Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands Strategic Plan for Forestry SFY 2020-2025 Introduction The Forestry program area of the Utah Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands (FFSL) has prepared a five-year Strategic Plan for State Fiscal Years (SFY) 2020-2025. As one of three program areas within FFSL, Forestry is developing its plan in coordination with Fire and State Lands. Over time, as the broad social, economic, and environmental context for natural resource management changes within the State, policy priorities shift and programs may need to change in response. The purpose of this Strategic Plan for Forestry is to review changes that have occurred in recent years in Utah’s broad policy context, as well as the organizational context of the DNR and FFSL, and to clarify a vision, goals and strategies for Forestry that reflect FFSL’s mission.
Broad Context National Concerns about Forests
Over the last two decades, concerns about the health of our nation’s forests have been growing among scientists, resource managers, and policymakers, as trends show rising levels of forest disturbance from insects, diseases, and wildfire. The natural disturbances affecting forest ecosystems are attributable to climate-related factors, such as drought, warmer temperatures, and longer summers, and have significant consequences for watersheds, landscapes, and human communities. All of these disturbances are expected to intensify in the future. Forest health and wildfire have huge implications for future efforts to protect and care for forests, as well as for the benefits forests provide. These issues are complex and far-reaching. They challenge everyone—researchers, resource managers, landowners, communities, and policymakers—to work together toward understanding what is happening to forests and how best to respond. Across the nation, forest health and wildfire concerns vary significantly by region and locality. Many western states and communities, including those in Utah, face high and increasing risks, particularly from large and intense wildfires. Another major concern that will continue to threaten the integrity of forests and natural ecosystems across the U.S. is urban development and related shifts in land-use patterns.1 Population growth and urban development in the West have been strong in recent years, and threats of forest land conversion and fragmentation are expected to continue. ¹ Future of America’s Forests and Rangelands: Update to the Forest Service 2010 Resources Planning Act Assessment.
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