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]
NASF and other members of the Forest-Climate Working Group have joined in support for the Rural Forests Markets Act, introduced by Senators Braun and Stabenow. The bipartisan Rural Forest Markets Act provides a federal loan guarantee to support innovative projects that help small forest owners develop climate solutions and other environmental challenges by adopting sustainable [read more]
In a letter to Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, NASF and a long list of other conservation organizations raised concerns regarding a major change to the Natural Resources Conservation Service's (NRCS) Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP). In short, the new fiscal year (FY) 2020-2021 RCPP Classic Application for Public Funding (APF) includes implementation guidance that could [read more]
In two letters, the National Association of State Foresters has offered its support for the "Emergency Wildfire and Public Safety Act of 2020," a bipartisan bill that sets out to streamline collaborative wildfire risk reduction projects and accelerate forest management near existing roads, trails, and transmission lines. "Forests across the United States need more active [read more]
WASHINGTON—At their virtual annual meeting today, the nation’s state and territorial foresters elected a new slate of officers to the National Association of State Foresters’ governing executive committee. Joe Fox, state forester of Arkansas, will lead NASF as president in 2021. As the director of the Forestry Division of the Arkansas Department of Agriculture, Fox [read more]
