State of Oregon & Forest Service agree to Shared Stewardship

On August 13, 2019, Oregon Governor Kate Brown and James Hubbard, USDA Under Secretary for Natural Resource and the Environment, signed a Shared Stewardship agreement between the USDA and the state.

This agreement establishes a framework that allows the state and Forest Service to work collaboratively to accomplish mutual goals, further common interests, and effectively respond to the increasing suite of challenges facing the communities, landscapes, natural and cultural resources of Oregon.

This is not the first collaborative opportunity between the State of Oregon and the Forest Service. In 2016 the Forest Service signed a Good Neighbor Authority Agreement with the State of Oregon. This authority allows both agencies to increase the pace and scale of restoration project.

Click here to see the Memorandum of Understanding!

IAC: Good Neighbor Authority Contracted NEPA

Committee members met with the Forest Service (FS) and the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) to discuss how Categorical Exclusion Analysis works under NEPA. Good Neighbor Authority (GNA) allows the FS and ODF to work together to increase the pace and scale of restoration. Using GNA increases the capacity to get work done, in this case the two agencies are piloting the first contracted Categorical Exclusions Analysis done on the Middle Fork Ranger District.

The contractor, Nature’s Capital LLC completed the analysis for Phase 1 of the Wall Creek GNA project. Specialists from the contracted team shared information on the existing forest conditions and proposed activities, while also reporting on specific findings on wildlife, aquatics, botany, and heritage resources.

After meaningful discussion, the group visited the project area to ask questions and better understand the current conditions within the project area. Overall, this was an excellent opportunity for members to learn about contracted NEPA under GNA.

Field Trip Revisiting Rock Stewardship Sale

Members of the Implementation Advisory Committee revisited the Rock Stewardship Sale area today. The group reviewed recommendations and looked at the work that took place over the last year. Projects completed: thinning, weed abatement, and road closures. The group is still waiting for retained receipts to come back to the forest, at which point the group will discuss project priorities for allocating the funds.

Collaborative recommendations for imbedded projects included:

• Weed Abatement - $3,750

• Road Storage - $15,310

• Fall and Leave - $4,375

Elected Officials Field Tour: Caring About the Land and Rural Economies

Yesterday four elected officials and the Oakridge City Administrator joined the Southern Willamette Forest Collaborative and Partners on a field tour of the Youngs Rock Rigdon Landscape Project. Attendees included:

Lane County Commissioner - Heather Buch

State Representative - Cedric Hayden

Oakridge Mayor - Kathy Holston

Lowell Mayor - Don Bennett

Oakridge City Administrator - Bryan Cutchen

These elected officials walked the land with partners to better understand the work that’s being done on the ground to care for our public lands, while also learning about the tools and authorities we use to prioritize local workforce in rural East Lane County. 

As a result of the tour, elected officials and agency partners gained insight into how the Willamette National Forest is working with local communities and collaborative groups to positively influence federal forest planning and on-the-ground treatments. The tour highlighted proposed actions of the Youngs Rock Rigdon project and identified investments and future opportunities created by the Oregon Legislature’s Federal Forest Restoration Program administered by the Department of Forestry. Participants engaged local collaborative group leaders and US Forest Service staff regarding the important role that the State has taken to support collaborative efforts to increase forest health treatments on National Forests, while also supporting local economies. 

Tour Route Overview:

1. At the first field tour stop, we visited an overlook of the Youngs Rock Rigdon landscape to discuss the existing conditions on the ground, effects of a century of fire suppression, desired future conditions, and the proposed restoration treatments.

2. The second field stop, we visited the Staley Creek floodplain restoration project implemented by the Middle Fork Willamette Watershed Council. This stage zero floodplain restoration project was made possible with funding from the State lottery dollars through the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board, the Western Trout Initiative, and the Forest.   

3. The third field stop, we visited two proposed treatment units that boarder Seneca private timberlands. Visiting a natural stand, we discussed the effects of fire suppression and encroachment and proposed thinning treatments to restore the mixed conifer forest. While also discussing fuels reduction treatments in managed stands near Seneca lands.

4. The tour concluded with a visit to the 600 acre Jim’s Creek pilot project that restored Oregon white oak savanna, meadows, and old growth pine stands. We discussed the importance of native plants, maintenance burning for forest resilience and the State’s continued role in partnership with the US Forest Service to increase the pace and scale of restoration through Good Neighbor Authority and stewardship contracting projects.

Themes:

• Collaboration is building common ground among diverse interests and serving as a springboard for accelerated forest restoration.

• The ecological and economic benefits of stewardship contracting and good neighbor authority projects through forest restoration treatments.

• The multiplier effect of state investments in federal forest projects.

Objectives:

• Understand and recognize the opportunities to increase the pace and scale of forest restoration.

• See first-hand how the Youngs Rock Rigdon EIS project will increase forest resilience.

• Discuss the make-up, role and function of the Southern Willamette Forest Collaborative; and the common ground that these diverse interests – including forest industry, conservation and local government leaders – are advancing to achieve simultaneous social, economic and environmental outcomes. 

More About the Project

Southern Willamette Forest Collaborative (SWFC) members have been working on the Rigdon Landscape Project since 2016 by learning,

discussing, and providing input to the Middle Fork Ranger District. As a team, alongside the Forest Service we developed the Rigdon Landscape Analysis.

The Rigdon Landscape Analysis will inform future projects and environmental action plans in order to restore ecological functions of the 104,000 acre landscape. Projects will be implemented over the next 5-10-years. The first NEPA project, Youngs Rock Rigdon, will guide management actions within 26,000 acres north of the Middle Fork Willamette River.

Tonight: Learn about the Rigdon project with the MRG Sierra Club Group

SWFC's Sarah Altemus-Pope and OSU research scientist James Johnston will present an overview of the Rigdon landscape and the fire history study at tonight's Many Rivers Group Sierra Club meeting. See the Sierra Club flyer below for details about the meeting time and location.

Rigdon Collaborative Landscape Planning - Sarah Altemus-Pope

The Rigdon Landscape Analysis will inform future projects and environmental action plans in order to restore ecological functions of the 104,000 acre landscape. Projects will be implemented over the next 5-10-years. The first NEPA project, Youngs Rock Rigdon, will guide management actions within 26,000 acres north of the Middle Fork Willamette River. 

The Forest Service Interdisciplinary Team (IDT) and the Rigdon Collaboration Committee (RCC) have worked collaboratively to develop the Rigdon Landscape Analysis in order to benefit the ecological health and function of the landscape. The RCC developed zones of agreement on landscape restoration goals: human uses, vegetation, wildlife, and aquatics in the Rigdon project area.

Fire History Study - James Johnston

Managers and stakeholder groups need information about variation in fire disturbance over long time periods in order to craft restoration strategies that create resilient forests and provide for essential ecosystem services. Oregon State University College of Forestry is using tree ring evidence to reconstruct detailed fire histories of different forest types in the Rigdon landscape, ranging from pine savannah to moist old-growth Douglas-fir/western hemlock.  Research results will inform the efforts of the Southern Willamette Forest Collaborative (SWFC) and the Forest Service to develop strategies to restore diverse forests stands that are resilient to future change. 

2019 Pacific Northwest Forest Collaborative Workshop

Members from the Southern Willamette Forest Collaborative attended the PNW Collaboratives Workshop in Hood River - 8 members are on the leadership team for SWFC, while 4 members represented their organizations while at the conference. Collaborative members participated in this two day event, attending over 12-hours of facilitated learning on a variety of topics - see topics below! Folks who collaborate with SWFC also sat on panels during the conference.

Westside Restoration Outside of Plantations: Special Habitat Types

SWFC Facilitator Sarah Altemus-Pope paneled for the Westside Restoration Outside of Plantations: Special Habitat Types learning session, alongside other collaborative members James Johnston with Oregon State University, and Molly Juillerat from Middle Fork Ranger District representing the Willamette National Forest - the panel focused on forest restoration projects on westside Northwest Forest Plan areas in Matrix and Late Successional Reserves, with a special emphasis on special habitat types.

Living with Fire in Dry Forests

Collaborative member James Johnston with Oregon State University also paneled on Living with Fire in Dry Forests, focusing on the increased risk of severe fire, rising fire suppression costs, and novel wildfire impacts on ecosystem health, human health and property. While also focusing on how contemporary fire effects and impacts on communities compel fire suppression, but fire suppression created the problem and only makes it worse. The main question asked: how do we adapt contemporary dry forest landscapes so they are resistant to fire and drought? 

Zones of Agreement: Lessons Learned

Steering Committee Member, Susan Knudsen-Obermeyer paneled for Zones of Agreement: Lessons Learned. a panel that covered the spectrum, from groups tackling their first zones of agreement to those who have revised their agreements multiple times. 

Keynote Address

Mile-high collective Muddling: Collaborative forest restoration in the southern Rockies

Tony Cheng, Director, Colorado Forest Restoration Institute

Evening Keynote

Karen Hardigg, Rural Voices for Conservation Coalition

Forest Policy Panel

Nicholas Goldstein, USDA Forest Service

Chuck, Washington Department of Natural Resources

Chad Davis, Oregon Department of Forestry

Dylan Kruse, Sustainable Northwest

Breakout Session #1

• Forest Collaboration 101

• Lessons from Landscape-Scale Projects

• Improving & Scaling Aquatic Restoration

• Connecting Markets with Restoration Wood 

Breakout Session #2

• Collaborative Capacity

• Living with Fire in Dry Forests

• Recreation Planning & Forest Collaboratives

Breakout Session #3

• Westside Restoration Outside of Plantations: Special Habitat Types

• Zones of Agreement: Lessons Learned

• Biomass Summit: Review & Next Steps

Breakout Session #4

• Ecological Functions of Spatial Pattern in Dry Forests

• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Forest Collaboratives

• Forest Restoration & Climate Change

Collaborative Solutions for Healthy Forests & Communities

Collaborative Solutions for Healthy Forests & Communities

April 15, 2019

The Southern Willamette Forest Collaborative made a visit to Eastern Oregon for an all-day peer learning exchange with Wallowa Resources!

Four SWFC Steering Committee members, alongside two SWFC Team Members drove 8-hours to visit Wallowa Resources headquarters to participate in an all-day learning exchange. The trip was facilitated by Tyson Bertone-Riggs with Rural Voices for Conservation Coalition.

Jeff Costello, Facilitator for the Wallowa-Whitman Forest Collaborative and Umatilla Forest Collaborative Group shared his experience working with two of the collaborative groups in rural Eastern Oregon. SWFC members had the opportunity to ask questions and learn about how both of these forest collaboratives approach the work they are doing on their respective forests. 

While visiting Wallowa Resources (WR), the team had an opportunity to meet with Nils Christoffersen, the Executive Director of Wallowa Resources to learn about the work WR is doing within their community. After learning about the structure and history of WR, the team made a site visit to the Integrated Biomass Resources (IBR) facility that uses forest restoration byproducts to manufacture posts and poles, commercial firewood, and pulp chips, while also using biomass to fuel the operation.

Meet Our New Interns!

Meet our New Interns!

April 3, 2019

Meet our new interns Katie Fields & Katie Kerekes!

Katie Fields - Intern

Katie is interning with SWFC this spring while she completes concurrent master’s degrees in conflict and dispute resolution and public administration at the University of Oregon. She looks forward to helping prepare for, facilitate, and write reports for meetings for SWFC and supporting Oakridge throughout spring term. Her academic, career, and personal interests center around collaborative governance and environmental policy that works for both rural and urban communities.

Katie is a Wyoming native and earned her bachelor’s degree in English and Environment and Natural Resource Studies from the University of Wyoming. She relocated to the Pacific Northwest in 2011 after spending a summer working as an AmeriCorps volunteer through the Wyoming Conservation Corps. Prior to returning to school, Katie spent several years working in communications related to the built environment.
 

Katie Kerekes - Intern

Katie is interning with SWFC during the spring months of 2019 to assist in the After Action Review process for the city of Oakridge as we analyze the response to the winter snow storm and determine community inclusive suggestions for improvement. She is looking forward to facilitating group discussions, conducting interviews, and writing the final After Action Review report.

Katie is working on concurrent Masters in Nonprofit Management and Conflict and Dispute Resolution at the University of Oregon. Her interests and experience lie in disaster relief and response, specifically from a logistic and program support perspective. She is attracted to the hands-on, yet behind the scenes work and is excited to get a glimpse into the collaborative governance aspect of the After Action Review process. Before moving to the Pacific Wonderland, Katie called home to the just as wonderful Wilmington, North Carolina and she enjoys making sure she (and her pup) get as much exercise and sunshine as possible.

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Team Member Page
https://southwillamette.wixsite.com/swfc/team

Save the Date: Fire History & Special Habitats - Rigdon Learning Session

Save the date for a Rigdon Learning Session: Thursday, May 2nd, 9:00 - 12:00, at Greenwaters Park in Oakridge. OSU research scientists James Johnston will present a research update from the Rigdon fire history study followed by a Walama Restoration presentation about 2018 monarch survey results and upcoming field work. 

Fire History Study - James Johnston

Managers and stakeholder groups need information about variation in fire disturbance over long time periods in order to craft restoration strategies that create resilient forests and provide for essential ecosystem services. Oregon State University College of Forestry is using tree ring evidence to reconstruct detailed fire histories of different forest types in the Rigdon landscape, ranging from pine savannah to moist old-growth Douglas-fir/western hemlock.  Research results will inform the efforts of the Southern Willamette Forest Collaborative (SWFC) and the Forest Service to develop strategies to restore diverse forests stands that are resilient to future change.  

Special Habitats - Maya Goklany

Walama Restoration Project conducted 2018 milkweed and monarch butterfly surveys last summer in the Rigdon area.  Maya will present survey findings and possible future restoration opportunities. Following the learning session, Walama Restoration is offering a field training for those who are interested in volunteering for 2019 surveys (see description below and attachment for additional dates).

Willamette All Collaboratives Workshop: Save the Date

Date & Time

February 27, 2019

9:00AM - 3:00PM

Location

Springfield Interagency Office

3106 Pierce Parkway, Springfield, OR

About

This informal workshop is intended for active members of the Willamette National Forest's four collaborative groups and their Forest Service Partners. Focus will be on identifying common opportunities and common challenges. Agenda is being developed and will be circulated in advance. 

• North Santiam Forest Collaborative/ Partners of the North Santiam

• McKenzie Watershed Stewardship Group

• South Willamette Forest Collaborative

• Willamette National Forest

RSVP by 2/15/19

For more information or to RSVP, please contact Jennifer Sorenson at jennifersorenson@fs.fed.us or (541) -510-1102

Save the Date: Rigdon Red Tree Vole Strategy

Join us for a presentation by wildlife biologist Joe Doerr to discuss the Youngs Rock Rigdon project area!

When: Wednesday, January 16

             1:00PM - 3:00PM

Where: Middle Fork Ranger District

Middle Fork Willamette Trails Plan

Middle Fork Sustainable Trails Plan Public Input

The National Sustainable Trails Strategy directs the Forest Service to plan trail system improvements using “a comprehensive trails plan” using a “community-driven and locally sustainable model.”

This current trails planning effort is part of the Middle Fork District and community response to that requirement. The Plan will be a blueprint of community-proposed and vetted trails projects and will be a living document. A process for updating the plan will be created and used to keep the plan flexible over time.

Your input is important! There are many ways to participate. 

Middle Fork Willamette Trails questionnaire

The Middle Fork Trails Plan will be built around community input and ideas. Learn about the process and fill out the trails questionnaire before February 1, 2019. 

Click Here to fill-out the questionnaire

Technical Committees - Volunteers Needed​

Technical committees volunteers will:

• Ground-truth and flag and/or GPS proposed project dimensions

•Filter projects using land use laws, natural resource information, trail design requirements, geographical design needs and much more

•Create completed project proposals: Map, Purpose and Need statement and project design criteria

​•A half-day training will be required!

Click Here to fill out the technical committee form to find your interest area and sign up!

Burnt Stewardship Integrated Resource Timber Contract

The Middle Fork Ranger District has put the Burnt Stewardship Integrated Resource Timber Contract up for bid!

The SWFC Implementation Advisory Committee (IAC) worked together to create zones of agreement for local work force priorities and embedded restoration projects within the Landscape Diversity Project area. Included in the contract are 5 mandatory embedded restorative service projects to be completed by the Contractor.

Embedded projects include:

1. Noxious Weed Pre-treatment

2. Topwood Centralization

3. Road Storage and Decommissioning 

4. Snag Creation

5. Fire Line Construction

The IAC elected to add the second restoration project listed, topwood centralization, to provide wood for the Community Firewood Program. 

Forests In Focus - Collaborative Forest Management

Restoring central Oregon’s federal forests is a big important job. Too many small trees crowd the landscape, putting homes and property at risk from intense wildfires. But what to do about it?

For decades, finding common ground on forest management has placed competing interests at loggerheads. But in central Oregon a diverse group of stakeholders are working together to create solutions—solutions guided by science that strive for balance, landscape scale and local economic benefits.

For more information about the Oregon Department of Forestry, please visit: http://www.oregon.gov/odf/

The 2017 Wildfire Season Story Map

65th Oakridge-Westfir Tree Planting Festival

Here's the rundown of all we accomplished:

Friday - May 4th - Tree Prep

In preparation for the parade Saturday 15 volunteers helped bag 600 Willamette Valley Ponderosa Pines, 200 Douglas Firs, and 200 Incense Cedar.

Saturday - May 5th - Parade

20 volunteers walked alongside the Tree Planting Princess float, passing out 1,000 trees donated by the Bureau of Land Management. The float caught the judges' eye and we received the 2nd place ribbon! 

Sunday - May 6th - Open House + Conversation

We hosted an Open House followed by a Community Conversation for community members.

At the Open House community members learned about a range of topics: the next steps the Rigdon Collaboration Committee will take as the Rigdon Collaborative Landscape Project moves forward. Biomass market opportunities for Oakridge, and how forest byproduct manufacturing could create jobs and boost local economy. How the Implementation Advisory Committee makes collaborative recommendations to the Forest Service for Stewardship Contract Projects that benefit forest health and contribute to local economies. Recommendations include the boundaries for local workforce area and restoration work such as trail maintenance, road maintenance, weed extraction, stream improvements, etc. How the Good Neighbor Authority partnership between the State of Oregon and the Forest Service can increase the pace, scale, and quality of restoration on federal lands, support local economies, and engage local communities through collaboration. Community Wildfire Preparedness: how the Forest Service and our community are undertaking preventative measures to mitigate the threat of wildfire.

Following the Open House community members gathered to discuss and share their perspective on what it means to live in an rural community surrounded by forests, how residents value the forests we live in, how the downturn in the timber economy affected Oakridge and Westfir and how we’ve moved forward. This community conversation was hosted by the Conversation Project where Oregon Humanities offers free programs that engage community members in thoughtful, challenging conversations about ideas critical to our daily lives and our state's future.

The folks who participated mentioned they felt we should be having more discussions like this within the community. Everyone agreed it is a worthwhile event and the SWFC hopes to host Oregon Humanities again for this topic.

Join Us for a Community Conversation!

The Oakridge-Westfir Tree Planting festival is around the corner and the SWFC will be hosting an Open House at Greenwaters Park Sunday followed by an Oregon Humanities discussion about stewarding our public forests: "Seeing the Forest". Through the Conversation Project, Oregon Humanities offers free programs that engage community members in thoughtful, challenging conversations about ideas critical to our daily lives and our state's future. 

Conversation Topic

Join us to talk together about what it means to live in an rural community surrounded by forests, how residents value the forests we live in, along with discussing how the downturn in the timber economy affected Oakridge and Westfir and how we are moving forward.

When:
Sunday May 6th
5:00 - 6:30 PM

Address:
48362 Highway 58
Oakridge OR 97463

To participate in this free community discussion, please click here to RSVP

Meet the Host

Mariah Acton is a soon-to-be graduate from the University of Oregon where her master’s work focuses at the intersection of conflict resolution, nonprofit management, and public administration. As a recent social science researcher for the US Forest Service and a volunteer facilitator with forest collaboratives in the southern Willamette Valley, she recognizes that this is an exciting time for public-driven, sustainable forest management, and she appreciates that there are more conversations to be had. 

Acton’s program is made possible by funding from Oregon Humanities, which connects Oregonians to ideas that change lives and transform communities. More information about Oregon Humanities’ programs and publications, which include the Conversation Project, Think & Drink, Humanity in Perspective, Public Program Grants, Responsive Program Grants, and Oregon Humanities magazine, can be found at oregonhumanities.org. Oregon Humanities is an independent, nonprofit affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities and a partner of the Oregon Cultural Trust.

Open House - Learn More About SWFC

The Southern Willamette Forest Collaborative is hosting an Open House Sunday May 6th, from 2:30 - 5:00 at Greenwaters Park Community Building. We invite you to take this opportunity to learn about our organization and the projects we are working on in the forest that surrounds you!

At our Open House you can learn more about:

• How the Implementation Advisory Committee makes collaborative recommendations to the Forest Service for Stewardship Contract Projects that benefit forest health and contribute to local economies. Recommendations include the boundaries for local workforce area and restoration work such as trail maintenance, road maintenance, weed extraction, stream improvements, etc.

  Recent projects include the Rock and Burnt timber sales.

• The next steps the Rigdon Collaboration Committee will take as the Rigdon Collaborative Landscape Project moves forward.

• Biomass market opportunities for Oakridge, and how forest byproduct manufacturing could create jobs and boost local economy. 

• How the Good Neighbor Authority partnership between the State of Oregon and the Forest Service can increase the pace, scale, and quality of restoration on federal lands, support local economies, and engage local communities through collaboration.

• Community Wildfire Preparedness: What are the risks and preventative measures the Forest Service and our community is undertaking to mitigate the threat of wildfires?

Some of you may be wondering - What is a Forest Collaborative?

Over the last two decades there has been a new approach to public lands management, that approach requires collaboration as a means of problem solving. This approach works because it brings together a diverse group of stakeholders - small business owners, elected officials, recreation enthusiasts, environmentalists, timber industry workers, state and federal agency representatives. As a group the collaboration members develop recommendations to the Forest Service and other land management agencies to advance ecologically sound forest and watershed management that also benefits local communities and their economies!

See you at the Oakridge-Westfir Tree Planting Festival parade!

Find Us in the Parade!

See you at the 65th Annual Oakridge-Westfir Tree Planting Festival May 4-7th. You can spot the Southern Willamette Forest Collaborative volunteers handing out tree seedlings alongside the Tree Planting Princess float during the parade Saturday May 5th at 10AM!

For the past three years, SWFC volunteers have handed out 1,000 tree seedlings donated by the BLM. This year we will hand out another 1,000 seedlings of mixed Willamette Valley Ponderosa Pine, Incense Cedar, and Douglas Fir.

The parade starts at 10am on Saturday, May 5th, on 1st Street in Uptown Oakridge - we hope to see you there!

More Opportunities to Learn About SWFC

• Stop by our Open House on Sunday, May 6th from 2:30 - 5:00 pm, at Greenwaters Park in Oakridge to learn about projects taking place on the Southern Willamette National Forest.

• Following the open house, Oregon Humanities will host a community conversation between residents and interested stakeholders on what it means to live in a rural community surrounded by national forest lands. 5:00 - 6:30 at Greenwaters park community building. 

Click Here to RSVP

You’re Invited to a Stewardship Contracting Workshop!

When?

April 12th, 2018 from 9:00am – 4:00pm

Why?

Stewardship contracting is one of the newer management tools used by the Willamette and other National Forests. Stewardship contracting is a useful tool which allows federal agencies to keep timber revenue local and be reinvested into local roads and service work. The USFS and South Santiam Watershed Council are partnering on this workshop to help contractors understand what stewardship contracting consists of, how the contracting process works, and how to write a successful stewardship bid proposal.

What?

Morning presentations will be followed by an afternoon field trip to visit the recently completed Rock Thin stewardship sale site and discuss implementation of stewardship contracts.  Lunch and field trip transportation provided.

Who?

Special presenter: Tim Daugherty from Idaho Forest Group LLC

Resource specialists:

• Mark Phillipp, Regional Stewardship Team Contracting Officer, US Forest Service

• David Bishop, Forester, Willamette National Forest, US Forest Service

Where?    

Best Western, 1100 Price Road SE, Albany, OR

For more information and to RSVP, contact: 

Jane Barth, Facilitator, at jbbarth@comcast.net or 541-760-4693

Please RSVP no later than April 2nd so we can plan meals, transportation, and workshop materials. Please indicate if you need any special accommodations.

And, please forward this invitation to others who would be interested in stewardship contracting.  Thank you!