USDA seeks nominations for Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Advisory Committee
Posted on Wednesday, March 10, 2010The Department of Agriculture is seeking nominations from the public for a new Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Advisory Committee. Authorized by Title IV of Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009, the purpose of the CFLR program is to encourage the collaborative, science-based ecosystem restoration of priority forest landscapes. NASF plans to recommend the appointment of a State Forester to the committee to further an "all lands" approach to U.S. forests. For more information on committee selection criteria and the application process, view the Federal Register Notice (PDF).
Forest Service to host public events on development of new planning rule
Posted on Monday, March 1, 2010The USDA Forest Service will sponsor a series of events to provide opportunities for public discussion on the development of a new Forest Service Land and Resource Management Planning Rule (planning rule). The agency will host a national science forum, three national roundtables and nine regional roundtables. Following the meetings, notes will be posted on the planning rule Web site, http://www.fs.usda.gov/planningrule, to allow for further feedback. Summaries of the presentations and discussions in the science forum and roundtables, along with the individual comments received during the 60-day formal comment period on the Notice of Intent, will be used to develop the proposed rule and a draft environmental impact statement. Click here for the full schedule of public meetings.
Tax tips for forest landowners for the 2009 tax year
Posted on Wednesday, October 21, 2009This bulletin (PDF) from the U.S. Forest Service summarizes federal income tax information useful to woodland owners in preparing their 2009 tax returns. It is current as of October 1, 2009, and supersedes Management Bulletin R8-MB 132. Visit the National Timber Tax website for more information.
Comment period for CSP interim final rule extended
Posted on Wednesday, October 14, 2009The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has extended the comment period for the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) interim final rule to October 28. See the Federal Register notice for more information.
Canada readies $1B aid package for forestry industry
Posted on Monday, June 15, 2009The U.S. is taking a "hard look" at a $1 billion dollar aid package the Canadian government is preparing to assist its forestry industry. The assistance is meant to offset $8 billion in subsidies given to U.S. as part of the 2006 Canada-U.S. softwood lumber agreement and will focus on ways to help forest companies become more environmentally efficient. This approach would take advantage of a so-called “safe harbour” clause within the agreement that permits government funding for environmental management, protection and conservation, as long as it does not affect timber prices.
Comments sought on Forest Service proposal to merge Northeastern Area and Region 9
Posted on Wednesday, June 10, 2009A Federal Register notice has been issued for comments on the proposed Forest Service plan to merge the Northeastern Area with the Eastern Region (R9). The merger would place both units under one regional forester and integrate existing programs, to enable "a more cohesive forest management program to be developed and deployed." NASF is concerned with the implications for program delivery across a region of the country where the forests are 92% non-federally owned, and plans to submit comments. Deadline for comments is July 9, 2009.
Ag secretary asserts executive power over roadless area decisions
Posted on Friday, May 29, 2009Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced this week that all proposed activities in roadless areas on national forests -- including logging, road-building and road reconstruction -- must meet his direct approval for at least a year while the Obama administration decides how to handle a controversial Clinton-era roadless rule.
Lingering uncertainty over Ag undersecretary pick
Posted on Wednesday, May 27, 2009Some observers in the West wonder if President Barack Obama’s selection of Homer Wilkes reflects the administration's lack of focus on public lands. In his new role, Wilkes, a longtime Natural Resources Conservation Service official in Mississippi, inherits the troubled legacy of his predecessor Mark Rey.
New Ecosystem Services office takes fresh approach to carbon
Posted on Tuesday, February 3, 2009In an interview in the Christian Science Monitor, USDA Office of Ecosystem Services and Markets head Sally Collins envisions "a new era in which urban industrial emitters of carbon dioxide will partner with private landowners to plant new forests or crops to soak up CO2, or in which revenues generated from a carbon tax will pay for planting trees in federal forests lost to wildfire." NASF representatives met with Collins this week to discuss opportunities to expand ecosystem services markets for forestry in the United States.
Governors urge EPA to delay soil fumigant measures
Posted on Wednesday, January 28, 2009The National Governors Association sent a letter to newly installed EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson this week regarding soil fumigant pesticides that growers say are essential to state reforestation efforts but which environmentalists say are harmful to human health. The letter, signed by Govs. Sarah Palin (R-AK) and Brian Schweitzer (D-MT), urges EPA to delay for two years mitigation measures the agency proposed to attach to several pesticides' reregistration eligibility decisions (REDs) that the agency issued in 2008. The mandates would "put nurseries at serious risk of closure, severely decreasing the available seedlings for reforestation purposes," the governors say in their letter.
For more about this issue, read: Impacts of EPA Soil Fumigant REDs on Regenerating America's Forests (PDF)