2018 was a strong year for forest policy.  With your help, AFF was able to successfully improve active forest management possibilities for millions of family forestland owners.

Thank you for all your advocacy over the year, your emails, letters, office visits, and field tours helped us ensure our family forests will stay healthy and sustainable. Among the critical accomplishments we sincerely thank you for:

March Omnibus Included Wildfire Funding Fix

Providing stability to the Forest Service’s annual budgeting process, the funding fix ensures budgeted dollars can be spent on implementing important forest practices that will assist in preventing the spread of wildfires, invasive insects, and disease instead of being “borrowed” mid-year to cover firefighting expenses.

​​​​Passage of the 2018 Farm Bill

The final Farm Bill, signed by President Trump in late December, included many of AFF’s policy priorities, including robust funding for conservation and forestry programs like the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) and Healthy Forests Reserve Program (HFRP).  It also supports markets for wood residuals and innovative wood products by reauthorizing and expanding the Community Wood Energy Program (CWEP) and the Timber Innovation Act (TIA).  Read what the Farm Bill accomplishes for family landowners.

Fixing Federal Procurement Policy

This year, the EPA announced plans to amend their federal purchasing guidance to make all forest management standards, inducing ATFS certified wood, equally eligible.  Going a step further, the Farm Bill outlined a statutory requirement that the USDA determine eligibility under their BioPreferred program.

Landscape Scale Restoration Bill Introduction

Joining Senators Klobuchar (MN) and Daines (MT), Congressmen Thompson (PA-15) and Welch (VT) introduced a House companion bill to the Senate’s Empowering State Forestry Act.  The bill supported forest conservation projects that span across ownership boundaries on the landscape level by authorizing a Landscape-Scale Restoration program inside of the U.S. Forest Service.  The Farm Bill ultimately created a similar program.

Fixing Valuations for Damaged Stands

For landowners whose timber was lost to a natural disaster before it was able to be harvested, Rep. Buddy Carter (GA-01) introduced The Forest Recovery Act, allowing a tax deduction equal to the uncut timber’s current value to landowners —instead of the owner’s investment in the stand. The bill had 18 cosponsors at the end of the last Congress and is expected to be introduced again this year.

Confirmations of Key Personnel

In late August, Jim Hubbard was confirmed as the USDA Undersecretary for Natural Resources and the Environment, addressing critical forest challenges throughout the Forest Service.  In February, Bill Northey was confirmed to be the USDA’s Under Secretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Service where he oversees the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the Farm Service Agency (FSA).

If you haven’t yet, send your Member of Congress a thank you for their work on the Farm Bill.  Using the message we've drafted in the Action Center, a new tool we’ve added to make it easier for you to contact your representatives, you can customize your message to include additional 2018 accomplishments you’re grateful for.

Thank you again for all your efforts in 2018. We’re looking forward to another successful year with more advocacy from you!