specific charter of responsibility, 

 and earmarked Federal funding 

 authorization for the first time in 

 its 64-year history. It specifically 

 directed the Secretary of 

 Agriculture to cooperate with State 

 extension directors to 



• Provide educational programs 

 that would enable individuals to 

 recognize, analyze, and solve 

 problems dealing with forest and 

 related resources; 



• Develop educational programs 

 that give special attention to the 

 needs of the small, private, 

 nonindustrial forest owners; 



• Help forest landowners secure 

 technical and financial assistance 

 and appropriate expertise; 



• Conduct educational programs 

 to transfer the best available 

 technology to managers, 

 processors, and other users; 



• Assist in providing continuing 

 education programs to 

 professionally trained individuals in 

 forest management and related 

 fields; 



• Disseminate results of research; 

 and 



• Help identify area of needed 

 research (USDA Forest Service 

 1983). 



Annual Federal appropriations 

 were authorized up to a maximum 

 of $15 million with no matching 

 requirement. 



President's budget to Congress), 

 the act was a real stimulus for 

 extension forestry and forest 

 products across the board. 



The South annually received an 

 additional $600,000 to $700,000 in 

 Federal funds under this act. 

 Although there was no State 

 matching requirement, this figure 

 has been more than matched by 

 State and, in some cases, industry 

 support. From 1978 to 1985, the 

 number of professionals employed 

 in natural resources fields as 

 specialists and area agents 

 increased from approximately 60 to 

 100 (Neal 1985 unpubl.). 



New initiatives were made 

 possible. At the regional level, the 

 Southern States began 

 collaborating in a well-planned 

 campaign to expand pine 

 regeneration on the basis of getting 

 nonindustrial private forest owners 

 to recognize competitively 

 advantageous investment 

 opportunities where these, in fact, 

 existed. This involved preparation 

 of regional investment guide 

 materials and the training, at State 

 levels, of professional foresters 

 advising such owners in their use. 

 Special emphasis was placed on 

 forest planting on marginal 

 agricultural lands (Neal, personal 

 communication). 



Although the annual appropriation 

 had reached only $2.5 million by 

 fiscal year 1985 and was soft 

 money (not included in the 



At State and multicounty area 

 levels, newly employed 

 professionals brought needed 

 specialized expertise to make 



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