Initiative provides collaborative approach to forest health

A diverse group of more than 20 partners gathered on March 5 at the Harney County Community Center to celebrate an agreement to coordinate forest health restoration efforts for the 30,000-acre Jane watershed unit located in the Emigrant Creek Ranger District on the Malheur National Forest.

The collaborators on this project include the U.S. Forest Service, state agencies, local government, forest sector businesses, local contract loggers, environmental groups and local civic leaders.

The initiative, called the Harney County Restoration Collaborative, was established last March by Governor Ted Kulongoski as an Oregon Solutions project. This designation provides the framework under which partners can come together and assures participation of his staff and appropriate state agencies.

Governor Kulongoski has praised the collaborative efforts of Harney County, The High Desert Partnership and the Nature Conservancy to seek agreements to thin forests, reduce fire risks, and protect and create jobs.

Through this combined effort, they are working toward a common vision of long-term forest and community health. The initiative will be a model for similar collaborative projects needed to address federal forestland issues and meet the needs and interests of communities, businesses, government, conservation and environmental groups.

“Collaboration driven by local input is the Oregon way. It is through this approach that common ground is found,” Governor Kulongoski said. “Healthy forests and the jobs they can sustain and create are important to rural and urban Oregon. I strongly support efforts at the local, state, and federal level to ensure that Oregon has healthy and productive forests for future generations.”

Local discussions among the participating stakeholders over the past 12 months have generated statements of support that will offer multiple benefits for the citizens of Harney County, including wildfire risk reduction, increased forest health, local jobs, as well as improving water resources, and fish and wildlife habitat.

“We’ve gone out in the woods together with diverse perspectives and we ask each other, ‘What if we tried this idea? Would that work for you and if it doesn’t work, what are other ideas?’ Collaborating is not always easy to do, but we want to find solutions together that both benefit the forest and provide opportunities for local communities” Harney County Judge Steve Grasty said.

“The Harney County Restoration Collaborative demonstrates that it is possible for diverse interests to constructively work together to restore and revitalize forest ecosystems for nature and people,” said Russell Hoeflich, Oregon director for the Nature Conservancy. “We are committed to working with our partners to achieve a shared vision and to identify and support the actions that will ensure clean water, restore wildlife habitats and create jobs.”

A better, shared understanding of differing perspectives is enabled by the collaborative. “The role of the Blue Mountains Biodiversity Partnership in the Harney County Restoration Collaborative is to advocate for the needs of wildlife species, biodiversity and ecological integrity” Partnership Director Karen Coulter said. “We appreciate the collaborative members good faith commitment to finding and working from common ground together, as well as the growing mutual respect we have for each other.”

Jack Southworth, a local rancher and facilitator for the High Desert Partnership and this collaborative, feels “the High Desert Partnership can help keep this dialogue moving forward to help both Harney County and other localities facing similar issues with Federal forestlands and the needs of the community.”

Oregon Solutions grew out of the Oregon Sustainability Act of 2001, and is housed at Portland State University. The program promotes a new style of community governance based on collaboration, integration and sustainability. There are currently 10 Oregon Solutions projects under way across the state, with 38 completed over the past six years.

Oregon Solutions frequently partners with the Governor’s Economic Revitalization Team. The Governor’s Economic Revitalization Team provides critical assistance in bringing state and local government officials to the table on local Oregon Solutions projects.