Project Concept Paper
Restoration Forestry Don
Hopps - Preliminary Committee
Overall
Project Goal: To
demonstrate the full potential of restoration forestry to enhance both forest
health and community economic vitality.
Objectives:
á To design and implement forest
restoration projects that demonstrate innovative approaches to restoration
forestry.
á To demonstrate how a diverse coalition of
stakeholders can work together to successfully promote restoration forestry.
á To improve rural community economic
vitality by including job training as a key component of forest restoration
projects.
á To use the projects to educate the public
about the ecological and socio-economic benefits of restoration forestry.
á To develop model forest restoration
projects that can be emulated in other regions of the country.
(1) Problem. While
conflicts over resource management continue to persist, the real issue
affecting our forest has shifted.
The question is no longer: Òshould our forest environments be
protected?Ó The answer is a
decided yes. The question now is Òhow should we
protect and use our diverse forests?Ó Today there is an unprecedented opportunity
to make significant gains towards a forest policy that is acceptable to the
conservation community as well as the forest products community. Environmental leaders have offered to
support rural community goals because they understand that rural people are the
only ones that can effectively implement the goals of restoration
forestry. It is critical time to
capture and retain this momentum and collaborate with industry, labor,
environmental and community interests towards mutually acceptable goals. This opportunity has been a long time
coming and we do not want to miss it.
The
focus of this Project is the restoration of the over-stocked previously managed
small diameter forest stands and the reduction of fuel loading within the urban
interface zones. The problems
associated with these forests have to do with their poor health. Overgrown dense forests, composed
largely of smaller and stunted trees, dominate the landscape. They pose unacceptable risks from
catastrophic forest fires, limitations on wildlife habitat, and poorly
functioning hydrological systems.
There is, similarly, a backlog of road erosion and culvert problems, as
well as other in-stream enhancements that need to be done. In these forests positive action must
be taken to correct the results of years of neglect, over regulation and
inaction. Community members,
environmentalists, labor, and private industry, are the only parties that can
effectively change the dynamics of the present unhealthy forests by using
proven technologies of restoration forestry. Our common goal is healthy forests and healthy communities.
(2) Purpose. In
order to meet the overall Project Goal of forest restoration that demonstrates
the ecological and socio-economic benefits of restoration forestry, this Project
will organize forward looking people residing in forest dependent communities
in order to build an approach to forestry that delivers environmental and
economic benefits. More specifically, we will work with public and private
organizations, experts, and individuals (at a local and regional level) to
design a watershed based forest restoration project that is ecologically and
economically sound. This Project will develop a collaborative model of forest
restoration on public and private forest lands that addresses the causes of
inaction and the primary risks to forests and communities. Key constituencies will be engaged in
the design and implementation of on-the-ground projects that are scientifically
and legally defensible.
The
Colville Community Forestry Coalition, comprised of twenty-three community
members across a cross-section of interests, has begun the process of bringing
these issues to bear in a solution- oriented context. There are substantial assets within the Colville business
community that can be mobilized for this Project. There is also a high level of concern for forest health and
productivity within the Colville area. There are substantial public lands
(U.S.D.A. and State of Washington DNR) and substantial private forest lands
that are in need of active management. The Colville Community Forestry
Coalition has committed itself to the purposes of resolving the problems that
are preventing the active management of these public and private forest stands. The Coalition realizes that the loss of
forest health and forest productivity threatens the welfare of the
community. The Coalition members
see the need to actively resolve these issues before it is too late and the
local forest resource infrastructure collapses, as it has done in many of the
western states.
A
Community Forestry Coalition is beginning to form in the north Olympic
Peninsula region and we will cooperate with a similar project in that
region. Key community members,
leaders, environmentalists and agency representatives are eager to work with
the Colville Coalition. The belief
is that the two simultaneous projects can utilize the same resources and
expertise, as well as the support from the participating environmental,
political and community organizations.
(3) The Project. This
Project will be undertaken in four phases: the continuation of building the
local community coalitions; the design of the on-the-ground forestry Project;
the implementation of the designed Project; and the advocacy and educational
component of the Project.
(a) Organization. This program will continue to
organize collaborative working groups in the Colville area and in the North
Olympic Peninsula area, comprised of leaders and community members committed to
developing a practical way to implement forest restoration and use. The local
groups will represent the broad base in our communities that desire positive
action rather than endless arguments.
This includes people working in the forest products industry, government
and tribal officials, landowners, environmentalists, and community activists.
Drawing
upon existing discussions and the cooperative intent, these groups will perform
four key functions: 1) work with public agencies and officials to advocate for
local communities; 2) work with public agencies and officials to design and
organize the on-the-ground projects to restore unhealthy forests in an
economically viable manner; 3) oversee and monitor the implementation of the
on-the-ground forestry to ensure its ecological quality; and, 4) reach out to
develop local coalitions supporting positive action to sustain jobs and the
environment in other communities.
(b)
Project Design.
(1) Structure:
The collaborative working group, such as the Colville Community Forestry
Coalition, will work together with public forest managers to plan and seek
grant funding for the design of a project that will demonstrate how restoration
forestry can be effectively organized, financed, and practiced on a medium to
large scale. This will include the
organization of a project team with the capacity to deliver the analysis needed
for design and planning; including expertise in forest management, habitat
restoration, project development and business and public finance (project
experts).
The working
group will develop a public education program as integral to the Project, as
well as a worker-training program to qualify workers in restoration forestry.
Training will combine on the job apprenticeship during the implementation of
the Project with the forest learning center educational program through the
local college and other training centers.
Substantively, the training will instruct the participants in both
traditional skills of the forest worker and new skills such as forest ecology,
environmental monitoring and restoration techniques.
(2) Project Site Selection: As the working group designs the
on-the-ground projects they will utilize the experiences of Stewardship Pilot
Projects from other regions as well as the CROP studies already completed in
the Colville area regarding small diameter forest utilization. The working
group will select qualified Project experts (with a preference to local
consultants) to assist in the
design of the restoration and fuels reduction areas and to inventory and
prioritize the proper sites and the appropriate harvesting and thinning
methods. Sensitive areas will be
identified and protected. Necessary adjustments will be made as the monitoring
and evaluative reports are produced on regular basis.
(3) Contracting: The Project will demonstrate innovative contracting methods. The utilization of ÒHybrid ContractingÓ for the restoration of federal managed stands that allow for the use of Procurement (or Service) Contracts along with the Timber Sales authorities will be specifically examined. Also of interest are the service contracts that bring the wood to a landing or sort yard with the subsequent sale of the timber to the highest bidder. Other such authorities including ÒEnd ResultsÓ and ÒGoods for ServicesÓ and ÒBundled ContractsÓ, as well as ÒStewardshipÓ and ÒCharter ForestÓ authority could be utilized to establish a model pilot that demonstrates a Òwin-winÓ solution for management of northwest forestlands.
(4) Monitoring: Protocols will be developed along with
reporting requirements to ensure that the best on-the-ground forestry is
applied. The criteria for effectiveness will include enhancing or restoring
ecological integrity, achieving a good economic return for landowners and
foresters, and supporting the development of local communities.
(c)
Implementation. Once the on-the-ground project has been
designed, the needed personnel identified, and the costs evaluated, the
implementation will be contracted.
The Coalition will work with the landowner, be it public or private or both,
in the monitoring and reporting for the Project. The specific implementation method will be the product of
the Design component of this Project.
(d)
Education & Advocacy. The Coalition will
educate the public on the need for restoration forestry, on the design of the
Project, on the implementation of the Project and the benefits derived from the
Project. This will be done prior
to the Project as well as during the Project with implementation and monitoring
reports. The commitment is to a
full disclosure of the benefits, the costs, the administrative processes, and a
thorough evaluation of the ecological benefits derived from the Project. Building on this foundation, the group
will work to educate the public on the implications of restoration forestry. The actual stories of the individuals
involved in the Project will be chronicled in order to build community
pride. The ethical commitment to
forest restoration will be understood and adopted by the community as the
implementation of this Project unfolds before the very eyes of the
community. The media, the web,
public presentations, site tours and signage will be utilized to make the
substance and the meaning of this Project clear to the public.
The
project will make a special effort to work with local schools to create an
activity-based curriculum regarding forest resources and forest ecology. The
purpose will be to demonstrate how individuals, working at real careers within
the community, can create positive results for the economy and the environment.
Finally,
the group will promote the creation of public policy which uses the Model
created by these Projects in order to provide a positive context for the
development of community based restoration forestry initiatives in other
regions.
(4) Staffing & Funding. The local Coalition will develop
the staff with the ability to coordinate the phases of this Project, including
the design of the Project, the implementation of the Project and the monitoring
and reporting for the Project. In
addition funding will be developed to hire outside experts when and where
justified. Funding for a US Forest
Service FTE will be obtained in order to provide a direct liaison from the
project to the local Forest SupervisorÕs office.
Funding and, thus, the implementation of the on-the-ground forestry projects is
a major goal of this effort. This
will be accomplished in three ways.
First, a locally administered grant fund will be established to provide
partial support for project design and planning. Second, a locally administered revolving fund will be
established to provide grants and loans to support project implementation. Finally, project staff will work with
private sector partners to obtain funding from non-conventional sources such as
public funds, required mitigation funds, or other forms of environmental
payments. These funds will be
utilized solely for the ProjectÕs implementation.
Jim
Doran – Community Consultant
Mike
Doherty – Clallam County Commissioner
Don
Hopps – The Institute for WashingtonÕs Future