Letters

On February 5, the National Association of State Foresters sent a letter to the USDA Forest Service Southern Research Station expressing its support for updating Agricultural Handbook 731: The Forest Landowner’s Guide to the Federal Income Tax. NASF is comprised of the heads of forestry agencies in all 50 states, U.S. territories, and the District [read more]

On January 17, 2020, the National Association of State Foresters sent a letter to Congressman Jared Huffman of California thanking him for introducing HR 5311 “The Forestry Renewal Act of 2019," which would renew the National Urban and Community Forestry Advisory Committee's (NUCFAC) charter. NASF President and South Dakota State Forester Greg Josten writes: "The [read more]

On January 15, 2020, Reps. Doris Matsui of California, John Sarbanes of Maryland, and Jeff Fortenberry of Nebraska introduced The Residential Energy and Economic Savings (TREES) Act, a bipartisan bill to help homeowners lower energy costs, reduce stormwater runoff, and mitigate the effects of climate change by planting more trees. The National Association of State [read more]

In a letter sent to Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue and Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer on Friday, the National Association of State Foresters urged the Trump administration to prioritize Chinese removal of retaliatory timber tariffs. In it, the association's president, South Dakota State Forester Greg Josten, explains the connection between healthy forests and wood markets, the [read more]

In this letter to House and Senate Appropriations Committee leadership, the nation's state and territorial foresters articulate their FY 2020 funding level recommendations for priority federal programs.

NASF, the National Volunteer Fire Council, the International Association of Fire Chiefs, and the Congressional Fire Services Institute have sent letters to appropriations leadership in the House of Representatives and the Senate about two critically important wildfire protection programs: State Fire Assistance (SFA) and Volunteer Fire Assistance (VFA). SFA and VFA, programs housed within the [read more]

In this letter to the nation's top appropriators, more than 45 forestry-related organizations requested specific FY 2020 funding levels for the USDA Forest Service's State and Private Forestry programs.

In a letter to House and Senate Appropriations Committee leadership, NASF and two dozen other signatories requested hurricane recovery support for southern forests. We respectfully ask that you: Extend or renew the USDA’s 2017 Wildfires and Hurricanes Indemnity Program (WHIP) to provide landowners, especially where insurance is cost-prohibitive, with some recovery of lost value, and [read more]

In a letter to the leaders of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, a long list of organizations pledged their support for the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act (S.3223), introduced in July by Sens. Risch, Manchin, Alexander, and Heitkamp: We believe this legislation is a key part of a critical solution towards addressing the [read more]

In letters to the leadership of the Senate and House Appropriations Subcommittees on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies this week, the nation's 59 state and territorial foresters underscored the value of the Joint Fire Science program: The Joint Fire Science (JFS) program... provides the data we need to rate fire danger, make seasonal wildfire forecasts, and cost [read more]