Farms (and Forests)

AMC Outdoors, March 2006

Every five years, the federal government renews the multi-billion dollar Farm Bill, a gargantuan spending package covering everything from crop subsidies in the Midwest to programs that benefit conservation efforts in the Northern Forest region. As Congress currently debates the bill’s 2007 revision, AMC—as a member of the Northern Forest Alliance—is leading a broad coalition from across the Northeast that is working to bring more Farm Bill funds to the region.

In September, AMC hosted the Northern Forest Farm Bill Summit at the Highland Center, gathering together dozens of state and regional organizations and government officials to discuss ways the Farm Bill could be improved to better benefit the region’s forests. “We decided to step up and find out if there was an appetite for working on this,” explains Bruce Clendenning, AMC’s Northern Forest advocate. “What we found was almost overwhelming support. Over the course of a five-month period we brought together a much larger coalition than has ever worked on the forest component of the Farm Bill before.”

Following the conference, AMC and 41 partners submitted a letter to the Congressional delegations of the four Northern Forest states—New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine—outlining their suggestions for improving the Farm Bill.

Foremost among these is one that can perhaps best be described as psychological: changing the name of the legislation to the “Farm and Forests Bill.” Other requested changes include additional support for state forestry stewardship programs and local economic development initiatives, and the establishment of a new Suburban and Community Forest program.

AMC’s partners in this project include diverse groups with vested interests in the ecological health of the Northern Forest, including timber operators such as Lyme Timber, government agencies like the Maine Forest Service and New Hampshire Fish and Game, and conservation groups like the Audubon Society, Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests, National Wildlife Federation, and Trust for Public Land.

“Normally you don’t have such an interesting collaboration of organizations,” Clendenning notes. “This effort has really brought together an incredible group of leaders.”

-Matt Heid