Site Search Professionalism in Natural Resource Management Agencies A Position Statement of the Society of American Foresters Originally adopted by the SAF Council on October 29, 1996, subsequently revised and extended by the Council on December 16, 1996, and December 7, 2003. This position will expire on December 7, 2008 unless, after subsequent review, the SAF Council decides otherwise. Position SAF recognizes that many federal, state, and local government forest management functions and services are performed by independent contractors, consultants, or other suppliers. Decisions on when, where, and to what extent such contract services are utilized should remain a responsibility of, and be performed under the direction of, the career professional foresters who are responsible for the stewardship of the nation's public forest lands. Where contract services include professional or technical forest management functions, SAF believes that it is essential that they be provided by foresters or other natural resource professionals who adhere to the same high standards of professional ethics and practice expected of public agency resource managers and scientists.
Issue This situation is a cause for concern for the Society of American Foresters. It has arisen due to the numbers of federal agency forestry professionals approaching retirement age, hiring and promotion policies intended to increase the types of disciplines involved in resource management decisions, and increased pressure to contract out or "outsource" some forest management functions that have traditionally been performed by career employees. The SAF's concern is not intended to preclude contracting of selected resource management functions but to emphasize that much of the management and field work of the natural resource agencies requires the expertise of professional foresters, whether or not these functions are performed by public agency employees or by independent contractors or other suppliers. | |
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