Today, the National Association of State Foresters (NASF) submitted comments on the joint USDA Forest Service-DOI Bureau of Land Management request for information on federal old-growth and mature forests.
The management of federal forest lands greatly influences the resilience and health of all America’s forests and the full range of social, economic, and environmental benefits they provide. Privately owned forests in the U.S. supply public benefits to society as a whole, but because forest threats like wildfire, invasive pests, and climate change know no boundaries, 66% of the nation’s forests in private, state, and local ownership are at risk if federal forests are inadequately managed.
The following comments explain the interconnectedness of various forest ownerships, forest management policy, and forest health. They also detail the potential impacts of an old-growth and mature forest policy on state forestry agency operations and the effect of public forest management changes on the forest sector as a whole.
Click the links below to read the comments in full.