Registration is now open for the 2023 Council of Western State Foresters (CWSF)/Western Forestry Leadership Coalition (WFLC) Fall Meeting. This year’s meeting is November 28-30, 2023, in Waikoloa, Hawai‘i. 

Visit our registration page for more details. Please contact Patricia Payne with any questions.

Good Neighbor Authority Spotlight

A Good Neighbor Authority agreement combined significant investments of state and federal resources to kick-start an important partnership between the Oregon Department of Forestry and the Umatilla National Forest.

Kick-off Meetings for New CWSF Committees

The new CWSF committees each held their first virtual meeting in August with broad representation from western states, regions, and partners. 

The Forest Health Committee meeting included 15 state and four Pacific Island Forest Health Program Managers, six USDA Forest Service Regional Foresters, Deputy Regional Foresters, and the USDA Forest Service Washington Office Forest Health Protection Director.  

The Forest Stewardship/Landowner Assistance Committee meeting included 14 state and four Pacific Island Program Managers, three USDA Forest Service Regional Program Managers, USDA Forest Service Washington Office Staff, National Association of State Foresters staff, and Farm Service Agency staff.  

Both meetings included setting committee goals, sharing current challenges, and discussing how these committees can foster collaboration between agencies and regions, and across the western states. Each committee has an established leadership team (see below) and will hold leadership team meetings within the month. 

For more information, please contact Laura Wagner.

This month’s policy update highlights the fiscal year (FY) 2024 appropriations, the Farm Bill, efforts to increase federal wildland firefighters' pay, and a new Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for temporary bridges.

Community Wildfire Defense Grant (CWDG) Program

The FY 2023 CWDG program opened for applications on July 31, 2023, and will close on October 31, 2023, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time. If interested in applying for this grant, please reach out to your point of contact that is listed in the NOFO.

To learn more about the second round of funding, check out our latest blog post. For additional information, visit the CWSF CWDG webpage or the USDA Forest Service CWDG webpage. 

If you have any CWDG questions, please contact Halie Miyazawa.

Landscape Scale Restoration (LSR) Competitive Grant Program

The FY 2024 LSR Competitive Grant process opened for applications on August 21, 2023, and will close on November 17, 2023, at 5:00 p.m. Mountain Time. An applicant webinar will be hosted in September. For more information and to register for the webinar, visit the WFLC LSR webpage.

If you have any LSR questions, please contact Leena Visnak. 

Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) Grant Program

The FY 2024 application process will open on October 12, 2023, and close on January 18, 2024. The FY 2023 recommendation letter is publicly available to view on our website. For more information, visit the CWSF WUI webpage.

If you have any WUI questions, please contact Leena Visnak. 

Frank H. McCormick, Ph.D.

This month, we are pleased to feature Frank H. McCormick, Ph.D., Acting Station Director for the USDA Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station.  

We invite you to meet Frank!

Looking for a job opportunity in forestry? Find your next position in western forestry on the CWSF job blog.

If you would like to submit a job posting, please contact Patricia Payne. 

See the calendar of meetings and events hosted by CWSF/WFLC and partner organizations.

The Arbor Day Foundation is currently accepting proposals for large-scale planting projects within the United States and its territories taking place in 2023 and 2024 that focus on improving the environment, wildlife habitat, watershed restoration, carbon sequestration, and other benefits. 

Submit a proposal by Friday, September 29.