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The annual membership meeting of the Pike County Chapter of the Alabama TREASURE Forest Association was at Park Memorial Methodist Church at noon Tuesday.

Alabama TREASURE Forest Association members are stewardship-minded individuals who are dedicated to improving the forest lands of Alabama primarily for pine and hardwood timber resources and wildlife habitats.

Malachi Gandy, from Deloney & Gandy Timber, Inc., shared timber pricing trends with local TREASURE Forest members and also took questions from the floor.

Gandy said timber prices are trending down due, primarily, to the decreasing demand for lumber in the construction industry.

COVID has also had a negative impact on the lumber industry.

Therefore, Gandy said, warehouses are full of lumber and prices are down.

Also, a growing number of paper mills are shutting down and mills are being built in other parts of the world. American paper companies are outsorcingj1

to those places, Gandy said.

At this time, wood prices are at a low, however, Gandy said the need for tree harvesting remains and trees are continuing to be planted for the future for children and grandchildren.

Members of the local Forestry Commission team, Jeremy Lowery, work unit manager, and Jacob Hill forester Pike County and David Jackson, forest ranger, were invited to share information related to the services and support the Pike County Forestry Commission team provides local forest owners. Those services include guarding their forests, protecting the natural resources and homes and citizens from wildfire, eradicating forest pests, insects and invasive species and promoting and providing assistance with prescribed burning within their area of service.

Membership in the Pike County Chapter of the Alabama TREASURE Forest Association is an opportunity to learn more about Alabama forestlands.

Forest land ownership is not required for membership, just a love of and dedication to Alabama’s forests.