February 28, 2024
(press release)
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MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING FORMALIZES PARTNERSHIP TO ENHANCE CROSS-BOUNDARY FUEL BREAKS Washington, DC – Today, the National Alliance of Forest Owners and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service announced a memorandum of understanding to mitigate wildfire risk through cross-boundary fuel break planning, construction and maintenance. The new MOU will assist in safeguarding natural resources, communities, and infrastructure while optimizing the use of federal resources for wildfire risk reduction. The MOU provides the framework for coordinating public and private fire mitigation strategies by enabling NAFO member companies to construct NEPA-ready fuel breaks on National Forest System lands as an extension to fuel breaks on adjacent privately owned forests. “Wildfires do not stop at national forest boundaries, and neither should our fuel breaks,” said Forest Service Chief Randy Moore. “This MOU allows us to work more closely with partners and private forest owners to create connected fuel breaks that will lower wildfire risk to communities and achieve the goals outlined in our ‘Wildfire Crisis Strategy.’ This essential partnership serves as one more indicator of our commitment to sustainable forestland management and the protection of communities, critical infrastructure, and natural and cultural resources for present and future generations.” In Western states especially threatened by severe wildfire, the “checkerboard” ownership of public, private, and tribal lands can complicate fire management planning. Fuel breaks often cross jurisdictional boundaries adding to the complexity and cost of planning and building them. Building fuel breaks across various land ownerships, based on plans developed with stakeholders through formal planning processes, like the Forest Service’s Potential Operational Delineations (PODs), will enhance efficiency in wildfire prevention and suppression by leveraging private resources. NAFO member companies will execute this pre-planned work at cost, which will deliver significant savings for this type of wildfire mitigation work. “Private forest owners steward their land to grow healthy forests. Wildfire mitigation is fundamental to that stewardship,” said Dave Tenny, president, and chief executive officer of NAFO. “This new MOU will enable private working forest owners to leverage their people, expertise, and experience to accelerate NEPA-compliant wildfire mitigation work. This collaboration is crucial not only for protecting people, property, livelihoods, and critical infrastructure, but also for sustaining healthy and resilient forests that provide clean air and water, wildlife habitat, and carbon sequestration benefits.” This new MOU builds on the success of last year’s fire suppression MOU between the US Forest Service and NAFO, marking another significant step forward in our joint efforts to address the wildfire crisis. ### The National Alliance of Forest Owners (NAFO) is a national advocacy organization committed to advancing federal policies that ensure our working forests provide clean air, clean water, wildlife habitat and jobs through sustainable practices and strong markets. NAFO member companies own and sustainably manage 44 million acres of private working forests – forests that are managed to provide a steady supply of timber. NAFO’s membership also includes state and national associations representing tens of millions of additional acres. Private working forests in the U.S. support 2.5 million jobs. Private working forests – which provide 90% of our timber harvest for wood and fiber – also account for 80% of our total net forest carbon sequestration and nearly half of our forest carbon storage. Learn more at nafoalliance.org.| @NAFO_Forests
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