Southwestern Region

Forest Service Hosts Advisory Panel Meeting April 25

Albuquerque, April 18, 2005—The USDA Forest Service will host an advisory panel meeting as outlined in the Community Forest Restoration Act of 2000. The panel will meet at the Nativo Lodge, 6000 Pan American Freeway NE, Albuquerque, (505) 798-4300. The meeting will begin at 1 PM on Monday, April 25, and end at noon on Friday, April 29.

The Technical Advisory Panel, which is composed of members selected for their long-time familiarity with forest management issues in New Mexico, will review grant proposals submitted for funding under the Collaborative Forest Restoration Program, created by the Community Forest Restoration Act. There were 39 grant proposals submitted for review by the Panel. Congress allocated $5 million to the Forest Service to administer the program this fiscal year.

The Technical Advisory Panel will provide recommendations to Regional Forester Harv Forsgren who is the final decision-maker on project funding. Individual grant recipients may receive up to $360,000 over a 4-year period.

The meeting will be open to the public. However, discussion is limited to panel members and staff only. Issues may be brought to the attention of the panel in writing. There will be opportunities for the public to provide input during the meeting, and grant applicants may respond to questions from the Panel for clarification on their proposals.

For a more detailed description of the Community Forest Restoration Act of 2000 and the Collaborative Forest Restoration Program, as well as a discussion about the composition of this advisory panel, please visit the following website: http://www.fs.fed.us/r3/spf/cfrp. For more information, you may contact Walter Dunn at 505-842-3425, or in writing to him at Cooperative and International Forestry, USDA-FS, 333 Broadway SE, Albuquerque, 87102. His email is wdunn@fs.fed.us.