Scholars' Bank :: Browsing by Author "University of Oregon. Ecosystem Workforce Program"

Browsing by Author "University of Oregon. Ecosystem Workforce Program"

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Open Access
Bad goat, good business : byproducts bring big gains for watershed restoration
(Ecosystem Workforce Program, Institute for a Sustainable Environment, University of Oregon, 2013) University of Oregon. Ecosystem Workforce Program
Restoration contractors in western Montana are fostering ecosystem services on private lands while offering a variety of services to landowners. One such business, Watershed Consulting, LLC, has developed a successful business model that centers on the provision of ecological expertise and highly skilled work across the watershed in forest, range, and riparian land types. Watershed Consulting also markets wood harvested during restoration projects, through Bad Goat Forest Products, LLC. Selling these sustainably harvested wood products in niche markets, or working with landowners to utilize their own wood in building projects, can be seen as an embedded payment for ecosystem services, especially if they garner market share or a premium price because of the ecosystem values associated with the wood.
Open Access
Beer, fish and water restoration certificates : a new way to restore rivers in Montana
(Ecosystem Workforce Program, Institute for a Sustainable Environment, University of Oregon, 2013) University of Oregon. Ecosystem Workforce Program
In many places around the U.S. West, water is overallocated, harming not only water quality and native fish but also communities that make a living from river recreation and tourism. In Montana, where irrigation withdrawals leave nearly 3,000 miles of trout streams chronically dewatered, a new type of water deal gave the state’s biggest brewery, also a big water user, a way to put millions of gallons of water back into a long-dry creek to restore native fish while compensating landowners for water they were able to forgo. The deal was sealed by two non-profit organizations and a new kind of entrepreneur: an “eco-asset broker.”
Open Access
Certification rewards stewardship and assures future markets for Montana timber
(Ecosystem Workforce Program, Institute for a Sustainable Environment, University of Oregon, 2013) University of Oregon. Ecosystem Workforce Program
Ecologically sound practices often cost landowners more than less environmentally friendly tactics. However, some consumers are willing to pay more for the assurance of production practices they value. Third-party certification is a way to acknowledge sustainable production practices beyond what is required by law. The market for such products is often new and relatively small, but one company is betting that in the future, certification will be essential to market access. A certified timber company and sawmill in Northwest Montana is using log-buying policies to incentivize certified sustainable forestry practices on private lands. Stewardship is rewarded, and both landowners and the mill benefit by being better prepared in evolving markets.
Open Access
Coordinated salmon habitat restoration on private lands
(Ecosystem Workforce Program, Institute for a Sustainable Environment, University of Oregon, 2013) University of Oregon. Ecosystem Workforce Program
Salmon recovery requires restoration of spawning habitat to improve egg-to-smolt survival. Private lands play a crucial role. Funds for restoration are available from both federal appropriations and legal settlements for dam mitigation. Federal agencies responsible for recovery are often limited in their ability to work on private lands however, not only by legal authority, but also by the absence of landowner trust. In the Methow River Valley in north central Washington, an innovative partnership between a federal agency and a local nonprofit is bridging that gap by working together to facilitate and fund salmon habitat restoration on private lands. The partnership merges available funding with local knowledge to deploy funding strategically across the Valley. Landowners benefit from assistance for restoration projects that often increase the value of their properties beyond the small match required for the funding, in addition to increased irrigation efficiencies.
Open Access
Ecosystem services online : an overview of web-based resources
(Ecosystem Workforce Program, Institute for a Sustainable Environment, University of Oregon, 2013) University of Oregon. Ecosystem Workforce Program
As the concepts of ecosystem services and payments for ecosystem services (PES) have evolved, numerous web-based resources have been created to 1) provide and exchange information about ecosystem services, and 2) facilitate transactions between those who provide ecosystem services and those who wish to compensate those providers, also commonly referred to as “buyers and sellers” of ecosystem services. In 2011, a broad internet search for web-based ecosystem services resources by the research team yielded many results which were reviewed and compiled into a catalog. In 2013, this catalog was updated with new information and made available on the project website. It provides a comprehensive listing of available resources to those interested in ecosystem services, including landowners. This fact sheet provides an overview of the different types of resources that are available in the catalog, along with points to consider while browsing them. An accompanying fact sheet highlights useful resources in each of the four categories outlined below.
Open Access
Enhancing the effectiveness of conservation easements through trust building, partner coordination, and cooperation
(Ecosystem Workforce Program, Institute for a Sustainable Environment, University of Oregon, 2013) University of Oregon. Ecosystem Workforce Program
Large, intact landscapes are necessary to maintain and enhance ecosystem services. Across the West, the break-up of working landscapes into “ranchettes” has resulted in the loss of fish and wildlife habitat, water quality, and other ecosystem services. In some landscapes, conservation easements have prevented this kind of development through the acquisition of development rights and deed restrictions specifying allowable land use activities. Although easements have protected numerous individual properties and have helped landowners address financial challenges, there is a growing perception that a lack of coordinated action at scale can limit their ecological effectiveness. Two examples of a more coordinated approach to protecting and restoring land across landscapes with conservation easements are unfolding in the Blackfoot Watershed of western Montana and the Upper Salmon River Basin of north central Idaho. In both of these places, diverse groups are convening to facilitate the strategic use of easements while also maintaining agricultural and forestry land uses.
Open Access
Farm bill evolution to increase landowner and ecosystem service benefits
(Ecosystem Workforce Program, Institute for a Sustainable Environment, University of Oregon, 2013) University of Oregon. Ecosystem Workforce Program
With approximately 9,400 professionals working in nearly every one of the nation’s 3,071 counties and an emphasis on voluntary, incentives-based approaches to conservation, the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has significantly influenced private working lands management. NRCS conservation programs, which typically deliver financial and technical assistance on a landowner-by-landowner basis, have been criticized as “random acts of conservation” that lack strategic vision for delivering landscape-scale outcomes. To address this, the 2008 Farm Bill created new initiatives to allow partner organizations to propose strategic, multi-landowner projects that address priority resource concerns within specific hydrographic or geographic boundaries. The Three Sisters Irrigation District in the Upper Deschutes River Basin of Central Oregon used one of these programs, the Agricultural Water Enhancement Program (AWEP), as one source of money to bring pressurized water to irrigators within the district and restore water to a historically dewatered creek. The McKenzie Canyon project reveals some of the relative strengths and weaknesses of one of NRCS’s new approaches.
Open Access
Forest lands in Oregon and Washington : forestland ownership, timber, and mills
(Ecosystem Workforce Program, Institute for a Sustainable Environment, University of Oregon, 2019) University of Oregon. Ecosystem Workforce Program; United States. Forest Service. Pacific Northwest Region
Part of year three of "The Forest Service and Communities: The Relationships Between Land and People in the Pacific Northwest Region" [Ecosystem Workforce Program Working Paper #72]. This document is one of three products created for the third year of the project, which are collectively classified as EWP Working Paper #95. The forested landscape of the Pacific Northwest is integral to the economy of the region. In this document, we show the prevalence of federal forestland across Washington and Oregon, and how both state’s forest industry and related economies have changed over the years, with a focus on current conditions.
Open Access
The Forest Service and communities : the relationships between land and people in the Pacific Northwest region.
(Ecosystem Workforce Program, Institute for a Sustainable Environment, University of Oregon, 2016) University of Oregon. Ecosystem Workforce Program; United States. Forest Service. Pacific Northwest Region
This is a joint project between the US Forest Service Pacific Northwest Region and the University of Oregon Ecosystem Workforce Program. This project aims to help the Forest Service and its partners better understand and communicate the social and economic contexts in which the Forest Service operates and document Forest Service impacts in advancing sustainable natural resources-based economies. We designed this project as a collaborative learning process in which we would experiment with new ways to use, integrate, and represent data, especially Forest Service data, to understand potential applications of data already being collected and recorded as well as identify data gaps and strategize how to fill them. This book documents the first year of experimental work and reflects the questions asked, data used to answer the questions, interpretation of the resulting data, and key insights from the learning process.
Open Access
The Forest Service and partners : working together to restore Pacific Northwest national forests
(Ecosystem Workforce Program, Institute for a Sustainable Environment, University of Oregon, 2018) University of Oregon. Ecosystem Workforce Program; United States. Forest Service. Pacific Northwest Region
Year 2 report for "The Forest Service and Communities: The Relationships Between Land and People in the Pacific Northwest Region" [Ecosystem Workforce Program Working Paper #72]. This is a joint project between the U.S. Forest Service Pacific Northwest Region and the University of Oregon Ecosystem Workforce Program. This project aims to help the Forest Service and its partners better understand and communicate the social and economic contexts in which the Forest Service operates and document Forest Service impacts in advancing sustainable natural resources-based economies. We designed this project as a collaborative learning process in which we would experiment with new ways to use, integrate, and represent data, especially Forest Service data, to understand potential applications of data already being collected and recorded as well as identify data gaps and strategize how to fill them. In this second year we focused on: 1) showing trends over time; 2) presenting more nuanced analyses of regional characteristics, agency data, and linkages to communities; 3) digging deeper into collaborative restoration efforts and understanding where and how partnerships are leveraged by non-agency partners; 4) providing more detail on forest products from the national forests.
Open Access
The Forest Service and partnerships : cross-boundary collaboration in the Pacific Northwest region
(Ecosystem Workforce Program, Institute for a Sustainable Environment, University of Oregon, 2019) University of Oregon. Ecosystem Workforce Program; United States. Forest Service. Pacific Northwest Region
Part of year three of "The Forest Service and Communities: The Relationships Between Land and People in the Pacific Northwest Region" [Ecosystem Workforce Program Working Paper #72]. This document is one of three products created for the third year of the project, which are collectively classified as EWP Working Paper #95. Collaboration has deep roots in national forests and communities in Oregon and Washington. This is evident in the diversity, number, and work of forest collaboratives as well as the prevalence of collaborative programs working across jurisdictional boundaries. Collaboration can provide Forest Service staff opportunities to address local community priorities, build community capacity, leverage resources, and increase accomplishments and benefits across the board. All 16 national forests and the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area have forest collaborative groups associated with them. Land management policies in the last two decades have also had an important impact on national forests and communities in Oregon and Washington. In particular, all 16 national forests have used Good Neighbor Authority, seven forests contain current or former Joint Chiefs’ Landscape Restoration projects, and five forests have Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration projects. These projects alone have engaged hundreds of different partnering organizations.
Open Access
Fuels reduction treatments in the Dry Forest Zone: What treatments are being used and who is doing the work?
(Ecosystem Workforce Program, Institute for a Sustainable Environment, University of Oregon, 2014-03-05) University of Oregon. Ecosystem Workforce Program
As part of the final map packet for the Dry Forest Zone project, this infographic looks at the total acres treated, the most frequently-used treatment types, the workforce for different kinds of treatments, and treatment trends in the Dry Forest Zone from 2009-2012.
Open Access
A Guidebook for Multiparty Monitoring for Sustainable Natural Resource Management
(Ecosystem Workforce Program, Institute for a Sustainable Environment, University of Oregon, 2002) University of Oregon. Ecosystem Workforce Program; Watershed Research and Training Center
This guidebook is designed to help communities and their agency partners monitor activities related to ecosystem management and community-based forestry, especially the National Fire Plan. This guidebooks offers suggestions about how to develop a multiparty monitoring program for: * Employment results (quality jobs) of restoration and maintenance of public lands * Utilization of by-products of ecosystem management * Grants and other investments * Ecological efforts
Open Access
Homeowners associations as promising structures for wildfire risk reduction : the Hawken and Caughlin fires in Caughlin Ranch, Nevada
(Ecosystem Workforce Program, Institute for a Sustainable Environment, University of Oregon, 2014) University of Oregon. Ecosystem Workforce Program
Local organizations can play a prominent role in wildfire preparedness, response, and recovery. The Caughlin Ranch community experienced two destructive fires–the Hawken Fire in 2007 and the Caughlin Fire in 2011–which together burned a total of 4,645 acres. Both fires resulted in neighborhood evacuations, and the Caughlin Fire produced significant damage to homes in a nearby subdivision. The Caughlin Ranch Homeowners Association is a major community-level organization that plays a substantial role in regulating landscapes, building materials, and appropriate development in the Caughlin Ranch community. It operates within the context of other local, state, and national organizations, all of which play a role in fire response and risk mitigation. This case demonstrates the potential for homeowners associations to incentivize risk mitigation in wildfire-prone communities by assuming greater responsibility for wildfire protection in development and maintenance codes, covenants, and restrictions.
Open Access
Iconic places of the US Forest Service : the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area
(Ecosystem Workforce Program, Institute for a Sustainable Environment, University of Oregon, 2018) University of Oregon. Ecosystem Workforce Program
The U.S. Forest Service manages specially-designated areas and national monuments, protected either by Congress through legislation or by the President via proclamation under the authority of the Antiquities Act. These areas have been designated for their special characteristics and the unique opportunities they offer. They were protected in perpetuity for a range of ecological and social benefits such as scenic beauty, recreation opportunities, wildlife habitat, and watershed protection, and the intent and management objectives for each are distinct and unique. This fact sheet provides an overview of the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, based on interviews with USFS personnel and partnership organizations that work together to manage the area.
Open Access
Matchmakers, evaluators, libraries, and networks : online resources for landowners and practitioners
(Ecosystem Workforce Program, Institute for a Sustainable Environment, University of Oregon, 2013) University of Oregon. Ecosystem Workforce Program
As the concepts of ecosystem services and payments for ecosystem services (PES) have evolved, numerous web-based resources have been created to 1) provide and exchange information about ecosystem services, and 2) facilitate transactions between those who provide ecosystem services and those who wish to compensate those providers, also commonly referred to as “buyers and sellers” of ecosystem services. Online resources fall into four broad categories: matchmakers, evaluators, libraries, and networks. This fact sheet highlights useful examples in each category, excerpted from the accompanying catalog of resources that was created between 2011 and 2013. While examples are classified in the category they fit best, many provide resources relevant to each category. For many more online resources, see the full catalog on the project website.
Open Access
National forests of the Pacific Northwest region : supplemental figures of selected data by forest and state
(Ecosystem Workforce Program, Institute for a Sustainable Environment, University of Oregon, 2019) University of Oregon. Ecosystem Workforce Program; United States. Forest Service. Pacific Northwest Region
Part of year three of "The Forest Service and Communities: The Relationships Between Land and People in the Pacific Northwest Region" [Ecosystem Workforce Program Working Paper #72]. This document is one of three products created for the third year of the project, which are collectively classified as EWP Working Paper #95. This document includes overview figures created throughout the three years of the Forest Service and Communities project. The intent is to illustrate selected data collected by the Forest Service for a variety of measures at both the regional level and for each national forest unit in the region. These figures do not represent the full breadth and depth of data collected by the Forest Service, but serve as examples of how data can be displayed. On this first spread we present basic context data–the total area, average budget, and average personnel during recent years for each national forest unit. These basic overview data are included on each of the following pages to provide context for unit-level accomplishments.
Open Access
Oregon ranch combines programs for long-term sustainability
(Ecosystem Workforce Program, Institute for a Sustainable Environment, University of Oregon, 2013) University of Oregon. Ecosystem Workforce Program
Landowners who want to restore and improve their land may be unsure of how to navigate the programs that are available to help them reach their goals. A ranch family in southern Oregon has tackled these barriers and successfully combined multiple projects, partners, and funding sources to improve ecological and financial conditions on their land, now and for the future. Their commitment to identifying and combining appropriate programs has helped them achieve myriad ecological outcomes and improved the efficiency of their operations.
Open Access
Paying the water bill : community support for agriculture and river restoration in central Oregon
(Ecosystem Workforce Program, Institute for a Sustainable Environment, University of Oregon, 2013) University of Oregon. Ecosystem Workforce Program
Fish recovery in rivers depends on sufficient instream flows to maintain water quality and habitat. In many areas, water rights for agriculture present direct competition for these flows, and “use it or lose it” water rights provide little flexibility to landowners who may be able to contribute unneeded rights. An innovative partnership between a nonprofit and a private water company in Bend, OR is tackling these challenges with a new twist on traditional water banking. The Blue Water program offers a novel way to pay for water banking, giving municipal water users a way to pitch in for their local river while enhancing instream flows and financially benefiting agricultural landowners.
Open Access
Payments for ecosystem services : catalog of online tools and resources
(Ecosystem Workforce Program, Institute for a Sustainable Environment, University of Oregon, 2013) University of Oregon. Ecosystem Workforce Program
As the concepts of ecosystem services and payments for ecosystem services (PES) have gained in popularity, numerous web-based resources have been created to 1) provide and exchange information about ecosystem services, and 2) facilitate transactions between buyers and sellers, or those who provide ecosystem services and those who wish to compensate those providers. In 2011, we searched the internet for web-based ecosystem services resources, reviewed what we found, and compiled them into a catalogue. In 2013, we updated the catalogue with newly available information and have made it available here for others working in the field of ecosystem services, including landowners. Several fact sheets accompany this catalogue, including an overview of the types of resources discovered, and a fact sheet for each resource type (matchmakers, evaluators, libraries, and networks). The fact sheets include challenges and opportunities for future development of such resources, along with recommendations for each resource category.