AFF applauds Administration for looking to private and family forests as an opportunity to support rural communitites and economies

WASHINGTON, D.C. (January 8, 2018) – Today, American Forest Foundation (AFF) President and CEO Tom Martin released the following statement in regards to the release of the Rural Prosperity report at the American Farm Bureau Convention in Nashville.

“We applaud President Trump and Secretary of Agriculture Perdue for announcing important steps today for improving rural America and acknowledging the important role that forests can play in this goal. One in four rural Americans owns forestland, which fuel the nation’s forest products industry and contribute to more than 2.4 million good paying jobs to our rural economies. With more than one-third of America’s forests held by families and individuals, it’s essential we help these rural American families manage their land and contribute to their rural economies with products we all use every day; as well as provide the clean water and air, wildlife habitat and places to hike, hunt, and fish, that makes up our rural way of life.

We’re especially pleased to see the Task Force on Agriculture and Rural Prosperity highlight the need to put our rural forests to work. Putting rural forests to work means working with both public and private forest owners to contribute to the economic, environment, and social fabric of rural communities. We look forward to working with the Administration to implement on this report by strengthening support for America’s family forest owners, removing barriers that stand in the way of sound management, and strengthening forest products markets and market access for family forest owners so they can finance the stewardship of their land.”