Why It Matters: Conserving private forests is critical to maintaining habitat for fish and wildlife as well as access for hunters and anglers. Whether it is a large tract of timberland or a small family-owned parcel, private forestland provides places across the country for sportsmen and women to recreate. The conversion of forests to non-forest…
Why It Matters: The Fix Our Forests Act would expand authorities and collaborative tools to support forest restoration treatments in high priority firesheds to reduce severe wildfire risk. Reforming federal forests management is a top priority for the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) to address the wildfire crisis by enabling the efficient implementation at scale of…
Why It Matters: As wildfires continue to destroy communities and degrade forests and wildlife habitat, comprehensive forest management legislation to accelerate forest restoration is needed to improve the health of the 117-million acres of fire-prone federal lands. The bipartisan Fix Our Forests Act would be the first significant stand-alone forest management bill passed since 2003. …
Why It Matters: The wildfires in Western North Carolina, worsened by debris from Hurricane Helene, reinforce the need to actively manage forests to reduce fuel loads and improve forest resiliency. Litigation to spur a forest plan amendment is a continuation of coordinated efforts to stop forest restoration and wildlife habitat improvement work on the two…
Why It Matters: Without active management, forest health and wildlife habitat will decline as insects, drought, and other stressors reduce stand vigor while the risk for severe wildfire will increase, threatening nearby private lands as well as the winter range habitat that the wildlife management area provides for big game species important to Montana’s hunters…
Why It Matters: Private working forests provide a wide range of benefits to the public including providing habitat for fish and wildlife, open space, and access for sportsmen and women, and more, and the Forest Conservation Easement Program would offer landowners additional options to conserve their forestland. Preventing the conversion of working forests to other…
Why It Matters: As an experienced leader in forestry and public lands management, Tom Schultz will guide a multiple-use mission agency that has significantly reduced its timber harvesting levels over the last few decades – to the detriment of forest health, wildlife habitat, communities, and the sportsmen and women that recreate on and nearby national…
Why It Matters: South Carolina has more than 12.6 million acres of private working forests and public forests that support the state’s economy and provide habitat for fish and wildlife, open space, and places for people to hunt and fish. As the state’s forest industry faces challenges that may depress forest management activity, coupled with…
Why It Matters: Prescribed fire is one of the most efficient and cost-effective tools used for forest and wildlife habitat managers across the United States. However, the dangers associated with the use of fire, along with the public’s conflation between prescribed burning and devastating wildfires, can make its use intimidating to those who lack professional…
Why It Matters: Sustainable forest management creates quality habitat for wildlife and helps prevent the conversion of forests to other land uses, and the Disaster Reforestation Act offers support for forest landowners after a natural disaster to help them maintain the economic viability of managing their land as forests. As development pressures increase on landowners…
Why It Matters: Active management activities are critical to maintaining forest health and habitat for many important wildlife species. Well managed forests also support jobs and provide important products through a vibrant forest industry. As such, opportunities to highlight and celebrate forests and their contributions should be appreciated by conservationists across the country. Highlights: On…
January 23, 2025 (Washington, DC) – This week, three top priorities for the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF), the Modernizing Access to Our Public Waters (MAPWaters) Act, the Supporting the Health of Aquatic systems through Research Knowledge and Enhanced Dialogue (SHARKED) Act, and the Fix Our Forests Act passed the U.S. House of Representatives. Thanks to…