In a letter to the incoming Biden administration, NASF and other avid supporters of urban and community forestry have detailed their recommendations for improving American communities through the maintenance and expansion of urban and community forests. Our nation’s current and expanding 138 million acres of urban forests and trees are key to addressing priorities identified [read more]
Last week, the National Association of State Foresters provided comments to the Natural Resources Conservation Service regarding its proposed guidance for identifying non-industrial private forest land (NIPF). The term “NIPF” first appeared (without definition) in section 4(a) of the Cooperative Forestry Assistance Act of 1978 (CFAA), Pub. L. 95-313. The 1990 Farm Bill (short for [read more]
NASF and CPFC have released their latest report on the nationwide use of prescribed burning, which shows an encouraging upward trend in the utilization of Rx fire. WASHINGTON—Since 2011, the National Association of State Foresters (NASF) and the Coalition of Prescribed Fire Councils (CPFC) have partnered to prepare reports (in 2012, 2015, 2018, and now [read more]
The National Association of State Foresters has provided official comments on a proposed directive regarding the implementation of the Landscape Scale Restoration (LSR) program. Given the importance of LSR in furthering priorities identified in state Forest Action Plans and the extensive role state forestry agencies and the regional state forester organizations play in administering LSR, [read more]
The National Association of State Foresters (NASF) and the Coalition of Prescribed Fire Councils (CPFC) worked collaboratively to produce the 2020 National Prescribed Fire Use Report. Since 2011, the two organizations have partnered to prepare triennial reports (in 2012, 2015, and 2018) on prescribed fire activity, state-level programs, and barriers to prescribed fire implementation. These [read more]
NASF 2020 Award recipients are honored for above and beyond contributions to the forestry community. WASHINGTON—After thoughtful review, the National Association of State Foresters Awards Committee has chosen a worthy individual and organization to receive 2020 NASF Awards for their outstanding contributions to state and private forestry. They are: The Georgia Forestry Foundation (John Shannon [read more]
The National Association of State Foresters has written a letter to House and Senate appropriations leadership regarding the creation of a "Deputy Chief for Fire and Aviation" position for the administration of Wildland Fire Management appropriations. While we agree more must be done to minimize the threat of catastrophic wildfire, we are concerned that establishing [read more]
NASF has provided the USDA Forest Service with official comments on information collection related to the administration of the Federal Excess Personal Property (FEPP) and Firefighter Property (FFP) programs. Through FEPP and FFP, state and local firefighting agencies acquire the property necessary to protect American homes and lives from wildfire, all while reducing the cost [read more]
The National Association of State Foresters has adopted three positions in support of Endangered Species Act reform, climate change mitigation, and federal tax policy reform. WASHINGTON—The nation’s 59 state and territorial foresters have agreed to back three national policy statements regarding Endangered Species Act (ESA) reform, climate change mitigation, and federal tax policy reform. In [read more]
The National Association of State Foresters has submitted official comments to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service regarding its proposed rule on the treatment of "critical habitat" as it pertains to Endangered Species Act (ESA) implementation. NASF has a substantial interest in how ESA provisions are applied and what consequences they have on the ground. [read more]
