Western Emerging Issues
Mission and Purpose:
Land management policies significantly affect the economies and quality of life at the national level, and more significantly, at the regional, state and local levels. Land management policies should appropriately contribute to helping the U.S. achieve sustainable forest management on federal, state, and private forest lands and thereby provide citizens with needed social, economic, and environmental benefits.
In addition, the Council of Western State Foresters (CWSF) recognizes that policy items begin as emerging issues that may or may not lead to policy and/or legislative actions. Therefore, it is critical that the issues are identified and analyzed at an early stage leading to informed decision making and action. The CWSF Western Emerging Issues and Policy Committee exists to identify issues and consider recommendations related to policies affecting forest land management and help develop a unified position for the CWSF and the Western Forestry Leadership Coalition (WFLC).
Through the CWSF and WFLC, the Committee’s mission is to secure action on emerging and policy issues that allows for the sustainable management of forest lands in the west.
Utilizing a western approach that integrates State and USDA Forest Service viewpoints that build on the strengths, opportunities, needs, and unique values of the west, the purpose of the Western Emerging Issues and Policy Committee shall be to:
