Policy Statements

As natural resource professionals and directors of forestry agencies in all the states and territories, state foresters have a special responsibility and commitment to ensuring the sustainability of the forest resource. It is their resolution that biomass from the nation’s public and private forests can and should be part of any solution to meeting the nation’s renewable energy goals, particularly in regions where solar, wind, and other renewable resources are less prevalent.

Burning wood and other organic material constitutes 50 percent of all renewable energy produced in the United States, but there’s a real need for this proportion to increase.  Without markets to accept woody biomass collected after mechanical thinning, active forest management is less likely to occur; and without greater forest management, the health and resiliency of our forests suffer.

In 2010, NASF members approved a policy statement, “Forest Biomass Supply, Sustainability and Carbon Policy,” to demonstrate the important role the nation’s forests play in meeting national goals for renewable energy and fuels development. It is available by clicking here.

As a founding member of the Forest-Climate Working Group (FCWG), NASF helps develop recommendations for ensuring forests have a strong role in climate legislation. FCWG is a broad and diverse coalition of forest stakeholders formed to develop consensus recommendations for federal climate and forest policy. Our partners in FCWG—which include landowner, industry, conservation, wildlife, carbon finance, and forestry organizations—have been working together to provide input on climate policy since 2007.

In fall 2020, FWCG released its latest policy platform, available by clicking here.

Currently, forests in the United States reduce annual greenhouse gas emissions by roughly 13 percent. Appropriate national climate change policy would enable the forestry sector to make even greater contributions to greenhouse gas reductions. As policies are created, state forestry agencies—which directly manage and protect millions of acres of state forests and assist private landowners in the management of nearly two-thirds of the forestland in the U.S.—should have a seat at the table.

State, national, and international climate change policies seek to account for and reward CO₂ emissions reductions and sequestration from the forest sector to varying degrees, and as a result, can pose major implications for forest conservation, management, and use. State forestry agencies are in a unique position, not only to help guide the development of these programs, but also to assist in program delivery at the local level.

In 2015, state foresters approved a policy statement, “Recommendations for Enhancing the Role of Forests In Climate Change Mitigation and Ecosystem Adaption to Climate Change,” available by clicking here.

In 2020, state foresters approved an updated policy paper on climate change, “Enhancing Forest Resilience and the Role of Forests in Dealing with Climate Change,” available by clicking here.

A number of new and potentially important uses for wood fiber are either in production are being researched and developed. These include industrial pellets, biofuel, biochar, torrefaction, cellulosic nanofibers and mass timbers for construction. Others no doubt will follow.

The National Association of State Foresters would like to equip its members with a clear statement of policy indicating that these new wood markets provide a welcome addition to the range of options that landowners have for funding the proper management and retention of their forest holdings. Where there is an opportunity to communicate this view the adopted policy statement can provide a useful tool.

In 2024, state foresters updated and approved by resolution the policy statement, “Markets for Wood and Their Positive Impact on Forest Resource Management.” In 2023, state foresters addressed the emergence of carbon markets and approved a policy statement with recommendations to improve the credibility of these programs. State foresters recommended that carbon offset protocols, described in greater detail in the policy statement, “The Elements of a Credible Forest Carbon Markets Program,” should:

• Provide a statistically valid measurement of the baseline carbon offset that would be expected on a property in the absence of the carbon project.
• Use available scientific information to estimate the amount of additional offset carbon that the project will sequester compared to the baseline.
• Have a transparent method to account for leakage.
• Clearly identify the amount of time the offsets project will exist.
• Adjust offset credit amounts through an assessment of the risks associated with occurrences that could lead to reversals (i.e. wildfire, insect and disease, hurricanes, etc.); or provide some other method to protect the purchaser from these risks, such as providing a bank of unused credits that can be drawn on in the event of loss.
• Offer a method that acknowledges any co-benefits the project may create.
• Be subject to ongoing monitoring, reporting, and verification.

NASF supports an updated Endangered Species Act that encourages greater cooperation, more efficient regulatory processes, and a renewed emphasis on sound science in the management of threatened or endangered plants and animals.

In 2015, NASF members approved a policy statement, “Improving the Effectiveness of the Endangered Species Act,” available by clicking here.

In 2020, state foresters approved an updated policy statement, “Improving the Effectiveness of the Endangered Species Act,” available by clicking here.

NASF takes a firm position on actively managing federal forest land. With too much red tape and not enough funding, the health of federal forests is ailing. For long-term sustainability, NASF suggests a range of changes to federal laws and policy that would focus the management of federal lands on achieving a more balanced set of economic, environmental, and social benefits.

In 2016, the NASF Executive Committee approved a policy statement, “Preferred Reforms to Federal Forest Land Policy,” available by clicking here. In September 2021, the association adopted a revised policy statement on the same subject called, “Recommendations to Improve the Health and Sustainability of Federal Forest Resources.”

State foresters have long advocated that domestic and certified wood products be used in green building. By resolution, they agree that the major wood certification programs used in the United States – the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI), the American Tree Farm System (ATFS), and the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) – are legitimate and credible.

State foresters also understand that the materials used in constructing residential and commercial buildings in the United States often have a negative effect on the environment. Wood products, in contrast, are renewable, use less energy to create, and are often safer to use. The existence of multiple green building standards encourages sustainable practices, recognizes the sustainable nature in which American timber is procured, and enables institutions and individuals to choose the standard or rating system most in line with their management objectives and values.

In 2013, NASF members approved a policy statement, “Forest Certification as it Contributes to Sustainable Forestry,” available by clicking here. In September 2021, with  the adoption of a revised  policy statement with the same name, “Forest Certification as it Contributes to Sustainable Forestry,” state foresters agreed forest certification programs are a tool for promoting sustainable forestry practices.

More than 80 million forested acres are at risk of insect and disease damage, according to the latest research conducted by the USDA Forest Service. Damage to our nation’s forests puts the health and livelihoods of Americans at risk, and for this reason, the proper management of our forests is a critical national priority.

In the past 100 years, the United States has witnessed the loss of two very important forest species due to the introduction of foreign pathogens: the American chestnut and American elm. As global trade increases, and people and goods travel more widely and frequently, invasive pests are arriving at an increasing rate. In just the past decade, 90 invasive plants and 19 invasive wood- and bark-boring insects have been detected. Tree species such as ash, beech, birch, elm, hemlock, maple, oak, and walnut are all at risk from these invasive species.

Combating these pests and pathogens requires coordination among state and federal natural resource agencies, private forestland owners, and private and non-profit forestry organizations to address these threats to the health and productivity of America’s forests.

In 2012, state foresters approved a policy statement on “Forest Invasive Species Management,” available by clicking here.

In 2015, they approved a policy statement, “2015 State Forester Strategic Vision and Priorities for the Forest Inventory and Analysis Program,” available by clicking here.

In September 2021, the National Association of State Foresters adopted “Supporting the Use of Genetically Modified Organisms for the Protection and Restoration of U.S. Native Forest Species Critically Threatened by Invasive Pests and Pathogens,” a policy statement in support of the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) for the protection and restoration of U.S. native forest species critically threatened by invasive species with some conditions.

In March 2019, the National Association of State Foresters adopted “Protecting the Use of Neonicotinoids for Forest Pest Control,” a policy statement opposing further restrictions of neonicotinoid pesticides for forestry uses.

The National Association of State Foresters published “A Century of Shared Stewardship: State Foresters and the Forest Service” in September 2019. The report illustrates how state forestry agencies achieve greater outcomes on all lands for all Americans and makes the case for shared decision-making and priority-setting as it relates to protecting and conserving America’s forests.

With state Forest Action Plans at the core of future shared decision-making and priority-setting, and with the guiding principles enumerated in the association’s 2019 resolution on shared stewardship, state foresters and the USDA Forest Service can enhance their long-standing partnership to enhance America’s forests.

The greatest challenge to sustaining America’s forests and their many valuable services is land fragmentation and conversion. Both are largely driven by economic factors, and federal tax policy can play an important role in determining land use outcomes.

Tax policies must recognize the unique and long-term characteristics associated with timber and forest management investments, treat timber and forest management investments equitably in comparison to other capital ventures, and discourage the use of practices that result in environmental degradation or permanent conversion to non-forest land uses.

There also is a need to preserve the family forest landowner base and forest employment through favorable tax policies. With greater returns on forestland, private forestlands owners have the means to retain ownership of their forestlands and keep them forested through effective and sustainable management.

In 2011, the NASF Forest Resources Management Committee published a white paper, “Assessing the Federal Tax Code and Developing a Comprehensive Forest Tax Package: A Primer for State Foresters,” available by clicking here.

In 2015, NASF members approved a policy statement, “Tax Policy and its Relationship to the Protection and Management of the Nation’s Forests,” available by clicking here.

In 2020, state foresters approved an updated policy statement on “Federal Tax Policy and its Relationship to the Sustainability of Private Forest Lands,” available by clicking here.

In 2015, the USDA Forest Service National Urban and Community Forestry Advisory Council, in compliance with Farm Bill requirements, released a National Urban and Community Forestry Action Plan developed in collaboration with an inclusive and diverse representation of key community forestry stakeholders. This plan provides a platform for a national agenda that will help all communities create urban and community forests that are diverse, healthy and resilient, and accessible for all citizens.

In 2019, state foresters adopted the plan as their own and approved a policy statement, “Ten-Year Urban Forestry Action Plan: 2016-2026,” to that effect.

In April 2022, NASF published “Urban and Community Forestry Under the Landscape Scale Restoration Program,” a white paper that recommends: (1) striking the rural requirement from LSR legislative language established in the 2018 Farm Bill and (2) adjusting the LSR Quantitative Accomplishment and Target Measures to allow a wider range of reportable measures.

Most recently, in 2023, state foresters adopted the Sustainable Forestry Initiative’s (SFI) Urban and Community Forest (UCF) sustainability standards. In this policy statement, state foresters moved to promote the standards not only among NASF members but to also assist organizations with awareness and certification process.