NASF elected a new slate of officers to its governing Executive Committee and agreed on several national policy positions at the association's 89th Annual Meeting last week in Baltimore, Maryland. Policy positions passed by resolution include goals for enhancing the U.S. share of global wood production, enhancing collaborative landscape-scale forest management, and use of Forest Action Plans in budget allocation decisions for Cooperative Forestry Assistance Act programs.

Commissioned by NASF, the bi-partisan polling team of Fairbank, Maslin, Maullin, Metz & Associates (D) and Public Opinion Strategies (R) partnered to complete a nationwide survey of voters to assess key public perceptions and values related to forests. The poll found seven out of ten voters support maintaining or increasing efforts to protect forests and trees in their state.

To better promote the use of wood products as a green building material, which will ultimately help keep forests as forests, and position the Department as a key leader and champion in this area, we believe USDA should take action in the following three areas. We would appreciate the opportunity to meet with you at your earliest convenience to further discuss these recommendations.

NASF has maintained a position that for purposes of national policy, the 2008 Farm Bill definition for "renewable biomass" should apply, and that Forest Stewardship Plans or comparable can achieve objectives of sustainability including the establishment of planted forests within native forest landscapes. The members of the National Association of State Foresters adopt the policy statement, "Planted Forests and the Production of Renewable Woody Biomass: The Role of Forest Stewardship Plans," published separately.

The fifty-nine members of the National Association of State Foresters (NASF) have completed the first-ever comprehensive suite of Statewide Forest Resource Assessments and Strategies as part of a national effort towards protecting and sustaining healthy forests. The assessments provide an analysis of forest conditions and trends in the state and identify priority rural and urban forest areas and issues. The strategies provide long-term plans for addressing needs identified in the assessments through state agency initiatives, partner engagement and federal investments. Individually and as a whole, the Statewide Forest Resource Assessments and Strategies represent an invaluable asset to the nation for forest conservation decision making.