Council of Western State Foresters (CWSF) and Western Forestry Leadership Coalition (WFLC) members, staff, and partners gathered in Boise, Idaho, May 16-18 for the 2023 CWSF/WFLC Spring Meeting. Agenda highlights included discussions focused on implementation of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) and Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), workforce opportunities, and dialogue with partners and guest speakers. 

Thank you to the Idaho Department of Lands for hosting an excellent field tour showcasing urban and community forestry in Downtown Boise, fuels mitigation work in the wildland-urban interface, and the Idaho Firewise Garden. Additional thanks to the Wildland Firefighter Foundation and National Interagency Fire Center for hosting our group for facility tours!

The 2023 CWSF/WFLC Fall Meeting will be November 28-30, 2023 in Waikoloa, Hawai‘i. Details will be provided later this summer. 

In late April, Kelsey Delaney, WFLC/CWSF Director of Partnerships and Program Implementation, joined The Pew Charitable Trusts at ResCon International for a session titled “Understanding the Complex Costs of Wildfires.”

Kelsey presented on WFLC’s True Cost of Wildfire report, and Colin Foard from Pew presented on Wildfires: Burning Through State Budgets. Kelsey and Colin’s remarks focused on the intent and purpose of the two reports, synergies between them, and concluded with findings and recommendations from each report. 

The CWSF Forest Products Committee (FPC) recently commissioned an “Emergent Market” report to develop a better understanding of the feasibility of manufacturing Wood Wool Cement (WWC) and Wood Fiber Insulation (WFI) in the United States.

This report, developed by The Beck Group, provides an overview of key feasibility considerations for businesses developed around these technologies, including factors such as raw material requirements and costs; equipment needs and costs; process considerations (e.g., labor, plant scale, etc.); market size and product values; and regulatory and/or policy issues affecting commercialization of these technologies.

View the report on the FPC webpage.

During the 2023 Spring Meeting, the CWSF membership voted unanimously to stand up two new program-area committees. The new committees include the CWSF Forest Health Committee and the CWSF Forest Stewardship/Landowner Assistance Committee.

In the coming weeks, Laura Wagner, CWSF Director of Agency Coordination, will be reaching out to western State Foresters to obtain contact information for state representatives to serve on these committees. The first meetings are tentatively scheduled to take place in late summer.

Community Wildfire Defense Grant (CWDG) Program

Projects that are being funded from the fiscal year (FY) 2022 CWDG program can be found here. Applications from the Western Region for FY 2022 can be found in the portal.

The FY 2023 timeline for the second cycle of applications has yet to be determined and will be announced once finalized. For more 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 2023 LSR Competitive Grant Program is officially closed. Recommendations have been reviewed and approved by the WFLC Executive Board. The recommendation letter is publicly available to view on our website. For more information, visit the WFLC LSR webpage. The FY 2024 timeline is being determined and will be announced once finalized.

If you have any LSR questions, please email info@westernforesters.org.

Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) Grant Program

The FY 2023 WUI Grant Program is officially closed. Recommendations have been reviewed and approved by the CWSF Executive Committee. The recommendation letter is publicly available to view on our website. For more information, visit the CWSF WUI webpage. The FY 2024 timeline is being determined and will be announced once finalized.

If you have any WUI questions, please email info@westernforesters.org.

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 email Patricia Payne. 

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