American Forest Foundation Blog

Hundreds of Groups Urge Natural Resource Investment

It’s usually next to impossible to get folks in Washington to agree on anything.  And yet, when it comes to protecting our natural resources, you can bet that there is little to argue about.  

One June 21, the American Forest Foundation, The Nature Conservancy, the Land Trust Alliance and more than 350 other organizations released a letter to the Obama Administration and Congress  to protect conservation programs in the federal budget. 

In particular, these organizations signed on to a letter to Vice President Biden and Senate and House leadership [PDF] working on a deficit reduction proposal, emphasizing that  the federal budget deficit cannot, and should not, be balanced on the back of conservation programs. 

In a conference call with reporters, Tom Martin, President and CEO of AFF, said that conservation programs, like those in the Farm Bill, help leverage family forest owners’ love of the land and their own resources, with federal dollars that make a real difference on the ground to improve forest stewardship.

Tom also mentioned that tree farmers have to think long term, so they are concerned of course with the long term impact of mounting deficits.  He noted however, that family forest owners should not be left out on a limb, without the kind of resources needed to protect America’s forest legacy. 

Tom stressed to reporters that Congress needs to look at cuts from a strategic perspective, and continue to fund programs that are wise investments now that will avoid future problems later. Let’s not “pay the piper much more down the road” by making bad decisions now, Tom noted.

AFF’s updated Farm Bill Report  released today provides more details on what the investment in federal conservation programs are accomplishing.

While cuts will need to be made, AFF and this diverse group representing millions of voters, calls on Congress and Vice President Biden not to disproportionately cut conservation funding.

When considering that conservation programs are only 1.26% of the federal budget and have not increased in any real measure for more than 30 years, the group noted that this is not the place to look to solve the budget deficit.  

Bob Bendick, Director of Government Relations with The Nature Conservancy, argued that cutting conservation programs would ignore our history and the enormous progress we have made—from endangered species pulled back from the brink, rivers that no longer catch on fire, and forests that have regrown across the country.

Even with the success we’ve seen, our challenges are only growing.  As Dennis Nuxoll with the American Farmland Trust pointed out, in the next half century, we have to figure out how to feed three billion more people worldwide—which won’t be possible without the soil protections that federal conservation programs provide.  In our forests, we’re facing a barrage of threats from fire, invasive insects, and a changing climate.

Congress must continue to support the most effective conservation tools available—future generations are counting on us. 

Do you care about protecting America’s forests?  Join us on June 28, 2011 for a "call-in" to the U.S. Senate!

The Senate is the next step in the federal funding bill process, and your Senators need to hear from you that forest conservation programs are not a handout, but a helping hand for hard working, dedicated family forest owners who are providing all Americans with essential benefits such as clean water, clean air, wildlife habitat and the wood products we all use every day.

A similar letter was also sent to Majority Leader Reid and Speaker Boehner, urging Congress to support conservation funding.

To learn more or get the details for the call-in, contact Melissa Harden at mharden@forestfoundation.org or 202-463-2456.

Listen to the full June 21 telepress conference call.

Photo by Flickr's rpongsaj