INFO ALERT: NASF Publishes White Paper on Landscape Scale Restoration Program

SUFC Info Alert

National Association of State Foresters Publishes White Paper on Urban and Community Forestry Under the Landscape Scale Restoration Program

Click HERE to read the NASF white paper

In April, the National Association of State Foresters (NASF) published a white paper called, “Urban and Community Forestry Under the Landscape Scale Restoration Program.” The Landscape Scale Restoration Program (LSR Program) is a Forest Service State and Private Forestry competitive grant program that promotes restoration of priority forest landscapes and furthers priorities identified in State Forest Action plans or equivalent restoration strategy.

As discussed in the white paper, the LSR Program was restructured in the 2018 Farm Bill by creating a new “rural” requirement, meaning LSR work could only be conducted in communities made up of fewer than 50,000 people. This essentially eliminated opportunities for states to leverage their Urban and Community Forestry (U&CF) program work in areas not covered by the rural requirement. The white paper highlights the challenges this rural requirement presents for U&CF program work, the broad benefits of U&CF, and policy recommendations for both Congress and the US Forest Service to ensure the LSR program includes funding for U&CF programs.

Click HERE to read the NASF white paper