Press Releases

WASHINGTON, DC.– Recent reports suggesting that certain critical programs –specifically regarding private land ownership and wildland fire management– may be shifted outside of the Forest Service have been a particular source of alarm for State Foresters. Forests are a vastly complex and unique resource that require a dedicated federal agency with the technical expertise currently [read more]

Washington, D.C. – The National Association of State Foresters (NASF) welcomes Aubrey Bettencourt in her new role as Chief of the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). In this role, Bettencourt leads NRCS staff and conservation programs that provide critical technical and financial assistance to farmers and other private landowners to help them conserve, [read more]

The four cosponsors of the national Wildfire Mitigation Awards have named the individuals and organizations chosen to receive honors this year in recognition of their exemplary commitment to community wildfire risk reduction. WASHINGTON—The Wildfire Mitigation Awards committee has named five recipients chosen to receive 2025 Wildfire Mitigation Awards (WMAs). This year’s WMA recipients come from [read more]

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The nation’s 59 state and territorial foresters welcome Chief Tom Schultz as the 21st Chief of the USDA Forest Service and look forward to working with him to strengthen state-federal partnerships that improve the health and sustainability of America’s forests on all lands. State forestry agencies manage over two-thirds of America’s forestlands by providing [read more]

WASHINGTON, D.C.–The National Association of State Foresters welcomes the well-qualified leadership materializing at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). To maximize public benefits from forests and reduce catastrophic wildfire threats, State Foresters need experienced federal agency leaders who understand the complexities of the issues, the value of strong state-federal partnerships, and the urgency of needed [read more]

WASHINGTON, D.C.–State Foresters applaud the recent enactment of the Expanding Public Lands Outdoor Recreation Experiences (EXPLORE) Act, which contains sweeping measures to improve public land management and outdoor recreation nationwide. The Act’s explicit expansion of the Good Neighbor Authority (GNA) will accelerate critical forest management work across boundaries on national, state, tribal and county lands. [read more]

WASHINGTON, D.C.– President Biden signed a stopgap spending bill to keep federal agencies functioning through March 14, 2025. The measure includes more than $100 billion in aid to Americans struggling to recover from natural disasters, citing hurricanes “Helene and Milton and [the] Hawaii wildfires” among examples of late. The announcement and resulting funds will have a significant [read more]

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The USDA Forest Service has announced nearly $210 million in funding made available per the Forest Landowner Support initiative through the Inflation Reduction Act. For State Foresters, this is a welcome and much needed incentive to support private landowners’ efforts in sustainable forest management. State forestry agencies provide technical assistance to more than 200,000 landowners [read more]

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The National Association of State Foresters applauds three major funding announcements by USDA this week: Forest Legacy Program, Wood Innovations Grants and Community Wildfire Defense Grants. Taken together, these federal investments will accelerate much needed work to enhance forest management, protection and conservation across the nation. The announcement reflected a sum of $478 million in [read more]

WASHINGTON—The partners behind the wildfire prevention legend Smokey Bear and his public service advertisement campaign—the longest running in United States history—are pleased to announce the 2024 national Smokey Bear Award awardees. The Smokey Bear Awards are reserved for individuals, teams, and organizations that provide outstanding service with significant and sustained program impact in the wildfire prevention arena. [read more]