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Testimony for the Record
Senate Committee on Appropriations
Subcommittee on
Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and
Drug Administration, and Related Agencies
James B. Hull
President
National Association of State Foresters
March 31, 2006
INTRODUCTION
The National
Association of State Foresters (NASF) is pleased to provide testimony on
the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) budget request for Fiscal Year
2007. Representing the directors of state forestry agencies from all
fifty states, eight U.S. territories, and the District of Columbia, our
testimony centers around those program areas most relevant to the
long-term forestry operations of our constituents: Research, Education,
and Economics, as well as Natural Resources and Environment. We believe
the USDA budget for FY 2007, which offers opportunities for advancing
the sustainable management of private forestland nationwide, can be
strengthened through our recommendations.
USDA Cooperative State Research,
Education, and Extension Service (CSREES) Programs
Cooperative forestry research (mcIntire – Stennis)
Program
The Cooperative Forestry Research
(McIntire – Stennis) Program (CFRP) is a crucial part of the foundation
that underlies academic and scientific understanding of the nation’s
forest resources. McIntire-Stennis CFRP was originally enacted in order
to provide universities with formula funds for the explicit purpose of
research in the field of forestry, which was not provided for in similar
research funding programs. For more than forty years, CFRP has equipped
both private and land-grant universities with the ability to produce
invaluable research concerning forest productivity, environmental
quality, and technologies for monitoring and extending the natural
resource base. The program also provides rigorous scientific education
and training for university students – the future managers of the
nation’s forest resources.
Universities,
supported by base funds from the federal government, have consistently
supplied science-based forestry research not affiliated with any
particular resource use or interest group. Without sufficient base funds
from the federal government, society will lose the benefits wrought by
this productive partnership.
NASF recommends $24.5
million for the Cooperative Forestry Research (McIntire-Stennis)
Program. The proposed increase in CFRP will help the program continue to
serve as the cornerstone of forest research in universities, providing
knowledge central to sound management from environmental, economic, and
social perspectives. In addition, we strongly urge the Subcommittee to
reject the President’s proposal to shift 59% of the program to
competitive funding.
The Renewable Resources Extension Act (rrea)
The Renewable Resources Extension Act (RREA)
facilitates the transfer of needed forestry information and technology
to non-industrial private forest landowners, as well as loggers and
small businesses involved with forest resource management.
Extension’s education
programs aid private landowners in understanding their management
options and responsibilities, and encourage them to take advantage of
other technical and financial assistance programs.
NASF recommends
funding RREA at $4.1 million for FY 2007, in order to sustain the
program’s ability to address critical extension and stewardship needs.
Farm Bill Conservation Programs
NASF believes that the conservation
programs enacted in the 2002 Farm Bill are integral for protecting water
quality, erodible soils, wildlife habitat, and wetlands associated with
agricultural and forestry operations. Trees and forestry practices are
often the best solution to many of the conservation challenges arising
from these operations.
NASF recommends funding for the Environmental Quality
Incentives Program (EQIP) at the FY 2006
level of $1.2 billion,
full funding for the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), and $85 million
for the Wildlife Habitat Improvement Program (WHIP). NASF supports the
President’s FY 2007 funding proposal of $342 million for the
Conservation Security Program (CSP). NASF recommends that the
Subcommittee encourage the Secretary of Agriculture and the NRCS to
expand the emphasis on forestry practices in EQIP and the other Farm
Bill Conservation Programs.
These programs are important for
landowners with both forest and agricultural land, as well as farmers
who wish to plant trees for conservation purposes on their agricultural
lands. Nearly two thirds of the land in the United States is forested,
the majority of which is privately owned. Investing federal funds in
conservation practices on private forest lands produces benefits for
all, not simply landowners. These benefits include abundant clean water
for drinking and recreation, improved wildlife habitat, open space,
viable rural economies, and many other tangible and intangible public
benefits.
CONCLUSION
The National Association of State Foresters
seeks the Subcommittee’s support for a USDA FY 2007 budget that will
make sure the public’s conservation needs – provided by private
landowners – are met. Thank you for the opportunity to provide our
testimony.
Sincerely,
James B. Hull
President |
