Forest Resource Coordinating Committee
State Forest Action Plans & S&PF Funding
Brent Keith
Policy Counsel
National Association of State Foresters
bkeith@stateforesters.org
59 Members, One Voice
• NASF represents State and Territorial Forester
interests through forest policy engagement and by
leading efforts to promote healthy and sustainable
trees and forests.
State Forestry Agencies
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Departments of Forestry
Departments of Natural Resources
Universities
Parks and Recreation ….
State Foresters
• Administer forestry BMPs
• Provide technical & financial assistance to
private landowners and local communities
• Prevent and suppress threats from wildfires and
forest insects & disease
• Deliver state and private forestry programs and
assist in delivering Forest Inventory & Analysis
Forest Action Plans
2008 Farm Bill
• Congress asked the states and territories to craft state
assessments and strategies for all forest in their state
• Outcome – Forest Action Plans provide an analysis
of forest conditions and trends in each state, define
priority forest landscapes and lay out strategies to
improve forest conditions
forestactionplans.org
2010 Forest Action Plan Completion
States were guided by 3
priorities:
1. Conserve working forest
landscapes
2. Protect forests from
threats
3. Enhance public benefits
from trees and forests
Role of Forest Action Plans
Requirements Checklist
• USDA approved
documents
• Direct state and
federal resources to
the highest priority
needs in each state
forestactionplans.org
forestactionplans.org
State Funding through S&PF
Programs
Key Programs for NASF
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Cooperative Forest Health
Urban and Community Forestry
Forest Stewardship Program
State Fire Assistance
Landscape Scale Restoration
Forest Inventory & Analysis
Cooperative Forest Health
• Leverages state efforts to restore forest landscapes
and improve their long-term health and resilience
• Fights the spread of tree-killing bugs
• Offers technical support and funding assistance to
states for prevention, detection, and eradication or
control of harmful invasive plants
Forest Stewardship Program
• Delivers information and technical assistance to private
forest landowners to sustainably manage their forests
State Fire Assistance
• Provides financial and technical assistance to states and local
fire departments to aide in wildland fire prevention, detection,
and suppression
• Provides funding to complete hazardous fuels treatments
Urban & Community Forestry
• Supports states in delivering assistance to
communities in establishing and managing local
urban and community forest resources
Landscape Scale Restoration (LSR)
• Evolved from the competitive allocation of Cooperative
Forestry Assistance Act funds that began under direction
of the 2008 Farm Bill
• Supports projects authorized under the S&PF authorities
selected by regional review teams
• Supports implementation of each state’s Forest Action
Plan
Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA)
• Fundamental national and state supported data
collection, analysis, and reporting system regarding
the past, current, and potential future condition of
the nation’s forests
• Informs managers understanding of the scope and
scale of change in forest conditions
NASF FY 2016 Appropriations Recommendations
Growing Wildfire Costs
• Fire Transfers: taking away
funding from programs that
improve forest resiliency to
threats
• Wildfire Disaster Funding Act
Photography by NASF Fellows Joel Prince
and Leslie Robertson