The
U.S. Forest Service's (USFS) mission is to "...sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the nation's forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations."1 The USFS motto - “Caring for the Land and Serving People” - reflects this mission and accomplishes it through five main areas:
- Protection and management of natural resources on USFS managed lands
- Research on all aspects of forestry, rangeland management, and forest resource utilization
- Assistance and cooperation with state and local governments, forest industries, and private landowners to help protect and manage non-federal forests and associated range and watershed lands that improve rural areas
- Achieving and supporting an effective workforce that reflects the nation's diversity
- Providing international assistance to formulate policies and coordinate U.S. support for protecting and managing the world's forest resources
The USFS sponsors many programs that facilitate military and community compatibility. For example, the three programs featured in this section can help fund buffer areas around military installations, while partnerships implementing Compatible Use Study recommendations can utilize the roster of USFS donors and investors to secure additional funding. The USFS' relationship with tribal governments can also leverage innovative solutions to compatibility problems.
Compatibility Factors relevant to the United States Forest Service: Land Use, Air Quality, Land/Air/Sea Spaces
Relevant Programs and Plans
The Secure Rural Schools program funds
schools, roads, and municipal services in more than 700 counties across
the U.S. and Puerto Rico. Congress ratified the program in 1908 for rural
counties whose tax base was limited by growing federal lands. A portion
of the USFS funds generated through activities, such as grazing, timber
production, and special use permits on national forest properties, are distributed
to counties to help maintain this infrastructure. In FY00, Congress passed
the
Secure Rural Schools and Community Self Determination Act to help stabilize
program funds and established
three distinct program categories: Title I (roads and schools); Title
II (projects on federal lands); and Title III (county projects).
The
Conservation Finance Program (CF) Program
allows the Forest Service to leverage capital investments for priority projects
that may not be sufficiently funded through annual appropriations. The program's
finance partners include individuals, foundations, fund managers, conservation
oriented non-governmental organizations (NGOs), researchers, and state and
federal agencies who help secure needed investments. Through such actions,
partners help the agency solve its biggest challenges, including forest
restoration to mitigate wildfire risk and deferred maintenance of recreation
infrastructure. The program has four main areas: 1) public funding, private/philanthropic
donations; 2) consumer-based fees and charges; 3) return-driven investments
such as bonds, mitigation, and carbon banking; and 4) in-kind funding that
offsets the value of ecosystem services provided by the USFS. You can learn
more about conservation finance programs in the USFS Conservation Finance
Toolkit.
The
Shared Stewardship program collaborates with
tribal governments, states, and NGO partners to address challenges resulting
from wildfires, drought, and invasive species. The program recognizes that
these challenges can transcend national forest and tribal lands, and jurisdictional
boundaries. It also acknowledges that any single government agency cannot
sufficiently respond to such threats. Therefore, the USFS has renewed its
partnership efforts with states, tribes, and others to jointly establish
priorities that address cross jurisdictional challenges. Such efforts can
explore ways to improve forest health and resiliency across management areas.
This collaborative approach to land management builds on a long history
of partnerships to manage the nation's forests and grasslands.
- Shared Stewardship Success Stories in Maryland:
1
Meet the Forest Service. Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture.
