WASHINGTON, D.C. (January 18, 2022) – The American Forest Foundation (AFF), a national conservation organization that works to deliver meaningful conservation impact through the empowerment of family forest owners, responds to the U.S. Forest Service’s (USFS) Wildfire Crisis Strategy. American Forest Foundation (AFF) President and CEO, Rita Hite said: “The Forest Service’s 10-year Wildfire Crisis Strategy is a great start to a comprehensive plan to address our wildfire crisis. The plan reflects a paradigm shift in how we approach wildfire—one where we move from defense to offense, and we do so by breaking down ownership silos and focusing on what it takes to create more resilient landscapes in the most critical places. We strongly support public, state, and private forest entities working together to enable communities, landowners, and our natural resources to live with wildfire. However, this shift is not complete without a detailed strategy and sufficient resources to engage with private and family forest owners, who are essential to achieving landscape resilience. Family-owned forestland accounts for 30 percent of the lands at a high risk to wildfire, making them essential to achieving landscape resilience in many of high-risk firesheds. Providing explicit support to this under-recognized contingency is vital to restoring forests to their natural resiliency and help to protect people and communities. We look forward to working with the U.S. Forest Service, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, state agencies, and other partners to build out this strategy more to ensure the critical role of private and family landowners is recognized and supported. Contact: Elizabeth Greener; (202) 253-1096; egreener@forestfoundation.org

About the American Forest Foundation The American Forest Foundation (AFF), a forest conservation organization, works on the ground with families, partners, and elected officials to promote stewardship and keep our forests healthy. America's family forests are vital for producing clean water and air, wildlife habitat, and sustainable wood supplies. AFF's signature program, the American Tree Farm System® is the country's largest sustainable woodland