The Council of Western State Foresters (CWSF) Executive Committee and Western Forestry Leadership Coalition (WFLC) Executive Board transition occurred following the National Association of State Foresters’ Annual Meeting.  

The 2022-2023 CWSF Executive Committee includes Chair Jason Hartman (KS), Incoming Chair David Smith (HI), Treasurer John Erixson (NE), and Immediate Past Chair Tom Claeys (ND). 

The 2022-2023 WFLC Executive Board includes the above mentioned CWSF Executive Committee members, as well as USDA Forest Service Region 2 Regional Forester Frank Beum as Co-lead, USDA Forest Service Forest Products Laboratory/Northern Research Station Director Dr. Cynthia West as Research Station Representative, USDA Forest Service Regions 6 and 10 State and Private Forestry (S&PF) Director Chad Davis as S&PF Director Representative, and USDA Forest Service Region 4 Regional Forester Mary Farnsworth as Incoming Co-lead.

The 2022 CWSF and WFLC Fall Meetings will take place in Santa Fe, New Mexico, from Tuesday, November 15 at 8:00 a.m. to Thursday, November 17 at 5:00 p.m.

Register here to join us in Santa Fe!

Upcoming deadlines:

• Book your hotel accommodations by October 7 to receive our discounted rate;
• Register before October 29 to avoid the extra cost of late registration.

Visit the CWSF website or the WFLC website for more information. If you have any questions, please reach out to Patricia Payne.

A reminder that the fiscal year (FY) 2022 Community Wildfire Defense Grant (CWDG) program is closing soon. Applications will need to be submitted before the portal closes on October 7, 2022 at 11:59 p.m. (Eastern Time). For more information, visit the CWSF CWDG webpage or the USDA Forest Service CWDG webpage.

If you have any questions, please contact Halie Miyazawa.

The FY 2023 Landscape Scale Restoration (LSR) Competitive Grant Program is now open. The portal will close on October 27, 2022 at 5:00 p.m. (Mountain Time). Visit the WFLC LSR webpage for more information.

The FY 2023 Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) Grant Program will open for applications on October 5 and close on December 16, 2022. Additional information can be found on the CWSF WUI webpage. 

If you have any questions, please contact the Competitive Grants Manager.

Critical salmon habitat to be restored through a collaborative Forest-wide GNA Agreement in Washington. 

Learn more in the September GNA Spotlight!

Photo: Justin Long 

Montana: Shawn Thomas is the Acting State Forester and Forestry Division Administrator for the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation.

Looking for a job opportunity in forestry? Find your next position in western forestry on the CWSF job blog.

If you would like to submit a job posting, please email Patricia Payne. 

See the calendar of meetings and events hosted by CWSF/WFLC and partner organizations.

The National Association of State Foresters, International Association of Fire Chiefs, National Fire Protection Association, and USDA Forest Service are now accepting nominations for 2023 Wildfire Mitigation Awards. The Wildfire Mitigation Awards are the highest national honor one can receive for outstanding work and significant program impact in wildfire preparedness and mitigation. 

Details, including the award selection criteria and a link to an online nomination form, are available at www.stateforesters.org/mitigation. Nominations are due November 11, 2022.