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President's Thoughts I hope you have shared the heavy rains we have had in Indiana all winter and spring. Some parts of the nation have been deluged but overall we were glad to have it after last year's drought. This wet late spring has definitely impacted most tree planting plans, but if you managed to get your trees in before Memorial Day they should do fine. We'll cross our fingers that this summer won't be another droughty one. Please consider joining us in Columbia, Missouri in August for the annual meeting. This year's hosts are working hard to bring you a program that will give you plenty of helpful information. Their theme "First Manage What You Have" is an excellent one. We all enjoy the process of starting a new planting but often ignore that natural stand that looks a little rough. Usually for much less cost and effort that stand can earn a quicker return than what you've started from scratch. But where to begin? This meeting will give you a number of recommendations to improve your natural woods. We won't ignore plantations; there'll be plenty of discussions on those topics as well. My thanks to the Missouri members for putting together a good program and we all look forward to seeing the rolling hills of South Missouri. For those who follow the walnut market, prices are beginning to flatten and in some cases we are seeing a retreat from the higher prices of last year. All things considered, walnut is still holding its own in a very tough hardwood business. Recently the Chicago Climate Exchange authorized carbon credits on working forests. We will continue to watch this topic closely for our members and will keep you informed. I have also included a link to Senator Lugar's testimony to the US Senate Foreign Affairs Committee on climate change and deforestation: http://foreign.senate.gov/testimony/2008/LugarStatement080422a.pdf. There will be a short session on carbon credits at the annual meeting. Have a safe summer! John Seifert |
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