Press Releases

WILDFIRE DISASTER FUNDING ACT OF 2015 WOULD END TRANSFERS OF CASH FROM LAND MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS WASHINGTON—United States Representatives Mike Simpson (R-ID) and Kurt Schrader (D-OR) today introduced the Wildfire Disaster Funding Act of 2015 (H.R. 167). The bill would change how the federal government budgets for wildland fire suppression to eliminate the need to transfer funds from [read more]

Members and congressional staff honored for leadership in forest policy. WASHINGTON—The National Association of State Foresters has presented Sen. Ron Wyden, D-O.R., and Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-W.A., with the 2014 Bernard L. Orell Awards for Partnership. The award, presented at the organization’s annual partners reception, is named in memory of former Washington State Forester [read more]

WASHINGTON—The National Association of State Foresters applauds yesterday’s decision to fully restore transfers under the Federal Excess Property Program (FEPP) and the Firefighter Property Program (FFP) for wildland firefighting. The Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reached an agreement Thursday that will enable transfers to resume without any encumbrance on [read more]

State forestry agencies rely on transferred equipment to effectively and efficiently combat wildfire. WASHINGTON—The National Association of State Foresters welcomes today’s letter to Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel submitted by a bipartisan group of U.S. Senators urging the Department of Defense (DoD) to completely resolve the federal excess property impasse. A recent decision by the U.S. Army’s Tank [read more]

The National Association of State Foresters applauds the Forest Service's designation of areas affected by insects and disease. WASHINGTON—The USDA Forest Service (USFS) has designated landscape-scale insect and disease infestation areas on more than 45 million acres of National Forest System lands. The designations are the first step in implementing badly needed management activities to [read more]

NASF urges substantial increases in the pace and scale of active forest management to restore our National Forests and applauds this bipartisan effort to highlight the scope and scale of the insect and disease epidemic. WASHINGTON—Section 8204 of the 2014 Farm Bill provided states with the option of requesting the designation of landscape-scale insect and [read more]

NASF urges Congress to implement reform of federal forest management focused on ensuring long-term sustainability of the social, economic, and ecological benefits derived from forests. WASHINGTON—Today the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources held a hearing to consider Senator Wyden’s (D-OR) O&C Bill and Senator Barrasso’s (R-WY) National Forest Jobs and Management Act of [read more]

Bipartisan House bill mirrors earlier bipartisan bill in Senate. ARLINGTON, Va.—A broad coalition of conservation, timber, tribal, recreation, sportsmen and employer groups praised Representatives Simpson (R-ID) and Schrader (D-OR) for introducing the Wildfire Disaster Funding Act of 2014 (H.R. 3992) that would create an emergency funding process for fire response. This funding structure is similar to existing federal funding mechanisms [read more]

Farm Bill language supports the work done by state foresters nationwide by giving them the tools they need to keep our forests healthy for generations to come. WASHINGTON—State foresters across the country are encouraged by the inclusion of key forestry provisions in the Farm Bill Conference Report. The House-approved Conference Report includes many provisions that [read more]

ARLINGTON, Va.—A group of conservation, timber, tribal, recreation, sportsmen and employer groups praised Senators Wyden (D-OR) and Crapo (R-ID) for introducing the Wildfire Disaster Funding Act of 2013 that would create an emergency funding process for fire response. This funding structure would simulate existing federal funding mechanisms for response to other natural disasters, and prevent [read more]