Trees Forever and the Iowa Woodland Owners Association (IWOA) are calling on the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to reconsider the dissolution of the Forestry Bureau. Trees Forever President and CEO, Shannon Ramsay, says this move will create a lack of continuity for services and fears that the funds saved from the departments closure will be siphoned to other departments and activities and they will no longer be aligned with the needs of Iowa’s trees and forests. She says they also have concerns about a lack of transparency in future funding streams that are earmarked for forestry. The two groups are joining forces and asking the DNR to keep all forestry positions under one department that holds a “forestry” title and to take measures ensuring federal grant dollars will not be lost in restructuring. IWOA President, Paul Millice, says it is important to keep forestry under one bureau because the mission of Iowa DNR forestry shouldn’t be distracted by other department priorities.
