MOU signed to establish framework encouraging collaboration between Western Governors’ Assn. and U.S. Forest Service.

December 14, 2018

2 Min Read
USDA, Western Governors team up on land management

The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Western Governors’ Assn. (WGA) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to “establish a framework to allow the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and WGA to work collaboratively to accomplish mutual goals, further common interests and effectively respond to the increasing suite of challenges facing western landscapes.”

Specifically, the agreement was signed by U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, WGA chair and Hawaii Gov. David Ige and WGA vice chair and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum. The MOU commits USFS and WGA to a “more integrated approach to prioritizing investments where they will have the greatest impact and will work together to set priorities that address risk across broad landscapes.” Following the signing, Perdue and Ige issued the following statements:

The agreement, announced at the WGA 2018 Winter Meeting in Hawaii, is an outgrowth of two ongoing activities: the Shared Stewardship Initiative of USDA and the National Forest & Rangeland Management Initiative of WGA.

Federal, state and private managers of forests and rangelands face a multitude of urgent challenges, including catastrophic wildfires, invasive species, degraded watersheds and epidemics of insects and disease. The conditions fueling these circumstances are not improving, as demonstrated by the devastating wildfires of 2018. 

USFS announced a new strategy earlier this year to work more closely with states to identify landscape-scale priorities for targeted treatments. Over the past two years, WGA has been examining a wide variety of land management challenges, including those involving large landscapes with multiple ownerships.

“Governors possess primary decision-making authority for management of state resources, including many resources on federal lands. Being a ‘good neighbor’ is an essential component in USDA’s work, which is why this MOU is so important,” Perdue said. “USDA’s Forest Service will work shoulder to shoulder with WGA to co-manage risks and identify land management priorities. As authentic collaborators, the states and federal government will improve service to the public by creating more efficient, effective and long-lasting policy.”

“This is an important step in cooperatively addressing land management challenges,” Ige said. “We recognize that no one agency or level of government has the capacity to deal with all of these risks alone. This MOU puts us on a path to working closely on these serious matters.”

Subscribe to Our Newsletters
Feedstuffs is the news source for animal agriculture

You May Also Like