Press Releases

ASHEVILLE, N.C.—At their annual meeting today, the nation’s state and territorial foresters elected a new slate of officers to the National Association of State Foresters’ governing executive committee. Greg Josten, state forester of South Dakota, will lead NASF as president in 2020. As the director of the South Dakota Department of Agriculture Resource Conservation and [read more]

The National Association of State Foresters is kicking off its 2019 Annual Meeting in Asheville, North Carolina, next week. Follow the meeting’s happenings with #NASF2019. WASHINGTON—Shared stewardship, state Forest Action Plans, and the many societal benefits of healthy, productive, and resilient forests and trees will be in the spotlight next week at the National Association [read more]

America's beloved wildfire prevention icon rings in birthday alongside fans and celebrities. WASHINGTON—Smokey Bear, the face of the longest-running PSA campaign in United States history, turns 75 today, continuing his legacy of bringing awareness to unwanted, human-caused fires in America. Smokey Bear’s wildfire prevention campaign has had a dramatic impact since its introduction in 1944. [read more]

#ProtectYours from wildfire with these resources provided by the International Association of Fire Chiefs, Intertribal Timber Council, National Association of Counties, National Association of State Foresters, and National League of Cities. WASHINGTON—It doesn’t matter what time of year it is, there are always communities preparing for, actively mitigating, fighting, or recovering from wildfire. The 2019 [read more]

WASHINGTON—The nation’s 59 state and territorial foresters look forward to continuing their important work in support of America’s forests with John Phipps, the newly named deputy chief of the USDA Forest Service’s State and Private Forestry programs. “State and Private Forestry programs support state Forest Action Plans, bolster wildfire protection and forest pest management efforts, [read more]

WASHINGTON—The nation's 59 state and territorial foresters fully support the USDA Forest Service's proposal to modernize its compliance processes associated with National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) reviews. "For several years now, state foresters have called on the Forest Service to streamline their NEPA review processes," said Lisa Allen, NASF president and Missouri state forester. "NEPA [read more]

WASHINGTON—The National Association of State Foresters is calling on Congress to introduce and pass legislation that will allow resource sharing among states and Canadian provinces for the express purpose of fighting wildfires. "To better protect Americans from wildfire, our states need Congress to enact federal legislation to address liability concerns for Forest Fire Compact resource [read more]

Stephen Colbert, Al Roker, and Jeff Foxworthy lend their voices to longest-running public service initiative in United States history. WASHINGTON—In honor of Smokey Bear’s 75th birthday (August 9, 2019) the USDA Forest Service, the National Association of State Foresters, and the Ad Council have teamed up to celebrate the nation’s favorite bear. To ensure Smokey [read more]

With funding from the USDA Forest Service and more than 20 state forestry agencies, a 16-page Smokey Bear-themed outsert developed by the Mid-Atlantic Fire Compact will be delivered to nearly a million Highlights Magazine subscribers in April. WASHINGTON—In celebration of Smokey Bear's 75th birthday and his iconic wildfire prevention message, nearly every Highlights subscriber in [read more]

The leaders of the National Association of State Foresters (NASF), USDA Forest Service, National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD), and USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) have renewed the memorandum of understanding (MOU) that created the Joint Forestry Team, a public-private partnership aimed at enhancing the delivery of conservation assistance across the nation through greater [read more]