Covering more than one-third of the United States, our forests are the cornerstone of American industry, infrastructure, health and well-being. Nowadays, America’s trees and forests are under attack; threats include catastrophic wildfire, forests being broken into smaller tracts, and attacks from insects and disease. Healthy forests do not happen by chance and require investments of dollars, time and expertise.
A prolonged drought in the western United States has created conditions for massive wildfires and bark beetle devastation, turning once-healthy landscapes from green to brown. In the eastern United States, pests like the emerald ash borer have destroyed tens of millions of community trees. The effect on ash trees is even threatening production of one of America’s most iconic wood products—the baseball bat.
In spite of these compounding threats, the nation’s State Foresters and their partners are making progress to address these challenges. This month, the National Association of State Foresters, in coordination with the USDA Forest Service, issued an annual report describing that progress.
State Foresters—directors of the nation’s state and territorial forestry agencies—developed and are implementing Forest Action Plans. These plans are focused on every state’s own unique challenges while providing a big-picture look at the health of all of America’s trees and forests.
Collectively the Forest Action Plans represent a strategic roadmap for America’s forests by helping direct limited resources to where they are most needed, across all land ownerships, and offering proactive strategies to help conserve, protect and enhance the trees and forests upon which we all depend.
From The Hill: https://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/energy-environment/294472-americas-trees-and-forests-under-attack-state