Issues

New York’s forests cover over 19 million acres of land - 64% of the state’s land area. While state-owned forests in the Catskills and Adirondacks are the most iconic and recognized forests in the state, three quarters – or 14.4 million acres – of New York’s forests are privately owned. What’s at stake are several hundred thousand family forest landowners who own less than 100 acres of forest and viable forest markets for timber, fiber, and biomass.  Building on New York’s legacy of forestland stewardship, an extraordinary opportunity lies in investing more deeply in assisting private forest landowners and the forest products industry to secure and sustain the multiple benefits that forests provide.

Forests as a Natural Solution to Climate Change

• Nineteen million acres, or 64% of the terrestrial area of New York is forested. Our forests are literally the “lungs” of New York, sequestering 26.6 million metric tons (MMT) of carbon on an annual basis. That equates to 40% of carbon emissions from gasoline vehicles in the State.
• New York’s forests sequester approximately 26.6 MMT CO2e per year accounting for 87% of all sequestration and an additional 5% in durable wood products such as lumber, flooring, and trim. 
• Of the 19 million acres of forest in New York, 14 million acres or 75% of the forest is owned by over 700,000 landowners.  Five million acres are publicly owned largely in the 3.75 million acres of Forest Preserve.
• Sustainable forest management can maintain or enhance carbon stocks, enhance annual sequestration rates, and transfer carbon to durable wood products that can additionally store carbon for long periods of time.

Forests and the Ecology they Support

Forests have an important role to play in New York’s efforts to protect and manage the environment.

• Working forests clean air and water and provide a diverse array of habitats for wildlife including 163 bird, 49 mammal, and 40 amphibian and reptile species.
• Over the past 50 years and currently, New York forests statewide are growing at 2.5x the rate of harvests.
• Forests account for over half of the open space in New York State.

Forests and the Communities they Sustain

Forests provide New York’s residents and communities with tremendous benefits that contribute to public health, quality of life, and resilience at little or no cost to the community at large.

• New York forests protect the public water drinking supply for over 12 million New Yorkers across the state.
• Forests absorb, filter, and slow the flow of rainfall, reducing the significant and expensive impacts of extreme weather events.
• Trees catch and remove airborne particulates that cause respiratory irritation and illness.
• Forest-based recreation in New York contributes an additional $8.2 billion to the state economy and employs nearly 32,000 people.
• The average labor income per worker in the forest products industry is nearly $62,000 which is a family supporting income in mostly rural New York communities.

Forest Products and the Economy they Create

Wood harvested from New York’s forests annually supplies markets around the world and forest management, harvesting, and local manufacturing supports a significant forest economy in New York.

• Over 41,000 New Yorkers are directly employed by the forest sector with a payroll of $2.5 billion. An additional 54,000 jobs are also generated for a total economic impact of nearly 100,000 jobs statewide and $3.7 billion additional labor income for a total economic impact of $6.2 billion in labor income statewide.  
• The forest products industry accounts for 9% of all manufacturing employment and ranks 5^th statewide in manufacturing employment.  It also accounts for 7% of manufactured value shipments among all manufacturing.
• The forest products industry generates a direct economic impact of $13.1 billion and a total economic impact of $23 billion. 

Policy Priorities for the SFY 2024-25 Budget

The Empire State Forest Products Association strongly supports opportunities sustaining and growing the benefits of New York’s forests and forest-based economy. Offered here are our highest priorities within the SFY 2024-25 Budget.

1. Environmental Protection Fund:

ESFPA supports increasing the EPF to $500 million per year and devoting $10 million of an added $100 million increase in the EPF can significantly impact private forest stewardship and enhance our forest-based bioeconomy for years to come. Since 2018 we have added lines in the EPF for forests and the forest-based economy, but none have come to the scale necessary for meaningful impact.  Every line has demonstrated its value and return, but much more needs to be done. The following is proposed for 2025:

a.) ESFPA supports the following funding in existing lines in the EPF:

b.) ESFPA supports a new line in the EPF for a Private Forest Stewardship Initiative.

2. $1 Billion Sustainable Futures Fund

a.) ESFPA supports the Governor’s request for a $1 billion Sustainable Futures Program to help fund climate mitigation and adaptation.  ESFPA is suggesting that solid waste recycling projects and Existing Burdens Reports for Disadvantaged Communities be eligible projects

3.      Title Insurance (TED Part TT):

a.) ESFPA supports the Governor’s legislation which would authorize the Attorney General to accept from any reputable commercial insurer, a title policy naming the people of the state of New York as insured, with such policy to cover any title defects which would otherwise render the title unmarketable.