CWSF’s Western Voice blog helps you stay current on all the most important information related to forestry issues in the West.


Check out our latest policy update from Neil Simpson, CWSF/WFLC Director of Policy, which details the latest on fiscal year (FY) 2024 appropriations and previews the uptick in forestry and wildfire issues in Washington, D.C., including flexible funding for Forest Action Plans, hazardous fuels funding, reforestation, and the Good Neighbor Authority.
CWSF and WFLC members and partners gathered for the 2023 CWSF/WFLC Fall Meeting in Waikoloa, Hawai’i, November 28-30, 2023.
The November 2023 edition of the CWSF newsletter is now available.
This month’s policy update highlights a new Memorandum of Understanding between the Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Department of the Interior, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, recent policy resolutions passed by the Western Governors' Association, and the latest information on fiscal year (FY) 2024 Appropriations.
The October 2023 edition of the CWSF newsletter is now available.
This month’s policy update highlights ON FIRE: The Report of the Wildland Fire Mitigation and Management Commission, the newly released Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for Wood Innovations, Community Wood, and Wood Products Infrastructure Assistance Grants, and updates from Washington D.C.
The September 2023 edition of the CWSF newsletter is now available.
This month’s policy update includes information on three resolutions passed at the National Association of State Foresters (NASF) Annual Meeting, Good Neighbor Authority, the Farm Bill, the Treating Tribes and Counties as Good Neighbors Act, and the possibility of a government shutdown.

This month, we are pleased to feature Kelly Norris, State Forester for the Wyoming State Forestry Division.

The August 2023 edition of the CWSF newsletter is now available.
This month’s policy update highlights the fiscal year (FY) 2024 appropriations, the Farm Bill, efforts to increase federal wildland firefighters' pay, and a new Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for temporary bridges.
On July 31, 2023, Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the opening of the second round of the Community Wildfire Defense Grant (CWDG) program. The grant process will be open for applications until October 31, 2023, at 11:59 p.m. EDT.
The July 2023 edition of the CWSF newsletter is now available.
In June 2023, the CWSF Forest Products Committee and the Oregon Department of Forestry hosted a Forest to Frame tour focused on the connection between sustainable economic development, Mass Timber construction, and Good Neighbor Authority.
CWSF and WFLC welcomed two new staff members, Neil Simpson as Director of Policy and Leena Visnak as Competitive Grants Manager.