Forestry Policy & Current Issues in Illinois

Strong forests need strong voices.

The Illinois Forestry Association (IFA) works to keep forestry and the long-term health of Illinois forests at the forefront of public conversation. Sound forestry policy helps ensure that forests remain healthy, productive, resilient, and available to benefit people and communities for generations to come.

Illinois forests provide far more than timber. They support wildlife and biodiversity, protect soil and water, store carbon, improve air quality, provide recreation, contribute to local economies, and connect people to the natural world. Policies affecting forests can have lasting impacts on these benefits—and on the landowners, forest professionals, businesses, and communities who depend on them.

Issues Affecting Illinois Forests

IFA monitors and provides information about forestry-related issues that affect Illinois woodlands and the people who care for them. These may include:

• Forest health and invasive species — preventing, detecting, and responding to invasive insects, diseases, plants, and other emerging threats.

• Sustainable forest management — supporting science-based management practices that maintain healthy, productive, and diverse forests.

• Wood utilization and forest products — recognizing the important role of timber harvesting and forest products in maintaining working forests and supporting local economies.

• Private woodland ownership — helping woodland owners understand management opportunities, responsibilities, and policies that affect their land.

• Forest conservation and land use — encouraging policies that recognize the ecological, economic, and social values of forests and help maintain Illinois' forest base.

• Wildlife and biodiversity — promoting healthy forests that provide habitat for a wide range of plants and animals.

• Climate resilience — encouraging management and conservation approaches that help forests adapt to changing environmental conditions.

• Urban and community forestry — recognizing the important role trees and forests play in the health, livability, and resilience of Illinois communities.

• Forestry education and workforce development — supporting the next generation of landowners, forestry professionals, woodland workers, and advocates.