[MPWG] State Foresters Seek Level Funding For Key Forestry Programs

[Sonya]

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF STATE FORESTERS
444 North Capitol Street, NW, Suite 540, Washington, DC 20001
 
NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 14, 2005 For more information contact
Robert Mc Connell
(202) 624-5417
    

State Foresters Seek Level Funding For Key Forestry Programs

The National Association of State Foresters (NASF) commended the 
President for his support of the Forest Stewardship and Forest Inventory 
and Analysis programs today while highlighting the need for sustained 
funding of other important forestry programs. The President’s budget 
significantly reduces the funding for key programs that provide vital 
protection for our nation’s forests.

State Foresters stressed the importance of continued funding for the 
State Fire Assistance (SFA) program. The SFA program provides states 
with financial and technical assistance for wildland fire management, 
ensuring that on-call firefighter resources are available as a ready 
reserve to assist state and federal agencies. “These local firefighters 
are frequently the first responders to wildland fire, and the State Fire 
Assistance program helps give them the equipment and technical expertise 
necessary to maintain their effectiveness in protecting forests across 
all lands,” said Pat McElroy, NASF President and State Forester of 
Washington.

NASF also emphasized the need for greater support of the Cooperative 
Forest Health program. Forest Health is a critical program that provides 
for the early detection of forest pests and slowing the spread of exotic 
insects, plants and diseases. The preventative measures of the program 
result in the reduction of forest loss and risk to catastrophic 
wildfire. “The reduction in funding for forest health proposed in the 
President’s budget will be insignificant compared to the cost of 
recovering from a forest health catastrophe,” said Jim Hull, NASF Vice 
President and State Forester of Texas.

State Foresters praised the President for his support of the Forest 
Stewardship and FIA programs. Forest Stewardship promotes sustainable 
forest management on privately owned lands while the FIA program 
provides crucial forest information, enabling policy makers and land 
managers to make informed forest management decisions.  “The Forest 
Inventory and Analysis program is the standard for determining the 
condition of our nation’s forest resources and the foundation for 
countless forestry-related programs,” said Burnell Fischer, State 
Forester of Indiana and chair of NASF’s Forest Research Committee.

The National Association of State Foresters (NASF) is comprised of the 
directors of the state and territorial forestry agencies and the 
District of Columbia.  Through public-private partnerships, NASF seeks 
to discuss, develop, sponsor and promote programs and activities which 
will advance the practice of sustainable forestry, the conservation and 
protection of forest lands and associated resources and the 
establishment and protection of forests in the urban environment.

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  TEL: 202/624-5416
 www.stateforesters.org FAX: 202/624-5407    --
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Some links from their web page...........http://www.stateforesters.org/

Guide to State Forestry Laws: 
<http://www.stateforesters.org/reportsreports/SF_Laws/SF_laws.html>
State Constitution and Statute Search/Index Links on the Web

 Forestry Best Management Practices: 
<http://www.stateforesters.org/reportsreports/BMP/BMP_Library.html>
An explanation of BMPs and compilation of individual state BMP resources 
available on the web
http://www.stateforesters.org/reports/SF_Laws/SF_laws.html

The State Foresters deliver many of these programs in cooperation with 
Federal agencies such as the USDA Forest Service <http://www.fs.fed.us/> 
and Natural Resources Conservation Service <http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/>. 
To learn more about the Federal programs that the State Foresters help 
deliver to the NIPF landowner, please click on our State & Private 
Forestry (S&PF) programs webpage http://www.stateforesters.org/

Preparing for Invasive Species Outbreaks: A Workbook for State Foresters 
(doc) (PDF)
http://www.stateforesters.org/pubs/InvasivesWorkbook.doc
http://www.stateforesters.org/pubs/InvasivesWorkbook.pdf


Endangered Species Act Reauthorization
http://www.stateforesters.org/positions/ESA_Reauth.html

A BMP
library with links to forestry Best Management Practices sites. 
http://www.stateforesters.org/reports/BMP/BMP_Library.html

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Sonya GarrettKoch PLoS Medicine
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