Tag: West Virginia Division of Forestry

21 Organizations Get Water Quality Grants

The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection says 21 organizations around the state are receiving grants to help protect the quality of the state’s rivers and streams.

A statement from the agency says $98,360 was divided among the organizations as part of the West Virginia Stream Partners Program, which is also supported by the Division of Natural Resources, the Conservation Agency and the West Virginia Division of Forestry.

The program was established by the Legislature to encourage groups to work with state agencies to keep waterways safe for swimming, fishing and other recreation and to keep an appropriate habitat for plant and animal life.

Awards for individual organizations ranged from $2,200 to $5,000.

West Virginia Division of Forestry Foliage Reports Canceled

Officials say the layoffs of 37 West Virginia Division of Forestry workers have led to the cancelation of the division’s annual fall foliage reports.

According to the Charleston Gazette-Mail, West Virginia Department of Commerce marketing and communications director Chelsea Ruby says the forestry division does not have enough staff to produce the weekly reports about changing leaf colors across the state.

Officials say the layoffs of 37 forestry workers earlier this year came in response to a $1.7 million budget shortfall. The layoffs eliminated one-third of all forester positions, reducing the agency’s ability to inspect logging operations, fight wildfires and give management advice to timber owners.

Wild, Wonderful West Virginia, West Virginia State Parks and tourism-related businesses are launching a web-based platform to showcase autumn foliage.

Firefighters Fear Forestry Cutbacks Could Affect Fire Season

Southern West Virginia firefighters are worried about the effects of recent forestry cuts as the forest fire season looms.

The Register-Herald reports that nearly 40 foresters lost their jobs earlier this summer as a result of a $1.7 million budget shortfall for fiscal year 2017.

Chris White, head of fire prevention and suppression for Region 2, which oversees the southern region of the state, says if early indicators of dryness are true, the fire season, which starts Oct. 1, could be devastating.

White says his firefighting team was cut by nearly a third when the Division of Forestry reduced its staffing levels.

During the forest fire season last year, firefighters battled 648 blazes that burned more than 16,700 acres of forest lands, the most acreage burned since 2010.

Timber Industry Blames Governor For Forestry Layoffs

An agency that represents logging operators and timber owners is blaming Gov. Early Ray Tomblin for state Division of Forestry layoffs.

The Charleston Gazette-Mail reports that the West Virginia Forestry Association said Wednesday that Tomblin could have shifted funds from discretionary accounts to prevent the layoffs, which affected 37 employees who battle wildfires and monitor logging sites.

The governor had offered to call off the layoffs earlier this week if the timber industry would support a severance tax that funded the Division of Forestry, but industry officials rejected the offer.

State Commerce Department spokeswoman Chelsea Ruby says taxpayers would pay about $1.8 million for the tax.

President of the forestry association Frank Stewart accused the governor of playing politics.

State Personnel Board Votes to Lay Off 37 in Forestry

Several dozen West Virginia Division of Forestry employees are being laid off this week.

The Charleston Gazette-Mail says the forestry workers have helped clean up areas devastated by last week’s flooding and hauled supplies to flood victims. They police the state’s logging industry and fight forest fires.

The State Personnel Board voted Tuesday to approve the plan to lay off 37 division employees. Their last day on the job will be Thursday.

Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin has blamed the cuts on state lawmakers. The division wound up with a $1.7 million shortfall after lawmakers passed a lower severance tax on the timber industry than Tomblin requested.

State legislative leaders have said Tomblin didn’t give them a heads-up about the pending forestry cuts. Lawmakers have said they would have looked for ways to spare the jobs if he had.

37 West Virginia Forestry Layoffs Averted for Now

A state board has voted to postpone a plan to lay off 37 West Virginia Division of Forestry employees.

The Charleston Gazette-Mail reports that the State Personnel Board voted unanimously Thursday in front of about 70 forestry employees.

The decision to delay the layoffs immediately drew a plea to reconsider from the Department of Commerce, which oversees forestry. Department spokeswoman Chelsea Ruby said that for every month of delay, another three employees have to be eliminated.

Foresters and Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin’s administration have blamed the layoffs on lawmakers. Earlier this year, the Legislature passed a lower severance tax on the timber industry than Tomblin suggested. As a result, the Division of Forestry was short $1.7 million.

Ruby said the shortfall can’t be addressed by limiting employee hours.

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