Today’s State Forestry Programs 
State forestry organizations 
have continued to grow in 
the South, with fluctuations 
hinging on the year-to-year 
budgetary situation in 
individual States. Southern 
political leaders widely 
recognize the importance of 
forest resources and the 
contribution they make to 
the industrial base of every 
Southern State. The 
forestry-related sector of the 
economy ranks at or near 
the top southwide in terms 
of employment, value added 
in manufacture, and income 
(except in Oklahoma, where 
forests occupy a relatively 
small part of the State). 
As the States have increased 
their programs, Federal 
funding has provided a 
smaller proportion of their 
financial support. The Federal 
role is still important because 
of the availability of technical 
staff to assist State personnel 
and to provide an umbrella 
of coordination among the 
varied programs, 
organizations, and agencies. 
Federal assistance is 
particularly important in insect 
and disease monitoring and 
control, and in regeneration 
and timber stand 
improvement, where most 
States have no financial 
incentives program and 
depend upon the Forestry 
Incentives Program and the 
Agricultural Conservation 
Program. Funding for 
cooperative fire control, forest 
insect and disease control, 
and forest management and 
utilization is very important 
as a supplement to State 
funding. Losing Federal 
support would put a strain 
on most State organizations 
if they are expected to 
maintain present program 
levels. 
The various Federal 
authorities for the cooperative 
programs with the States 
were legislated over more 
than 50 years. Responding 
to the need for consolidation, 
Congress passed the 
Cooperative Forestry 
Assistance Act of 1978 (P.L. 
95-313). This brought 
together under one act 
programs for rural forestry 
assistance, forestry 
incentives, insect and disease 
control, urban forestry 
assistance, rural fire 
prevention and control, 
management assistance, 
planning assistance, and 
technology implementation. 
In this consolidation, the act 
Clarified the scope of 
programs, established new 
authorization levels for 
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