Who We Are
Since its start in 1920, the National Association of State Foresters (NASF)
has served as a leading authority on forest management in the United States.

NASF’s membership is composed of the directors of forestry agencies in the 50 states, five U.S. territories, three nations in compacts of free association with the U.S., and the District of Columbia. Through its members, referred to as “state foresters,” the association advocates for federal legislation and national policies that promote the health, resilience, and productivity of both rural and urban forests. Learn more about NASF’s policies.

State forestry agencies are the primary delivery system for forest management activities nationwide. They conserve, enhance, and protect state and private forests, which encompass nearly two-thirds of the nation’s forests, and are responsible for wildfire protection on more than 1.5 billion acres. Learn more about NASF’s membership in the latest state forestry agency statistics survey.

Our Membership

Our members are valued for their leadership, expertise, and public-trust commitment to managing and conserving public and private forests across the country. Meet the directors of these agencies: the nation’s 59 state foresters.

THREE REGIONS, ONE PURPOSE. While NASF represents and serves the interests of state foresters at the national level, three regional state forester organizations—the Northeast-Midwest State Foresters Alliance, the Southern Group of State Foresters, and the Council of Western State Foresters—serve their respective state forester members on a regional level. NASF collaborates closely with these organizations on national issues of importance to state foresters.

Our Leadership

NASF is governed by an Executive Committee made up of four officers and three regional state forester organization representatives who provide strategic direction, management oversight, and leadership to the national association. Meet the members of the NASF Executive Committee.

Through NASF’s five standing committees, state foresters serve as subject-matter experts that influence national policies on wildland fire, forest markets, forest resource management, forest science and health, and urban and community forestry. Meet the chairs of the five NASF standing committees.

Our Foundation

The National Association of State Foresters Foundation (NASFF) is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization that was established in 1983 by state foresters to promote and advance state and private forestry in the United States. The foundation supports educational initiatives that foster and recognize state forestry agency leadership in promoting healthy, well-managed forests. Meet the NASF Foundation.

Our Team

Our dedicated staff team takes great pride in serving state foresters. Our work focuses on national-level legislation and policies, communications, and partnerships that help state forestry agencies and is driven by a member-defined strategic plan. Meet NASF’s staff.

Our Partners

Through coalitions and collaborative work with partners, NASF promotes the full range of values forests and trees contribute to our society.

The Source Water Collaborative is comprised of federal, state, and local partners committed to protecting sources of drinking water (such as lakes, rivers, streams, and aquifers) nationwide. Forests and trees play a critical role in watershed health and are key to ensuring safe and reliable supplies of drinking water across the U.S. As a member of the collaborative, NASF shares its expertise in forest management and promotes national programs and policies that help protect sources of drinking water through forestry.

The Forests in the Farm Bill Coalition is a diverse group of conservation, forest landowner, industry, and community organizations that first organized to raise the profile of forestry in the 2008 Farm Bill. NASF and coalition members are working to ensure that forestry and conservation programs continue to provide support towards the sustainable management of the nation’s private and family-owned forests in the 2018 Farm Bill.

The Continental Dialogue on Non-Native Forest Insects and Diseases engages multiple stakeholder groups to cultivate and catalyze action to abate the threat to North American forests from non-native insects and disease. NASF holds a leadership role on the Steering Committee and has helped formulate coalition strategies and activities.

The Joint Forestry Team is a cooperative effort between NASF, USDA Forest Service, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, and National Association of Conservation Districts designed to strengthen cooperation and coordinated interagency delivery of forestry-related conservation assistance to private landowners.

The Sustainable Urban Forests Coalition is an assembly of national organizations working to advance a unified urban forest agenda for our nation’s communities. The coalition is comprised of more than 30 national organizations and corporations representing hundreds of thousands of professionals and millions of supporters who care and support sustainable trees, forests, and green infrastructure in communities nationwide.

The National Wildfire Coordinating Group develops and maintains standards, guidelines, training, and certification in interagency wildland fire operations. As a charter member, NASF provides recommendations on policy implementation.

NASF is also a partner to many other wildland fire policy and coordination coalitions, including the Wildland Fire Leadership Council and the National Multi-Agency Coordination Group. Through the National Interagency Fire Center, the NASF senior director of fire technology helps coordinate the national mobilization of resources for wildland fire and other incidents throughout the United States, including dispatching equipment, aircrafts, and crews and supplying intelligence and predictive services.

State and private forestry programs funded through federal annual appropriations help support the states’ wildfire protection efforts; forest insect and disease programs; technical assistance programs for communities and private landowners; and updates to statewide Forest Action Plans, which benefit all forests—private and public—across the nation.

The Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service (in particular its State and Private Forestry division) and Natural Resources Conservation Service administer the majority of these critical state and private forestry programs. In addition to USDA agencies, NASF also collaborates with the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management, Fish and Wildlife Service, and National Park Service, as well as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.