Place-Based Forest Agreements and Laws

Learning Topic

OVERVIEW

The National Forest Foundation and Bolle Center for People and Forests at the University of Montana held a symposium on June 8 and 9, 2010, focused on the growing interest in various landscape level approaches to management of our National Forests.

Throughout the country, divergent interests are collaborating about how they would like particular forests to be managed. Many of these proposals include provisions related to forest restoration, economic development, wilderness designation, and funding mechanisms, among others. Approaches include state-level principles, memorandums of agreement regarding how collaborative groups and federal agencies work together, landscape assessments that lead to on-the-ground work, and place-based legislation. Each initiative is different in significant ways, but all are searching for more durable, bottom-up, and pro-active solutions to national forest management.

For further information about the symposium, please contact:

THE SYMPOSIUM

Representatives of twelve initiatives were invited to give short presentations about their effort at the Symposium. They were asked to specfically respond to these questions:

  • Why did your stewardship effort form (what was the driving issue)?
  • Who was/is at the table (just a broad overview of categories of participants)?
  • What was/is the role of the Forest Service in your stewardship effort (participant/collaborator at the table, advisor to effort, “traditional” relationship of land management agency to the public, or other)?
  • What are your effort’s main objectives?
  • Why did your group choose the path or strategy toward achieving those objectives (administrative agreement, legislative proposal, change in interpretation of existing authorities, etc.)?
We invite you to view the panel presentations and discussions from the plenary discussions by going to the links below.

BACKGROUND READING

Background documents and links are provided below. Their listing is for informational purposes and does not represent an endorsement. The list is far from complete. We hope that symposium panelists and participants will send us additional relevant documents for the committee to consider posting.

Defining Characteristics of Selected Place-Based Agreements and Laws

Questions & Concerns About Place-Based Forest Legislation Alabama Forest Restoration Clearwater Basin Collaborative The Forest Jobs and Recreation Act (S.1470) and Perspectives The 4 Forest Restoration Initiative (4FRI) Lakeview Stewardship Group Montana Forest Restoration Committee Northeast Washington Forestry Coalition Oregon Eastside Forests Restoration, Old Growth Protection and Jobs Act (S. 2895) and Perspectives Rocky Mountain Front Heritage Act Wild Rivers Master Stewardship Agreement

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