Blog
Happy Holidays from NASF
Posted on Friday, December 19, 2008
The NASF Blog and Washington Weekly will be on hiatus until January. See you next year!
AFF now accepting comments on sustainability standards
Posted on Thursday, December 18, 2008The American Forest Foundation is now accepting comments on its 2004-2009 Standards of Sustainability for Forest Certification on Private Lands. The AFF Standards are the basis for the American Tree Farm System program and are currently being reviewed by an independent panel. Comments from family forest landowners, tree farmers, volunteer inspectors, natural resource and forestry professionals and Project Learning Tree educators are encouraged. Deadline is December 30 at 5:00 PM EST.
Sally Collins to head new USDA Office of Ecosystem Services and Markets
Posted on Thursday, December 18, 2008A USDA press release announced Thursday the intention of Agriculture Secretary Ed Shafer to establish a new USDA Office of Ecosystem Services and Markets. The Secretary intends to name Sally Collins director of the new department; Collins has served as Associate Chief of the USDA Forest Service for the past 8 years. The release also announced the creation of a federal government-wide Conservation and Land Management Environmental Services Board to "assist the Secretary in the development of new technical guidelines and science-based methods to assess environmental service benefits which will in turn promote markets for ecosystem services including carbon trading to mitigate climate change."
Obama picks former Iowa governor for Agriculture Secretary
Posted on Wednesday, December 17, 2008President-elect Barack Obama on Wednesday introduced former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack as his nominee for secretary of Agriculture. He also tapped Senator Ken Salazar of Colorado to head the Interior Department. With Obama's intense focus on new or alternative energy sources, the two cabinet positions will probably carry unusual prominence, according to the New York Times.
What changes are in store for the Forest Service under Obama?
Posted on Tuesday, December 16, 2008The Missoulian takes a look at the past and future effects of politics on the U.S. Forest Service, "with each administration redefining the agency to some degree."
Survey of state funding trends for urban and community forestry
Posted on Tuesday, December 16, 2008California ReLeaf has released a preliminary report of their National Urban and Community Forestry Advisory Council (NUCFAC) funded, "Survey of State Funding Trends." The report (PDF) is the result of a survey of State Urban Forestry Coordinators on how their programs are funded, with the ultimate goal of identifying a handful of permanent, long-term funding sources.
Endowment releases second report on conservation easements
Posted on Tuesday, December 16, 2008The U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities has released a report entitled, Considerations for Creating a National Conservation Easement Database. The report is a follow-up to a meeting the Endowment hosted in early 2008 and the report, "Forest Conservation Easements: Who's Keeping Track?" that served to scope interest and the potential for a national database of conservation easements to enhance conservation and economic planning and investment. The Endowment encourages comments or feedback on the report and its recommendations.
38 million trees destined for Appalachia
Posted on Tuesday, December 16, 2008A group promoting reforestation on Appalachian surface mines is taking a leading role in the United States in a campaign to plant 7 billion trees globally. The Appalachian Regional Reforestation Initiative announced a pledge last week to plant 38 million trees in Eastern Kentucky and six nearby states in reclaimed mine areas. The commitment by the Appalachian initiative is the largest in the United States toward a U.N. campaign to plant 7 billion trees worldwide by the end of 2009.
Turkish firs may save NC Christmas tree industry from rot
Posted on Monday, December 15, 2008North Carolina's Fraser fir industry is being threatened by a highly destructive rot called Phytophthora that kills thousands of trees each year and leaves the soil unusable for replanting. An estimated 50 million Fraser firs are under cultivation, and the state ranks second in the nation (behind Oregon) in the number of Christmas trees harvested. Now, more than 50,000 Turkish firs are growing in NC as growers and researchers search for disease-resistant varieties of fir.
REMINDER: Smokey Bear Awards -- Submit nominations by January 15
Posted on Monday, December 15, 2008The 2009 National Smokey Bear Awards program annually recognizes organizations and/or individuals for outstanding service in wildfire prevention programs and helps highlight the important work being done to prevent human-caused wildfires. NASF is proud to partner once again with the U.S. Forest Service and The Advertising Council for this awards program. Nominations must be received by CFFP Coordinators or State Foresters by January 15.
Draft 2010 National Report on Sustainable Forests
Posted on Monday, December 15, 2008The U.S. Forest Service has posted the draft of the 2010 National Report on Sustainable Forests. The document is a report on the state of the forests in the U.S. and the indicators of national progress toward the goal of sustainable forest management. While the report presents data primarily at a national or regional scale, it also provides a valuable context for related efforts to use the indicators to measure progress at such other geographic and/or political scales as ecoregions, states, watersheds, and communities. The Forest Service will receive comments from the public on this report for 120 days, until April 10, 2009.
NASF renews Tree City USA partnership with The Arbor Day Foundation
Posted on Friday, December 12, 2008NASF recognized a long-standing partnership with The Arbor Day Foundation this week with the renewal of an Memorandum of Understanding in support of the Tree City USA® program. Sponsored by the Arbor Day Foundation in cooperation with NASF and the USDA Forest Service, Tree City USA provides direction, technical assistance, public attention, and national recognition for urban and community forestry programs in thousands of towns and cities. The MoU is renewed every five years.
State Foresters gather in Washington, DC, this week
Posted on Friday, December 12, 2008Over a dozen State Foresters were in Washington, D.C., this week for more than 40 meetings in the halls of Congress. NASF President Leah W. MacSwords also joined representatives from the National Association of Conservation Districts, the USDA Forest Service and the Natural Resources Conservation Service for a Joint Forestry Team meeting. The group met to plan the Team's next steps after the recent signing of a joint MoU. NASF also sponsored a partners meeting to present priorities for the incoming administration and coordinate forest policy efforts in 2009; NASF and a coalition of forest conservation groups will be meeting with President-elect Obama's transition team today.
Urban tree canopy plans come with multiple benefits
Posted on Thursday, December 11, 2008"Maintaining the extent and condition of the urban forest through programs and policy is important, but canopy cover goals are useful in and of themselves. They set a target for a community that is measurable, observable and appealing....Whether it is 30 percent or 50 percent, setting a community tree canopy goal is a worthwhile course of action for any urban area." --Steven Scott, State Forester of Tennessee
Case studies highlight applications of the Southern Wildfire Risk Assessment
Posted on Thursday, December 11, 2008Now that the SWRA has been completed, partnering agencies are actively using the SWRA Published Results datasets with the Southern Fire Risk Assessment System (SFRAS) software for various purposes. The SWRA website provides examples of how users are applying the data and software to meet their planning and operations needs: http://www.southernwildfirerisk.com/case_studies/casestudies.html
Forest Guild report identifies opportunities for consulting foresters in wood energy
Posted on Thursday, December 11, 2008A new report released by the Forest Guild, A Market-Based Approach to Community Wood Energy: An Opportunity for Consulting Foresters (PDF), identifies the benefits of community wood energy for rural communities and highlights the central role consulting foresters can play in successful projects.
'Yellow Dragon' threat could decimate FL citrus groves
Posted on Thursday, December 11, 2008Florida's $9.3 billion citrus industry could be wiped out in just a decade if a virulent Chinese disease known as ''Yellow Dragon'' is left unchecked, the executive director of the state's citrus department told lawmakers Tuesday. However, the industry might be able to survive if researchers and officials figure out how to contain the disease, replant groves with specially grown disease-free trees and eradicate the bug that spreads the ailment.
Termites studied in renewable fuel research
Posted on Tuesday, December 9, 2008Several studies appearing in mainstream science journals are looking to the lowly termite for insight into their ability to break down wood and turn it into fuel.
Timber industry struggles stir broad concern and support
Posted on Tuesday, December 9, 2008From the New York Times: "A scramble is under way here in Montana to save the historically important, culturally resonant timber industry — once a pillar of the state’s identity, now under siege as demand for housing and wood products has plummeted in the national economic downturn." A coalition of state officials, business leaders, and environmentalists are speaking up for timber, especially in the context of the next stimulus package on the horizon.
USFS Urban and Community Forestry 2009 call for grant proposals
Posted on Thursday, December 4, 2008The U.S. Forest Service is now accepting proposals for the 2009 Urban and Community Forestry Cost Share grant program. Click here to download the application and instructions. Applications are due February 17, 2009.
Is R.E.D.D. the right way? Int'l climate talks highlight forestry issues in developing countries
Posted on Thursday, December 4, 2008Climate-change talks underway this week in Poland are looking at the role of forests in drafting a new global agreement to fight global warming. Scientists and environmentalists want mechanisms to reward the developing world for saving its forests incorporated into any such treaty. Other groups oppose the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (R.E.D.D.) approach, and say that the developing world has a right to boost its economic development through forestry. One such group, World Growth, disputes that deforestation is generating nearly 20 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, and argues that when timber is processed into wood products or paper, as the majority of logged timber is, the carbon remains stored. [Read "How Forestry Can Reduce Both Climate Change Emissions and Poverty" from World Growth here.]
Roadless rule limited to 10 states
Posted on Thursday, December 4, 2008A federal magistrate judge in San Francisco is scaling back her decision to reinstate a ban against new road construction in national forests. Judge Elizabeth Laporte two years ago invalidated a Bush administration rule that overturned the ban protecting federal land in about 40 states. Laporte yesterday reduced the geographic scope of her 2006 ruling, so the road construction ban would only apply to national forests in 10 western states.
ND seeks Forest Health Specialist
Posted on Wednesday, December 3, 2008The North Dakota Forest Service is seeking a qualified individual to coordinate and direct the North Dakota Forest Health Management Program. Applications must be received by 12/31/2008.
New EPA policy on state/local input on federal regulations
Posted on Wednesday, December 3, 2008The U.S. EPA has a new policy to broaden its consulting efforts with state and local government partners when new regulations and policies cost more than $25 million each, vs the previous consultation threshold of $100 million. This updates existing policy that was put in place to carry out Executive Order 13132 requiring the federal government to consult with elected state and local government officials before proposing regulations or actions that have substantial direct effects below the national level.
Dry conditions could fuel fires in South
Posted on Tuesday, December 2, 2008Wildfires have burned more than 2.3 million acres across the South so far this year, and the region has accounted for more than half the fires reported across the country. The one-year high for the South was 2006, with 2.6 million acres burned, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. "2008 has been a tough year for the South region of the country," Dan Smith, fire director for the National Association of State Foresters, said Monday.
NASF Internship Opportunity – Spring 2009
Posted on Monday, December 1, 2008The National Association of State Foresters, in partnership with the NASF Foundation, is seeking a qualified candidate for an internship opportunity in Washington, DC. Advanced undergraduate or graduate students at accredited forestry schools with strong interest in forest policy are encouraged to apply. Applications must be received by close of business on January 16, 2009.
NASF sends white paper with recommendations to Obama transition team
Posted on Monday, December 1, 2008
NASF has developed a "Presidential Transition White Paper" that outlines four priority areas for the new administration to address when president-elect Barack Obama takes office in January. State Foresters recommend the creation of a framework for sustainable forests to enhance cooperation between federal, state, tribal, and local governments and private landowners; targeted federal funding to support state and private forestry programs; a fire suppression funding fix to deal with emergency wildland fires; and forest energy and climate initiatives that capitalize on forests' role in producing sustainable energy and mitigating climate change. Read the full white paper here.
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