This afternoon NASF President Randy Dye testified before the House Committee on Agriculture, Subcommittee on Conservation, Energy and Forestry regarding the 2012 Farm Bill. Mr. Dye submitted priority recommendations to the Subcommittee and spoke about the importance of Forest Action Plans as a resource providing an analysis of forest conditions and trends for each state [read more]
State foresters react to forestry provisions in the Agriculture Reform, Food and Jobs Act. WASHINGTON—In response to the Senate Agriculture Committee's adoption of their version of the 2012 Farm Bill, the National Association of State Foresters finds that the bulk of the legislation is consistent with their platform. "While no Farm Bill can be perfect, [read more]
USDA Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell testified this week before the Senate Committee on Appropriations and Subcommittee on Interior, Environment and Related Agencies on the proposed FY 2013 Forest Service budget. According to an agency press release, the $4.86 billion budget request, an increase of $15.5 million from last year, will be administered through programs [read more]
Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell testified at a public hearing before the House Agriculture Committee's Subcommittee on Conservation, Energy, and Forestry this week on issues related to forest health, including timber harvests, wildlife management, invasive species, and the U.S. Forest Service's planning rule. "The Forest Service recognizes the need for a strong forest industry to [read more]
American Forest Foundation joins NASF in request to House Appropriations Committee. WASHINGTON—In testimony today before the Subcommittee on Interior, Environment and Related Agencies, of the House Appropriations Committee, the American Forest Foundation (AFF) and the National Association of State Foresters reminded committee members that most of America's forests are owned by families and individuals, not the federal government, and [read more]
On behalf of NASF, California State Forester Ken Pimlott gave testimony before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment and related Agencies today on funding recommendations for USDA Forest Service State and Private Forestry (S&PF) programs. The testimony follows a number of letters NASF has sent detailing our recommendations on programs including Forest Inventory & [read more]
NASF recently submitted formal comments to the U.S. Green Building Council regarding the draft LEED 2012 standard, which continues the practice of rewarding one forest certification program at the expense of other credible programs. "USGBC can expand and support the sustainable production and supply of environmentally beneficial green building materials by equally rewarding all credible [read more]
NASF and nearly 650 landowners, farmers, ranchers, forest managers, agricultural and forest businesses, hunters and anglers, local and state government officials, and non-profit organizations recently sent a letter to Congressional leaders on the House and Senate Committees on Agriculture to express strong support for the conservation title of the U.S. Farm Bill. Recognizing that deliberations needed [read more]
NASF and the Intertribal Timber Council (ITC) recently sent a letter to USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack to urge the Forest Service to make every effort to improve coordination between states, tribes and the National Forest System. State foresters and tribal leaders have been working closely on forest management issues under a Joint Coordination Committee established [read more]
State Foresters recently joined with state clean water, wildlife and ag associations to send a letter to EPA administrator Lisa Jackson urging the agency to defend current regulations that support the established success of the state-based BMP approach to effectively manage nonpoint source pollution from forestry activities. In addition, 29 state attorneys general sent a [read more]
