Issues and Advocacy

Minnesota SAF Policy and Legislative Committee
The Policy and Legislative Committee of the Minnesota Society of American Foresters takes responsibility for anticipating, identifying, and defining opportunities, problems and issues related to forest resources, and communicating those to the Minnesota SAF membership. The Committee does not make natural resource/forestry policy. Rather, it provides relevant science-based information to policymakers and the media at the national and local level through carefully developed position statements. The Committee also recommends modification to, reaffirms, or terminates existing Minnesota SAF position statements, as appropriate.

Minnesota SAF position statements are consistent with the Forest Policy Principles and position statements of the National SAF. They can make a measurable difference to developing legislation and to media coverage related to natural resource issues.

For more information contact the Policy Chair:
Lynn Sue Mizner
Principal State Planner
Minnesota DNR, Div. of Forestry
1200 Minnesota Ave. S.
Aitkin, MN 56431
[email protected]

Minnesota SAF Position Statements:
  • Off-Highway Vehicles (2006)
  • Short Rotation Woody Crops (2003)
  • Canada Lynx (1998)

SAF promotes policies that:
  •  Encourage conservation of, or investment in, forest resources to satisfy future expectations,
  • Resolve conflicts about forest uses and forest land allocations to make future investments more secure,
  • Promote the equitable distribution of forest benefits to strengthen public support for forest resource conservation, and
  • Increase cooperation between and among foresters and forestry institutions throughout the world who are developing mutually beneficial approaches to these challenges.

The Society's position-taking procedure assures analysis of forestry issues that is science-informed and policy-relevant. Position statements are developed at the national, regional, or unit level and are approved by the Society's governing bodies before being adopted. Current SAF positions are available for inspection on our policy page.