Highlights below from CWSF Executive Director Caitlyn Pollihan.

CWSF Executive Committee Retreat

The Council of Western State Foresters (CWSF) Executive Committee met in Sunriver, OR to discuss issues of importance to the membership and identify strategic priorities for discussion at our Fall Business Meeting. The CWSF Executive Committee membership transitioned at the recent NASF Annual Meeting and is made up of the following: Mike Lester (CO), Chair; Ken Pimlott (CA), Past Chair; Greg Josten (SD), Incoming Chair; and Jeff Whitney (AZ), Treasurer/Secretary. The Executive Committee meets monthly by phone and twice a year in person to conduct the business of the organization.

ASAE Policy Committee

Caitlyn Pollihan, CWSF Executive Director, joined the American Society of Association Executives' (ASAE) Public Policy Committee and will serve through September 2017. Public Policy Committee members engage on quarterly conference calls and at ASAE events and provide oversight for all matters of ASAE that relate to government, particularly at the federal level. The committee sets priorities on handling issues that uniquely affect associations and association executives as well as recommends broad policy direction the the ASAE board of directors.

SFI Conference

Caitlyn attended the 2016 Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) Conference, September 27-29, 2016, in Clearwater Beach, FL. Nearly 300 people attended the conference for three days of discussions, workshops, presentations and networking, and brought life to the theme - Linking Future Forests to Communities. Discussions centered around a range of topics including conservation, habitats, markets, supply chains and communities. Additionally, this year's conference brought together a diverse group of attendees with immense passion about the environment, forests, and the future of conservation.

Florida State Forester Jim Karels welcomed the audience and spoke about how the SFI Forest Partners Program "was a tremendous help to the Florida Forest Service in getting [our] state forests certified." Many speakers expressed the importance of government engagement for successful forest management throughout the entirety of the conference.

Washington Department of Natural Resources, Yakama Nation, Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife, The Nature Conservancy, and the U.S. Forest Service won the SFI Conservation Award for a forest management project that demonstrates the benefits of responsible harvesting to avoid catastrophic fire and reduce the damage caused by disease and insects. Read more.