On September7, 2206, Jeff Reid of the East Texas Sub-office attended the Forest Stewardship Coordinating Committee meeting in College Station, Texas.  The committee consists of representatives from Federal (USFS, NRCS, USFWS, FSA) State (TFS, TPWD, TFB, LCRA, TCE, TSSWCB), and Private (Landowners, Consulting Foresters, TxSWCRA) groups responsible for working with and for private landowners to implement forest conservation programs.  The Texas Forest Service (TFS) provided updates on the Forest Land Enhancement Program (FLEP), Forest Legacy Program (FLP), Hurricane Rita Emergency Response (RITA), Texas wildfire situation, and other landowner outreach activities.  TFS also provided information on their sustainable forestry initiatives which include a GIS based critical forestland assessment spatial analysis project and an ecosystem services project (mainly TFS forester training).  The spatial analysis project will include a 12 layer GIS model and is projected to be completed within the next year.   These geodatabases are expected to provide current information on forest conditions as related to fuel and fire hazard, as well as management actions.  TFS also indicated that they have developed a Texas Wildfire Protection Plan which is described as a proactive approach with prevention, risk reduction, and rapid response as the cornerstones that is expected to reduce wildfire associated costs by 80%.