Program Topics

The International Programs Office actively works around the globe to improve forest governance and reduce illegal logging and wildlife trafficking. The issues are complex with implications for global timber markets, land tenure, law enforcement capacity, corruption, rural poverty, environmental management and other issues. International Programs partners with the U.S. Agency for International Development, the U.S. Department of State and others to provide policy advice, training and technical assistance to a variety of partners. The work focuses on enhancing forest governance through improvements in timber tracking technologies, reduced impact harvesting techniques, forest certification schemes, sustainable forest management practices, environmental law enforcement and other measures.

Across the globe, including in the U.S., populations are increasingly moving to cities. Too often, communities have little or no connection to nature. Growing urban density, with the parallel growth in infrastructure, affects the environment in new ways. These trends make urban environmental programs more important than ever. International Programs works with partners to develop hands-on environmental projects that connect communities with nature in their own neighborhoods. The focus of these activities is to provide tools and guidance to groups who want to develop their own programs. In the U.S., our work involves urban communities with strong international connections. The symbolism of conserving a migratory species, such as a monarch butterfly, that travels from Mexico to the U.S. is inspirational, and can advance understanding of the connectedness of people and nature. Overseas, our work focuses on watershed rehabilitation, green infrastructure, human health and well-being, and environmental education for youth, families and school groups.

More information on our Urban Programs work: 

Migrating Monarchs

This summer, beautiful monarch butterflies floated across Chicago’s skyline as a part of their annual migration. During this year’s journey, they found more milkweed plants in several places along their paths because of an innovative program that connects urban communities with nature. The school kids, their families and teachers involved in the project were thrilled: they had planted milkweeds in schoolyards and home gardens to attract more monarchs to the city. And it worked! Many of the families are originally from Michoacan, Mexico where the butterflies spend the winter. Tapping into the connection that Chicago’s immigrant communities feel towards their country of origin—where the insect starts its migration—has proven to be a successful foundation for increasing environmental awareness. The families are excited to learn how to boost the monarch populations by planting milkweeds in urban areas such as Chicago.

This project was established by the U.S. Forest Service International Programs and highlights the importance of protecting species that migrate across international borders. International Programs addresses many critical environmental issues, including the conservation of migratory habitat overseas. The monarch work in Chicago is done in partnership with El Valor, a social services agency which works with Latino families throughout that city. Goals include connecting urban families with nature through hands-on activities right in the local communities. After planting milkweed for the insects, kids and their families wait for the monarchs to feed on the plants and leave their eggs. After carefully collecting the eggs, the kids bring them home to wait until the growing caterpillar forms its chrysalis. Later in the summer comes the real reward: the brilliant orange and black butterfly will emerge, delighting all who witness the spectacle.

So far, more than 500 of El Valor’s families have raised monarchs through the project. During summer 2015, the project will increase the number of gardens in Chicago. The kids are keeping their fingers crossed, hoping that there will be more monarch butterflies to release next year!

Forest health is an increasingly important issue globally as disturbance agents such as native and non-native insects, pathogens, and invasive plants threaten the environmental and economic functions of forests and grasslands. Invasive species pose a significant risk to U.S. forests and grasslands, underscoring the need for international collaboration. It is estimated that invasive species already inflict billions of dollars in losses to the U.S. economy, and there are at least 20 destructive forest pests expected to enter the U.S. accidentally through trade in the coming decade. International Programs works to enhance research, monitoring and management of areas around the globe experiencing insect, disease, invasive plant disturbances. Partners work together to develop strategies to prevent, suppress and control outbreaks to maintain, enhance, and restore healthy forest conditions, with an emphasis on links between changing climate and pest conditions. Work addressing invasive species emphasizes biocontrol agents for invasive forest pests, which are more effective and economical than traditional control methods.

International Programs promotes collaboration around the world to enhance habitat management for and conservation of migratory species, including birds, bats, monarch butterflies, and dragonflies. U.S. national forests and grasslands provide habitat for a wide variety of migratory species, many of which spend a large portion of the year outside the United States. Thus, International Programs works extensively with international partners, especially in Latin America and the Caribbean, to conserve habitat in the species’ winter ranges. Activities include conservation education, community outreach, research, monitoring (including citizen science), and promotion of best management practices in both protected areas and working lands. The goal is to develop local capacity, to prevent species from becoming listed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act, and to decrease the number of species currently listed. Additionally, work in northern Africa and the Middle East uses birds as indicators of healthy habitats—especially wetlands—for wildlife and humans.

Wildland forest fires constitute a significant threat to biodiversity and forests across the globe. Our work on fire management focuses on improving our understanding of the influence of forest management and climate change on fire regimes in partner countries, and working with our partners to incorporate fire mitigation strategies into forest management systems. International Programs works with counterparts overseas to strengthen capacity in fire management through trainings and demonstrations, technical exchanges, workshops, conferences and field assessments. The emphasis is on advancing the professional capacity to avoid catastrophic wildland fires in partner countries, and better manage those fires that do occur. Our approach is modeled after the U.S. Forest Service’s fire management training curriculum. Courses are conducted in partnership with host country federal agencies and, increasingly, include the participation of experts from nongovernmental organizations such as local community groups and local government officials.

International Programs works with partners to integrate remote sensing and field measurement technologies to monitor the health and status of forests, and to apply these technologies to specific management issues. The work is based on existing cooperation with a number of countries, including Indonesia, Vietnam, India, Brazil, Mexico, Colombia and Peru. The objective is to develop more effective monitoring approaches, using integrated, cost-effective technologies applicable to a range of forest types, to address such issues as illegal logging, concessionaire performance, forest regeneration, carbon sequestration, fire impact and indices of forest health.

Based on its extensive emergency response capabilities and experience in wild land and forest firefighting, the U.S. Forest Service is recognized as having unique skills and resources suited for any type of disaster. International Programs has two main efforts that bring this expertise to disaster around the world.

The Disaster Management Program works with partners around the globe to increase capacity to prepare for and respond to all types of natural and human-caused disasters. The program employs the technical expertise of the U.S. Forest Service to provide training, consultation and other support to foreign governments and institutions through collaborative programs. Working to integrate and adapt components of the U.S. National Incident Management System, we aim to supplement and enhance current disaster management practices. Program elements include formal training including disaster simulations and team building exercises, consultations to develop procedures and protocols and study visits and seminars to observe field level disaster operations.

The Disaster Assistance Support Program, (DASP)

, is a cooperative program between U.S. Agency for International Development’s Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) and the U.S. Forest Service International Programs. The DASP enhances and supports OFDA’s capacity to respond to disasters by mobilizing a roster of more than 250 disaster management experts from the U.S. Forest Service and other domestic agencies. DASP has accessed the agency’s expertise to develop, manage and continually update many critical systems, procedures, guides and other tools to enhance and facilitate OFDA’s disaster planning, management and response.

For more than a century, the U.S. Forest Service has managed 191 million acres (77 million hectares) of publicly owned National Forests and Grasslands. These lands are extremely diverse, including highly-protected wilderness, pristine backcountry and multiple use areas. The experience of managing this land base has led to technical depth on diverse issues from the design of public access systems in primitive wilderness areas to the management of urban forests that receive a high volume of visitor traffic. Particularly useful is the agency’s experience working across a diverse array of land ownerships, involving collaboration with entities ranging from individuals and private land owners to local governments and federal public land management agencies. International Programs brings this expertise to protected area work internationally, including natural resource based tourism. The goal is to balance the social and economic needs of local communities while emphasizing the conservation of natural resources for future generations.

Sustainable land use planning, management & restoration is a sweeping topic covering many aspects of promoting conservation through the development and dissemination of sustainable management policies and practices. Our work in these areas is built around strong partnerships with a range of organizations including U.S. Agency for International Development, the Center for International Forestry Research, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization, and a variety of non-governmental organizations. Particular attention is given to the preservation of the many benefits of watersheds, rangelands and forests—including biodiversity conservation, carbon sequestration and community livelihoods. The ultimate goal is to empower policy makers, concession managers, private landowners, community forestry groups and forestry assessment programs with greater skills and understanding of the complex issues involved in land-management decisions.

International Programs works closely with other U.S. government agencies and host country partners to evaluate, develop and implement policy for improved forest conservation worldwide. In addition, our Policy Team plays a critical role as a technical advocate for U.S. interests in international policy negotiations. The team engages with other U.S. Government agencies, multilateral institutions, NGOs, and the private sector to advise and influence environmental, science, and trade policy to protect and promote U.S. forests and the interests of U.S. forest stakeholders internationally. We work closely with the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Agency for International Development, Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Department of Commerce, Department of Justice, and the National Association of State Foresters. Together, a range of policy issues are addressed including protected area conservation, climate change, forest landscape restoration, forest products trade, illegal logging, sustainable forest management and forest health.

Forest Carbon and Sustainable Landscapes

Deforestation and forest degradation account for twenty percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, comprising the second greatest driver of climate change after the energy sector. There are tremendous opportunities to reduce emissions and mitigate climate change by slowing deforestation rates, curbing forest degradation, increasing carbon storage, and using forests as an alternative and sustainable energy source. With funding from U.S. Department of State and US Agency for International Development, International Programs addresses these and other climate change issues in many countries around the world. We work in partnership with U.S. agencies, governments of other nations, non-governmental organizations, and the private sector through policy engagement and technical cooperation. A key focus of our work involves helping partners better measure, monitor, and manage forest and terrestrial carbon.

The International Visitor Program (IVP) facilitates a wide variety of professional, educational, and cultural exchange programs intended to foster greater understanding, advance scientific exchange, and promote international and intercultural cooperation. IVP assists host units that wish to invite international government officials, researchers, technical specialists, students, and volunteers to come to the U.S.A. to participate in study tours, meetings, conferences, workshops, ongoing research projects, technical consultations, and internship programs. IVP assists U.S. Forest Service units, partner agencies, and partner organizations with their program design and coordination, as well as the support services associated with hosting international visitors. As an official sponsor the U.S. Department of State J-1 Exchange Visitor Program, IVP sponsors the J-1 visas required for many longer-term programs. For more information, please visit the International Visitor Program website.