National Association of Conservation Districts

Forestry

For the past 100 years, the forest land base in the U.S. has remained relatively stable at around 755 million acres, with agricultural and urban land conversions being offset by abandoned and marginal agricultural land returning to forests. However, there are many challenges ahead if we are going to keep forests as forests:

• Recent studies estimate that more than 44 million acres of private forestlands could experience substantial increases in housing density in the next three decades.
• In 2006, almost eight percent of U.S. forests (58 million acres) were at significant risk from insect and disease mortality with 27 million acres at risk on private lands.
• Fourteen percent of plant species on non-crop lands in the Midwest are non-native invasive plants.
• Hazardous fuel buildup and number of wildland forest fires have been unusually high, affecting an average of 5.8 million acres annually between 1999 and 2006, and an estimated 90 million acres are at risk to catastrophic wildfire.

Fifty-seven percent of U.S. forestland is privately owned, with 262 million acres of forests owned by families and individuals. Many of these private owners are conservation district members and their families and neighbors who own forestland or have woodlands in association with their farming operations. Conservation districts and their members have long been engaged in forestry activities ranging from community tree planting, the protection of riparian buffers and the active management of private forests and woodlands for wildlife habitat, aesthetics, recreation, soil protection, clean water, the production of wood and other forest related products and the protection of private forestlands through conservation easements.

NACD Forestry Resources
Several  of the resources listed below have been developed through cooperative agreements with NACD’s federal and nonfederal partners. NACD has enjoyed an active working relationship with the U.S. Forest Service, for a number of years, to highlight forestry issues of importance to districts and to showcase district-related forestry projects and success stories. NACD is also engaged in a cooperative agreement with the Department of The Interior and the USDA Forest Service to further engage conservation districts in support of the National Fire Plan and the reduction of hazardous fuels on private and public forestlands in and around local communities.

Forestry Notes - NACD publishes Forestry Notes to highlight forestry issues of importance to districts and to showcase district-related forestry projects and success stories. Forestry Notes is funded through a cooperative agreement between NACD and the U.S. Forest Service. The monthly publication is sent to 3,000 conservation districts and 1,700 resource professionals in state, federal, and partners offices working across the country.

Forestry Notes Special Reports - NACD works with the Forestry Service to produce the monthly newsletter Forestry Notes. Periodically an issue of special interest is highlighted in a four-page insert called a Special Report and included with the newsletter. These informative inserts are valuable sources of information and are each stand alone publications.

The USDA Farm Bill: What is in it for Woodland Owners - The 2008 Farm Bill greatly expanded opportunities for woodland owners to participate in many more USDA programs. A broad coalition of forestry partners worked to expand this legislation and has now produced this guide to assist woodland owners understand the maze of technical and financial assistance programs.

Community Wildfire Desk Guide and Toolkit - The NACD Community Wildfire Desk Guide and Toolkit are designed to be simple aids for use by conservation districts, Resource Conservation & Development Councils and Extension professionals. The desk guide provides information about activities prior to, during and after wildfire. Toolkit materials interact with and support this information and provide more thorough explanations and examples of activities.

Woody Biomass Desk Guide and Tool Kit - Designed for use by conservation district, Resource Conservation & Development and Extension professionals throughout the U.S, the Woody Biomass Desk Guide and Toolkit provides an overview of woody biomass production and utilization in the U.S., tips of how to provide effective outreach for your clientele, and educational handouts to share with your audiences.

The Forest Landowner Natural Disaster Desk Guide and Tool Kit -The Forest Landowner Natural Disaster Desk Guide and Tool Kit is designed to be used by forest landowners. Its purpose is to provide information and resource material to help forest landowners develop disaster plans for reducing the amount of salvage timber products and biomass generated by a natural disaster. It also addresses ways to reduce the response and recovery time and expense generated from a natural disaster. | PDF |

Conservation Districts' Role in Implementing National Fire Plan – A Second Look - This publication takes a second look at the role of conservation districts in implementing the Fire Plan. The booklet, available in Acrobat format, was produced by NACD in cooperation with the USDA Forest Service and US Department of Interior to provide conservation districts with a tool to motivate and educate your communities and help mitigate the dangerous impacts of wildland fires in your areas. this report is available as a 3.5 MB Acrobat file. | PDF |

The Phoenix Guide - This guide is a handbook for watershed and community wildland fire recovery. This resource is intended to provide conservation districts, nonprofit groups, and communities with a step-by-step guide to use in developing a post-fire recovery and re-habilitation plan. The handbook is available for download as a 5MB file. | PDF |

Sample Press Releases on Wildfire - Fire is a constant. Here are three sample press releases for distribution to local media on the following topics: Wildlife and Resources; Firewise; and Districts and the Cost of Fire The press releases are aimed to help districts educate landowners on fire-preserving methods. Be sure to use these materials in your public education efforts.

The Hidden Treasure Comic Book - This valuable teaching tool shows young people and families how woody biomass from our nation's woodlands can provide a wealth of products and energy resources. Click here for more information about the book and how to order.

Forestry Partners
U.S. Forest Service - Cooperative Forestry - The Cooperative Forestry staff works with States, private landowners, and other partners to promote healthy forests and livable communities throughout the United States. Their programs and partnerships help private landowners and rural communities care for their forests and strengthen local economies.

USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service - NRCS provides federal leadership in a partnership effort to help America's private land owners and managers conserve their natural resources. NRCS provides both technical forestry and agroforestry practice standards, as well as financial assistance through a number of conservation programs.

National Association of State Foresters (NASF) - NASF is a non-profit organization that represents the directors of all 50 state forestry agencies, the eight U.S. territories (American Samoa, the Federated States of Micronesia, Guan, the Northern Marianas Islands, Paiau, Puerto Rico, Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands), and the District of Columbia. This link provides contact information for the agency responsible for forestry in each state and territory.

USDA National Agroforestry Center - Accelerates the application of agroforestry through a national network of partners. The Center conducts research, develops technologies and tools, coordinates demonstrations and training, and provides useful information to natural resource professionals.

Project Learning Tree (PLT) - Project Learning Tree® is an award winning, multi-disciplinary environmental education program for educators and students in PreK-grade 12. PLT, a program of the

American Forest Foundation - The American Forest Foundation is one of the most widely used environmental education programs in the United States and abroad. Many conservation district employees are among the 3,000 grassroots volunteers who have helped train more than 500,000 educators in using PLT materials, and reaching approximately 26 million students. PLT materials are aligned with state and national education standards.