As an organization that works for the health and stewardship of Massachusetts woodlands, MFLA invested considerable time since June 1st trying to get help for the woodland owners affected by the tornadoes. We have been working with the Department of Conservation & Recreation, the Farm Service Agency, the American Forest Foundation and our political leaders to find ways to help landowners clean up their woodlands with a minimum of red tape and delay.

Here are some of our efforts to date:

• MFLA has asked Environmental Secretary Richard Sullivan to coordinate efforts to expedite the approval of Forest Cutting Permits by minimizing red tape and finding ways to speed up the needed environmental approvals so landowners can get their woodlands cleaned up.
   
• MFLA has asked Secretary Sullivan to extend Chapter 61 tax certifications for woodland owners in Hampden and southern Worcester counties whose certifications needed to be renewed by July 1st for one year to keep their taxes low for the next year and give them time to deal with tornado issues now and let them develop new post-tornado management plans later.
   
• MFLA has asked Secretary Sullivan. Congressmen Richard Neal, John Olver & James McGovern, as well as Senators Scott Brown and John Kerry, to seek funding for Massachusetts landowners from the federal Emergency Forest Restoration Program to help pay for the cleanup of these woodlands. $1.76 Million in EFRP funds are now available to help landowners deal with the tornado damage to their woodlands – see the Where to Get Help with the Tornado Cleanup section for details of how to apply.
   
• MFLA asked Secretary Sullivan to delay cleanup of the 1,200 acres of Brimfield State Forest, other than that needed to allow emergency access and reduce the danger of wildfire for adjacent properties, to reduce the amount of wood chips being dumped into the weak markets for low-value wood. This will free up loggers to work on private lands and make it easier for the private landowners to get their cleanup done.
   
• As you can see by this website, MFLA has spent time putting together informational materials to help landowners deal with the tornado cleanup.

This summer, MFLA is working with DCR, FSA, and others to put on some programs for landowners in the tornado area to help explain how they can get their woods cleaned up, the precautions they need to take, and how they may be able to get some of the costs reimbursed.

Dates, times and locations for those workshops will be posted on this website once they are finalized.

If you have questions or suggestions concerning the tornado cleanup, you can call Gregory Cox at MFLA at (413) 339-5526 or email him at gcox@crocker.com and we will try to assist you.