Forestry

NACD's mission is to serve conservation districts by providing national leadership and a unified voice for natural resource conservation.

America’s Forests
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.

Trees 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 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.

Challenges
Even though our nation’s forestlands are well managed and protected there are challenges:

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.
Recent studies estimate that more than 44 million acres of private forestlands could experience substantial increases in housing density in the next three decades.

NACD’s Forestry Activities
Currently, through a cooperative agreement with the USDA Forest Service, NACD publishes Forestry Notes 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. Such efforts are also highlighted in Forestry Notes and through publications such as “Conservation Districts’ Role In Implementing the National Fire Plan- A Second Look” and the youth education comic book, The Hidden Treasure.

NACD Forestry Committee/NASF Joint Meeting Photo Tour - In early August, members of the NACD Forest Resources Committee and the National Association of State Foresters toured a pellet plant and several fire sites in northeastern Arizona. The group also included a diverse list of partners from organizations such as the US Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, NRCS, National Wild Turkey Federation and the American Loggers Council.

Conservation Districts' Role in Implementing National Fire Plan - May 2007 - Produced by NACD in cooperation with the USDA Forest Service and US Department of Interior, this report is available as a 3.4 MB Acrobat file. | PDF |

Sample Press Releases on Wildfire
Fire is a constant challenge every summer. NACD, in cooperation with the U.S. Forest Service and the U.S. Department of Interior, recently produced three sample press releases for distribution to local media. 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.

Biomass Speakers' Bureau - The Speakers’ Bureau lists contact information, areas of expertise and cost. NACD encourages its members and partners to use the Speakers’ Bureau to invite qualified speakers to participate in upcoming meetings.

Forestry Notes Special Reports