Scholars' Bank :: Browsing by Author "Schultz, Courtney A."

Browsing by Author "Schultz, Courtney A."

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Open Access
Accomplishing collaborative, landscape-scale restoration on forests without CFLRP or Joint Chiefs' projects
(Ecosystem Workforce Program, Institute for a Sustainable Environment, University of Oregon, 2018) Ellison, Autumn; Coughlan, Michael R.; Kooistra, Chad; Schultz, Courtney A.
Over the last decade, the U.S. Forest Service has been implementing a series of new initiatives designed to accelerate cross-boundary, collaborative, integrated restoration. Many national forests have applied for and been awarded funding for projects under competitive funding initiatives, like the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program (CFLRP) and the Joint Chiefs’ Landscape Restoration Partnership (Joint Chiefs’), which are represented on the majority of national forests. However, some forests have not had projects under these initiatives. Along with our prior research investigating the CFLRP and Joint Chiefs’, we were also interested in understanding how forests that have not participated in either of these initiatives conceptualized, planned for, and engaged in collaborative, landscape-scale restoration efforts. We identified forests that did not have CFLRP or Joint Chiefs’ projects and randomly selected three from each region to contact for interviews. We conducted 29 interviews with 37 people, including Forest Service personnel and external collaborative partners, on 18 national forests.
Open Access
Appendices for: Strategies for increasing prescribed fire application on federal lands : lessons from case studies in the U.S. West
(Ecosystem Workforce Program, Institute for a Sustainable Environment, University of Oregon, 2020) Schultz, Courtney A.; Santo, Anna; Huber-Stearns, Heidi; McCaffrey, Sarah
Case study details for Strategies for increasing prescribed fire application on federal lands : lessons from case studies in the U.S. West. Appendix A: The San Juan National Forest. Appendix B: The BLM Socorro Field Office & Cibola National Forest. Appendix C: The Sierra National Forest. Appendix D: The Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest.
Open Access
Assessment of early implementation of the US Forest Service's shared stewardship strategy
(Ecosystem Workforce Program, Institute for a Sustainable Environment, University of Oregon, 2021) Kooistra, Chad; Schultz, Courtney A.; Huber-Stearns, Heidi; Abrams, Jesse; Greiner, Michelle; Sinkular, Emily
In 2018, in response to calls from Congress to accelerate cross-boundary fire hazard reduction and improve forest resilience, the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) published the Shared Stewardship Strategy (USFS 2018). The document emphasizes partnership with the states, Tribes, and collaborative partners in order to identify priority areas for management, coordinate work across jurisdictions, and leverage diverse capacities. In 2019, Colorado State University entered into a challenge cost-share agreement with USFS State and Private Forestry to conduct independent research on the implementation and development of Shared Stewardship efforts. The first phase of our work took place in 2020, when we interviewed agency and state employees and representatives of partner organizations in states in the West that had signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the USFS to formally pursue Shared Stewardship. Our primary goal was to understand the main factors affecting the early stages of Shared Stewardship efforts across these states, including key actors’ perspectives on the Strategy and early planning and development efforts, primary opportunities and challenges, and the types of capacities, mechanisms, and direction needed to move ahead successfully with partnerships and Shared Stewardship implementation.
Open Access
Collaborative landscape restoration on forests without CFLRP or Joint Chiefs' investments
(Ecosystem Workforce Program, Institute for a Sustainable Environment, University of Oregon, 2018) Ellison, Autumn; Kooistra, Chad; Schultz, Courtney A.; Moseley, Cassandra
In 2017, we studied two restoration initiatives: the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program (CFLRP) and the Joint Chiefs Landscape Restoration Partnership (JCLRP). Both programs competitively award multi-year funding for collaborative, landscape-scale restoration work on high-priority landscapes. To understand how other forests and landscapes viewed these programs and accomplish high-priority restoration work, we interviewed forest-level leadership and collaborative partners on national forests that had never participated in either program. Through interviews with 38 people on 20 national forests, we investigated how forests are conducting large-scale collaborative restoration in the absence of these targeted funding initiatives.
Open Access
Early implementation of the US Forest Service's shared stewardship strategy in the Eastern United States
(Ecosystem Workforce Program, Institute for a Sustainable Environment, University of Oregon, 2021) Kee, Destin D.; Aldworth, Tyler; Abrams, Jesse; Kooistra, Chad; Schultz, Courtney A.; Huber-Stearns, Heidi
In 2018, in response to Congress’ calls for a renewed approach to forest management, the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) announced the Shared Stewardship Strategy - an initiative aimed at increasing the pace and scale of cross-boundary forest management activities (USFS, 2018). In 2019, our team started conducting independent research through semi-structured interviews on the implementation and development of Shared Stewardship efforts in the western U.S. (Phase 1, detailed in Kooistra et al., 2021b). In late 2020, we began investigating states east of the Rocky Mountains (Phase 2), which we refer to herein for ease as “eastern” or “Phase 2” states, although our study included states as far west as Nebraska. This Executive Summary provides an overview of our key findings across Phase 2 states (also see Table A) and our observations on the future of Shared Stewardship.
Open Access
The effects of the Integrated Resource Restoration budget pilot on forest service restoration programs
(Ecosystem Workforce Program, Institute for a Sustainable Environment, University of Oregon, 2015) Schultz, Courtney A.; Mattor, Katherine; Moseley, Cassandra
Forest restoration is a priority for the U.S. Forest Service, but many have argued that the agency is constrained in meeting restoration objectives by its budget structure. In 2012, Congress approved on a pilot basis the Integrated Resource Restoration (IRR) budget line item to consolidate previously separated budget lines. With IRR, the Forest Service introduced new performance measures that increased flexibility to focus on priority restoration activities. The Southwestern, Intermountain, and Northern Regions of the Forest Service have been implementing the IRR since 2012. We were asked by the Forest Service to provide a third-party evaluation of the pilot.
Open Access
The effects of the Integrated Resource Restoration budget pilot on Forest Service restoration programs : third-party review summary findings
(Ecosystem Workforce Program, Institute for a Sustainable Environment, University of Oregon, 2016) Schultz, Courtney A.; Moseley, Cassandra
In 2012, Congress authorized the Integrated Resource Restoration (IRR) budget line item, which consolidates previously separated budget line items into a single funding stream to support integrated restoration planning and project implementation. With the IRR, the Forest Service created several new performance measures to encourage national forests to focus on priority restoration activities. The goals of the IRR are to support greater integration and prioritization of restoration programs, increase flexibility to focus on priority work, and create budgetary and implementation efficiencies. The Southwestern, Intermountain, and Northern Regions of the Forest Service have been implementing the IRR approach on a pilot basis since 2012. The Forest Service asked us to provide a third-party evaluation of the IRR approach to understand its effects on restoration programs.
Open Access
Evaluating the integrated resource restoration line item : results from a survey of National Forest System staff
(Ecosystem Workforce Program, Institute for a Sustainable Environment, University of Oregon, 2015) Schultz, Courtney A.; Mattor, Katherine; Moseley, Cassandra
The Integrated Resource Restoration (IRR) budgetary approach, which has been implemented on a pilot basis in the Northern, Southwestern, and Intermountain Regions since fiscal year 2012, is meant to facilitate holistic and integrated restoration work at landscape scales on national forests. It combines previously separate budget line items into a consolidated funding stream for integrated restoration planning and implementation. At the request of the U.S. Forest Service, we are conducting a third-party evaluation of the IRR pilot.
Open Access
Evaluating the integrated resource restoration line item : results from phase 1
(Ecosystem Workforce Program, Institute for a Sustainable Environment, University of Oregon, 2014) Schultz, Courtney A.; Mattor, Katherine; Moseley, Cassandra
At the request of the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), we are conducting a third-party review of the Integrated Resource Restoration (IRR) budgetary approach, which has been implemented on a pilot basis for three years in USFS Regions 1, 3, and 4 since fiscal year 2012. Our objectives are three-fold: 1) To understand strategic planning approaches and whether improvements in efficiency, prioritization, flexibility, and achievement of restoration outcomes are occurring under the IRR pilot; 2) To assess internal perceptions of the pilot, current challenges, and opportunities for improvement; and 3) To determine the extent to which current performance measures and targets facilitate accomplishment and communication of outcomes under the pilot. Our evaluation will take place over two years, in three phases, and began in August 2013. This report summarizes our findings from phase 1, which involved interviews with staff from the pilot regions.
Open Access
Factors influencing national forests' use of climate change vulnerability assessment : findings from a pilot study
(Ecosystem Workforce Program, Institute for a Sustainable Environment, University of Oregon, 2020) Coughlan, Michael R.; Huber-Stearns, Heidi; Schultz, Courtney A.
The USDA Forest Service conducts climate change vulnerability assessments (CCVA) to inform planning and regions, and individual forests have also assessed climate change vulnerabilities for their landscapes and ecosystems, often in support of forest plan revision. National forests have used CCVA to inform forest planning and management in a range of ways, some more comprehensive than others. We designed a pilot survey instrument aimed at exploring social and organizational factors that may influence the degree to which national forests adopt practices or undertake activities related to climate change adaptation.
Open Access
History of the Cumulative Effects Analysis Requirement Under NEPA and Its Interpretation in U.S. Forest Service Case Law
(University of Oregon School of Law, 2012) Schultz, Courtney A.
Open Access
Planning and managing for resilience : lessons from national forest plan revisions
(Ecosystem Workforce Program, Institute for a Sustainable Environment, University of Oregon, 2020) Abrams, Jesse; Greiner, Michelle; Timberlake, Thomas; Schultz, Courtney A.; Evans, Alexander M.; Huber-Stearns, Heidi
The forest plan revision process presents an opportunity for managers to reorient a national forest’s management direction in pursuit of resilient landscapes, among other goals. It also represents an opportunity for public engagement and the identification of new roles and responsibilities for governmental and non-governmental entities. Through a Joint Fire Science Program-funded project, we compared three recently completed national forest plan revision processes to determine whether and how planners were able to plan for resilient landscape outcomes. Our work helps illustrate the ways that front-line forest planners attempt to promote landscape resilience while reconciling potentially conflicting pressures and management directions. The lessons from our comparative analysis are relevant for forest managers and key stakeholders attempting to plan in pursuit of more resilient landscapes.
Open Access
Planning and managing for resilience : lessons from national forest plan revisions
(Ecosystem Workforce Program, Institute for a Sustainable Environment, University of Oregon, 2020) Abrams, Jesse; Greiner, Michelle; Timberlake, Thomas; Schultz, Courtney A.; Evans, Alexander M.; Huber-Stearns, Heidi
Recent federal forest and wildfire policies have increasingly united around a vision of restoring resilient landscapes in the face of increasingly destructive wildfires driven by altered forest conditions and climate change. The process of revising forest plans guiding national forest management presents opportunities to reorient management informed by concepts of resilience. This Joint Fire Science Program-funded research used case studies of three recently completed national forest plan revision processes to determine whether and how USDA Forest Service staff were able to plan for resilient outcomes. The lessons from our comparative analysis are relevant for forest managers and key stakeholders attempting to plan in pursuit of more resilient landscapes.
Open Access
Prescribed fire policy barriers and opportunities : a diversity of challenges and strategies across the west
(Ecosystem Workforce Program, Institute for a Sustainable Environment, University of Oregon, 2018) Schultz, Courtney A.; Huber-Stearns, Heidi; McCaffrey, Sarah; Quirke, Douglas; Ricco, Gwen; Moseley, Cassandra
We are conducting a project investigating policies that limit managers’ ability to conduct prescribed fire on US Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management lands in the 11 Western states. Our primary objectives are to: 1) Identify current perceived policy barriers to implementing prescribed fire and how these vary across the West, and 2) Characterize actionable opportunities and mechanisms for overcoming barriers. Ultimately, our aim is to identify which policies present the greatest priorities and opportunities for change, and what the mechanisms are for realizing those opportunities. This report details our findings from our initial phases of research on this project, including a legal analysis and approximately 60 interviews with key informants (e.g. land managers, air regulators, and state agency partners).
Open Access
Resilience in land management planning : policy mandates, approaches, and resources
(Ecosystem Workforce Program, Institute for a Sustainable Environment, University of Oregon, 2017) Timberlake, Thomas; Schultz, Courtney A.; Abrams, Jesse
Climate change adaptation presents a challenge for federal land management agencies in the United States. Increasingly, these agencies are turning to the concept of resilience to guide planning for an uncertain future. Resilience refers to the ability of a system to withstand disturbances and maintain its general structure and function. However, the concept can be challenging to operationalize, and a range of types of resilience and definitions for the concept exist. Nonetheless, the concept of resilience can aid in planning by emphasizing uncertainty, nonlinearity, adaptability, and consideration of cross-scale linkages. It also requires accepting the inevitability of ecological disturbances, including wildland fires. This working paper aims to provide background and context to support individuals and groups working to implement resilience in various land management planning contexts and we summarize various frameworks for planning for resilience.
Open Access
Strategies for increasing prescribed fire application on federal lands : lessons from case studies in the U.S. West
(Ecosystem Workforce Program, Institute for a Sustainable Environment, University of Oregon, 2020) Schultz, Courtney A.; Santo, Anna; Huber-Stearns, Heidi; McCaffrey, Sarah
We are investigating policies that affect land managers’ ability to conduct prescribed fire on US Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands in the 11 Western states. Our goals are to identify policy constraints, facilitative strategies, and actionable opportunities to improve policies or policy implementation to facilitate greater use of prescribed fire.... In this second phase of the research, we conducted in-depth case studies of federal land management units that were actively working to increase their application of prescribed fire. We selected four case studies based on interviewee recommendations from our first round of interviews. These cases were: the San Juan National Forest (Colorado), the BLM Socorro Field Office/Cibola National Forest (New Mexico), the Sierra National Forest (California), and the Rogue-River Siskiyou National Forest (Oregon), with a focus on the Ashland Forest Resiliency Project in the Siskiyou Mountains Ranger District. For each case study, we conducted between 11 and 17 interviews with Forest Service or BLM staff members and key external partners. In total, 53 interviews were conducted with 62 interviewees for this phase of the project. Interviews focused on the nature of the prescribed fire program on the unit, key partners, primary challenges, and strategies and opportunities for increasing use of prescribed fire.
Open Access
Strategies for success : the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program
(Ecosystem Workforce Program, Institute for a Sustainable Environment, University of Oregon, 2017) Schultz, Courtney A.; Moseley, Cassandra
In 2017, we studied the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program (CFLRP), which was established by Congress in 2009 to provide 8-10 years of funding for collaborative implementation of restoration projects on priority landscapes larger than 50,000 acres. Through a survey with 229 agency personnel and 81 interviews with equal numbers of Forest Service personnel and external partners, we identified the value added by this initiative, strategies for success, and implications for the future.
Open Access
Strategies for success : the Joint Chiefs Landscape Restoration Partnership
(Ecosystem Workforce Program, Institute for a Sustainable Environment, University of Oregon, 2017) Schultz, Courtney A.; Moseley, Cassandra
In 2017, we studied the Joint Chiefs Landscape Restoration Partnership (JCLRP), a partnership between the Forest Service and Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) designed to promote coordinated, landscape-scale restoration work across public and private lands to reduce fire danger, improve water quality, and enhance wildlife habitat. Through a survey with 196 agency personnel and 62 interviews with Forest Service and NRCS personnel and external partners, we identified the value added by this initiative, strategies for success, and implications for the future.
Open Access
Strategies for success under Forest Service restoration initiatives
(Ecosystem Workforce Program, Institute for a Sustainable Environment, University of Oregon, 2017) Schultz, Courtney A.; McIntyre, Kathleen B.; Cyphers, Laren; Ellison, Autumn; Kooistra, Chad; Moseley, Cassandra
Over the last decade, the Forest Service has been implementing a series of new initiatives designed to accelerate cross-boundary, collaborative, integrated restoration. Between April-September of 2017, with funding from the US Forest Service, we investigated two of these initiatives, the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program (CFLRP) and the Joint Chiefs’ Landscape Restoration Partnership (JCLRP). We surveyed 425 Forest Service and NRCS staff and conducted a total of 143 interviews with both agency staff and external stakeholders for the CFLRP and JCLRP projects to obtain detailed perspective about our questions and reach external partners.
Open Access
Successful strategies for forest restoration : the CFLRP and Joint Chiefs Partnership
(Ecosystem Workforce Program, Institute for a Sustainable Environment, University of Oregon, 2017) Schultz, Courtney A.; Moseley, Cassandra
In 2017, we studied two restoration initiatives: 1) The Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program (CFLRP), which was established by Congress in 2009 to provide 8-10 years of funding for collaborative implementation of restoration projects on priority landscapes, and 2) The Joint Chiefs Landscape Restoration Partnership (JCLRP), a partnership between the Forest Service and NRCS to promote landscape- scale restoration work across public and private lands. Through a survey with 425 agency personnel and 143 interviews with agency personnel and external partners, we identified the value added by these initiatives, strategies for success, and implications for the future.