What’s Next for the Farm Bill and Forest Conservation?
There’s going to be a lot of spin about the failure of the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, also known as the supercommittee. When discussing the impact of the supercommittee’s inaction, forest conservation is but one piece to consider—but it’s a very important one given what we believe the Senate and House Agriculture committees were poised to present.
Farm Bill conservation programs offer the kind of cost-share and technical assistance programs that help keep the biggest segment of America's forests healthy and productive. It is now uncertain what the process will be to improve programs, and provide some certainty to family forest owners who are providing Americans with good paying rural jobs, clean air and water, wildlife habitat, places for recreation, and the wood products we use every day.
Read the rest of my statement on the future of Farm Bill conservation programs.
Photo credit: Flickr's KP Tripathi
