Southern Group of State Foresters (SGSF)
The Southern Group of State Foresters (SGSF) is a non-profit organization consisting of State Foresters from Alabama, Arkansas, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, U.S. Virgin Islands, and Virginia. SGSF provides leadership in sustaining the economic, environmental and social benefits of the forests of the Southeast, and works to identify and address existing and emerging issues and challenges that are important to southern forests and citizens. SGSF has developed systems to assess and analyze forest resources, such as the Southern Wildfire Risk Assessment and Southern Forest Land Assessment, for landowners, legislators, and community decision-makers to make more informed decisions about forest management.
SGSF has published a number of congressional letters and position statements on climate change, which can be found on their website. In 2008, the Group presented their "Concepts for Forest-Climate Adaptation and Mitigation Legislation and Administrative Policy". They suggest a comprehensive approach to forest-climate policy which includes a combination of improved resource assessment capabilities, monitoring, technical assistance, incentives and potential role in cap-and-trade legislation. One recommendation involves establishing a program of “forest-climate adaptation management practices” that includes providing assistance to forest landowners in the installation and management of adaptation practices.
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