Charge

• increased funding for the Renewable Resources Extension Act;
• fostering strong working relationships with federal agencies and national forestry organizations;
• alternative funding for natural resource extension programs.

The task force has four regional extension director representatives, an 1890 land-grant institution representative, and representatives from:

• the USDA Forest Service;
• the National Association of State Foresters (NASF);
• the National Association of University Forest Resources Programs (NAUFRP);
• the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges (NASULGC);
• the National Association of University Fisheries and Wildlife Programs (NAUFWP);
• the Association of Natural Resources Extension Professionals (ANREP).

The task force meets in Washington, DC twice a year and holds bi-monthly conference calls throughout the year.

The efforts of the Forestry and Natural Resouces Task Force and other organizations resulted in the 2002 Farm Bill inclusion of a Forestry Title that reauthorized RREA through FY 2007 (September 30, 2007) and doubled the authorized funding to $30 million per year.