Poll results released today show American voters are concerned about the consequences of forest loss and support Federal action and conservation programs to help keep privately-owned forest lands intact for future generations.

 

The newly-launched Forests in the Farm Bill Coalition, the poll sponsor, urges Congress to take immediate action through the Farm Bill to protect forest lands and the significant economic and environmental benefits forests provide. 

 

“The 2007 Farm Bill is a real and immediate opportunity to take action for clean air and water and to address carbon emissions,” said Steven J. McCormick, president and CEO of The Nature Conservancy. “The Farm Bill offers protection for forests and support for these working landscapes by directing technical support and resources to the forest landowners. Forest owners need and deserve our support so they can continue to protect this resource for future generations.”

 

According to the U.S. Forest Service, every year an area larger than Everglades National Park – more than 1 million acres of forests – is lost to development and sprawl. The majority of the acres at risk, more than 430 million acres, are owned by families and individuals. These private forest owners often lack financial and technical resources to hold on to and manage their forests effectively. But less than 10 percent of the public understands who owns these forests and why they are disappearing. 

 

The poll showed that 60 percent of the public mistakenly believes the government owns and manages most of our nation’s forests. In fact, two-thirds of all U.S. forests are privately-owned, and most acres are held in small tracts by families and individuals.

 

“When people learned that families, not the government, own most forests, 9 in 10 voters agreed more needs to be done to help conserve forests,” said Larry Wiseman, president of the American Forest Foundation.  

 

“People know they depend on healthy forests for clean air and clean water, habitat for wildlife, wood and paper products, and green space around our cities. But a surprising poll result was how many voters supported action by Congress to protect these values,” said James Earl Kennamer, Ph.D., senior vice president of the National Wild Turkey Federation.

 

More than three in four respondents polled said they would support a Farm Bill with a significant amount of funding for the conservation and restoration of privately-owned forests. Historically, the Farm Bill has served as the primary vehicle for Federal rural conservation programs on private lands. The Farm Bill has the potential to help private landowners meet their personal needs, while also sustaining the economic, ecological and social values their lands provide for the public.

 

“The current tools in the Farm Bill need to be strengthened to meet the challenges faced by forest landowners. Without proper funding, we risk losing the critical resources forests provide and negatively impacting the livelihoods of many families and private owners,” said Bob Owens, president of Owens Forest Products.

 

The Forests in the Farm Bill Coalition was formed to assure private forests are viewed as a vital part of the rural landscape and economy, to improve the effectiveness of programs for private forest conservation and management, and to increase resources for these programs. Among the coalition’s 33 members are major environmental, conservation and business groups as well as organizations representing family forest owners, sportsmen and sportswomen, forestry professionals and academics.

 

Members of the Coalition for Forests in the Farm Bill are: