Ag Secretary Vilsack: We Need an ‘All-Lands Approach’ to Managing Forests Threatened by Housing

In announcing today the latest in a series of extensive U.S. Forest Service reports about the threat to private forest land, Agriculture Secretary Thomas Vilsack repeated his contention the country needs an “all-lands approach to managing our nation’s forests, whether they are national forests or under the stewardship of state or private entities.” The report, ”Private Forests, Public Benefits,” is part of a larger study called Forests on the Edge. The study uses geographic data to identify watersheds where private forests contribute the greatest amount of goods and services in terms of clean water, timber and wildlife habitat, as well as where these goods and services are most at risk from increased housing density, insects and disease, wildfire and air pollution...more

The USDA press release is here, and you can view the two reports mentioned here and here.

Property owners get ready, the Forest Service and your state forestry division will be planning your land's use for you.