Analysis of Forest Action Plan five-year review process and product identifies strong partnerships and effective strategic planning.
WASHINGTON—The National Association of State Foresters (NASF) has released the 2016 State and Private Forestry Report which includes success stories and an overview of emerging issues and trends that were recently identified by the state forestry agencies.
The report, available for download at stateforesters.org, includes an analysis of a recent review of the state forestry agency strategies and assessments, collectively known as the Forest Action Plans. The Forest Action Plans, created more than five years ago, are the strategic roadmap for America’s trees and forests. The 2016 State and Private Forestry report illustrates how the Forest Action Plans have helped direct limited resources to priority areas where they are needed most.
“Healthy forests do not happen by chance and they require investments of dollars, time and expertise. State forestry agencies and their partners including the USDA Forest Service are dedicated to working together to achieve national-level conservation and economic goals that are outlined in the Forest Action Plans,” said Paul DeLong, Wisconsin State Forester and President of the National Association of State Foresters.
The Forest Action Plans offer proactive strategies to conserve, protect and enhance the trees and forests upon which we all depend. State Foresters deliver highly effective forestry projects through the USDA Forest Service’s State and Private Forestry program area.
“The State and Private Forestry Report illustrates many of the impressive on-the-ground impacts that are a result of strong partnerships, innovation, and thoughtful, targeted planning,” said James Hubbard, Deputy Chief for State and Private Forestry with the USDA Forest Service.
The report, funded in part by the USDA Forest Service, illustrates just a few of the accomplishments, new initiatives, and impacts of these collective efforts. The Forest Action Plan five-year reviews, totaling more than 1,000 pages of information, were analyzed to identify key accomplishments and emerging trends in forestry. The analysis was conducted by Dovetail Partners, a Minneapolis-based environmental think tank that specializes in sustainable forestry.
“Dovetail Partners evaluated the efforts across the country and it is clear that significant state and private forestry activities, new initiatives, and on-the-ground outcomes are occurring as a result of more than five years of Forest Action Plan implementation,” said Kathryn Fernholz, Executive Director for Dovetail Partners.
In the recent Forest Action Plan reviews, the State Foresters identified future areas of focus, need, and opportunities in the following categories:
- Technology, inventory and markets
- Wildfire and the wildland-urban interface
- Forest health
- Urban and community forests
- Landscape-scale partnerships across boundaries
- Ecosystem services
Media Contact: Amanda Cooke, Communications Director at (202) 624-5417 and acooke@stateforesters.org