In December 2006, representatives from USDA-Forest Service (USFS), USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the National Association of State Foresters (NASF) representing state forestry agency executives gathered at the first Joint Leadership Meeting to discuss ways the three agencies/organizations could collaborate more effectively to address resource concerns on working lands.

By June 2007, the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) had joined the partnership and the Joint Forestry Team (JFT) was created. The Team's 12 members, three from each of the four agencies/organizations, were tasked with recommending ways they could work together more effectively to provide forestry and related conservation assistance to the owners of working farms, forests and ranches. The team was chartered in November 2007 and charged with operating through December 2009. In September 2009 executives of the four member organizations met to re-charter the JFT for additional five years to maintain the momentum being made.

JFT Mission

The Joint Forestry Team’s purpose is to make recommendations that result in coordinated interagency delivery of forestry and conservation assistance for working forests, farms, and ranches. Team participants seek to improve the sustainability of the nation’s forests in order to provide optimum levels of public benefits and ecosystem services.

Team Members

The Joint Forestry Team consists of three members and a staff member from each of the four partners:

• Alec Giffen, State Forester, Maine Forest Service
• Bob Harrington, State Forester, Montana DNRC - Forestry Division
• John Burwell, State Forester, Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry
  

  NASF staff support:

• Jake Donnay, Director of Forest Policy, NASF
• Rob Ethridge, Chief, Forestry Assistance Bureau, Montana DNRC - Forestry Division
• Andy Schultz, Landowner Outreach Forester, Maine Forest Service

Website: http://stateforesters.org

National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD)

• Charles Holmes, NACD Board Member and Chair of Forest RPG, Alabama Association of Conservation Districts
• Johnny Sundstrom, NACD Board Member and Legislative Affairs Committee Member, Oregon Association of Conservation Districts
• Dr. Orval Gigstad, NACD Board Member and Forest RPG Member, Nebraska Association of Resource Districts
  

  NACD staff support:

• Ralph Thier, Western Issues Specialist, NACD
• Doug Williams, Forester, NACD

Website: http://www.nacdnet.org

USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)

• Andree DuVarney, Branch Chief, Conservation Technical Assistance
• Bruce Wight, National Agroforester, National Agroforestry Center
• Joyce Swartzendruber, State Conservationist, Montana 
  

  NRCS staff support:

• Andy Mason, National Forester, NRCS

Website: http://nrcs.usda.gov

U.S. Forest Service (USFS)

• Ted Beauvais, Assistant Director, Cooperative Forestry for Landowner and Community Assistance Programs
• Gretta Boley, Forest Supervisor, National Forests in Mississippi
• Peggy Polichio, Deputy Director of State and Private Forestry, Intermountain and Northern Regions 
  

  USFS staff support:

• James Melonas, USFS

Website: http://www.fs.fed.us

Progress to Date/Team Documents

The Team was chartered in November 2007 and charged with operating through December 2009. Soon after being chartered, members of the JFT surveyed their organizations and found that there are five barriers to the delivery of forestry-related assistance:

1. insufficient technical expertise;
2. lack of integration of planning and other administrative issues;
3. funding is inadequate and inconsistent;
4. the parties speak different languages; and
5. forestry is not a priority for many State Technical Committees.

These five barriers then became the focal points for the development of a memorandum of understanding (MOU). In October 2008, an MOU was signed by executives of the agencies and organizations. The MOU prescribes 12 joint and 47 individual actions by each of the cooperating organizations.

This document, executed in November 2007, outlines the objectives, membership, roles and operations of the Joint Forestry Team. | PDF |

The national memorandum of understanding entered into by the NASF, NACD, NRCS and USFS in September 2008 describes the roles and responsibilities of each party to increase cooperation in a coordinated delivery of forestry assistance to private landowners.  | PDF | WORD |