The Good Neighbor Authority—The Most Important Forest Management Tool You’ve Probably Never Heard of

A mention of a national forest probably evokes images of pristine wilderness, mountain trails, fall foliage, wildlife habitat, untouched gorges, lakes and rivers. But behind those landscapes is a more mundane reality: forests that need constant care.  

Wildfire fuels build up, storms knock down trees, roads wash out, invasive pests spread, and habitat fragments. Look at a map of U.S. forest land and you’ll see why addressing this is a challenge, because these natural areas don’t stop neatly at the political boundaries between federal, state, Tribal, county, or private lands. This is where the Good Neighbor Authority (GNA) comes in, a tool that allows the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) to work with local entities to expediate restoration and maintenance projects where borders and responsibilities intersect.  

For a recent example of how it functions, look to North Carolina, where USFS and the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission announced a $290 million Good Neighbor Agreement this year to support long-term recovery following Hurricane Helene. One of the largest agreements of its kind, this work focuses on the Pisgah and Nantahala National Forests and includes removing storm debris, repairing roads and recreation sites, restoring damaged watersheds, managing invasive species, and improving wildlife habitat. It is a project that matters not only for the forests that birds rely on, but for tourism economies, clean water, and mountain communities that depend on public lands. 

Started in 2001 as a pilot partnership with Colorado, the GNA expanded nationwide through the 2014 and 2018 Farm Bills into one of the federal government’s most practical cross-boundary land management tools. It allows the USFS to enter into long-term agreements with state forestry agencies, Tribes, and counties to carry out forest, watershed, and habitat management projects on national forests and grasslands. The program still maintains strong bipartisan support in Congress, where legislators are considering an expansion in the next Farm Bill. 

This work can include reducing dead or overgrown vegetation to lower wildfire risk, replanting forests after fire or storms, restoring streams and watersheds, repairing roads and trails, improving wildlife habitat, removing invasive species, and helping recreation areas recover after disasters. In short, it helps move projects from paperwork to the ground.  

Meanwhile, climate-driven disasters are placing growing pressure on forests across the country. In the West, wildfire seasons are longer and more destructive. In the East, hurricanes and extreme rain events have devastated mountain forests and public infrastructure.  In the Upper Midwest, changing weather patterns, invasive species, and the need to maintain a healthy mix of young and older forests are creating a different but equally serious set of challenges.  

The USFS manages vast landscapes, but no single agency can do it alone. GNA helps pool expertise, crews, and funding across jurisdictions so communities can respond faster and recover more effectively. 

The GNA is helping states and federal land managers tackle a variety of challenges with the same practical tool: shared stewardship. From wildfire recovery in California, to clarifying on-the-ground boundaries in Minnesota, to restoring watersheds and habitat in Louisiana, one policy can support cooperation across a broad range of landscapes and forest management needs. 

GNA projects rarely make headlines but are some of the clearest examples of government working pragmatically. They are less siloed, more cooperative, and more results oriented – and as North Carolina shows, they can even offer a blueprint for how to buffer forests from increasingly common extreme weather events.  Restored woodlands and watersheds support migratory birds, native plants, fish populations, and pollinators. Reconnected landscapes reduce fragmentation and help wildlife adapt to a changing climate. Public access improvements also make it easier for people to experience nature firsthand. The principle is the same across the country: shared landscapes require shared responsibility.