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Forest Restoration Advisory Committee Being Formed

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack is seeking nominations from the public for the new Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Advisory Committee. The committee will include up to 15 members who will offer a balanced perspective and wide-ranging expertise in fields such as ecological restoration, fire ecology, fire management, rural economic development, ecological adaptation to climate change, fish and wildlife ecology, and the utilization of woody biomass and small-diameter trees. Committee members will serve terms of up to two years.

In making the announcement, Secretary Vilsack said this committee will help prioritize the work that needs to be done and empower citizens and the Forest Service to work together through the entire process of ecological restoration work, from identifying needs on the landscape to achieving ecological objectives in ways that provide jobs and protect local communities from wildfire. According to the Secretary, about 60 million Americans depend on national forests for clean, abundant water, and all Americans rely on healthy forest ecosystems to mitigate the effects of climate change.