Decision to Dissolve Iowa Bureau of Forestry Was Ill-Advised
The Des Moines Register (July 28, 2017)

SAF President Fred Cubbage wrote an opinion-editorial in The Des Moines Register urging the state to reconsider a recent decision to dissolve Iowa’s Bureau of Forestry.

An Iowa State forestry graduate and Iowa native, Cubbage wrote that he is concerned that Iowa’s great tradition and national leadership in forestry and natural resources may be diminished by dissolving the bureau.

"Despite the bureau’s excellent work with farmers, landowners, towns and residents, Iowa’s forests, trees and waterways are in trouble," Cubbage wrote. "For the first time since the 1970s, Iowa’s forests are being depleted faster than they are being replanted...Compounding this rapid loss of forests is an already growing threat from invasive pests and an increasingly costly problem with water quality for drinking standards and recreation. Perhaps now more than ever, Iowa needs to focus on investing in the health and sustainability of its forest and tree resources."

Read the entire article here.