The NASF Washington Weekly Report

Sustainable Forestry

USDA seeks nominations for Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Advisory Committee

The 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).

Tree Campus USA participation more than doubled in 2009

The Arbor Day Foundation honored 74 colleges and universities with Tree Campus USA recognition in 2009, more than doubling the total from the inaugural class. Tree Campus USA is a national program that honors colleges and universities that use best tree-care and sustainability practices and engage students in tree-planting and conservation initiatives.

Climate

Governors ask Congress to stop EPA rules

Governors of 18 U.S. states and two territories urged Congress this week to stop "harmful" Environmental Protection Agency regulation of greenhouse-gas emissions, saying the agency isn't equipped to deal with "the very real potential for economic harm."

Forestry project launched under new offset protocol

Project developer Finite Carbon has announced details of a new Improved Forest Management (IFM) project in Tennessee that could generate several hundred thousand of carbon offsets over the next 100 years. The project is only the second IFM project outside of California and the first in the eastern part of the country to be listed under the new Climate Action Reserve protocol.  

Pacific Northwest forests rank tops in carbon storage

Ten national forests in the Pacific Northwest and southeast Alaska are ranked as the top carbon-storage forests in the United States, according to an analysis released last week from the Wilderness Society.

Wildfire Protection

Hi-res cameras in California help detect wildfires

The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection is using a system of high-resolution video cameras and microwave relays to look for wildfires. The system is limited to El Dorado County so far and it will not replace anybody who might ordinarily staff existing fire lookout towers, according to CalFire. The state has 77 fire lookout towers statewide, but few are staffed regularly.

South Carolina weighs legal protection for planned fires

Nearly a year after the state's worst wildfire, South Carolina forest managers and landowners have asked legislators to give them more protection from lawsuits when they intentionally set fires to reduce debris that could fuel wildfires and inadvertently damage property. Georgia and Florida currently have laws that offer similar protection from lawsuits.

Understories

Former Bush Interior secretary discusses reflects on her shift in ideology

Lynn Scarlett, who served eight years in the Bush administration as assistant secretary of the Interior and later led the department after the resignation of Secretary Gale Norton, talked to the Los Angeles Times recently to discuss her transformation from conservative conservationist to enthusiastic environmentalist.

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