NAUFRP’s founding purpose includes facilitating collaboration in planning, programming, financing, and implementing forest and natural resource extension programs. The Extension Committee fulfills this mandate by coordinating the work of 80-plus member institutions—most of them land-grant universities with Extension missions supported by the Renewable Resources Extension Act—and connecting them with federal and state agencies, forestry organizations, industry partners, and NGOs to strengthen extension programming nationwide.
Extension is increasingly vital in addressing the needs of a rapidly urbanizing society, where the majority of Americans live in cities and towns and rely on urban and community forests for critical ecosystem services. Urban and community forestry Extension builds on the same science-based, locally delivered model that defines traditional forestry Extension, while expanding its reach to municipal foresters, planners, community organizations, and residents. These programs support tree canopy expansion, equitable access to green space, stormwater management, heat mitigation, and public health outcomes, while also fostering stewardship across diverse and often underserved populations.
Rather than representing a departure from traditional forestry Extension, urban and community forestry efforts are a natural extension of it—linking rural, peri-urban, and urban landscapes within a cohesive framework of forest stewardship. By integrating expertise across working forests and community settings, Extension strengthens the full continuum of forest and natural resource management, ensuring that forests—wherever they occur—continue to provide economic, ecological, and social benefits in an increasingly complex and urbanized world.
Extension stands alongside education, research, and international programs as one of NAUFRP’s four core mission areas, charged with advancing excellence in outreach essential to healthy, productive, and sustainable forest ecosystems. The committee promotes and fosters this work through federal funding advocacy, recognition of outstanding programs via the annual Family Forests Education Award (co-sponsored with the National Woodland Owners Association for over 25 years), and strategic partnerships with organizations including the American Forest Foundation and National Association of State Foresters that align Extension priorities with on-the-ground needs.
This collaborative framework enables Extension programs to serve the 10 million family forest owners managing 290 million acres with practical guidance on invasive species control, climate adaptation, wildlife habitat management, and sustainable timber harvest. From intensive woodland stewardship courses to online timber tax calculators accessed by hundreds of thousands annually, Extension translates university expertise into formats that help landowners and forestry practitioners make informed management decisions.
