Strategic Focus
Wildlife Conservation Initiative
The Wildlife Conservation Initiative (WCI) is a voluntary, collaborative partnership between the National Alliance of Forest Owners (NAFO), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), and the National Council for Air and Stream Improvement, Inc. (NCASI) to conserve fish and wildlife species on private working forests.
Small Area Estimation
In September 2022, the US Forest Service and the NCASI Foundation entered into a $1.3 million agreement to develop and execute a strategic plan for enhanced integration of remote sensing information into the FIA program with special emphasis on small area estimation techniques. This three-year project will precisely define FIA information user needs, conduct research into new estimation techniques, and deliver estimation capacity to users through development.
Forest Carbon Management
This program will foster collaboration among forest biometric and ecological experts from various sectors to advance forest biometric models and develop field-ready tools and applications associated with forest-based Nature-based Climate Solutions (NCS). This effort is situated within the broader context of global change factors such as insects/ disease, wildfires, droughts, land-use change, social equity, and evolving economies. It is supported by a five-year, $1.9 million agreement with the USDA Forest Service.
Forest Health
Forests produce clean water and air, beautiful landscapes, recreation opportunities, fish and wildlife habitat, and sequester carbon that helps mitigate climate change. The U.S. is enriched by its abundant forests that in addition to their environmental benefits produce products ranging from lumber and paper to toothpaste and plastics that are an integral part of the daily lives of all Americans. According to the USDA Forest Service, trees were dying from insects and diseases on more than 8.6 million acres across the U.S. in 2017.