President Biden has signed a fiscal year (FY) 2022 omnibus spending bill into law, averting a government shutdown. The final appropriations package includes modest funding increases for priority forestry programs vital to America's forest sector. WASHINGTON—The National Association of State Foresters was relieved to learn that Congress had come to agreement on a long-awaited FY [read more]

WASHINGTON—The USDA Forest Service, the National Association of State Foresters and the Ad Council are reminding Americans everywhere of important wildfire prevention tips with new PSAs featuring a virtual Artificial Intelligence Smokey Bear assistant. In both digital and radio spots, Smokey’s AI Assistant gives answers to some of the top questions Americans have about outdoor [read more]

The National Association of State Foresters applauds the confirmation of Homer Wilkes as USDA undersecretary overseeing the Forest Service. WASHINGTON—The nation’s 59 state foresters welcome the Senate’s confirmation of Homer Wilkes to the key role of U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment (NRE). In his new post, Undersecretary Wilkes [read more]

The latest survey by the National Association of State Foresters finds that state forestry agencies continue to play key roles in protecting and enhancing America’s forested landscapes even in the face of modern challenges, including COVID-19, catastrophic wildfire, and economic uncertainty. WASHINGTON — Among other important findings, the National Association of State Foresters’ newly released [read more]

The National Association of State Foresters is proud to have worked closely with the USDA Forest Service in developing a long-range, first-of-its-kind plan to protect, conserve, and enhance America's forested landscapes most threatened by catastrophic wildfire. WASHINGTON—The nation's state and territorial foresters stand in strong support of the USDA Forest Service’s newly released 10-Year Wildfire [read more]

WASHINGTON—The National Association of State Foresters' Executive Director Jay Farrell has accepted the USDA Forest Service Chief's Award on behalf of the association for its work in support of the Pandemic Assistance for Timber Harvesters and Haulers (PATHH) program. This USDA program provided $200 million to timber harvesting and timber hauling businesses that experienced losses [read more]

The 2021 Complex Incident Management Course, held Oct. 17-22, trained state emergency responders on multi-jurisdictional and all-hazard issues, including wildfire response. HICKORY, N.C.—Forty trainees from 12 U.S. states participated in the recent Complex Incident Management Course (CIMC) in North Carolina this week. Participants were trained in incident management team response to the most complex, multi-jurisdictional, [read more]

The NASF 2021 photo fellow visited the Great Lakes Region to document forests at work with the support of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, and the NASF Foundation. WASHINGTON—The National Association of State Foresters is proud to debut its latest photo fellow's work captured across the [read more]

The latest short film from state foresters takes place in Calhoun County, Florida, where a disastrous hurricane robbed timber farmers of their livelihoods. “Forgotten Storm” includes first-hand accounts of Hurricane Michael and details the community’s long road to recovery. WASHINGTON—The National Association of State Foresters is pleased to present “Tree Stories,” a series of short [read more]

The National Association of State Foresters applauds Jaelith Hall-Rivera's permanent appointment as head of the USDA Forest Service's State and Private Forestry Branch. WASHINGTON—The nation’s 59 state and territorial foresters were thrilled to hear last week from USDA Forest Service Chief Randy Moore that Jaelith Hall-Rivera has accepted the permanent role of deputy chief of [read more]