WFLC works collaboratively towards the sustainable management of western forests to ensure the many resources, uses and benefits our forests provide meet our needs today and for generations to come.  

The membership of WFLC is comprised of state and territorial forester members of the Council of Western State Foresters (CWSF), as well as representation from the Forest Service: 

• 23 CWSF members
  • 17 western State Foresters 
  • 6 foresters from U.S.-Affiliated Pacific Islands
     
• 11 individuals from the Western Forest Service leadership
  • 7 Regional Foresters
  • 3 Station Directors 
  • 1 Forest Products Laboratory Director 

WFLC is staffed by the Council of Western State Foresters and is governed by an Executive Board that includes the CWSF Executive Committee, two Regional Foresters, a Station Director and a Western State & Private Forestry Director.

WFLC speaks with one clear, united voice on the most pressing issues facing western and Pacific Island forests.

WFLC operates under established national priorities (to conserve, protect and enhance Western forests) as defined by the 2008 Farm Bill.

As required by the 2008 Farm Bill, an analysis of the Statewide Forest Resource Assessments and Strategies for the western states and Pacific Islands found that, as diverse as the West is, there are foundational issues in common across forest types and ownerships. These include: 

• Forest health and invasive species
• Wildland fire and the wildland-urban interface
• Sustainable communities and economies
• Climate change, carbon sequestration, biomass energy
• Water quality and quantity

WFLC members gather in-person twice a year to discuss key western cross-boundary issues.

WFLC also manages and delivers the Western Landscape Scale Restoration (LSR) grant allocation process.