State foresters welcome Senate confirmation of Hubbard

The National Association of State Foresters applauds the Senate’s confirmation of James Hubbard to the role of USDA undersecretary overseeing the Forest Service.

WASHINGTON—The nation’s 59 state and territorial foresters applaud the Senate’s confirmation of James Hubbard to the key role of U.S. Department of Agriculture undersecretary for Natural Resources and Environment.

“We are thrilled to hear of Jim’s confirmation,” said George Geissler, NASF president and Washington state forester. “Jim is both keenly aware of the threats faced by our nation’s federal, state, and private forests and aptly equipped to address these threats in collaborative, cost-effective ways. State foresters and the agencies we lead are looking forward to working with Jim and the USDA to advance comprehensive, landscape-scale forest management nationwide.”

Prior to yesterday’s confirmation, Hubbard served 20 years as Colorado’s state forester and another 10 years as deputy chief of the Forest Service’s State and Private Forestry mission area, managing all of the agency’s cooperative forestry programs and its fire and aviation division.

“We welcome the wealth of knowledge Jim brings to USDA and applaud the efforts of those who made his confirmation possible,” said Jay Farrell, NASF executive director. “At this point in the 2018 wildfire year, and with the recent release of USDA’s new shared stewardship strategy, strong leadership and strong federal-state partnerships are needed. We’re confident Jim’s fire management expertise and understanding of the important role state forestry agencies play in managing cross-boundary forest threats will prove invaluable in his new post.”

Media Contact: Whitney Forman-Cook at wforman-cook@stateforesters.org or 202-624-5417

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