Testimony

USDA Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell testified this week before the Senate Committee on Appropriations and Subcommittee on Interior, Environment and Related Agencies on the proposed FY 2013 Forest Service budget.  According to an agency press release, the $4.86 billion budget request, an increase of $15.5 million from last year, will be administered through programs [read more]

Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell testified at a public hearing before the House Agriculture Committee's Subcommittee on Conservation, Energy, and Forestry this week on issues related to forest health, including timber harvests, wildlife management, invasive species, and the U.S. Forest Service's planning rule. "The Forest Service recognizes the need for a strong forest industry to [read more]

On behalf of NASF, California State Forester Ken Pimlott gave testimony before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment and related Agencies today on funding recommendations for USDA Forest Service State and Private Forestry (S&PF) programs. The testimony follows a number of letters NASF has sent detailing our recommendations on programs including Forest Inventory & [read more]

Arkansas State Forester and NASF Vice President John Shannon provided comments to the House Committee on Agriculture, Subcommittee on Conservation, Energy, and Forestry this week focused on the USDA Forest Service proposed Planning Rule. "State Foresters have a strong interest in the planning rule," said Shannon, because "the threat of wildfire and insect and disease [read more]

NASF Vice President John Shannon (AR) was in Washington this week to testify before the House appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies. Shannon discussed the association's recommendations for FY2012, which center on appropriations for the USDA Forest Service State and Private Forestry programs. As states face the most challenging fiscal environment since the [read more]

Wyoming's state forester Bill Crapser testified before the U.S. House Agriculture Committee during a field hearing in Cheyenne this week focused on the bark beetle epidemic, forest health and conservation of farm and ranchland.

NASF President and Maryland State Forester Steven Koehn provided written testimony on behalf on NASF on State Foresters' priorities for Interior appropriations, which center on the USDA Forest Service State and Private Forestry (S&PF) programs. NASF recommendations in the testimony gave particular emphasis to Forest Inventory and Analysis, State Fire Assistance, Cooperative Forest Health, Forest [read more]

NASF president and Kentucky State Forester Leah W. MacSwords testified at a hearing before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee today on behalf of the Partner Caucus on Fire Suppression Funding Solutions. The members of the Partner Caucus urge passage of the FLAME Act (S. 561) that would create a partitioned wildfire suppression account [read more]

Maryland State Forester and NASF Vice President Steven Koehn testified in Washington, DC, this week before the House Ag Subcommittee on Department Operations, Oversight, Nutrition, and Forestry. The object of the hearing was to discuss the future of forestry policy in the United States. "State Foresters believe it is important to reestablish effective programs that [read more]

NASF President and State Forester of Kentucky Leah W. MacSwords was in Washington, DC, this week to testify before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies. MacSwords outlined NASF's recommendations for the U.S. Forest Service appropriation for State & Private Forestry programs; the total NASF recommendation for S&PF is $335 million, representing [read more]