The Forest Guild's forest protection program helps conservation organizations and the public respond to complex federal forest management issues. The Guild advocates strong policies for resource and environmental protection and an open decision process for national forests. For nearly two decades, the Guild has helped bring the concerns of people in rural communities to the attention of agency decision-makers. Rural involvement in U.S. Forest Service decision-making has increased as a result.

People in rural areas understand the issues in their communities and have clear concepts of changes they feel are necessary. Yet residents often feel that agency decision-makers do not listen to them. The analytical tools provided by the Guild are used by rural residents to communicate more effectively with the Forest Service and to advocate decisions that result in positive environmental change. Communities are becoming more effective at communicating their stewardship values to the Forest Service and are pioneering a new kind of activism based on local knowledge of place.

Snapshot: State of the National Fire Plan

The Forest Guild completed an evaluation of the National Fire Plan in March 2004. The review assesses rational progress to reach the goal of fire risk reduction and evaluates the effect of the policy

The Executive Summary and full report can be downloaded.

Policy

The Forest Guild develops and disseminates information on key forest policy issues. Using this information, the Guild has testified several times before committees of the U.S. Congress. Click for copies of the testimony:

• Regarding the Restoration of Forests After Catastrophic Fire
  (Statement July 15, 2004 to Subcommittee on Forests and Forest Health House Resources Committee)
• Regarding the Implementation of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act and Community Wildfire Protection Plans
  (Statement June 28, 2004 to Subcommittee on Forestry, Conservation, and Rural Revitalization, Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry)
• Jobs and Sustainable Forestry
  (Testimony February 4, 2004 to the House Subcommittee on Forests)
• Implementation of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003
  (Testimony December 15, 2003 at a field hearing of the House Subcommittee on Forests)
• Concerns about the Healthy Forests Restoration Act
  (Testimony July 22, 2003 to the Senate Energy + Natural Resources Committee)

The Forest Guild is championing recognition of the disproportionate effect of wildfire on low-income residents. Most low-income residents do not have fire insurance and can lose all of their assets to wildfire, yet few federal, state or local programs offer targeted assistance for these populations. The Guild has developed information to illustrate the problem and is working with federal and state officials toward equitable distribution of Fire Plan resources.

Other policy issues the Guild has addressed by developing information include:

- Efficacy of fuel reduction treatments
- Insect and wildfire interactions
- Long-term fuels management strategies
- Appeals of fuel reduction treatments
- Biomass utilization