Members of the National Association of State Foresters’ executive committee held Congressional briefings on May 4 to introduce decision makers to state Forest Action Plans and convey the importance of consulting these important documents when making forest management decisions. In attendance were key staff members from the House and Senate Agriculture Committees and member offices, USDA Forest [read more]
Matthew Cimitile is the Communications Coordinator for the Appalachian Mountains Joint Venture This week a coalition of government agencies, private organizations and bird partnerships under the umbrella of the North American Bird Conservation Initiative released the 2014 Farm Bill Field Guide to Fish and Wildlife Conservation. This guide is a tool to assist those who work [read more]
The Forestry Research Advisory Council (FRAC) is a statutory committee and is chartered to have 20 members representing a) Federal and State agencies concerned with developing and utilizing the Nation’s forest resources; b) the forest industries; c) the forestry schools of the State-certified eligible institutions, and State agricultural experiment stations; and d) volunteer public groups [read more]
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced continued progress during the first 90 days of implementing the Agricultural Act of 2014 (the 2014 Farm Bill). Progress has occurred throughout all Farm Bill titles including announcements on trade and marketing promotion, the establishment of conservation programs, the initiation of specialty crop and local food programs, funding for [read more]
Under section 8204 of the Farm Bill, states are given the opportunity to request desgination of landscape-scale insect & disease infestation areas on National Forest System lands managed by the USDA Forest Service. To date, 36 states have submitted requests to the Forest Service for such designations under the Farm Bill authority. NASF is encouraged [read more]
Following the successful passage of the 2014 Farm Bill by both chambers of Congress, President Obama plans to sign it into law at a ceremony on Friday, February 7. NASF was excited to see that many of our priorities were represented in the final version of the bill. For more information about NASF priorities and [read more]
NASF is pleased that the Farm Bill holds true to many priorities of the state foresters, giving them the tools they need to sustain and maintain the health of our forests. We applaud Agriculture Committee leaders and the House for: · Codifying the longstanding role of state-based BMPS in managing stormwater runoff associated with silviculture activities · Reauthorizing Forest [read more]
After years of delays, public negotiations on a new five-year Farm Bill are scheduled to begin next week, lawmakers announced Wednesday. The first public meeting of the Farm Bill conference committee will be held on the Oct. 30, and will be chaired by House Agriculture Committee Chairman Frank Lucas (R-Okla.). Congress has until Jan. 1 [read more]
This week the House named conferees to participate in Farm Bill negotiations with previously appointed Senate conferees. The appointment clears the way for the two chambers to officially meet and begin work to reconcile differences in the House and Senate Farm Bills. The 2008 Farm Bill expired at the end of federal fiscal year 2013, [read more]
NASF sent House Agriculture Committee Chairman Lucas and Ranking Member Peterson a letter this week thanking them for their commitment to forestry and conservation issues in House version of the 2012 Farm Bill (HR 2642). The letter highlighted the important role of State Foresters in delivering programs that benefit more than two-thirds of America's forests [read more]
