About

The Southern Group of State Foresters (SGSF) is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit corporation representing state forestry agencies within the 13 southeastern United States and the U.S. territories of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

SGSF members collectively provide leadership, coordination, expertise, and resources to sustain the economic, environmental, health, and societal benefits of southern forests. This includes the delivery of regional support needed to address existing and emerging issues related to sustainable forest management, forest health, water resources, urban and community forestry, forest product markets, wildfire protection, conservation education, and disaster response.

SGSF aims to ensure the growth of healthy forests, today and tomorrow and achieves this through the following strategies:

• Promoting the use of State Forest Action Plans which provide a roadmap to conserve, protect, and enhance forest resources.
• Promoting sound forest management practices that use the South’s vast and diverse forest resources, while conserving their unique environmental functions and values.
• Providing the southern perspective on national issues, policy development, and legislation that impact private forests.
• Coordinating and facilitating regional consistency on critical activities such as wildfire suppression, water resource protection, insect and disease prevention and suppression, and reforestation.
• Coordinating state delivery of forest landowner assistance programs.
• Advocating for adequate funding to support the implementation of state and federally funded forestry programs.
• Supporting research that enhances the sustainable management of private, state, and federal forestland.
• Promoting issues related to wildland fire management, including prescribed burning and fire prevention assistance, fire-related law enforcement, timber theft investigations, and assistance to volunteer fire departments.
• Promoting programs that improve forest health including prevention, detection, and suppression of wildfire, diseases, and insect infestations.
• Providing response and recovery assistance for other disasters such as hurricanes, tornadoes, and ice storms.
• Encouraging the development and maintenance of diverse and dynamic markets for traditional and emerging forest product markets and ecosystem service markets.
• Promoting programs and initiatives that encourage the retention and expansion of forestland for public as well as private sector benefits.
• Interacting and collaborating with other agencies and organizations engaged in sustainable forest management.
• Coordinating and facilitating the collection, analysis, and distribution of information about the status and condition of forestland in the South.