1. The Commission requested Working Groups to utilize the NAFC web-site by forwarding reports, meeting notices, and membership changes to the NAFC web-master: [email protected].
2. The Commission recommended that the “San Jose Declaration on Wildland Fire” be considered by the FAO Ministerial Meeting on Forests on 14 March 2005, and the 17th Session of the Committee on Forestry. The Commission recommended that additional joint meetings could be planned in the future on matters of mutual interest to the North American Forest Commission and the Latin American and Caribbean Forestry Commission.
3. The Fire Management Working Group reported that it had been very active in the past two years, and it made a number of recommendations, including a request for support for regional fire networks and support for the "Framework for the Development of the International Wildland Fire Accord" proposed by the Fire Working Group of the International Strategy for Disaster Relief.
4. The Commission endorsed the continuing participation of the NAFC Fire Management Working Group in Regional and Global Wildland Fire Networks. It also agreed that the Working Group should continue the dialogue and cooperation already under way at the Pan-American level. With respect to the proposals relating to endorsement of the "Framework" and support for proposals for a global agreement, the Commission felt that some further reflection was necessary. The Commission requested the Bureau of Alternates to further analyze the "Framework" and proposals for an international agreement, and to make a recommendation to the Commission in this regard. If the Commission were to arrive at a position satisfactory to all three member governments, the position of the Commission would be communicated to the Ministerial Meeting and to COFO by Canada in its capacity as the Chair of the Commission. The Bureau of Alternates was also requested to consult with the Fire Management Working Group on the Group's work plan.
5. The Commission advised the Forest Genetics Resources Working Group to submit requests for funding future training, information transfer and related activities to the Bureau of Alternate. The Commission requested the Working Group to provide more detailed information on a proposal to create a North American center for the preservation of germ plasm to the Bureau of Alternates.
6. The Commission requested the Forest Insects and Diseases Working Group to provide more details on its funding request for consideration by the Bureau of Alternates. The Commission recommended that the book Forest Diseases in Mexico be made available on CD-ROM for wider distribution. The Commission encouraged the Working Group to contact the appropriate agencies responsible for port inspections in order to improve the monitoring of the Asian Gypsy Moth.
7. The Commission recommended that the following matters be brought to the attention of the Committee on Forestry at its 17th Session:
1. Consider the potential for strengthening multilateral and regional cooperation on wildland fire management. In particular, the Commission stressed the importance of integrating fire management into general land, resource, and forest management; and the need for community-based approaches to fire management to form part of national plans and strategies.
2. Consider the possibility of convening a meeting to bring together Forest Ministers from all countries of, in the case of developed countries, Ministers of Development Co-operation, and, in the case of developing countries, of the counterparts of the Ministers of Development Cooperation. The purpose would be to examine links between forests and development and, in particular, the contribution which Sustainable Forest Management can make to the Millennium Development Goals, and to encourage Development Cooperation Ministers and their counterparts in developing countries not to neglect forests in their programme planning.
3. Requested the FAO secretariat to continue examining the ways in which payment for environmental services can contribute to sustainable forest management, and suggest ways in which the process can be made more efficient.
8. The Commission requested the Bureau of Alternates to take a more active role in preparing for the work of the 23rd session of the Commission in 2006. It was decided to hold a joint meeting between Commissioners and Alternates in Rome in March 2005 on the margins of the 17th Session of the Committee on Forestry.
