In 2020, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) announced its proposal to change the status of the red-cockaded woodpecker (Picoides borealis) from “endangered” to “threatened.” The bird had been listed as “endangered” under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) since its passage in 1973. The 4(d) rule associated with the downlisting included many caveats that…
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (the Service) is proposing to list the alligator snapping turtle as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act with a Section 4(d) rule to tailor “take” prohibitions. This proposal is one of many recently proposed species listings that provide exceptions in the 4(d) rule for forest management activities…
After years of muddied waters, the Trump Administration’s Navigable Waters Protection Rule, offered clarity and definition of what a “navigable water” is to the issue of Waters of the United States (WOTUS) and the Clean Water Act (CWA), brought relief to forest landowners, farmers, small businesses and others. However, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and…
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently announced a Climate-Smart Agriculture and Forestry Partnership Program, which would serve to expand the use of climate-smart farming and forestry practices and aid markets for forest- or agriculture-sequestered carbon. In our comments to USDA, FLA emphasized, “The climate mitigation benefits of a privately managed forest begin with the…
[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section” _builder_version=”3.22″][et_pb_row admin_label=”row” _builder_version=”3.25″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” _builder_version=”3.27.4″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”] FLA hosted a webinar April 20 with SilviaTerra to inform our network of private landowners about voluntary carbon market opportunities for working forests of all sizes through SilviaTerra’s Natural Capital Exchange (NCAPX) program. FLA strives to provide…
In a meeting last month with USDA’s Robert Bonnie, Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy and Senior Adviser for Climate, FLA laid out its position that working lands and working forests can play a critical role in reaching the Biden administration’s goal – detailed in an Executive Order signed in late January – of conserving…