Forestry
Landowner & Community Assistance
Forest Management
FFSL has two documents that guide its implementation of the state’s forestry program. The Forest Action Plan and the Forestry Strategic Plan set goals and objects to that keep Utah at the forefront of state and private forestry
Forest Action Plan
Engaging partners to address forest priorities across Utah
The Utah Forest Action Plan (FAP) 2020 provides an updated assessment of all forests across the state, identifies forest threats and recommends strategies for Utah’s Division of Forestry, Fire & State Lands (FFSL) to work with federal, state and local partners to protect and improve the health of our forests.
The new ten-year FAP aligns with Utah’s Shared Stewardship Agreement, a recent partnership initiative between the USDA Forest Service Intermountain Region and the State of Utah. It builds on a shared vision and strategies to engage partners, stakeholders, and communities in collaborative efforts to address forest priorities and increase forest restoration activities across all lands—federal, state and local, public and private.
- 1.Restore healthy and resilient trees and forests across Utah.
- 2.Reduce wildfire risk to communities, water resources, and other natural resource values.
- 3.Increase collaborative landscape-scale forest restoration activities across the State.
- 4.Build capacity among partners, stakeholders and communities to engage in forest restoration activities across the State.
The Utah FAP focuses on four goals:
The Utah FAP focuses on four goals:
Approaching the Utah FAP
The Utah FAP is a lengthy document, as it is structured to meet USDA Forest Service guidelines required of all states. Each state, however, is able to develop a FAP approach that meets its own needs and context. The Utah FAP does this by seeking to be clear and accessible to all partners and audiences. It presents key information for most audiences in an opening Executive Summary and in the first four chapters—less than 50 pages!
- Chapter 1.
Introduces the FAP
- Chapter 2.
Provides an assessment of Utah’s forests
- Chapter 3.
Identifies threats to Utah’s forests
- Chapter 4.
Presents goals and strategies for restoring and sustaining Utah’s forests
The last two chapters present important information required by the USDA Forest Service:
- Chapter 5.
Discusses how the Utah FAP 2020 integrates with other key natural resource plans in the State
- Chapter 6.
Provides updated assessments and strategies for three Cooperative Forestry Programs: Forest Legacy, Forest Stewardship and Urban & Community Forestry
Finally, the FAP document includes three appendices. The first two are brief summary documents related to Utah’s Shared Stewardship Agreement. The third document is a significant and detailed assessment required for the Forest Legacy Program:
Appendix A
Is the 5-page Utah Shared Stewardship Agreement
Appendix B
Presents Key Performance Indicators for Shared Stewardship in Utah
Additional information about Utah’s FAP and how it relates to national priorities for the USDA Forest Service and National Association of State Foresters (NASF) can be found at the following link: stateforesters.org/districts/utah
Forestry Strategic Plan
The Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands (FFSL) has prepared a five-year Strategic Plan for Forestry. The purpose of the Plan is to update and clarify the vision, goals, and strategies for Forestry in Utah.
To develop the Plan, we engaged all FFSL Forestry staff and managers, as well as several external partners, to discuss recent changes in policy and organizational context for Forestry and to explore challenges and opportunities.
The Plan’s goals and strategies are intended to help guide Forestry staff as they develop work plans at statewide and local levels. The Plan is meant to be a living document. It will be adapted to address new information and priorities.
