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Natural Resources Conservation Service, Arkansas Forestry Commission and
Arkansas Forestry Association Sign MOU to Assist Private Forest Landowners
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Max Braswell, Arkansas Forestry Association executive
vice president; Mike Sullivan, USDA Natural Resources Conservation
Service state conservationist for Arkansas; and John Shannon, Arkansas
Forestry Commission state forester, sign a memorandum of understanding
to strengthen cooperation between the agencies by coordinating
interagency delivery of forestry-related conservation assistance to
private landowners in order to sustain the health, diversity and
productivity of Arkansas’s private forest lands. |
LITTLE ROCK, Ark., — On September 9, the Arkansas
Forestry Commission (AFC), Arkansas Forestry Association (AFA) and USDA Natural
Resources Conservation Service in Arkansas (NRCS) formalized and sealed with a
signing ceremony in Little Rock a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). This MOU —
the first between the organizations — was signed by Mike Sullivan, NRCS state
conservationist for Arkansas, John Shannon, AFC state forester, and Max
Braswell, AFA executive vice president. These groups have long worked together
to provide assistance to Arkansans, while addressing mutual natural resource
management concerns.
“The MOU culminates and formalizes a long-term commitment to the conservation
and stewardship of Arkansas’s natural resources,” Sullivan said. “This
memorandum will strengthen cooperation between AFC, AFA and NRCS by coordinating
interagency delivery of forestry-related conservation assistance to private
landowners in order to sustain the health, diversity and productivity of
Arkansas’s private forest lands.”
The increased coordination and collaboration is essential to provide assistance
to a changing customer/owner base in Arkansas. Strong partnerships at the state
level will make it possible to be more effective in assisting non-industrial
private landowners, thereby increasing natural resource benefits from working
forest lands.
Family owned farms make up 8.7 million acres of
Arkansas forests and are increasingly being divided into smaller parcels.
Through the MOU, each agency will continue to
deliver technical and financial assistance through their various conservation
programs and activities. Jointly, the agencies will coordinate and standardize
forest management plans, share information, provide staff training, encourage
the development of technical service provider agreements and work to ensure that
respective program resources are used in a way that is effective, strategic and
complementary.
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