EWP Working Papers

Permanent URI for this collection

https://hdl.handle.net/1794/13127

Founded in 1994, the Ecosystem Workforce Program was created to help lead the rural Pacific Northwest into the age of ecosystem management--management for healthy communities and healthy environments. The EWP believes that, by creating high skill forest and watershed jobs that enable people to work near their homes, we will establish a structure for long term resource stewardship. Our goal is to demonstrate the linkages between a quality workforce, a healthy economy, healthy community, and effective management for forest ecosystems.

For more information, visit the web site at: http://ewp.uoregon.edu/

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Now showing 1 - 20 of 125

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
Administrative and judicial review of NEPA decisions : risk factors and risk minimizing strategies for the Forest Service
(Ecosystem Workforce Program, Institute for a Sustainable Environment, University of Oregon, 2016) Bixler, Audrey; Bixler, R. Patrick (Richard Patrick); Ellison, Autumn; Moseley, Cassandra
In this synthesis and annotated bibliography, we seek to develop a more comprehensive understanding of the factors that influence NEPA challenge risks and successes in order to inform and guide resource managers within the Forest Service and other land management agencies, collaborators, practitioners, and contractors as they participate in the NEPA process.
Open Access
Annotated bibliography : Social vulnerability and wildfire in the wildland-urban interface
(Ecosystem Workforce Program, Institute for a Sustainable Environment, University of Oregon, 2019) Cavanaugh, Alexander H., 1988-; Coughlan, Michael R.
Annotated bibliography for Ecosystem Workforce Program Working Paper #96: Social vulnerability and wildfire in the wildland-urban interface : literature synthesis.
Open Access
Annotated Bibliography of Biomass Issues Literature
(Ecosystem Workforce Program, Institute for a Sustainable Environment, University of Oregon, 2009) Turnoy, Scott; Nielsen-Pincus, Max
Open Access
Appendices for: Ecosystem Workforce Program Working Paper #91: Monitoring investments in Oregon's Federal Forest Restoration Program, FY 2014-2019
(Ecosystem Workforce Program, Institute for a Sustainable Environment, University of Oregon, 2019) Santo, Anna; Huber-Stearns, Heidi; Davis, Emily Jane; University of Idaho. College of Natural Resources. Policy Analysis Group
The following appendices provide supporting detail about information that was included in Ecosystem Workforce Program Working Paper #91, Monitoring Investments in Oregon’s Federal Forest Restoration Program, FY2014-FY2019. Appendix A: Stakeholder Interview Questions. Appendix B: Additional supplemental economic analyses. Appendix C: State-Federal Implementation Partnership (SFIP) agreement amounts and awardees FY14-19. Appendix D: Technical Assistance and Science Support (TASS) agreement amounts and awardees FY14-19. Appendix E: Collaborative Capacity Grant Amounts and Awardees, FY14-19. Appendix F: Project Management Investments Amounts and Awardees, FY14-19.
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
Assessing collaborative opportunities on the Willamette National Forest
(Ecosystem Workforce Program, Institute for a Sustainable Environment, University of Oregon, 2012) Davis, Emily Jane; Moseley, Cassandra
Leaders on the Willamette National Forest (WNF) in western Oregon and adjacent communities are interested in using collaborative approaches to steward public lands and create community benefits. WNF leadership asked the Ecosystem Workforce Program and the University of Oregon to conduct an assessment of collaborative capacity and opportunities. This assessment is based on information gathered between May 2011 and February 2012. As such, it is a “snapshot” of collaborative activity and capacity at that time, and may not fully capture the dynamic, evolving nature of what is happening on the WNF.
Open Access
Assessing policy impacts on natural resource businesses : a review of research methods
(Ecosystem Workforce Program, Institute for a Sustainable Environment, University of Oregon, 2016) Fenster, Emily; Abrams, Jesse; Moseley, Cassandra; Becker, Dennis R.
The purpose of this working paper is to review research methods used to assess the influence of public policies on natural resource business decision-making. We describe a suite of research methods that have been used to assess policy impacts on businesses, highlighting their analytical advantages and disadvantages. We emphasize natural resource policies and businesses in our review, but also present literature from other fields as relevant. With this review we attempt to contribute to a greater ability to conduct evaluation for policies and programs targeting natural resource firms.
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
An assessment of federal restoration contracting and contractor capacity in northeastern Oregon
(Ecosystem Workforce Program, Institute for a Sustainable Environment, University of Oregon, 2015) Ellison, Autumn; Bennett, Drew E.; Knapp, Melanie; White, Eric M.; Davis, Emily Jane; Moseley, Cassandra
An accelerated pace and scale of forest restoration on Oregon’s eastside national forests will rely heavily on the ability of contractors to both implement forest treatments and contribute to environmental planning activities. Private businesses commonly are contracted to implement already-planned restoration work on Forest Service land. . . . Recently, within Oregon, private businesses, state agencies, and non-governmental partners have also begun playing a role in pre-implementation restoration activities. . . . For this report, we used past Forest Service restoration contracting data, records of grants and agreements to Forest Service partners for activities related to restoration, and contractor interviews to better understand how the Forest Service works with local businesses and partners in all aspects of forest restoration efforts. We also used these data to understand the capacity of the local restoration contractor workforce to carryout accelerated restoration work.
Open Access
Barriers and opportunities for increasing landowner participation in conservation programs in the interior Northwest
(Ecosystem Workforce Program, Institute for a Sustainable Environment, University of Oregon, 2014) Bennett, Drew E.; Nielsen-Pincus, Max; Ellison, Autumn; Pomeroy, Alaina; Burright, Harmony S. J.; Gosnell, Hannah; Moseley, Cassandra; Gwin, Lauren
Working forest and range lands are rapidly changing as exurban growth, economic trends, and environmental impacts associated with climate change challenge traditional livelihoods derived from the production of farm, ranch, and forest products. Sustaining viable small and medium-sized forest and ranch operations while also supporting conservation-oriented management practices is essential to ensure that these properties continue to contribute to the working landscape and maintain ecological values in the American West.
Open Access
The business and employment effects of the National Fire Plan in Oregon and Washington in 2001
(Ecosystem Workforce Program, Institute for a Sustainable Environment, University of Oregon, 2002-12) Moseley, Cassandra; Toth, Nancy; Cambier, Abe
The National Fire Plan (NFP) seeks to increase fire suppression capabilities, reduce fire hazards, restore fire-adapted ecosystems, and create economic benefit for rural communities and businesses. In Title IV of the 2001 Department of Interior Appropriations Bill, Congress also authorized the Departments of Interior and Agriculture (Forest Service) to consider benefit to rural communities when awarding contracts to reduce fire hazard. This report examines how the direction to consider local benefit in the National Fire Plan appropriation language may be affecting rural communities and other entities that provide services to the federal land management agencies as contractors and federal employees.
Open Access
The Business of Restoration: A Profile of Restoration Contractors in Oregon
(Ecosystem Workforce Program, Institute for a Sustainable Environment, University of Oregon, 2010) Ellison, Autumn; Moseley, Cassandra; Nielsen-Pincus, Max; MacDonald, Fraser
Open Access
Collaborative capacity and outcomes from Oregon's Federal Forest Restoration Program
(Ecosystem Workforce Program, Institute for a Sustainable Environment, University of Oregon, 2019) Davis, Emily Jane; Santo, Anna; White, Eric M.
Over the past two decades, numerous federal forest collaboratives have emerged in the state of Oregon. These groups function on the basis of dialogue among diverse stakeholders regarding their interests and values for forest management priorities on a given area of public forest land, and may offer input before and during the environmental analysis required by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA process) by making recommendations for the use of retained receipts from stewardship contracting, and/or by providing zones of agreement, restoration principles, or other statements about management issues beyond the project scale. Although they generally do not possess any formal decision-making authority, their efforts are considered to be important in building social agreement for programs of work on federal forestlands. This study analyzed the use and outcomes of the State of Oregon’s investments in these forest collaborative groups through Collaborative Capacity Grants made by the Federal Forest Restoration Program from state fiscal years 2014-2019.
Open Access
Collaborative group assessment : self-assessment tool and results for the Southern Willamette Forest Collaborative
(Ecosystem Workforce Program, Institute for a Sustainable Environment, University of Oregon, 2017) Huber-Stearns, Heidi; Ellison, Autumn
The SWFC partnered with the Ecosystem Workforce Program (EWP) at the University of Oregon to develop assessment tools to help inform their ongoing work. Using a number of existing collaborative assessments as examples, EWP created two assessment tools crafted to the needs and goals of the SWFC: 1) a self assessment of the collaborative overall, including processes, membership, functions, and 2) a project-specific assessment that SWFC members can administer themselves before or after individual projects. This working paper outlines the tool developed to assess the participation, process, and structure of collaborative and reports on the results of the assessment for the SWFC.
Open Access
Communicating with the public about wildland fire preparation, response, and recovery : a literature review of recent research with recommendations for managers
(Ecosystem Workforce Program, Institute for a Sustainable Environment, University of Oregon, 2021) Santo, Anna; Huber-Stearns, Heidi; Smith, Hollie M., 1986-
This literature review synthesizes empirical research about wildland fire communication to provide practitioners, such as land managers, public health and safety officials, community groups, and others working with the public, evidence-based recommendations for communication work. Key findings demonstrate that it is important to recognize communication as a context-specific and dynamic process, not a linear pathway or prescription, or one-size-fits-all approach. We found that practitioners engaging in this work may be most effective when they get to know their diverse publics, engage in honest and sincere relationship building, and communicate in ways that are locally and culturally relevant. This review offers recommendations from the academic literature for how and where to engage in communication about wildland fire and smoke from wildland fire. These recommendations are not intended to be a set of rigid prescriptions; rather, they are intended to provide a starting point for practitioners to think about the multiple ways to engage with the diverse groups with whom they work.
Open Access
Community diversity and wildfire risk : an archetype approach to understanding local capacity to plan for, respond to, and recover from wildfires
(Ecosystem Workforce Program, Institute for a Sustainable Environment, University of Oregon, 2014) Carroll, Matthew S. (Matthew Stephen); Paveglio, Travis; Ellison, Autumn; Abrams, Jesse; Moseley, Cassandra
The wildfire dilemma in the United States (and particularly in the U.S. West) has been well documented and its broad parameters are well understood. A very small fraction of wildfire igniting in wildland settings each year turn into major conflagrations that burn homes and infrastructure, pose significant threat to human life, and upend the budgets of federal land management agencies. Although the mandates of federal land management agencies also dictate a focus on protecting public land and associated natural resources such as habitat, the reality is that much of the effort and expense at federal, state, and local levels is directed toward protecting human infrastructure and other societal “values at risk.”
Open Access
Community experiences with wildfire : actions, effectiveness, impacts, and trends : results from two surveys in counties and communities affected by wildfire
(Ecosystem Workforce Program, Institute for a Sustainable Environment, University of Oregon, 2015) Ellison, Autumn; Knapp, Melanie; Abrams, Jesse; Nielsen-Pincus, Max; Paveglio, Travis; Moseley, Cassandra
Wildfire has become a growing threat for communities across the American West and a complex concern for agencies tasked with community protection. This task has grown more difficult due to the increasing incidence of large fires and the continued expansion of the wildland-urban interface (WUI), the area where human habitations and wildland fuels abut or intermix. These trends have motivated both federal policies and community-level responses to protect communities, lives, and infrastructure.
Open Access
Community-based natural resource management in Oregon : a profile of organizational capacity
(Ecosystem Workforce Program, Institute for a Sustainable Environment, University of Oregon, 2012) Davis, Emily Jane; Moseley, Cassandra; Evers, Cody; MacFarland, Kate; Nielsen-Pincus, Max; Pomeroy, Alaina; Enzer, Maia J.
Community-based organizations (CBOs) in Oregon are fostering natural resource management and economic development, particularly in public lands communities where the capacity of federal agencies, businesses, and others has dwindled. They have also become integral in reducing social conflict over land management and seeking community economic well-being. CBOs include non-governmental organizations and collaborative groups. These groups have broad missions that are grounded in local needs and integrate a number of priorities, but tend to have smaller staff and budgets than other groups such as environmental advocacy organizations. Little is known about how CBOs accomplish a range of goals with limited resources. This study examined the organizational capacity of Oregon’s CBOs to build understanding of their financial and human resources, and their external relationships. It is part of a larger study of CBOs across the US West.
Open Access
Community-Based Natural Resource Management in the Western United States: A Pilot Study of Capacity
(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.