News

The 2012-13 Annual Report illustrates NASF member accomplishments from the previous year and highlights the theme "Embrace the Possibilities."

Congress took steps last week to restore $600 million to the U.S. Forest Service, which the agency had transferred from other programs to cover the cost of wildfire suppression during this year’s expansive forest fire season. NASF joined partners in a letter this week to encourage the Senate to do the same. This funding, however, [read more]

Congress asked to repay $636 million for wildland firefighting through emergency supplemental. ARLINGTON, Va.—A coalition of conservation, forestry, recreation, and wildlife groups submitted a letter to Congress today supporting its interest in repaying FY 2013 fire transfers, and urging an emergency supplemental that reimburses the USDA Forest Service and the Department of the Interior $636 million [read more]

This week NASF joined a broad coalition of more than 90 organizations in seeking immediate action from Congress to address both the short and long-term impacts of ongoing fire transfers at the USDA Forest Service. As we reported last week, the Forest Service has begun the process of transferring $600 million from non-fire programs within [read more]

Groups request money transferred from other forest programs be restored. WASHINGTON—A broad coalition of more than 90 conservation, timber, recreation, sportsmen and employer groups delivered signed letters today to the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate requesting Congress provide immediate funding to support firefighters, ensure adequate funding in the fiscal year 2014 budget for [read more]

Underfunded suppression to get relief by transferring $600 million from already constrained forestry budgets. WASHINGTON—Last week the USDA Forest Service (USFS) began transferring $600 million from other programs within the Agency to pay for fighting wildland fires. The transfer will have widespread impacts on important forest management, research and development, and technical assistance programs funded [read more]

NASF provided comments this week regarding the Standard used by the Sustainable Forestry Initiative Inc.® (SFI®). They launched the process of revising their current standard to develop the SFI® 2015-2019 Standard in June.  SFI®  reached out to more than 10,000 stakeholders for input. In the comments, NASF spoke highly of the current SFI Standard and [read more]

NASF joined numerous diverse organizations in a coalition letter to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Gina McCarthy regarding the recent ruling by a U.S. Court of Appeals vacating EPA's Deferral Rule for biogenic carbon emissions under the Tailoring Rule. The letter addressed the uncertainty now faced by biomass and forest products facilities that have begun operations, construction, [read more]

This week firefighters and forest managers spoke at a briefing sponsored by the Bicameral Task Force on Climate Change. While wildfires affect the western United States most heavily today, changing weather conditions in the East might make wildfire a more frequent occurrence in the more densely populated areas along the Atlantic Coast. Joe Duda, Deputy [read more]

NASF signed on to a letter with partner organizations addressing the need for a fire funding approach that does not pit emergency wildfire preparedness and suppression against proactive forest management programs. The letter, addressed to Office of Management and Budget Director Burwell, Department of Agriculture Secretary Vilsack and Department of the Interior Secretary Jewell, outlined [read more]