibrant, resilient and growing. Minnesota is bigger than all of New England and about a third of it is forested. The Forests of Minnesota are an expanding and powerfully dominating life force. Its trees are sprouting, growing, dying and renewing naturally. Over half of this forest land is owned by public agencies. Much of the forests of Minnesota are entirely off limits to the industrious forest workers of Minnesota.
All of the forests are susceptible to age, wind, insect, disease and fire.
The amount of timber made available to the forest workers of Minnesota by public agencies has been decreasing over the last two decades. This steady decline in availability to this expanding forest resource growing on our public lands has contributed to the price of wood products going up over 300% in the same 20 years. And reduced harvesting on Permanent School Trust Fund Lands has reduced income to the Permanent School Trust Fund. Over these last decades we have seen timber companies closing while fire risks increase in these aging public forests.
Point 5: Increasing timber sales on public lands would benefit the Forest workers as well as all Minnesotans.
These are the five points I’ve been asked to communicate on behalf of the Forest Workers League of Minnesota.
= Helping to ensure a reliable gasoline supply is a worthy goal.
= The workers compensation schedule for forest workers should be reconsidered.
= Raising income taxes would not be helpful to the Forest Workers of Minnesota.
= Increasing timber sales on public lands would be beneficial to all Minnesotans.
= Please consider the Forest Workers of Minnesota when crafting your legislation.
Thank you.
