Introduction
The Good Neighbor Authority (GNA) is an important partnership tool available to the USDA Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) with the intent to increase the pace and scale of forest, rangeland, and watershed restoration across jurisdictional boundaries.
Permanently enacted in the 2014 Farm Bill and amended in the 2018 Omnibus Appropriations and the 2018 Farm Bill, GNA enables States, Counties, and Indian Tribes to act as an agent of the federal agencies to complete authorized restoration services on federal and non-federal lands.
This webpage provides a repository of informational and educational resources about GNA for western state forestry agencies, federal agencies, and partners.
GNA Spotlight - August 2023, Oregon
Authored by Kyle Sullivan-Astor, Federal Forest Restoration, Program Lead, Oregon Department of Forestry
In July 2022, the 66-acre Four Corners Good Neighbor Authority (GNA) commercial thinning project managed by the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) Federal Forest Restoration (FFR) Program was completed on the Umatilla National Forest. This project area, adjacent to private ownership, is a result of a long-standing partnership between ODF and the Umatilla National Forest, monumented in a GNA Supplemental Project Agreement signed in 2019. Funding to make this project happen came from FFR Program State General Fund and the USDA Forest Service Pacific Northwest Region GNA agreement federal funds; this project would not have been feasible without outside funding due to lack of timber value.
The project goals were to improve the project area’s ability to be resilient to disturbances such as wildfire, insect and disease; increase economic activity in Morrow County, OR, and surrounding counties, and improve the overall health of the forest.
The success of this project served as a springboard for larger restoration efforts on the forest. These include the 425-acre Davis GNA and the 506-acre Elbow GNA Commercial Restoration projects, 335 acres of non-commercial fuels reduction work, assisting with the planning of a future restoration project through the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process, and additional commercial restoration GNA projects still in the planning phases.
An important piece of the overall success of ODF’s partnership with the Umatilla National Forest has been the significant investment of state resources by Oregon’s State Legislature through the ODF-FFR Program. Since the FFR Program’s inception in 2013, the state has invested $1,352,434 in restoration work on the Umatilla National Forest. These investments have supported the Umatilla and Northern Blues Forest Collaboratives, NEPA planning through the FFR Program’s Planning Assistance and Categorical Exclusion (PACE) initiative, and personnel time supporting the preparation and implementation of restoration work.
For more information, contact Kyle Sullivan-Astor.
Photos: Jason Aldrich, FFR Forester
GNA Information and Resources
CWSF/WFLC Resources
- GNA Frequently Asked Questions
- Developing GNA Agreements
- GNA Learning Series - Collection of recordings from the virtual GNA Learning Series, hosted by the Western Forestry Leadership Coalition (WFLC) in Fall 2020.
- GNA Spotlight - View past project spotlights from western states and regions:
- 2023: March (CO)
- 2022: January (Region 2), March (MT), May (NM), July (AZ), September (WA), December (ND)
- 2021: February (WY), May (NE), August (Region 5), October (AK)
Authorizing Language and Relevant Legislation
- GNA Authorizing Language (16 U.S.C. 2113a)
- Agricultural Act of 2014 - permanent GNA authorizing language
- Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2018 - roads reconstruction, repair, and restoration language
- Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 - counties & tribes language
- Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 - BLM road reconstruction (Title IV General Provisions, Sec. 439 (pg 374))
USDA Forest Service/BLM Implementation Tools and Resources
- New! USDA Forest Service invests $20M to restore forests, reduce wildfire risk, and create jobs in 18 states
- USDA Forest Service Chief's August 2022 Letter Clarifying Partnership Agreements with Multiple Fund Types
- Good Neighbor Agreement Templates for State Cooperators
- Bureau of Land Management Update and Reissuance of the Good Neighbor Authority Policy Guidance
- USDA Forest Service Chapter 80 Handbook - GNA Guidance - Effective Date: January 4, 2022 (entire section linked here)
- USDA Forest Service Good Neighbor Authority
- USDA Forest Service Region 5 Good Neighbor and Stewardship Agreements
- USDA Forest Service Region 6 Guidance on Procedures Regarding Good Neighbor Authority Projects with Forest Product Removal
- USDA Forest Service Grants & Agreements Ecological Restoration Brochure
- USDA Forest Service Grants & Agreements Decision Tree
State Agency Resources
- Idaho
- Montana
- Oregon - January 2022 Report, New! December 2022 Update
- Washington - Fall 2021 Update, New! Winter 2022 Update
- Wyoming - GNA One Pager, Financial Plan Step-by-Step, Financial Plan Guide for Field Staff, Supplemental Project Agreement (SPA) Guide for Field Staff
Additional Resources
- National Association of State Foresters - GNA webpage
- National Forest Foundation - A Toolbox of Resources
- Rural Voices for Conservation Coalition - Use of Good Neighbor Authority Across the West (August 2021); Understanding Good Neighbor Authority: Case Studies from Across the West (September 2018)
- Western Governors' Association - Good Neighbor Authority and Disaster Recovery and Restoration - WGA Working Lands Roundtable Session
Contact Information and Submitting a Resource
To learn more about CWSF/WFLC GNA involvement, please contact Kelsey Delaney.
If you wish to submit a suggested resource for inclusion on this page, please complete our Google Form.