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1 Steve Gibbs Forest Stewardship Program Manager USDA Forest Service, State & Private Forestry Cooperative Programs Review DNR Forest Stewardship Program Review

2 DNR Forest Landowner Assistance Program History USFS/DNR Cooperative Landowner Assistance dates back 60+ years 1950’s – 1960’s: Farm Forestry Program 1970’s – 1980’s: Service Forestry Program 1990 – Present: Forest Stewardship Program

3 Summary/Overview Forest Stewardship Program Components Outreach and Education Forest Owner Field Days, Coached Planning Courses, Forest Owner’s Winter Schools, Local topic-specific programs

4 Forest Stewardship Program Components Technical Assistance Forest management advice Forest Stewardship Plan development and implementation

5 Forest Stewardship Program Components Financial Incentives (Cost-Share) Forest Health/Wildfire Hazard Reduction, EQIP

6 Forest Stewardship Program Components Recognition Stewardship Forest sign Coached Planning Certificate FSP logo wear

7 Forest Stewardship Program Components Backyard Forest Stewardship Program (In partnership with WSU Extension)

8 Forest Stewardship Program Components Special Emphasis Projects S&PF Competitive grants Western State Fire Managers grants Woodland Fish and Wildlife Publication Project

9 Staffing levels 21 Full time staff total – Less than 2.5 full time staff supported by Forest Stewardship Program funds Statewide: Program Manager and Wildlife Biologist Northwest Washington – 1 Full time staff Southwest Washington – 1 Full time staff Northeast – 10 Full time staff Southeast – 7 Full time staff

10 Strategies Aggressive outreach and recruitment of “new” landowners (Forest Owner’s Field Days, Coached Planning Courses, etc.)

11 Strategies Targeted priority landscapes – State Forest Action Plan Core Landscapes – State Forest Health Warning Areas Watershed (landscape level) plans and projects

12 Strategies Audience segregation – customized program delivery – Backyard Forest Stewardship Program – Absentee Owner outreach Integrated Program Delivery – Other S&PF programs (Forest health, Fire hazard reduction) – Small Forest Landowner Office Programs

13 Strategies Close interagency cooperation and resource sharing: MOU’s dating back 40 years

14 Strategies Integrated Forest Management Plan Guidelines – Plan Guidelines developed and adopted by DNR, NRCS, USDA Forest Service, WA Tree Farm Program, WA Dept. of Revenue

15 Strategies Interstate cooperation – S&PF grants, Forest Owner’s Field Days, Woodland Fish and Wildlife Publications

16 Strategies Landowner empowered Forest Stewardship Plan development (Coached Planning Courses)

17 Strategies Dedicated specialized expertise – Wildlife Biologist, Special Forest Products Specialist

18 Strategies Financial incentives – cost-share program Forest Health and Wildfire Hazard Reduction

19 Grant Management Forest Stewardship Annual Grants $280,000 (spent) $310,000 (spent) $300,000 (spent) $257, $ 253,667 WSFM Competitive – (13 - $3.7 million) S&PF Competitive: 2009 – Spokane-Rathdrum Aquifer - $150, * – Ties To The Land – 4 states - $70, * – Wind-White Salmon Watershed - $300, – Kettle/Sanpoil - $300, * – Absentee Landowner Outreach -$150,000.

20 Performance Measures 5-Year Snapshot: Forest Stewardship Plans created covering 68,674 acres (average 90/year covering an average of 14,000 acres/year) Number of on-site technical assists: 7,042 (average 1,400/year) Number of “office” assists: 24,903 (average 5,000/year) Number of landowners participating in educational programs: 14,570 (average 3,000/year)

21 Quality Assurance & Monitoring Annual Forest Stewardship Plan Monitoring – follow national protocol. -- Qualitative review of plans -- On-site review of implementation Periodic review of plans by Program Managers at DNR and Forest Service.

22 Partnerships Internal: Integrated Program Delivery of S&PF/Small Forest Landowner Office Programs External: USDA – Forest Service – S&PF/NFS, NRCS, FSA Washington State University Extension Conservation Districts, Assn. of Conservation Districts Consulting Foresters, Forestry Contractors, Contract Loggers WA Farm Forestry Association WA Tree Farm Program Other NGO’s -Family Forest Foundation, Northwest Natural Resources Group, Sustainable Forestry Initiative Land trusts, conservation groups Local government – King Co. Forestry Program, County Assessors Other governmental agencies – Bureau of Indian Affairs, Dept. of Revenue, WA Dept. of Fish and Wildlife, WA State Parks, WA Dept. of Ecology, etc. Interstate – State Forestry and Extension in Idaho and Oregon

23 Outreach to underserved communities Large scale direct mail campaigns reach all landowners Tribes Absentee Owners Very small acreage ownerships

24 Issues Historical Issues – that have been resolved Landowner focus groups: – Ineffective staffing structure – negligible time, often regulatory staff – Reactive – technical assistance limited to cost-share participants – “Siloed” Program Delivery – Lack of Specialized Expertise (Wildlife) – No coordination between education and technical assistance Primary Current/Future Issue – Lack of regularly recurring reliable funding (88% of FSP FTE’s supported by non-FSP dollars -- largely “soft money”) -- Western WA – inadequate staffing -- Eastern WA – reliance on “soft money” Lack of reward for full range of accomplishments and performance measures in FSP funding allocation.

25 Contact Information Steve Gibbs Forest Stewardship Program PO Box Olympia, WA Click on Forest Stewardship Program

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