The VIRGINIA LOGGERS ASSOCIATION INC’s (VLA) 22nd Annual Conference attracted over 250 forestry professionals to Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia. The annual event celebrates achievements made over the past year by VLA members and others in addition to providing an excellent learning and network experience for all attendees.
Virginia Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry Matthew Lohr kicked off the Saturday morning session by highlighting some challenges and success his department navigated over the past year. Secretary Lohr complimented VLA members for their commitment to their craft, noting compliance with Best Management Practices and Water Quality Protection was once again over 96 percent.
The focus of the Saturday session meeting was exploring how biomass energy can fulfill its role within Virginia’s renewable energy portfolio through different panel discussions based on policy and operations. As Virginia continues to attract new business and residents, the challenge of providing enough power for the Commonwealth is mounting. Enviva’s Chris Brown participated on a panel focused on operations that consisting of Scott Dane of the American Loggers Council, Don Bright of Meherrin River Forest Products, Vance Wright of Charles A. Wright Logging.
The highlight of each VLA meeting is its auction for Log A Load For Kids, which is the chosen charity for loggers across the United States. VLA members once again showed that their generosity is one of the few things that can match their work ethic!
Congratulations to Ron Jenkins, VLA’s Executive Director, and his wife, Nanette, and their volunteer crew for creating such a friendly, family environment for everyone in attendance.
#EnvivaProud