The National Association of State Foresters (NASF) was encouraged by the dialogue on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives today over the need to address the ever-increasing impact of emergency fire suppression costs on the USDA Forest Service and the Department of Interior's (DOI) constrained budgets. Unfortunately, the Federal Land Assistance, Management and Enhancement (FLAME) Act, as passed by the House, falls short of achieving a comprehensive fix for the federal funding challenges of wildfire suppression.

The National Association of State Foresters reacted angrily to elements of the Bush Administration's proposed FY09 budget, which includes historic cutbacks of State and Private Forestry programs within the U.S. Forest Service.

Drought conditions, the build-up of hazardous fuels, and more homes in fire-prone landscapes are changing how we experience wildfire in America. The record-setting wildfires that burned in the South this spring, in the Mountain West this summer, and last month’s California blazes are the latest in an unbroken string of ever worsening fire seasons. As fire worsens, preparedness must improve. State Forestry agencies help communities collaborate with landowners and federal, state, and local officials to prepare Community Wildfire Protection Plans (CWPPs), which help to reduce risk and damage and increase the ability to successfully suppress fires.