The Wildfire Mitigation Awards Committee is pleased to invite nominations for 2024 Wildfire Mitigation Awards. Established in 2014, the national Wildfire Mitigation Awards program recognizes outstanding work and significant program impact in wildfire preparedness and mitigation. By honoring the achievements of awardees, the program sponsors seek to increase public recognition and awareness of the value of wildfire mitigation efforts. The Wildfire Mitigation Awards (WMAs) are jointly sponsored by the National Association of State Foresters (NASF), the International Association of Fire Chiefs (I ..read more

By Russell Bozeman, Mississippi State Forester and Chair of the National Association of State Foresters’ Forest Markets Committee In honor of National Forest Products Week, we’ve been celebrating the value of forest products and their contributions to society. Since 1960, the week-long celebration (beginning on the third Sunday of October) has been observed across the nation. President Dwight Eisenhower was the first U.S. president to recognize this week and every president since (including President Joe Biden) has followed suit. Why Use Forest Products? From the cardboard boxes used to ship o ..read more

By James Wright Our next installment of successful state partnerships highlights the long-standing efforts between NRCS and the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF). Since 2012 both agencies have maintained cooperative agreements that enables ODF to provide technical forestry assistance on non-industrial private forestland (NIPF). This encompasses close to 3.7 million acres owned by more than 166,000 family owners. The first agreement provided funding for a few foresters in Northeast Oregon, however, the partnership has expanded to support over 35 foresters and other natural resource profession ..read more

WASHINGTON, D.C.—On July 29, 2023, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced a remarkable investment to conserve some of the nation’s most economically and ecologically significant forestlands to the tune of $188 million. Provided through President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, these funds will support 34 conservation projects over more than 245,000 acres of the nation’s working forests critical to rural economies in 22 states and one island territory as part of the agency’s Forest Legacy Program (FLP). “Working forests” provide countless invaluable benefits to local communities, fro ..read more

WY State Forester Kelly Norris testifies before the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources regarding federal response to wildfire management, wildland firefighter recruitment and retention WY State Forester Kelly Norris pictured with Ranking Member Sen. John Barrasso prior to her testimony before the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. On June 8, 2023, interim Wyoming State Forester Kelly Norris testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources regarding the federal response to wildfires, as well as issues in federal wildland fire ..read more

By Russell Bozeman, Mississippi state forester and NASF Forest Markets Committee chair In honor of National Forest Products Week, we’ve been celebrating the value of forest products and their contributions to society. Since 1960, the week-long celebration (beginning on the third Sunday of October) has been observed across our nation. President Dwight Eisenhower was the first U.S. president to recognize this week and every president since (including President Joe Biden) has followed suit. Why use forest products? From the cardboard boxes used to ship online orders across the world, to the ..read more

The Wildfire Mitigation Awards Committee is pleased to invite nominations for 2023 Wildfire Mitigation Awards.  Established in 2014, the national Wildfire Mitigation Awards program recognizes outstanding work and significant program impact in wildfire preparedness and mitigation. By honoring the achievements of awardees, the program sponsors seek to increase public recognition and awareness of the value of wildfire mitigation efforts. The Wildfire Mitigation Awards are jointly sponsored by NASF, the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC), the National Fire Protection Association ..read more

By Eli Lewis Last month I had the opportunity to join the USDA Forest Service’s Wildfire Risk Reduction Infrastructure Team (WRRIT) in Northern California. The Forest Service led us on tours of the Plumas National Forest and Tahoe National Forest, highlighting the impacts of the 2021 Dixie Fire (which burned nearly 1 million acres) and the 2020 North Complex Fire (which burned over 300,000 acres). As we drove from location to location on our tour of the burn scars, miles of blackened forest flashed by my window. Entire mountain sides were scorched, and only tree trunks remained. We also talked ..read more

A call for proposals from the Arbor Day Foundation to NASF members: Since 1990, the Arbor Day Foundation has worked with federal, state, and local government agencies; non-profits; forestry consultants; and individuals to identify and support reforestation projects. Our partnerships span both public and private land throughout the United States and its territories.  Through these partnerships and with support from Arbor Day Foundation donors, we can provide funding for seedlings on large-scale restoration projects.  Over the last 30+ years, we have worked together to help fund and pl ..read more

By Grant Peterson If you read my introductory blog post, you might remember that I’m a dendrology nut. While I do owe my dendrology class for sparking my interest in trees, I admit that while I was in the class, I had no real interest in forestry. During nearly every dendrology lab I would think, “These are cool trees, but why do I care which species make good timber?” I remember one specific instance when I naively said to my classmate, “I like this class, but I don’t really like the idea of cutting trees down.” Working at NASF this summer has broadened my worldview. My first big assignment f ..read more