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Working Forests Caucus Launches Website, Social Media Accounts

January 8, 2018

WASHINGTON – The Working Forests Caucus launched a new website and social media accounts on Monday (January 8). The caucus is a bipartisan coalition of Members of Congress who seek to promote the economic, environmental and social benefits of private timberlands that represent 74 percent of all working forests in the United States.

The website and social media accounts (Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube) will continue the advocacy of caucus members, bringing their message to the world.

“We like to say, ‘Working forests work.’ Often, members of the public do not know or understand why or how that is,” said caucus Co-Chair Bruce Westerman (AR-04), the only licensed forester in Congress. “The launch of this new website will assist my colleagues as we take the message of sustainable forestry to the masses and advocate for a growing industry that is vital to the American economy.”

“This caucus is an invaluable forum for the wood products industry, including forest owners, tree farmers, loggers, and lumber mill operators, to present their unique challenges to Congress and an invaluable forum for Members of Congress to hear these concerns directly from constituents and stakeholders,” said caucus Co-Chair Sanford Bishop (GA-02). “Georgia has the largest amount of privately-owned forest land in the nation and I look forward to working with the Working Forests Caucus to help preserve this natural and economic resource for generations to come.”

“On behalf of timber-dependent communities like Skamania County in Southwest Washington, it’s critical we work together to actively manage and restore our forest resources back to health and bounty,” caucus Co-Chair Jaime Herrera Beutler (WA-03) said. “I’m honored to serve as the co-chair of the Working Forests Caucus where we are fighting hard to move legislation forward that will provide much-needed forest restoration and timber-industry jobs.”

“Working forests are an important economic driver for rural communities by creating jobs and resources for manufacturing,” caucus Co-Chair Collin Peterson (MN-07) said. “The Working Forests Caucus is a great way to demonstrate how tree farmers also act as stewards of our forests keeping them healthy and sustainable for decades to come.”

House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Rob Bishop (R-Utah) said the launch of the website will further the mission of the caucus, while Western Caucus Chairman and Working Forests Caucus member Paul Gosar (AZ-04), said the new media platforms will allow members to get work done on issues important to working forests landowners.

“I applaud Mr. Westerman and the rest of the Caucus Co-Chairs on their commitment to sustainable forestry,” Chairman Rob Bishop said. “The Caucus’ mission strikes at the heart of America’s forest health crisis. To protect communities from wildfire and restore forest health, we must put our timber lands back to work.”

“I am thrilled to hear about the launch of the bipartisan Working Forests Caucus website,” Gosar said. “The strong Co-Chairs have been leading on these issues for a longtime and have the experience necessary to ensure this innovative organization gets a lot of great work done. For far too long, poor land management decisions from Washington have caused significant harm to our nation’s forests. Private working forests that support millions of jobs and provide hundreds of billions of dollars for our economy each year have also been negatively impacted by bureaucratic DC decision-making. I look forward to being a member and closely coordinating efforts with the Western Caucus.”

The Working Forests Caucus is co-chaired by Reps. Sanford Bishop, Herrera Beutler, Peterson, and Westerman. It boasts 68 members hailing from states across the country.

Website:http://workingforests-westerman.house.gov
Facebook:http://facebook.com/WorkingForestsCaucus
Twitter:http://twitter.com/WorkingForests
YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClDZVfDeSlkZW8myDtK-hzw