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Canada/U.S. forest summit report released

The event, held at the Embassy of Canada in Washington, DC, on June 29th, was co-hosted by the USDA Forest Service and the Canadian Forest Service of Natural Resources Canada. The overall goal of the summit was to explore and develop a cooperative vision and plan for science and research actions to address forest health challenges. While the two countries and their respective agencies have a long history of working together, until now collaborations have typically occurred among individual researchers working on specific topics.

“From the water we drink to the homes that provide shelter to the habitats for a plethora of wild creatures, the forests of North America are among the continent’s most important natural resources whether viewed in terms of economic or environmental benefits,” said Carlton Owen, President of the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities. “Because of those values and many more and due to the unprecedented challenges that our forests are now experiencing, we were pleased to serve as convener of the first-ever Canada/U.S. Forest Health Summit and to now make the report from that summit available.”

“This summit is an important first step toward the creation of a Canada-U.S. forest science agenda,” said the Honorable Joe Oliver, Minister of Natural Resources Canada. “By identifying issues on which we can work together, we aim to maximize the value of the critical work that scientists and researchers are doing on both sides of the border to ensure the health of our forests and forest sector.”

“The borders that separate the United States and Canada don’t segregate threats to our natural resources,” said U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tm Vilsack. “The countries share common environmental concerns. It is critical that we continue to collaborate and address current and future land management challenges as partners.”

Click here to read the full report.