REMARKS OF BILL BAUGHMAN
INCOMING CHAIRMAN
FOREST RESOURCES ASSOCIATION INC.
APRIL 16, 2000
WILLIAMSBURG, VIRGINIA

Thank you, Jim, and thanks to each of you for allowing me to chair our FRA board for the next two years. I am both appreciative and excited about this opportunity. I know our agenda is full, and we don't have a lot of time for comments today, but Richard promised me a few minutes, and I would like to give you a brief exposure to my vision and priorities for FRA for the coming period.

First, let me comment on those activities and functions that I consider to be our core strengths and where I plan to continue on the path and direction set forth by Jim Fendig, Charles Godfrey, and Jerry Freeman.

Forestry Activism and Education
This has been and will continue to be a strong part of our organizational thrust. The surveys and documents coming from our 2001-2003 Strategic Planning Committee work plans show that you still want to give that focus.

It is my hope that the past successes of the Log A Load for KidsTM Program will continue to allow support for this very worthwhile cause to grow each year. We will have outstanding leadership for the program this year under Betsy Luoto and Debbie Blomberg. I offer them my full support and commitment.

Our work with the Pulp and Paperworkers Resource Council (PPRC), with the Alliance for America, and with the Temperate Forest Foundation's Teacher's Tour Program has formed and will continue to form the foundation for our other core activism and education efforts.

I also want to point out that I think we are entering a new era in the worldwide debates and discussions regarding forest management, sustainable forestry and certification. More and more the mainstream organizations and stakeholders concerned about sustainable forest management and forest utilization are growing weary of the agenda being dominated by the extremists on both sides.

We are beginning to see a growing acceptance, on the part of mainstream groups, that the world's forest product needs could come from approximately 20% of the world's forest area, if we concentrate that production on intensively managed sites capable of sustaining high levels of growth. That scenario makes plantations and other intensive practices necessary and acceptable on those sites. If one also accepts that 20% of the forest area in the world is not accessible from an operational standpoint and those areas are really ecological reserves, the remaining 60 percent will then fall in a range varying from light to no management intensity. Remember, this concept is not a plan, it is a VISION, and it obviously has to be played out in the reality of country and regional differences and needs. But we cannot create acceptable plans for implementation if there is no shared vision for what we are trying to accomplish. This scenario creates a vision that a growing number in the world are buying into.

I view this change as being very positive and very significant and I think FRA can help to support and lead its direction, both at home and on the international scene.

Regions
In every evaluation of our strengths that I can think of in over 30 years of involvement with this association, we have identified our Region field office structure as a key element. I support that view, and it is my intent to attend one or more meetings in each of our six Regions during my term in office.

Staff Strength
We are blessed by having an extremely dedicated, hard working, and technically competent staff that gives first priority to providing service to our FRA members. I know of no other organization where you get as much value for your dues dollar. Our staff is small in number, but not in effectiveness. I plan to work with Richard to see that we give them as much recognition and as much opportunity to continue to develop as is possible during my term.

Now let me mention a few of the areas that I would like FRA to give added visibility and focus to over the next two years.

Strengthening Relationships
FRA is a unique organization in our industry. It has a relatively narrow focus, concentrating on growing, harvesting, and transporting wood and wood fiber. We try to be very good at what we do and not to fall into the trap of attempting to solve all of the world's forest-related problems. Oh sure, there are times when we stray off our course, but there are always those members, like John Manz or Allen Bedell, who get us back on the straight and narrow. We are the only national organization where loggers, mill personnel and suppliers sit down as equals at the same table. That has been our historic strength.

But I sense that over the last few years a number of issues, mostly outside of FRA's control, have resulted in some erosion of the mutual trust that must be there to allow us to remain effective. I want to rebuild and enhance that trust and relationship! We need to work harder to provide tangible examples that show FRA is an association that represents, equally, the views of wood suppliers and wood consumers.

International Focus
Just a couple of years ago we created our first International Committee to help the members of our organization realize the global nature of our industry. Much has happened since then. We started out talking about "foreign" operations and companies. But, through the miracle of consolidation and merger some of us are now them. If you didn't know what a multinational corporation was before, you're getting an up-close and personal view now.

The forest products industry, in all senses, has truly become global. Our interests and views in FRA must reflect that, or we will not survive. I'm pleased that we have an entire General Session at this 2000 Annual Meeting devoted to learning about offshore operations growing and exporting wood and wood fiber. I'm also delighted FRA will be sponsoring an International Logging and Transportation Safety Symposium in 2001.

Forty years ago, as I was finishing my graduate degree in forestry, I could not have imagined that I would be flying to the other side of the globe on business on a rather frequent basis. Or that a significant number of the customers and clients that I deal with in forestry would speak something other than English as their primary language. But, that is my world and my job focus today, and I suspect the same is true for many of you. If it hasn't happened yet, believe me, it will.

Forest Land Management
Let me finish by mentioning forestland management activities. It has been an area of interest for some of our Regions for years. In many ways it doesn't quite fit with our primary mission, but there is no other strong national or international organization that provides a home and forum for those involved in planting, growing and protecting repeated crops of trees. By default, I think there is a wonderful opportunity for FRA to provide that "home" for the land management folks, including our current Timber Security Groups.

I have probably taken more time than Richard had planned to give me, and if we are running over I apologize, but I'm excited and really looking forward to the next couple of years. I thank you for this honor and this opportunity.

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