Institute for Resilient Organizations, Communities, and Environments (IROCE)

Permanent URI for this community

https://hdl.handle.net/1794/13125

The Institute for Resilient Organizations, Communities, and Environments (IROCE) at the University of Oregon links, leverages, and aligns applied social science research and resources to help organizations and communities adapt and thrive in the face of adversity.

Note: The organization was formerly known as The Institute for a Sustainable Environment

For more information, visit the web site at: https://resilient.uoregon.edu

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Now showing 1 - 20 of 257

Open Access
Abrupt Climate Change and the Economy: A survey with application to Oregon
(Resource Innovations, Institute for a Sustainable Environment, University of Oregon, 2006) Climate Leadership Initiative; Goodstein, Eban S., 1960-; Doppelt, Bob
The general warming of the Earth that is expected over the next century will have serious economic consequences for humans and natural ecosystems across the world. The Pacific Northwest is already experiencing adverse affects and more are likely the warmer it gets. [Resource Innovations (2005)] This will be true even if warming proceeds gradually. Globally, temperatures are expected to rise between 1◦ and 5◦ c (2◦-10◦ F) over the next hundred years. [IPCC (2001)] Regional warming is expected to be 5.4 ◦ F by mid-century. [Institute of Natural Resources (2004)] To put these numbers in perspective, during the last Ice Age, global temperatures averaged 9◦ F cooler than today, so a mid-range warming will approach a swing in global temperatures of Ice Age magnitude, only in the opposite direction. In Oregon, the most visible short run impacts will be felt through loss of snowpack and dramatic reductions in summer water supply for agriculture, and municipal and in-stream uses, as well as through sea level rise, and forest impacts. [Resource Innovations (2005)] This paper sketches the possibilities for more abrupt changes in the climate system, which would have potentially catastrophic impacts for the Oregon’s economy, and evaluates insurance motives for reducing global warming emissions in the state.
Open Access
Adopting stewardship contracting : lessons from four national forests
(Ecosystem Workforce Program, Institute for a Sustainable Environment, University of Oregon, 2011) Moseley, Cassandra; Donoghue, Ellen M. (Ellen Mary); Charnley, Susan; MacFarland, Kate
Congress granted broad stewardship contracting authority to the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management in the FY 2003 appropriations act to help these agencies accomplish restoration and hazardous fuels reduction and increase community benefit from these activities. During the first several years of the authority, the use of stewardship contracting was uneven, with some national forests making significant use of the authorities while others hardly used stewardship contracting at all. Although the stewardship contracting has become more wide spread in recent years, it is not clear why some national forests were early adopters and others were more hesitant to use the authorities. This study provides insight into the question of why the use of stewardship contracting was initially so variable.
Open Access
Advancing Oregon’s sustainability agenda: the role of the ecosystem management industry in achieving sustainability--ecological, social and economic, April 26-27, 2001, Pendleton Oregon
(Ecosystem Workforce Program, Institute for a Sustainable Environment, University of Oregon, 2001) University of Oregon. Ecosystem Workforce Program. Forum
The 2001 Ecosystem Workforce Program’s Annual Forum was held in Pendleton OR April 26th and 27th. The focus of this year’s forum was to share knowledge and examples of the ongoing efforts of the ecosystem management industry’s crucial role in advancing Oregon’s sustainability agenda. Over 70 practitioners and natural resource agency representatives took part in the two-day meeting. The following summaries offer a brief outline of those presentations and discussions which captured the forum’s focus. The concluding section is a report of suggestions forum participants offered as the next steps for the Ecosystem Workforce Taskforce to consider. The Task Force is a group convened by the Oregon Community and Economic Development Department to explore opportunities for linking sustainable natural resource goals and sustainable community objectives. Contact information for forum presenters is listed in this last section.
Open Access
Advancing rural conservation-based economic development : framing our community in Elk City, ID
(Ecosystem Workforce Program, Institute for a Sustainable Environment, University of Oregon, 2016) Ellison, Autumn; Davis, Emily Jane
Across the U.S. West, many rural communities adjacent to publicly owned federal lands have been greatly affected by changes to federal land management policies and by economic restructuring of the wood products industry. In the late 1980s through the early 2000s, federal forest policy changes led to reductions in both federal timber harvests and timber industry employment. At the same time, a combination of industry competition, automation, and relocation created additional uncertainty in communities traditionally dependent upon wood products employment. Elk City, Idaho, like many other communities surrounded by large tracts of federal land across the West, was profoundly affected by these changes. In 1999, local leaders and citizens founded a community-based organization called Framing Our Community to help the community navigate this transition while maintaining ties to natural resource activities and employment. Like other community-based organizations, Framing Our Community works with multiple public, private, and non-profit entities at multiple scales to facilitate sustainable natural resource-based economic development at the local community level. This Fact Sheet documents the origins of Framing Our Community and illustrates how the organization has helped to foster conservation-based economic development in Elk City and beyond.
Open Access
An analysis of forest service and BLM contracting and contractor capacity in Lake County, Oregon: 1994-1999
(Sustainable Northwest, 2001-07) Kauffman, Marcus; Sustainable Northwest (Organization)
This document examines the federal contracting sector in Lake County, considering both the federal land management agencies’ demand for services and the capacity of local contracting firms to carry out the work. It is hoped that this information will aid the development of a highskill high-wage contracting sector in the county. This report analyzes contracts awarded by the Fremont National Forest and the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Lakeview District between 1994 and 1999. It also examines the capacity of 17 contracting firms in Lake County. This assessment seeks to: 1) quantify the Forest Service and BLM demand for contracted services in Lake County; 2) determine how much and what types of work were awarded to contracting firms located within Lake County and Bly from 1994-1999; 3) gauge the capacity of the local contractors to provide the services sought by the federal agencies; 4) offer recommendations to help increase the competitiveness of local firms and make federal contracts more attractive to local firms.
Open Access
Annual report 2004
(University of Oregon, Institute for a Sustainable Environment, Resource Innovations, 2005-03-01) University of Oregon. Institute for a Sustainable Environment. Resource Innovations
Open Access
Application of the forest restoration and utilization calculator : economic effects from potential forest management in Jackson County, OR
(Ecosystem Workforce Program, Institute for a Sustainable Environment, University of Oregon, 2015) White, Eric M.; Bennett, Drew E.
Forest management to achieve ecological objectives can also create desirable social and economic outcomes in local communities. We developed the Forest Restoration and Utilization Calculator to estimate the economic effects of forest management in Oregon. We used the calculator to explore potential economic effects from a federal forest management project in Jackson County, Oregon. Forest management projects often include a mix of commercial timber harvest and non-commercial forest and watershed treatments, such as thinning and piling of fuels. We tested a hypothetical forest project in Jackson County that included a mix of commercial timber harvest and non-commercial fuels reduction activities using local information on typical forest treatments, stand characteristics, and implementation costs.
Open Access
Assessment of water leasing activities in Washington State
(Center for Watershed and Community Health, Mark O. Hatfield School of Government, Portland State University, 2001-11-01)
The State of Washington faced a record drought situation for the 2001 water year. The opportunity to lease water from current water right holders for the purpose of enhancing instream flows to improve conditions for fish were constrained by the drought. Water leasing activities conducted by the Washington Department of Ecology (WDOE), the Roza Irrigation District, and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) will be discussed here.
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
Barriers and preferences for landowner participation in conservation programs in the interior Northwest
(Ecosystem Workforce Program, Institute for a Sustainable Environment, University of Oregon, 2013) Gosnell, Hannah; Burright, Harmony S. J.; Nielsen-Pincus, Max; Ellison, Autumn; Moseley, Cassandra
Small and medium-sized forest and range landowners have a significant impact on ecosystem health. Conservation programs such as those offered by the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) and environmentally-oriented markets offer incentives to conserve ecological functions while helping improve landowner prosperity. However, only a minority of forest and rangeland owners participate in conservation programs. To better understand the influences on landowner participation conservation programs and opportunities to improve participation, we examined landowner concerns and preferences in the interior Pacific Northwest.
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
The benefits of USDA Forest Service agreements with community-based organizations
(Ecosystem Workforce Program, Institute for a Sustainable Environment, University of Oregon, 2012) Davis, Emily Jane; Moseley, Cassandra
The federal government is the largest landowner in many western communities. It can contribute to local socioeconomic vitality by providing opportunities for businesses and partners to perform land management activities and process natural resources. However, little is known about how the Forest Service engages nonprofit partners to accomplish this work and produce community benefits. We examined how formal agreements between the Forest Service and community based-organizations under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) in 2009-2010 created social and livelihood benefits. We found that different kinds of agreement structures can make these benefits possible.
Open Access
Benefits to fish, benefits to farmers: improving streamflow and water allocation in the Northwest
(Center for Watershed and Community Health, Institute for a Sustainable Environment, University of Oregon, 2002-08) Jaeger, William K.; Doppelt, Bob
This paper is intended to outline a framework and provide policy recommendations for expanding the tools and approaches available to transfer water between out-of-stream and instream uses and also among out-of-stream uses. The document is an outcome of a multi-year effort to assess the costs and benefits of water acquisition strategies, begun in 2000 by the PSU (now UO) Center for Watershed and Community Health. The report suggests that one key to expanding water transfers in the region is to frame the goal, when possible, as a means to help all users of water—both farmers and other water right holders—to meet their objectives. This approach may be viewed more positively than ones which has at times been interpreted by some agricultural interests as involving only costs without any offsetting benefits for them or their communities.
Open Access
Beyond Planning: Stewardship Contracting as a Management Tool for Implementing CWPPs
(University of Oregon, Institute for a Sustainable Environment, 2008-06) Donovan, Shannon; Lynn, Kathy; Kauffman, Marcus
Open Access
Boots on the ground, boots around the table : managing rangeland wildfire risk in Oregon and Idaho
(Ecosystem Workforce Program, Institute for a Sustainable Environment, University of Oregon, 2019) Davis, Emily Jane
The rangelands of southeastern Oregon and southern Idaho have experienced increasingly large wildfires that threaten multiple values and can exceed Bureau of Land Management (BLM) response capacity. There has been interest in expanding suppression capabilities through the creation of rangeland fire protection associations (RFPAs), volunteer groups of landowners trained and authorized to respond to wildfires. Another key strategy has been the collaborative development of proactive mitigation measures to reduce the risk of large wildfires. This fact sheet examines how the multiple entities involved in rangeland wildfire mitigation and suppression are coordinating their actions and addressing shared risks through case studies of Harney County, Oregon and Owyhee County, Idaho.
Open Access
Building a sustainable Oregon from within: a formative review of the State of Oregon’s Sustainability Initiative
(Center For Watershed And Community Health, Institute for a Sustainable Environment, University of Oregon, 2002-10) Farrell, Ben; Mintz, Melanie; Zimmerman, Adam; Doppelt, Bob; Baldwin, John
This report summarizes the results of a formative review of the State of Oregon’s efforts to adopt sustainability measures. In May 2000 Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber signed Executive Order No. EO-00-07 (EO) directing Oregon state government to develop policies and programs that will assist Oregon in meeting a goal of sustainability within one generation – by 2025. In 2001 the Oregon Legislature enacted House Bill (HB) 3948, making the adoption of sustainability measures within state government part of state law. For the purposes of this report, the combination of the Governor's EO and HB 3948 is referred to as the State of Oregon's “Sustainability Initiative,” or simply the “Initiative.” This review was undertaken to understand the strengths and weaknesses of the process of institutionalizing sustainability into everyday state agency operations and to identify actions that could enhance the success of the Initiative over time. The review was also undertaken as a learning experience for University of Oregon graduate students Ben Farrell, Melanie Mintz, and Adam Zimmerman, who did the majority of the planning, research and writing. Bob Doppelt, Director of the Center for Watershed and Community Health, and Dr. John Baldwin, University of Oregon Associate Professor of Planning, Public Policy and Management, supervised the project.
Open Access
Burning without borders : cooperatively managing wildfire risk in northern Colorado
(Ecosystem Workforce Program, Institute for a Sustainable Environment, University of Oregon, 2020) Cheng, Antony S.
Because wildfires don’t stop at ownership boundaries, managers from governmental and nongovernmental organizations in Northern Colorado are taking steps to pro-actively “co-manage” wildfire risk through the Northern Colorado Fireshed Collaborative (NCFC). For this research project, co-management refers to the collective actions taken by organizations to share the resources, costs, and burdens associated with managing fire risk across a large landscape. We examine factors that facilitated and limited wildfire risk co-management in a case study of the NCFC.
Open Access
"Call when needed" : private contracting for wildfire suppression in an unpredictable work environment
(Ecosystem Workforce Program, Institute for a Sustainable Environment, University of Oregon, 2015) Huber-Stearns, Heidi; Bixler, R. Patrick (Richard Patrick); Ellison, Autumn; Moseley, Cassandra
The U.S. Forest Service is facing unprecedented challenges in wildfire suppression, and increasingly depends on resources outside the agency to maintain adequate wildfire response capacity. Reliance on private wildfire suppression contractors has increased over time, especially in bolstering capacity for direct attack resources, such as aerial resources, firefighter hand crews and other equipment. However, little is known about private contracting businesses, in particular how they navigate the same fundamental challenge: to maintain and grow their businesses that directly depend on unpredictable fire seasons and agency needs. This briefing paper reports findings from a case study in southern Oregon, as part of a larger project investigating the role of private wildfire suppression contracting on national forests.
Open Access
Capacity of community-based organizations for natural resource management
(Ecosystem Workforce Program, Institute for a Sustainable Environment, University of Oregon, 2011) Moseley, Cassandra; MacFarland, Kate; Nielsen-Pincus, Max; Grimm, Kerry; Pomeroy, Alaina; Enzer, Maia J.
Reliance on community-based natural resource management in the western US has been growing since the 1990s. Collaboration is increasingly essential, and community-based organizations are often relied upon to facilitate this collaboration. This is particularly true in the face of decreasing resources within federal land management agencies and the growing complexity of natural resource issues. The proposed Forest Service Planning Rule, the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program, and other programs rely heavily on collaboration to achieve their goals. Community-based organizations, including nonprofits and informal collaborative groups, work to build public agreement around the management of federal lands; develop local business and workforce capacity for forest and watershed restoration; and ensure that the benefits of restoration activity flow to rural communities. The resources, structure, relationships, and other characteristics of these organizations are less well understood than their strategies, approaches, and activities. This paper seeks to provide insight into the organizational capacity of community-based organizations in the American West and to give recommendations to enhance and grow their impact.
Open Access
Case Study: Reducing Hazardous Fuels for Josephine County’s Special Needs Population--Draft
(University of Oregon, Institute for a Sustainable Environment, 2006-10)