WISDOMnewsletter number two of the forest guild / june 2005

The Creator Put Fire On the Mountain

Building a Community of Interest - A

Collaborative Movement

ForestERA Brings Citizensand Science Together

to Guide ForestManagement Priorities

The Guild UndertakesStrategic Planning

in this issue:

forest

35710

The Common Thread, continued on page 2

Save the DateForest Guild

Annual MeetingSanta Fe, NMDecember 1-3

a common thread amongst us, and perhaps amongst most persons entering the forestry profession, is a passion for the forest.For some, the passion borders on spirituality, by which I simply meansomething that enriches the soul. Forestry – working with nature inthe forest – is one of the few professions which offers this dimension.

Education at the university level teaches us the nuts and bolts – thescience – of forestry. Though fascinating and of central importancein its own right, the science of forestry is largely presented as in avoid outside the context of art and philosophy. The fundamentalquestion of humanity’s relationship to nature is hardly addressed,while guidance in personal ethics is largely absent.

Once enmeshed in traditional schooling and job opportunities,one’s youthful passion for the forest is largely ignored and, formany, lost. This corresponds with the “shock,” or uncomfortablerevelation, many feel in college or upon entering the work force,that forestry is not about caring for forests, but rather, about thescientific and economic means to exploit them.

However, for some of the risk-takers, rebels, and spirited thinkers,this youthful passion was not lost – or was recovered – by enteringinto work situations where the individual was able to express itself.Consulting forestry is potentially a great vehicle for this passion.Many consultants work without an employer dictating the brand of

IN THE FOREST

The Common Thread By Charlie Moreno

Charlie Moreno A consulting forester

in Center Strafford,

New Hampshire. He

also serves on the

Guild’s Membership

and Policy Council.

WISDOMforest

forest guild / june 2005newsletter number two

forest GUILDP.O. Box 519

Santa Fe, NM 87504505-983-8992

505-986-0798 F

Staff

Henry CareyExecutive Director

Rob DrydenAccountant

Barbara HoehneAssistant to the Director

Melinda MarrsGraphic Designer

Laura McCarthyProgram Director

Orlando RomeroCommunity Forestry

Martha SchumannResearch

Angela CaroAdministrative Assistant

Eric HolstPacific West Representative

Robert PerschelNortheast Representative

The Common Thread by Charlie Moreno, continued from page 1

Mission

The Forest Guild promotes

forestry that sustains the integrity

of forest ecosystems and

the human communities

dependent upon them. The Guild

provides training, policy analysis,

and research to foster excellence

in stewardship, to support

practicing foresters and allied

professionals, and to engage a

broader community in the

challenges of forest conservation

and management.

WISDOM number two/ page 2

forestry they must practice. Forestry consultantsare effective to the degree of their ethics,knowledge, skill, and creativity. However, privatelandowners who are the market for their servicesand are therefore ultimately, their “boss,” oftenshare a touch of passion for nature. Landownersare apt, particularly if they’ve been educatedabout their options, to request that their forestbe handled in a gentle manner, not at odds withthe course of nature.

We continue to discover foresters out therequietly practicing or advocating non-exploitativeforestry –“soft silviculture,” as nicely termed byFred White. In addition to private consultants,these foresters work for conservation organiza-tions, service forestry departments, in researchand at times for timber corporations. They arein positions that enable them to express their

COMMUNITY FORESTRY

How Community Forestry Contributes to the Guild’s MissionBy Laura Falk McCarthy

t he mission of the Forest Guild’s communityforestry program is to create economic opportu-nities that are environmentally and culturallyacceptable and to develop the business infra-structure and human resources necessary to cap-ture the opportunities. Activities of the community forestry program currently include research,training, and one-on-one technical assistance.

The community forestry program can bethought of as creating the vehicle to carry outthe Forest Guild’s vision of sustainable forestry.History has shown that when forestry is practicedon an industrial scale, the result is mechanizedforestry that treats broad areas of forestuniformly. By contrast, the Guild’s vision ofecologically-responsible forestry includes care-ful silviculture that imitates nature’s dynamicprocesses and accommodates natural variationin forest ecosystems when harvesting trees.The practice of effective sustainable forestryrequires more than just committed foresters –

it also takes forest workers and loggers who areequally concerned with the condition of theland after the harvest or treatment.

The Forest Guild’s community forestry programreaches out to forest workers who are based inrural communities to engage them in sustain-able forestry. The program’s overarching goal isto promote a viable small-scale timber economythat can meet the product needs of private andgovernment landowners. Small businesses thatprovide forestry services and manufacturevalue-added products have a stake in sustain-able forestry – the people are connected to theland and they know that if the forest is healthyit will sustain them indefinitely.

The model of community forestry as an agentfor ecologically-responsible forestry can trans-late into Guild programs across the country. Inthe Southwest, as previously described, theprogram’s focus is to build a viable, small-scaletimber economy that can keep forest industryout of the region. In the East the programfocuses on the use of low-impact loggingequipment by loggers and in communityforestry projects. In California and the PacificNorthwest, the program addresses value-addedproduction that keeps economic benefits ofharvesting in the community.

personal ethics and respect for the forest throughtheir sustainable forestry efforts.

The Guild is working to evolve and expand thecustodial role forestry and foresters shouldembody – assuming responsibility for main-taining healthy and productive forest ecosystems.This requires foresters to have an intrinsicrespect and alliance with nature.

The forestry profession benefits from the locationand organization of these individuals as a unified voice. Since the original Guild confer-ence on sustainable forestry in Santa Fe, NewMexico in 1995, this group has provided anaffirmation of my passion for the forest, and agreat intellectual and soulful exchange withothers of the same mind.

Fire on the Mountain, continued on page 4

WISDOM number two/ page 3

“

”

Bill Tipp works for the Karuk Tribe,

Department of Natural

Resources in California.

l ong ago, when people lived in harmony withtheir surrounding environment, fire was deeplyentwined with the native societies of the PacificNorthwest. During this time, people had learnedto use fire for many reasons. One of these reasonswas to enhance the quality and quantity ofbasketry materials. There was an abundance offire dependent plants that were used not only forbaskets but as critical food sources and ingredientsof medical remedies. Another use of forest wasto maintain mid-slope grasslands for deer andforage for other wildlife.

In the early 1900s strict fire suppression policieswere introduced. During this era, fire was seenas a negative influence on the landscape, harmingthe young conifer trees that were the primarymanagement focus of the US Forest Service.After nearly a century of effective fire suppression,we are faced with a whole new set of dilemmas,issues and problems. The National Fire Plan willtake well more than a century to implement.There are many more aspects to achieving thelong-term goal of restoring natural fire regimesthan people currently realize. We must steer

away from the norm of managing “through atunnel” (narrow focus). Many managementagencies can complete project level planningand associated tasks, but have been doing thingsthe same way for so long that it is hard for themto change their focus, see the big picture, andwork in a new direction.

In many cases, the prescriptions that are beingdeveloped in the interest of fuels reductions arenot sufficient to maintain the long-termrestoration of natural fire regimes. Prescriptionsseem to be on the heavy side in the interest of asingle entry to save time and money. Cuttingtoo much at once creates a small shade compo-nent and a large brush component. Projectstend to be scattered across the map, with nocorrelation or cumulative benefit. When imple-mented in this fashion, maintenance schedulescannot be maintained, and natural fire cannotserve its purpose across broader landscapes.

The Karuk Tribe sees the management strategythat is needed as managing “into the mirror,”working backwards with a widening view. When

PreTreatment.Katimmin ThinningProject was intended to re-create diversityand reduce potentialfire behavior in a plantation. Althoughthe photos are not actual before and after,they represent pre- andpost-treatment of theportion of the projectthe Tribe completed.

The Karuk Tribe sees the strategy that is needed as managing “into the mirror,” –working backwardswith a wideningview.

IN THE FOREST

The Creator Put Fire on the MountainBy Bill Tipp

Fire on the Mountain, continued from page 3

“

”

Post-Treatment.Offield Mountain is the mother

mountain and was burned every

year in September when Tribal

management practices were

allowed. The burning of this

mountain was part of Pikyaviish,

our world renewal ceremony. The

purpose was to singe the old

woman’s hair so she could mourn

for all the death in the world over

the past year. You can see the

brushy area that used to be grass

and medicinal herbs.

WISDOM number two / page 4

you look into a mirror, the first thing you see isyourself. Then you widen your view to see whatyou need to do to enhance the ever expandingmultitude of resources and ecological processes.The further you look back in time, you see thesteps needed to re-establish the well balancedecological systems that were once in placethroughout the Pacific Northwest.

Federal guidelines show the need to maintain orrestore the condition class of a “natural” systemThese condition classes are based on fire returnintervals and the risk of losing critical ecosys-tem components. The Karuk Tribe sees this as agood place to start, but believes the focus is stilltoo narrow. The only fire return intervals thatare being considered are those within the his-torical range of the fire suppression era. Triballyimplemented cultural burns are not included inthe analytical matrix, nor are the burn frequen-cies and intensities that would have taken placeif fire suppression was not a contributing factor.As for the risk of losing critical ecosystem com-ponents, there is no apparent consideration ofthe critical elements that have already been lost.

There have been many projects completed todate in the Karuk Ancestral Territory. With theFire Safe Council performing treatments onand around private property, the Forest Service

managing the NEPA process, and the Tribe fill-ing in the gaps, we can establish partnershipand build local capacity to handle local problemsas outlined in the National Fire Plan.

The Karuk Tribe believes that these partnershipsare critical to completing the overwhelmingtask at hand. Our partnerships are gettingstronger and collaboration is getting better, butwe need to get away from small-scale projectimplementation. It is time for the acquisition ofprogram-based funding. In order to implementthe national fire strategies we now need to buildlocal capacities. Having local crews work year-round completing fuels treatments and mainte-nance of treated areas, there will be a specializedworkforce with intimate knowledge of thegeographic area. This specialized knowledgewill enable crews to respond quickly to wild-land fires as they occur. They will know whereto put fires out and where to let them burn.

In utilizing this strategy to complete the reintroduction of natural fire regimes whileprotecting our homes, supporting wildlifehabitat, enhancing our forest resources, reducingglobal air quality impacts and lowering fire sup-pression costs, we can help honor the originalreasons for which the creator put fire on themountain.

Triballyimplementedcultural burnsare notincluded inthe analyticalmatrix.

WISDOM number two / page 5

COMMUNITY FORESTRY

Building a Community of Interest -A Collaborative Movement By Eric Holst

h umans are a tribal species and the forestrycommunity is a particularly tribal subspecies.Conflict among tribes, represented by a widevariety of forestry interest groups, has marked thehistory of forest policy and practice in NorthAmerica leading to conflicting outcomes for bothhuman and natural communities. Certainly,conflict has been a necessary tool in driving goodecological outcomes in many places. But in manyplaces, conflict has birthed intense polarizationand stagnation leaving forests in limbo, sufferingfrom ecological dynamics that result from histor-ically poor forest practices.

In these places, many are asking whether a lessconflictive and more collaborative approach toforest management might result in better out-comes for both human and natural communities.Can tribal warfare, so characteristic of forestrydebates, be halted and replaced with cooperativeeffort at the local level? Even if possible, willcollaboration and cooperation result in betteroutcomes for the forest?

Certainly it would be naïve to believe thatcooperation will automatically result in good

forestry. Cooperation is, after all, a strategydependent on the cooperators and the valuesthey bring to the bargaining table. And wherethe health and integrity of forest ecosystems iscritically threatened by powerful forces, conflictover forest management is unavoidable. Soperhaps the more relevant question is: howmany places exist where a more collaborativeapproach would improve forest management?

The community forestry movement is respon-sible for catalyzing some of the most promisingcollaborative forest management efforts acrossNorth America. Like any movement, communityforestry is hard to define but its individualpractitioners and organizations share a generaldesire to encourage the growth of vibrant ruralcommunities full of economic opportunities;healthy, biodiverse forested landscapes wherenatural ecosystem dynamics are largely intact;and local multi-stakeholder collaborationbased on the belief that it is a better way ofachieving consensus and driving good forestmanagement. The growth of a self-identifiedmovement has occurred over the last 15 years

Foresters bringingcollaboration tothe bargainingtable.

Eric Holstis a private consultant in

Sacramento, California. He also

serves as the Pacific West

representative for the Guild.

“

”

Community forestrypractitioners share ageneral desire toencourage thegrowth of vibrantrural communitiesfull of economic opportunities;healthy, biodiverseforested landscapeswhere naturalecosystem dynamicsare largely intact;and local multi-stakeholdercollaboration.

A Collective Movement, continued on page 6

WISDOM number two / page 6

and is characterized by the appearance ofhundreds of new community groups, new butstill inadequate sources of funding, formationof networks to share learning and best practices,academic analysis, and glimpses of supportivepolicy.

Skeptics of community forestry are notuncommon and are perhaps most abundant inthe environmental community. Many in thistribe, having fought hard to protect forestsusing the tools of grassroots organizing, litiga-tion and protest, look askance at what theyview as compromise. But just as many arelooking for new approaches. After the smokehas cleared on many timber battles with

victory seemingly in hand, many forest activistshave awakened to a recognition that protectedforests are not necessarily healthy forests. Agrowing awareness exists that many forests arein need of restoration and that the levers thatdrive a restoration agenda look very differentthan those used to stop bad practices. Coupledwith a general angst about the declining influ-ence of environmentalism on policy and prac-tice, more and more environmental activists aretesting the collaborative waters and becomingactive in local community forestry efforts.

The Forest Guild held a session at its last annualmeeting to discuss the growth of the communityforestry field and to dialogue about whetherand how the organization and its membersmight engage in community forestry bothlocally and nationally to advance the Guild’smission. The session reflected a growing sense

A Collaborative Movement, continued on page 11

A Collaborative Movement, continued from page 5

that the Guild must find ways of not onlyenriching the forestry practice of individualmembers but also enriching the lives of peopleliving in the forests. It also highlighted a rolethat ecologically minded foresters mightuniquely fill - as brokers and translators betweenthose interested principally in social outcomes(e.g., rural jobs, access to forest wealth) andthose interested principally in ecological out-comes (e.g., biodiversity, old growth).

The restoration of fire dependent ecosystems inthe West provides abundant examples of theemerging collaborative dynamic and the dis-tinctive contribution of the Forest Guild andits members. Reducing fuels and preventingcatastrophic wildfire has become a mantrathroughout western states leading to policy andmanagement prescriptions that may threatenforest ecosystem integrity. Yet a consensus exists that many western forests,particularly those that historically experiencedfrequent low intensity fires, have suffered fromnearly a century of near complete fire suppres-sion and that action is needed to restorehealthy forest conditions. Hundreds of thousandsof acres are currently undergoing “hazardousfuel reduction” in the form of prescribed fire,brush removal, thinning, and commercial log-ging. Rhetoric abounds regarding the wisdomof various approaches to fuels reduction andrestoration so while consensus exists on theneed to act, conflict persists with regard to theappropriate mechanisms for action.

The Forest Guild held a session at its last annual meeting

to discuss the growth of the community forestry field.

Forest activists

have awakened

to a recognition

that protected

forests are not

necessarily

healthy forests.

WISDOM number two / page 7

IN THE FOREST

ForestERA Brings Citizens and Science Together toGuide Forest Management PrioritiesBy Martha Schumann, Laura McCarthy and John Grahame

ForestERA, continued on page 8

m ost foresters face the challenge ofmanaging land in isolated tracts with little abilityto influence the management of forests in alandscape context. Natural processes that oper-ate on large scales, such as wildfire, make itnecessary for forest managers to think morebroadly than the properties they manage. TheTaos Field Office of the Bureau of LandManagement (BLM) in New Mexico operatesin one such landscape. The BLM managesnumerous parcels of forest and woodlands in alandscape setting that includes six counties,three cities, numerous villages, three NativeAmerican tribes, six Hispanic Land Grants, andtwo national forests. The forests vary widelytoo, from pinyon-juniper woodlands, to pon-derosa pine and mixed conifer forests, andhigh-elevation spruce-fir and aspen forests. Theincreasing frequency and severity of high-intensity crown fire in the Southwest in the fireseasons of 2000, 2001 and 2003 prompted BLMmanagers to think about how, given the isolationof their forest parcels and the multiplicity ofother jurisdictions, they could accomplish for-est management planning to address fire risks.

Luckily, the Forest Ecosystem RestorationAnalysis (ForestERA) project at NorthernArizona University had just completed testing adecision support tool for land managers thatmet the needs of the BLM managers perfectly.The ForestERA project was in the final stages ofa 2 million acre analysis of forest and fire riskmanagement on the Mogollon Plateau ofArizona. The area included contiguous pon-derosa pine forests in the Coconino, Apache-Sitgreaves, Tonto, and Kaibab National Forests,as well as private lands, the City of Flagstaff,and numerous small communities and subdivi-sions. The ForestERA method proved to besound, and with some fine tuning to account

for different forest patterns in New Mexico,the NAU team determined it could be replicat-ed in a 3 million acre landscape that includesthe Taos BLM Field Office.

ForestERA got its start in 2003 when, inresponse to repeated and dramatic catastroph-ic wildfires, Congress provided emergencyappropriations that included funding to theEcological Restoration Institute (ERI) atNorthern Arizona University (NAU) toaddress forest restoration and protection ofcommunities from wildfire. ERI in turn pro-vided support to Dr. Tom Sisk and hisLandscape Ecology Lab at NAU’s Center forEnvironmental Science and Education todevelop the ForestERA Project.

ForestERA began with the premise that com-plex scientific analysis is necessary and usefulto manage forest ecosystems across large land-scapes, but that the using complex technologycan overwhelm people and also diminish pub-lic participation. Dr. Sisk assembled a team ofresearchers that developed and collected data,tools, and an analytical framework for assess-ing the impacts and implications managementscenarios at the landscape-level. Using aGeographic Information System (GIS) andinteractive computer modeling programs,ForestERA drew upon a range of data sets thatwere available for forests in the Mogollon Rimand incorporated scientific insights andmethodological advances from landscape andrestoration ecology, as well as conservationbiology.

Three types of data were developed for thefirst ForestERA project, the Western MogollonPlateau Adaptive Landscape Assessment(WMPALA). “Foundational” data, including

Martha Schumann is the

Forest Guild’s collaborator’s liaison

for the ForestERA project.

Laura McCarthy is the

Director of the Guild’s Southwest

Region.

John Grahame is the

communications coordinator on

the ForestERA team at Northern

Arizona University.

Dr. Tom Sisk, director of

ForestERA, serves on the Forest

Guild board of directors.

“

”

Natural processesthat operate onlarge scales,such as wildfire,make it necessaryfor forest managersto think morebroadly than the properties they manage.

“

”

In this way, thediverse parties whomanaged, owned,or lived in forestshad a tangible wayto “take ownership”of the science and could use it to explore and articulateapproaches to forestmanagement.

WISDOM number two/ page 8

vegetation composition and structure, topogra-phy, soils, and other basic information, servedas inputs to ForestERA models and tools.“Derived” data consisted of outputs from mod-els and analyses that described conditions suchas fire risk and hazard, wildlife habitat quality,and watershed conditions. Finally, “supplemen-tal” data, such as private lands, designatedroadless areas and culturally important areas,were compiled to support collaborator-drivenanalyses and to meet the needs of particulardecision makers and interest groups.

What made ForestERA unique, however, wasnot the scientific analysis itself, but the factthat the science was made accessible through auser interface that allowed the data to be usedfor complex social decisions. In the WMPALAproject, ForestERA lead a collaborative processwith many stakeholders – citizens, scientists,forest professionals and decision-makers –who were provided an opportunity to use thescience in a process that incorporated theirdifferent skills, experiences, and values. In thisway, the diverse parties who managed, owned,or lived in forests had a tangible way to “takeownership” of the science and could use it toexplore and articulate alternative approachesto forest management.

In the summer of 2003 staff from the ForestGuild introduced the ForestERA tool to BLMmanagers. The Taos Field Office manager, SamDesGeorges, was intrigued and asked his staff

to pull together all of the neighboring federal,state, local and tribal agencies to meet with theNorthern Arizona University scientists whodeveloped ForestERA. A consensus emerged atthis gathering to apply to the Joint FireSciences Program for a grant to fund the effortand to ask the Forest Guild to serve as the col-laborator’s liaison between the ForestERA teamand all of the partners.

In the application to the Joint Fire SciencesProgram, Mr. DesGeorges wrote, “from ourperspective, a landscape-scale analysis of firerisks and management scenarios will addressthe most serious problem we face – uncoordi-nated, ineffective action by multiple agenciesand the possibility of a catastrophic fire thatcould have been stopped by strategic foresttreatments.” Now that the project is underwayall of the partners are excited about the partici-pating in the inter-jurisdictional planning.

The ForestERA project has made clear thatlandscape-level analysis does not by necessitybelong to the “techies.” Instead, ForestERA hasshown that the development of public processesthat draw on scientific understanding andincorporate information into a more transparentand inclusive planning effort can shift perspec-tives on forest management. This “civic” scienceis one way to develop greater trust in the policydevelopment process and sustain society’scommitment to restoring forest ecosystems.

ForestERA, continued from page 7

FIRES PER MILLION ACRES

OVER 6060-4140-2120-11

10-65-1UNDER 1

AVERAGE ANNUAL NUMBER OF LIGHTNING FIRESREPORTED IN FORESTED AREAS

WISDOM number two/ page 9

Ponderosa pine ecosystems of the AmericanSouthwest are adapted to lightning-causedwildfire. Nationwide, humans cause almost80% of wildfires, but in the American Southwest,60% to 70% of forest fires are ignited by light-ning. The region leads the nation in the averagenumber of forest fires due to lightning strikesand the number of acres burned by these fireseach year.

A mature ponderosa pine tree is supremelyadapted to survive fire. Its thick bark can with-stand fire-excavated cavities in its bole. Lowerbranches prune away as it matures, not onlyenhancing the efficiency of needle exposure tosunlight but removing flammable needles andtwigs from the reach of surface burns.Ponderosa pine forests of the American Southwestnot only endure frequent fire—they thrive on it.

A century of resource exploitation and fire suppression has altered the composition andstructure of the region’s ponderosa pine ecosys-tems. Dramatic disturbances such as catastrophicfire were rare in the evolutionary history ofponderosa pine and associated species. [Theresult was] lower productivity, decreasing habitat,and declining watershed values.

Moreover, increasingly destructive fires, coupledwith the increasing extension of human com-munities and infrastructure into forestedregions, have generated high risks of catastrophicwildfire that cannot be addressed through traditional fire suppression and forest manage-ment approaches. Over much of the West, publicconcern about wildfire and the increasingawareness of important values supplied byhealthy forests have highlighted the call forecosystem restoration.

Adapted from Pyne, Stephen J. 2001. Fire: A Brief

History. University of Washington Press. 204 p.

“

”

The most serious problem we face – uncoordinated,ineffective action by multiple agencies and the possibility of a catastrophic fire that could have been stopped by strategic forest treatments.

ForestERA provides resource managers and stakeholders

the opportunity to evaluate the benefits and

consequences of alternative management scenarios.

On Fire and Ponderosa Pine

WISDOM number two/ page 10

Most organizations have the ambition ofsaving the world – or some part of it –within a near term framework. In ourearly enthusiasm, it is easy to forget thatthe world’s problems have evolved froman intractable set of forces and that ourresources may be more limited than thesituation demands. Strategic planning isa way of matching our resources with ourambitions to produce effective change.

Following the Forest Guild’s reorganizationlast year, the board decided to undertake astrategic planning process to refine its under-standing of key issues the organization wantsto address, its approach and methods and,finally, the measures it will use to evaluate suc-cess. The board and staff have been assisted bythe Guild’s Membership and Policy Counciland by the Social Enterprise Strategies Group(SESG) represented by former USDA ForestService Chief Michael Dombeck and FrancisPandolfi, former CFO of the Forest Serviceand CEO with the Times Mirror Organization.

SAVING THE WORLD A DAY AT A TIME

The Guild Undertakes Strategic PlanningBy Henry H. Carey

The work began in November 2003 and workon a business plan is still continuing.

A highlight of the strategic planning processoccurred in September, 2004 when a group ofboard and membership and policy councilmembers held a 2-day retreat with the staffand SESG in Baraboo, Wisconsin. We met atthe offices of the Aldo Leopold Foundation,enjoyed several field trips to lands managed bythe Foundation and wrapped up the sessionwith a visit to the “shack” where Leopold wrotea significant part of Sand County Almanac.

The planning effort has been supported bygrants from the Surdna, Moriah, Sacharunaand SB Foundations as well as donations fromindividual Guild members. We are grateful tothese foundations and individuals as well asto the members of the staff, board and Councilfor their help. With the new business plan near-ly complete, the board and staff are confidentthat the Guild’s vision and evolving role in theworld of forestry are relevant and effective.

Henry Careyis Executive Director

of the Forest Guild.

Fred Clark contemplatesthe wisdom of AldoLeopold while standing infront of a good old oak.

A highlight of the strategicplanning process occurred

when a group of board andmembership and

policy council members helda 2-day retreat in Baraboo,

Wisconsin. Standing infront of the legendary AldoLeopold “shack” are (left to

right) Tom Enders,Orlando Romero,

Ross Morgan,Mike Dombeck,

Fred Clark, Robert Hrubes,Eric Holst, Henry Carey,

Thomas Sisk and Martha Schumann. P

hot

oby

Lau

raM

cCar

thy

“

”

Strategic planning is away of matchingour resourceswith our ambitions toproduce effectivechange.

WISDOM number two/ page 11

A Collaborative Movement, continued from page6

The Forest Guild’s strategic planning process was designedto provide answers to the following questions:

• What are the pressing social, economic and ecological issues related to forests that the Guild seeks to address?

• Can the Guild be effective in tackling these issues?

• What additional resources are necessary for the Guild to achieve success in this endeavor?

• What metrics are necessary for the Guild to know that it hassuccessfully addressed these problems?

Board Member Tom Sisk posesin front of the Aldo Leopold“shack” with a family photo ofhis grandfather and Leopold infront of the same building.

The Forest Guild has launched a major evalua-tion of fuel treatment projects throughout theWest in an effort to shed light on this debate.The Guild will conduct a survey of hundreds ofprojects and assess them against a set of indica-tors related to ecological integrity and humancommunity well-being and safety. The results,coupled with a growing body of forest and firescience, will contribute to the development ofguidelines for fuel reduction projects that arespecific to regions and forest types. Experiencein the Southwest has demonstrated that collab-orative decision making is greatly facilitatedwhen stakeholders embrace a common set ofrestoration guidelines that can then be translat-ed to a watershed scale by skilled and trustedforestry professionals.

This latter role is being filled by Guild membersin several western watersheds. Richard Hart insouthern Oregon is on-call to several communityforestry collaboratives where he helps stake-holders wade through the often confusinginformation about fire ecology and behavior.Working with local youth, he created theChewaucan Biophysical Monitoring Projectwhich provides detailed information on the status of ecosystems to the Lakeview StewardshipGroup, a community collaborative working torestore healthy forests and enhance economicopportunities in Lake County.

Kenneth Baldwin in northern California collab-orates with the Trinity County ResourceConservation District (RCD) and local com-munities to encourage forest health and fuelreduction projects on private land. The RCDhas organized a local working group to identifypriority watersheds and properties. Baldwinthen helps landowners and communities pre-pare fuel management plans and seek cost sharefunding in an effort to reduce the threat ofcatastrophic fire while restoring forest health.He has also served a valuable role in synthesizingrecent fire science research for members of thePost Mountain Collaborative Project, an effortto reduce hazardous fuels and create defensiblespace for an unincorporated rural communityin Trinity County.

Collaborative forest management will certainlynot work in all places. But in many communities,exhausted by perpetual conflict, communitiesof interest are forming around a vision of forestrestoration. These visions will be brought toground by practitioners of the art and scienceof forestry suggesting a major role for theForest Guild and its members across NorthAmerica’s forested landscapes.

WISDOMforest

forest GUILDP.O. Box 519

Santa Fe, NM

87504

Nonprofit Org.US Postage Paid

Santa Fe, NMPermit No. 276

Guild Regional Coordinators:

Northeast

Mike MauriP.O. Box 331Deerfield, MA 01342413-774-6854mikemaur@crocker.com

Andy Shultz63 Quimby St.Augusta, ME 04330Home/Office207-623-3194cell: 207-242-8845a.Forestry@prexar.com

Southeast

Jerry GaertnerNorth State Forestry5420 Knightdale-Eagle Rock Rd.Knightdale, NC 27545919-266-7718919-266-7095 (Home)northstate1@juno.com

Jessica Wilson331 Road 944Mentone, AL 35984256-634-4539jessandnatew@yahoo.com

Northwest

Jean ShafferForestland Management8400 Rocky Lane SEOlympia, WA 98513360-459-0946jeanforest@cco.net

The Good Oak