International Forestry Programs

U.S. Forest Service Office of International Programs & Trade (USFS/IPT) funded grants, cooperative agreements, joint venture agreements and other federal financial assistance instruments in three main categories: Trade/Illegal Logging/Lacey Act Enforcement, Invasive Species and Migratory Species. Through its Trade program, USFS/IPT promoted global timber legality and enforcement of the Lacey Act, working to level the playing field for the American forest products industry. Activities included the detection and interception of illegal and fraudulent timber products at U.S. ports and borders to protect U.S. wood products industry competitiveness and to enforce tariff compliance. Through its Invasive Species program, USFS/IPT worked to protect U.S. forests, grasslands, and agricultural lands by preventing invasive species from entering the U.S. and mitigating outbreaks and new infestations. These efforts included identifying and testing biocontrols for highly invasive and damaging species and building pre-invasion knowledge to facilitate rapid response to new threats. In support of the USFS mandate to protect the migratory species within the 193 million acres of multiuse national forests and grasslands it manages, USFS/IPT worked to conserve U.S. migratory species habitat to prevent the listing of species as being at conservation risk, preserving access and multi-use of private and public lands. USFS/IPT partnered across the migratory range to improve species survival and chances of returning to U.S. forests and grasslands in healthy numbers.