October 2026 Newsletter

ORGANIZATIONAL HIGHLIGHTS

The 2026 Council of Western State Foresters (CWSF) and Western Forestry Leadership Coalition (WFLC) Fall Meeting will take place in Washington, D.C., from Wednesday, December 2, to Friday, December 4.

Registration is now open! This in-person meeting has limited attendance and is open to CWSF State and Pacific Island Foresters and their representatives, USDA Forest Service WFLC members, and invited partners.

For registration questions or attendance inquiries, please contact Patricia Payne.

CWSF Communications Internship Wrap-Up

October 15 marked Olivia Oliver’s final day as CWSF's Communications Intern.

Over the past four months, Olivia has contributed to a variety of communications efforts, including social media content, website updates, and product development. Throughout her internship, Olivia has helped increase CWSF’s communications capacity while gaining experience in forestry, natural resources, and communications. We appreciate all of the work Olivia has contributed to CWSF, and we will greatly miss having her on the team!

Learn more about Olivia’s internship experience.

Thank you to the National Association of State Foresters Foundation for making this internship possible.

POLICY UPDATE

October 2026 Policy Update

Read the latest policy update from Neil Simpson, CWSF/WFLC Director of Policy. This month’s policy update covers:

Click the links above to jump to each individual topic or download a PDF on our website.

COMMITTEE UPDATES

Good Neighbor Authority Spotlight - Utah

A Good Neighbor Authority agreement between the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands and the USDA Forest Service (Forest Service) Dixie National Forest aims to reduce wildfire risk, improve forest health and wildlife habitat, and increase resilience to future disturbance.

Photo: Dixie National Forest

Forest Health and Forest Stewardship/Landowner Assistance Committee Annual Meetings

The CWSF Forest Health Committee and Forest Stewardship Program/Landowner Assistance Committee met in Anchorage, Alaska, September 29-October 1, for their 2026 Annual Meetings. The meetings brought together forestry professionals from across the Western continental U.S., Hawai’i, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands to exchange ideas, strengthen partnerships, and share solutions on a range of topics from federal policy changes to on-the-ground forest management.

Western State Fire Managers Committee Annual Meeting

The Western State Fire Managers Committee met October 6-8 in South Salt Lake, Utah, to reflect on the 2026 fire year, strengthen interagency coordination, and address shared challenges in wildland fire management. Members and partners shared national and regional updates, discussed resource sharing and operational challenges, and reviewed committee priorities to guide its 2027 work plan.

Forest Products Committee Annual Meeting

The Forest Products Committee (FPC) held its 2026 Annual Meeting virtually on October 14-15. Representatives from 11 western states were joined by partners from the Forest Service, the National Wild Turkey Federation, the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities, the National Association of State Foresters, and the Southern Group of State Foresters to exchange information on forest products, markets, and utilization. FPC members also made progress toward marketing and utilization tasks in the 2026 work plan and developed priority topics for the 2027 work plan.

Pacific Islands Forestry Committee Executive Committee Annual Meeting

The Pacific Islands Forestry Committee (PIFC) Executive Committee met virtually on October 20-21 to discuss disaster preparedness and response, and federal resources available to support these efforts. PIFC members shared experiences and lessons learned from disasters affecting their islands, including response challenges and resource needs. Members also discussed key components of effective grant templates and received national and regional updates.

GRANT UPDATES & ADDITIONAL OPPORTUNITIES

Landscape Scale Restoration Program - Notice of Funding Opportunities

The Forest Service is now accepting applications for the Landscape Scale Restoration (LSR) Grant Program through January 26, 2027. Note that all applicants except federally recognized Tribes and Tribal organizations must submit a budget and project narrative to the relevant State Forester(s) for sponsorship consideration by December 17, 2026.

There are two grant Notice of Funding Opportunities (NOFOs) this year: LSR Grant Program for Non-Federal Lands, USDA-FS-2026-LSR, which replaces the three regional (Southern/IITF, Western, and Northeast/Midwestern) NOFOs, and the LSR Grant Program for Tribes and Tribal Lands, USDA-FS-2026-LSR-TRIBAL.

The purpose of the LSR Program is to encourage collaborative, science-based restoration of priority forest landscapes. This competitive grant program supports collaborative, high-impact projects that lead to measurable outcomes in priority forest landscapes, leverage public and private resources, and advance priorities identified in a State Forest Action Plan or an equivalent science-based restoration strategy.

More information about the program is available on the LSR Program website.

Western Competitive Grants

There are no new grant updates at this time. View each grant webpage below:

Please contact Leena Visnak with any questions.

Firewood Bank Assistance Program

The Alliance for Green Heat will be accepting applications for the Firewood Bank Assistance Program starting November 1, 2026. This program provides financial and educational resources to public and tribal firewood bank programs for low- to moderate-income individuals who are struggling to pay for home heating fuel and to deal with emergency situations, such as power outages, by providing access to wood heat.

Learn more.

NEWS & NOTES FROM MEMBERS & PARTNERS

Job Opportunities

Visit the CWSF job blog for the latest job opportunities from Western state forestry agencies and partners. A few of the opportunities include:

Alaska Department of Natural Resources, Forester 4 Area Forester Southern Southeast Area
Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management, Forest Legacy Program Manager
Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Forestry Program Manager

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