Guest post by the USDA Forest Service Eastern Region | This is a cross-post that also appears here on the USDA Forest Service's website Working hand-in-hand with state partners, the Forest Service created a summary report that identifies common themes across 21 state Forest Action Plans, providing a roadmap for collaboration and shared priorities for [read more]
By Whitney Forman-Cook with contributions from the Southeastern Partnership for Forests and Water and the Southern Group of State Foresters | This blog is a cross-post and will appear in the Spring 2022 edition of the National Woodlands Magazine. Forests and trees play a critical role in watershed health and are key to ensuring safe [read more]
By Hannah Wagner Trees are essential to all human health. They oxygenate our air and filter our water. They improve our mood and boost our healing. Trees also make great teachers for adults and kids alike. In support of this year’s Black History Month theme of “Black Health and Wellness,” NASF is exploring what trees [read more]
The sign-on of the National Association of State Foresters makes 30 members for the Source Water Collaborative. Since its start in 1920, NASF has served as a leading authority on forest management in the United States. NASF’s membership is composed of the directors of forestry agencies in the 50 states, five U.S. territories, three nations [read more]
By Russell Bozeman, Mississippi state forester and NASF Forest Markets Committee chair Happy National Forest Products Week! We’ve been celebrating the value of forest products and their contributions to society since 1960 when Congress issued a joint proclamation designating National Forest Products Week as the seven-day period beginning on the third Sunday of October. President Dwight [read more]
By Marvin Brown | This blog is a cross-post and will appear in the Fall 2021 edition of the National Woodlands Magazine. In Congress and in the media, climate change is receiving a lot of attention, and rightfully so. Scientists agree climate change is fueled by human-generated air pollutants called greenhouse gases. The most common [read more]
By Mikayla Manthiram Construction material costs have seen a huge surge in the past year, with lumber alone garnering price hikes of 300%. But forestland owners aren’t any better off. What gives? Since early 2020, the cost of softwood lumber has jumped 112%, plywood prices have shot up 77%, and hardwood prices increased 32%.[1] A [read more]
By Marvin Brown | This blog is a cross-post and will appear in the Summer 2021 edition of the National Woodlands Magazine. Landowner assistance programs are a core function of state forestry agencies. States combine their own funds with support from the USDA Forest Service Stewardship Program to provide landowners with information, education, and plans [read more]
By Robyn Whitney Last week before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, USDA Forest Service Chief Vicki Christiansen provided glowing testimony on the efficacy of state and private forestry programs, including those most important to state foresters and their agencies. Below are a few choice excerpts from the hearing: On Forest [read more]
By Hannah Wagner and James Wright In the United States over 50% percent of forestland is owned and managed by more than 10 million private landowners. Growing and managing these forests as healthy ecosystems requires collaboration. To help private landowners meet their forest management objectives and retain ownership of their forestland, the USDA Natural Resource [read more]
