By Josh Knoll In response to a devastating wildfire year in 2018—and in anticipation of the wildfire year ahead of us—Rep. Bruce Westerman of Arkansas has reintroduced the Resilient Federal Forests Act, bipartisan legislation that would expedite National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review for necessary salvage harvests by expanding the use of “categorical exclusions,” or [read more]
By Josh Knoll As cities plan for the future, many are asking how best to manage their urban landscapes. The Vibrant Cities Laboratory (VCL) has set out to empower municipal leaders, planners, and managers with a one-stop-shop for resources on urban forests and how to maximize their many benefits. The VCL's urban forestry resource toolkit—designed by the USDA [read more]
By Parker Jones On Wednesday October 23, 2017, Wyoming State Forester and NASF immediate past president Bill Crapser will testify before the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee. The hearing will consider new legislation introduced by Chairman Barrasso, “The Wildfire Prevention and Mitigation Act of 2017.” The Bill provides streamlining planning requirements in order to [read more]
The U.S. Forest Service has announced that federal and state forest management officials signed a Good Neighbor Authority agreement, a tool to improve forest health, including efforts to suppress the unprecedented southern pine beetle epidemic that includes nearly 4,000 infestation spots on four ranger districts. Using this authority from the 2014 Farm Bill, the Mississippi [read more]
The USDA Forest Service and the Virginia Department of Forestry (VDOF) have signed a Good Neighbor Authority master agreement that provides a framework for cooperative efforts that enhance national forestlands and their watersheds. With this agreement, the two agencies will now partner to address some of the most pressing environmental concerns facing the national forestlands [read more]
The National Interagency Fire Center says unauthorized drones have been detected over or near wildfires 17 times this year in nine western states. Of those incidents, 14 caused aerial firefighting operations to be grounded entirely. In 2016, unauthorized drones cropped up near wildfires more than 40 times, grounding air operations more than half the time. “Any [read more]
Wood buildings provide an array of economic and environmental benefits, and interest in capitalizing on those benefits by constructing mid- to high-rise buildings using cross-laminated timber (CLT) is growing. CLT is made from layers of dried lumber boards stacked in alternating direction at 90-degree angles, glued and pressed to form solid panels. These panels have [read more]
The Nomination Period is Now Closed. Recognize national-level excellence in forestry! The National Association of State Foresters is now accepting nominations for the 2017 NASF Awards. 2017 NASF Award categories include: Michael Buck Outstanding Service Award for Forest Public Policy Pete Anderson Current Achievement Award for Fire Protection Ken Arney Current Achievement Award for Forest [read more]
Colorado landowners who want to protect environmentally valuable private forest areas that could be threatened by development or conversion to other non-forest uses have the opportunity to submit proposals to protect their forestlands. The Colorado State Forest Service is now accepting Forest Legacy Program proposals from Colorado landowners. The program authorizes the CSFS or U.S. [read more]
The 2017 Wildfire Mitigation Awards were presented today at the Wildland-Urban Interface Conference (WUI) in Reno, Nevada. Established in 2014, the awards are the highest commendation for innovation and leadership displayed by individuals and organizations committed to wildfire mitigation. Recognizing the comprehensive challenge posed by wildfires, these awards applaud the outstanding dedication to wildfire mitigation [read more]
