As the U.S. forest products industry has contracted due to all-time lows in home construction and reduced demand for paper and packaging materials, nearly 200,000 green jobs have been lost. The National Association of State Foresters (NASF) urges Congress to help restore these jobs and create new ones by including U.S. Forest Service State and Private Forestry authorities as part of a multi-bill jobs agenda.

Investment in existing forestry programs can provide immediate relief to those rural, forest-based communities most susceptible to a recessing economy. State forestry agencies have the primary responsibility of delivering S&PF programs and have the capacity and the oversight expertise to ensure that an influx of federal funds will be immediately and appropriately targeted to support and generate wood sector jobs. Since current state budgets reflect overall economic conditions, federal funds should not be tied to matching requirements.

Investing in "shovel-ready" forestry activities on non-federal lands can improve the nation's green infrastructure over the next two to five years by:

REDUCING THE THREAT OF WILDFIRE - An investment in S&PF State Fire Assistance can help put thousands to work reducing fuels, increasing preparedness, and protecting local communities from catastrophic wildland fires. SFA helps to ensure preparedness of local resources, which function as both "first responders" for local incidents and as "ready reserves" for large destructive fires on federal land.

RESTORING FORESTS ECOSYSTEMS - An investment in S&PF Cooperative Forest Protection and Cooperative Forestry can put more people to work restoring non-federal forest ecosystems through suppression of insect and disease outbreaks, reforestation, and restoration of watersheds and streams.

IMPROVING HEALTH OF URBAN AND COMMUNITY FORESTS - Investing in S&PF Urban and Community Forestry programs can create jobs for conducting urban tree inventories and health assessments, planting trees, responding to threats of insects (e.g., Emerald Ash Borer) and diseases, and removing and utilizing infested trees.

UTILIZING EXCESS WOODY BIOMASS - Investing in the S&PF Economic Action Program or Community Wood Energy Program can help businesses add value to current mill by-products and timber harvesting residuals as they face a recessing wood-products manufacturing economy. Funding for these programs will help develop clean, renewable energy in rural, forest-based communities.