The North American Forest Commission (NAFC), established in 1958, is one of six regional forestry commissions of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and serves as a key mechanism linking FAO’s global forestry framework with North American priorities. NAFC provides a policy and technical forum for Canada, Mexico, and the United States to address forest issues across the continent, and because these three countries encompass boreal, temperate, and tropical ecosystems, NAFC’s work often has broader applicability for other regions facing similar conditions.
NAFC is integrated into FAO’s governance structure, with FAO forestry leadership participating directly as Commissioners and through the Bureau of Alternates. It advances FAO objectives by supporting research, natural resource management, and cross‑border cooperation through its working groups, and NAFC Commissioners help shape FAO’s global forestry agenda by recommending issues for consideration by the FAO Committee on Forestry.
NAFC’s leadership includes the head of each country’s forestry organization—along with FAO’s Forestry Division Director—serving as Commissioners, supported by the Bureau of Alternates, which guides working groups and advises on strategic direction. NAFC’s working groups cover a wide range of shared priorities, including fire management, forest genetic resources, inventory and monitoring, forest health, urban forestry, silviculture, climate and atmospheric change, communications, and illegal logging.
Tom Schultz is Chief of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, leading a workforce of approximately 33,000 employees that sustainably manages 193 million acres of national forests and grasslands, supports the world’s largest wildland fire and forestry research organizations, and works with tribes, states and other partners to manage America’s forests for the benefit of all people, today and into the future.
Sergio H. Graf Montero is Director General of Mexico’s National Forestry Commission (CONAFOR). He holds a degree in Agricultural Engineering with a specialization in forestry from the University of Guadalajara, Mexico, and a Master’s in Rural Development and Social Forestry from the National School of Tropical Agronomy in Montpellier, France.
Glenn Hargrove is the Assistant Deputy Minister of the Canadian Forest Service at Natural Resources Canada, leading federal policy, science and program work across the forest sector.
The Bureau of Alternates is the operating arm of the North American Forest Commission and advises Commissioners on current activities and future direction. The Bureau represents the Commissioners and is comprised of forest leadership from Canada, Mexico, and the United States. The Bureau of Alternates meets to guide and oversee the working groups; evaluate progress of projects; commission analytical papers on emerging issues; and identify opportunities to advance cooperative objectives. The Chair of the Bureau of Alternates rotates every two years; the Chair is responsible for interacting with individual Working Groups and reporting their activities to the Bureau.
Glenn Hargrove is the Assistant Deputy Minister of the Canadian Forest Service at Natural Resources Canada, leading federal policy, science and program work across the forest sector. Prior to his current role, Glenn served as Assistant Deputy Minister of the Fuels Sector; the Strategic Petroleum Policy and Investment Office; and the Major Projects Management Office within NRCan. He also served as Director of Operations, Economic and Regional Development Policy at the Privy Council Office and held senior positions at NRCan in the Canadian Forest Service and Strategic Policy & Results Sector, as well as FPInnovations, a not-for-profit forest sector R&D organization.
Glenn Hargrove est le sous-ministre adjoint du Service canadien des forêts de Ressources naturelles Canada (RNCan). Il est chargé de diriger les travaux fédéraux relatifs à l’élaboration des politiques, de la science et des programmes dans l’ensemble du secteur forestier. Avant d’exercer ses fonctions actuelles, Glenn était sous-ministre adjoint du secteur des carburants, du Bureau de la politique stratégique et de l’investissement en matière d’hydrocarbures, de même que du Bureau de gestion des grands projets au sein de RNCan. Il a également été directeur des opérations, Politique du développement économique et régional au Bureau du Conseil privé. De plus, il a occupé des postes supérieurs à RNCan au sein du Service canadien des forêts, dans le Secteur de la politique stratégique et des résultats, ainsi qu’à FPInnovations, un organisme de recherche-développement à but non lucratif du secteur forestier.
