Forest Guild Public Policy PDF Print E-mail
One plants trees to benefit another generation.
Caecilius Statius (220 B.C. - 168 B.C.)
The goal of the Forest Guild's public policy work is to improve the effectiveness of forestry regulations and laws in encouraging and ensuring excellent forestry by educating policy makers, advocacy groups, and the public on practical aspects of forestry. Many policies that affect forests are not based on adequate information and do not promote excellent forestry. Instead, forest issues are frequently addressed in responses to crises such as catastrophic wildfire, endangered species concerns, or global market fluctuations, with wide swings in political motivations and approaches.

The Guild is seeking to improve forest policy at both the national and local levels through science-based advocacy and by providing policymakers with our expert opinion.


       
 

Current Policy Efforts

  • Forest Biomass
    For more detail on the Forest Guild's work on forest biomass please see the biomass program page.
    The new Forest Guild policy statment on biomass covers variety of key issues including the promise and limitations of biomass for energy and its context in an overall energy strategy, protections for forest health, highest and best utilization of biomass, the sustainable use of biomass to mitigate climate change, biomass removals on public lands, and more. Adherence to these policies will ensure that biomass can play an important role in our energy future while sustaining ecosystem health over the long term. Read the policy statement here.

  • Climate Change
    The Guild advocates for the inclusion of excellent forestry in carbon cap and trade systems. For more information, click here.

  • Working Forest Conservation Easements
    The Guild advocates for conservation easements that protect the working forest as well as its ecological and social values. For more information, click here.

  • Wildfire and Poverty
    Through a partnership with researchers at the University of Oregon, the Guild is advocating for a more just distribution of wildfire preparation funds. For more information, click here. The Guild has testified before Congress about the links between wildfire and poverty. For more information, click here.

  • Migrant Forest Workers
    The Guild endeavors to improve policies affecting the conditions of migrant forest workers. For more information, click here.

  • Collaborative Restoration
    The Guild works as a core member of the Rural Voices for Conservation Coalition to find policy solutions to the ecological and economic challenges faced by many forest-dependent communities. The Guild has testified before Congress about national legislation to promote collaborative restoration.

  • Community-Scale, Integrated Biomass Utilization
    As part of the Rural Voices for Conservation Coalition the Forest Guild helped to draft an issue paper on woody biomass, which includes a vision for woody biomass utilization that helps catalyze rural development and forest restoration. The issue paper also present a policy strategy to support commuinity-scale, integrated woody biomass utilization. 

Policy Statements

Forest Guild policy statements are voted on for approval by the Guild’s professional membership.

Position Statements

Guild position statements are developed under the umbrella of a policy statement and are adopted by the Membership and Policy Council.

Congressional Testimony

The Guild provides statements and testimony on national legislation and policies related to forest and the communities that depend on them. The Guild and its members are also active on policy issues at state and local level.
 
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Public Policy

 

Forest Wisdom Issue 14


Forest Wisdom #14 (fall 2009) explores issues related to managing forests for wildlife and biodiversity. Articles range from restoring meadows to maintain rare butterfly habitats in the forests of western Oregon, to safely returning fire to highly fire-dependent forest ecosystems in the New Jersey Pine Barrens, to identifying forest management objectives for a small group of “focus species” whose habitat needs are representative of a wide range of other wildlife in the forests of Maine. Though focusing on a wide variety of wildlife, all of the articles share a common goal of restoring and maintaining forest ecosystem health in order to provide a natural habitat for native species.