Governor's Task Force on Forests

Governor Matt Mead created the Task Force on Forests in 2013 to study the benefits forests provide and to analyze and consider new response strategies and recommendations for both active and passive management. The Forest Task Force reached consensus on 12 major recommendations comprising 53 sub-recommendations, for the Governor’s consideration.

- View the Final Report of the Governor's Task Force on Forests.

- Read a press release from the Governor's Office about the final report.

Approximately 19 percent of Wyoming’s land area, or about 11.8 million acres is forested. Wyoming’s forests provide clean water and air, wood products, habitat for wildlife and other biota, and places for recreation and spiritual reflection

However, Wyoming is facing unprecedented disturbances of its forestland (e.g. bark beetle, white pine blister rust, forest fires, invasive species, and drought) that are both widespread and acute. The impacts of these disturbances are broad ranging and limit the ways we are able to use and enjoy our forests, inhibit sustained yields of forest resources, pose a threat to housing and infrastructure at the wildland-urban interface, and degrade wildlife habitat and water quality.

In tandem with the impacts of drought, wildfire, and disease is our increasingly limited ability to apply effective management strategies for restoring our forests. The forest products industry in Wyoming has been steadily downsizing over the past three decades. A viable forest products industry plays an important role in the methods that we can use to restore and enhance forest conditions.

The well-being of Wyoming’s forests requires a coordinated approach to management. Cognizant of the need to better understand the impacts that have resulted from the beetle epidemic and to identify collaborative solutions to some of the problems caused by those impacts, Wyoming Governor Matt Mead formed the Governor’s Task Force on Forests in 2013.

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Documents

• Forest Task Force Charter draft 1.2

• Forest Task Force Charter draft 1.3

• Forest Action Plan

• Forest Ecology Basics

• Stakeholder Assessment

• Bark Beetles in Western North America: An Annotated Bibliography

Meeting materials

Meeting 1

December 18-20, 2013, Cheyenne, Wyoming

• Agenda
• Summary

Meeting 2

March 19-21, 2014, Fremont County Public Library, Lander, Wyoming

• Agenda
• Draft summary

Meeting 3

April 8-10, 2014, Platte Valley Community Center, Saratoga, Wyoming

• Agenda
• Draft summary

Meeting 4

April 30-May 2, 2014, Wyoming Game and Fish Department Regional Office, Casper, Wyoming

• Agenda

 

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Task Force Members

Name

Organization

Aaron Bannon        Joel Bousman        Jacque Buchanan    Bill Crapser        Jessica Crowder          Sen. Ogden Driskill    Jason Fearneyhough    Buddy Green        Steve Kilpatrick        Mark Konishi        Harry Labonde        Carl Larson        Jim Magagna        Lisa McGee, Co-chair            Jim Neiman, Co-chair    Rep. Jerry Paxton    Reg Phillips        Dan Tinker        David Whittekiend

National Outdoor Leadership School Sublette County Board of County Commissioners Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Region Wyoming State Forestry Division Wyoming Governor's Office Wyoming State Senate Department of Agriculture BLM Wyoming Wyoming Wildlife Federation Wyoming Game and Fish Department Wyoming Water Development Office Larson Livestock, Inc. Wyoming Stock Growers Association Wyoming Outdoor Council Neiman Enterprises, Inc. Wyoming House of Representatives Dubois-Crowheart Conservation District University of Wyoming, Department of Botany Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest

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Forest Collaborative Assistance Program

One of the recommendations in the Final Report of the Governor's Task Force on Forests Final Report was a Forest Collaborative Assistance Program, or FCAP—a program to help kick start collaborative problem solving processes on issues related to forest management and conservation.

The Wyoming Legislature funded the FCAP and Wyoming State Forestry is coordinating this effort. Groups may apply for up to $10,000 for any relevant costs associated with starting or continuing ongoing collaboration (facilitator, coordinator, travel costs for group members, field tours, meeting supplies, meeting room rental, etc).

The Wyoming State Forestry Division is seeking funding proposals through Sept 24, 2015, from people who want to form a collaborative group of stakeholders representing a diversity of interests to design and implement projects and programs that address the recommendations of the Governor's Task Force on Forests.

The FCAP will fund collaborative projects and programs that seek to accomplish one or more of the following objectives:

1. Reduce the threat and occurrence of destructive wildfires in the wildland-urban interface;

2. Control non-native plants, wildlife and insects;

3. Maintain and enhance important wildlife corridors and habitats and other preservation and conservation opportunities;

4. Make available and enhance a sustainable supply of wood and biomass consistent with sound management;

5. Enhance sound grazing practices in forested lands;

6. Expand recreation programs and frameworks to support Wyoming's travel and tourism sector and the outdoor recreation economy;

7. Other activities that enhance the resiliency and sustainability of Wyoming's forests.

 

View the requirements and application for FCAP funding here.

Contact Carson Engelskirger for more information.

Carson Engelskirger
Forestry Outreach Coordinator
Wyoming State Forestry Division
carson.engelskirger@wyo.gov
307-460-1618 (cell)

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