Senator Mark Warner is working with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on a bill to help preserve hardwood trees in Virginia and Kentucky. The trees are important for the production of furniture and spirits.
White oak is a key ingredient for bourbon because wooden barrels are used to age the spirit and give it a distinctive color and flavor. But a shortage of the tree is causing a problem for the bourbon industry and the furniture industry, which also relies on hardwood.
Virginia State Forester Robert Farrell says the acorns need sunlight to grow but it's being blocked by other trees.
"We need to do some thinning in our forests, which isn't the most economical way to manage the forests. So, a lot of landowners are not enthusiastic about doing the work that needs to be done in the forest," Farrell. "Basically, we need to cut a lot of the understory and smaller, less valuable trees out of the forest leaving the more valuable trees in place."
Enter Senator Mark Warner. He is part of a bipartisan group of senators working to give new incentives for landowners to preserve Virginia's upland oak forests. Warner, a Democrat, is working with Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, which relies on barrels made of white oak.
"And if bourbon can bring us together, let's make it happen," Warner says.
He says support from the top leadership in the Senate will probably help this legislation get attached to the Farm Bill or one of the end-of-year packages that are expected on the Senate calendar in the next few months.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
