The Nebraska Department of Agriculture announced that the emerald ash borer (EAB) was found in southeast Omaha. This is the first confirmation of the insect in Nebraska. Learn more in a press release from the Nebraska Forest Service. On June 17, Nebraska Department of Agriculture announced a second discovery of the emerald ash borer in Greenwood, NE. 

The latest CWSF Legislative and Policy Update was published in late April 2016 and provides information on issues of importance to our members. Please note that the update highlights only a selection of the issues the CWSF is monitoring.

The May 2016 edition of the CWSF e-newsletter is now available. View the newsletter here. 

The 2017 Western Landscape Scale Restoration Competitive Grant program is now open. 

The Council of Western State Foresters (CWSF) is seeking proposals from qualified parties to analyze and synthesize the work that the Western states and Pacific islands are currently undertaking on issues related to the changing climate. The end result of this project will be a report that the CWSF members can use to find out about other states’ work on this important issue and that the CWSF staff can use to inform policy and programmatic work. 

The April 2016 edition of the CWSF Policy and Legislative update is now available in our publication library. This update provides information on issues of importance to the CWSF. 

The April 2016 edition of the CWSF e-newsletter is now available. 

Over the past nine months, the CWSF team has worked hard to completely overhaul our communications program, including a new look, logo and a new website. 

CWSF’s new look includes our new logo and matching “issue icons” -- for use across our communications materials -- to reinforce our collective focus on the most pressing issues facing Western forests.

We are delighted to welcome three new state foresters to the Council of Western State Foresters -- David Smith of Hawaii; Joe Freeland of Nevada; and Eddie Tudor of New Mexico.  

CWSF is also pleased to announce that Greg Josten, state forester of South Dakota, has joined the CWSF executive committee as treasurer.  Greg will serve out the remainder of the term vacated by Tony Delfin, former New Mexico state forester.  As a member of the CWSF executive committee, Josten is also a voting member of the Western Forestry Leadership Coalition executive board.  

CWSF partners with our regional state forestry association colleagues – the Northeastern Area Association of State Foresters (NAASF) and the Southern Group of State Foresters (SGSF) – as well as the National Association of State Foresters (NASF) on priority policy and legislative items of common interest to state foresters nationwide. 

The second quarter of the year has just begun, but CWSF has already held a number of productive meetings with different groups of Western forestry stakeholders.

The CWSF team is comprised of five full-time professionals dedicated to ensuring our members have the latest information and resources to effectively support their work on the ground.

CWSF/WFLC staffers bring a diverse set of skills and experiences and each contributes to our success in important ways.

The Council of Western State Foresters’ mission is to cultivate partnerships, raise awareness and take action on important issues affecting Western and Pacific Island forests. In order to effectively implement the strategy, CWSF focuses on communication, forest policy and government issues, staff development, and providing timely and quality information for our members. The CWSF delivers several programs; including two western competitive grant processes and the staff support for the Western Forestry Leadership Coalition.

Please save the date for the 2016 Western Forestry Leadership Coalition (WFLC) Spring Meeting. The WFLC 2016 Spring Meeting will be held May 10–12, 2016 at the Marriott Portland Downtown Waterfront in Portland, OR. This year’s meeting theme is Connecting People to Forests.  This meeting is open to CWSF members, WFLC members, partners and guests.  The meeting is made possible due to the generous support of our sponsors and exhibitors.