When I first became Chief of the Forest Service, I saw opportunities for the agency to grow in strategic ways. One of those opportunities was the policy development, coordination and implementation that is so vital to how we achieve our mission. I am pleased to announce that the Forest Service Policy office is now in place and is housed within the National Forest System deputy area.

This new organization is part of an overall organizational realignment within the National Forest System deputy area in the Washington Office to improve support services internally and externally for our partners and the communities we serve. One of the greatest advantages of this realignment is the increased collaboration and integration of important policy and rule-making activities.

This centralized, robust policy group serves the entire agency by expanding capacity for policy projects, ensuring strategic integration of policy planning and execution, and increasing collaboration among program areas.  

The Forest Service Policy office encompasses five branches and one program area:

• Strategy & Analysis Branch—Supports decision-makers in identifying policy-making objectives, evaluating alternatives and prioritizing policy actions.  
• Regulations Branch—Proactively manages and oversees regulatory projects in close coordination and collaboration with deputy areas, directors, program staff and subject matter experts.  
• Directives Branch—Manages the Forest Service Directive System (manuals and handbooks) and works with program staff to create, maintain and revise internal agency guidance.  
• Environmental Compliance Branch—Ensures policy actions meet requirements associated with NEPA, Endangered Species Act and other applicable laws.
• Social Science & Economics Branch—Facilitates the sound application of social and economic theories, methodologies, data, information and insights to inform land and resource management at national, regional and unit-level scales across the Forest Service.
• Ecosystem Services Program—Develops and implements a national-level framework to curate data, analyses and information that enable the agency to proactively and consistently tell the story about the benefits national forests and grasslands provide to everyone.  

It is critical that Forest Service policy actions are well-integrated and consistent with departmental priorities and consider scientific, economic and social factors. Please take some time to explore resources and tools on the Forest Service Policy office SharePoint. I look forward to how these newly aligned policy services will help all of us improve delivery of the Forest Service mission.

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