Calling farmers and foresters “true conservationists,” Sen. Tommy Tuberville spoke with U.S. Department of Agriculture officials about protecting the forestry and farming industries. His comments came Wednesday during a hearing for the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee.

Tuberville (R-Auburn) spoke about supporting foresters in times of natural disasters, promoting the timber and wood products industry, and keeping conservation programs incentive-driven.

“For our forests to thrive, we must manage and harvest our timber,” he said. “For our farms to continue producing food for the world, we must keep working forests and farmland in production. Our farmers and foresters are true conservationists that have been implementing, and will continue to implement, sustainable practices that benefit our environment for generations to come.

“We must ensure conservation programs remain voluntary, market-driven, and incentive-based.”

Tuberville spoke with the head of the Natural Resources Conservation Service, Terry Cosby, during the hearing about the how the Forest Service is monitoring and prepping for pests and outbreaks among trees. These include the southern pine beetle and pine decline.

“We’ve all seen the devastation of the southern pine beetle and other pests throughout the country, and climate change has only ramped up the effects,” said Cosby. “There was support and funding from recent legislation that really helps us to deliver in Farm Bill authority, that helps us deliver much more effective monitoring and entire eradication or at least response to those infestations.

“So clearly, it’s very much a part of our forest health work in the agency, and it’s also a contributor to our overall strategy when it comes to resilience and healthy forests.”

Austen Shipley is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News.