Forest Service Exceeds Ecological Restoration Goals

From USDA:

Posted by U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell, on December 19, 2014 at 1:00 PM

The Paisley Ranger District of the Fremont-Winema National Forest in Oregon worked with numerous partners to complete a large-scale multi-year restoration project that covered 15 miles of the Chewaucan River. The project included adding vegetation to eroding stream banks. (U.S. Forest Service)

I am proud to announce that we exceeded our ecological restoration goals for Fiscal Year 2014. This was no small feat.

A lot of great people across the U.S. Forest Service worked hard to make it a reality. We did substantial homework and planning, and then based on that we made strategic investments across all agency programs to help us create resilient forests, grasslands and watersheds while sustaining communities. This work reduced the wildland fire threats to communities and firefighters and minimized the risk of forest pests and climate change, while supporting American jobs and rural economies. That is a fantastic combination.

The results of this hard work are nothing short of amazing.  The projects we carried out lessened the threats to communities by reducing hazardous fuels on 1.7 million acres in the wildland urban interface, sustained or restored watershed conditions on 2.9 million acres and resulted in 2.8 billion board feet of timber volume sold. Impressively, we did all this despite simultaneously facing a government shutdown, as well as rising costs of fire-fighting that drain resources from our work across all program areas.

On a personal level, these accomplishments reflect how much members of our Forest Service community are committed to improving the forests and grasslands that have been entrusted to us by the American people. For these reasons, I could not be more proud of everyone who has come together to make restoration such a success in the past year.

The Paisley Ranger District of the Fremont-Winema National Forest in Oregon worked with numerous partners to complete a large-scale multi-year restoration project that covered 15 miles of the Chewaucan River. The project included adding vegetation to eroding stream banks. (U.S. Forest Service)

The Forest Service did not do all of the heavy lifting alone. We also leveraged our partnerships to help meet our ecological restoration goals. Conservation groups, the forest industry, local communities, sportsmen and others assisted with monitoring of resource conditions and project implementation as part of our “adaptive management” concept. Some of the diverse programs, tools and activities used in this endeavor include the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program, Stewardship Contracting Authority, Integrated Resource Restoration tools, and 2014 Farm Bill provisions.

Although our budgets are flat to declining, our employees are embracing landscape scale analysis and adding capacity through partnerships, volunteers and collaboration. This is not about “doing more with less,” it is about building capacity by increasing social advocacy for our mission.

Green Mountain and Finger Lakes national forests employees look over harvested trees as part of the agency’s Integrated Resource Project. The project process uses a team of interdisciplinary specialists who conduct analysis and set priorities at the landscape scale to identify a full suite of activities to help improve the watershed. (U.S. Forest Service)

We are positioned to accelerate efforts to restore the health of forests, grasslands and watersheds, while reducing wildland fire threats to communities in the coming year – and we’ll have some assistance in doing it. Bi-partisan legislation supports our call for a change in how wildfire suppression is funded. This would free up more funding to improve the resiliency of forests and rangelands across all landscapes.

America’s natural resources are integral to the social, ecological and economic well-being of the nation, and each of our employees play a vital role in the care of natural resources for current and future generations.

U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell

Conference Explores Ways to Value Resources, Improve the Environment and Put a Check into Producers' Pockets

From USDA:

Posted by Kari Cohen, Natural Resources Conservation Service, on December 15, 2014 at 11:00 AM

U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell makes welcoming remarks at the"A Community on Ecosystem Services (ACES)" conference in Crystal City, VA. USDA Photo by Bob Nichols.

What is the monetary value of a supply of clean water?  Or the value of clean air or having places available to hike and fish?

For decades we have taken these resources for granted, or at least we have not put a monetary value on their benefits. That’s changing.  Participants from 30 nations met this week at the ACES: A Community on Ecosystem Services; Linking Science, Practice and Decision Making conference to talk about just how we can value these benefits and include that in our decision-making and planning.  As the conference kicked off, U.S. Forest Service Chief Tidwell talked about the need to quantify the benefits of public lands, building consensus and support for a multi-generational outlook, moving away from short term objectives and toward “sustaining the health and diversity of our forests and grasslands.”

Participants included a number of other federal officials, including Interior Secretary Sally Jewell, USDA Undersecretary Robert Bonnie, and Jay Jensen of the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ).

Interior Secretary Sally Jewell gives the keynote address for the, “Ecosystem Services and Public Policy: Status, Opportunities and Challenges” session. USDA Photo by Bob Nichols.

In her keynote address, Secretary Jewell spoke about the importance American ecosystems for the services they provide, highlighting three things:

• We can always do a better job managing our lands;
• We need to find the political will to do what needs to be done;
• We must keep developing the science and tools to support better land management.

Jensen, CEQ’s Associate Director for Land and Water Ecosystems, and a former USDA Deputy Undersecretary, talked about how ecosystem services are considered by Federal policy makers.  What’s needed, he said, are local opinion leaders to help educate the public why it is important to consider and value ecosystem services in environmental decision-making.

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources and Environment (NRE) Under Secretary Robert Bonnie speaks during the “Ecosystem Services and Public Policy: Status, Opportunities and Challenges” session. USDA Photo by Bob Nichols.

Undersecretary Bonnie highlighted how the quantification and consideration of ecosystem services is changing the way USDA agencies carry out their conservation missions.  He highlighted recent USDA successes in supporting ecosystem markets efforts for water quality and greenhouse gases.  Bonnie also noted USDA’s development of tools, such as COMET-Farm, that can help land managers understand how their actions may impact ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration or nutrient uptake.

Dr. Ann Bartuska, Deputy Under Secretary at USDA’s Research, Education, and Economics said that the challenge now is understanding what services are provided by public and private lands, valuing those services in the market, and providing economic certainty to build support for long term policy objectives.

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Research Education and Economics (REE) Deputy Under Secretary Ann Bartuska was a panel member on the, “Ecosystem Services: Key Advances and Challenges in Linking Science, Practice and Decision Making” panel. USDA Photo by Bob Nichols.

Ensuring that there are markets and economic certainty for owners of private lands is equally important.  Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Chief Jason Weller shared with participants how his agency provides the tools to encourage ranchers and farmers to improve the environment by limiting runoff, planting cover crops and providing technical assistance.  Outcomes from those efforts can be measured and valued in a marketplace. While NRCS doesn’t administer markets, through programs like Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG), it provides funding and technical support help entities develop environmental markets for water quality, carbon, and wildlife habitat.   For example, just last month USDA announced that a CIG  grant helped initiate a partnership that is improving the environment, creating a market for carbon credits generated on private lands. Chevrolet, a division of General Motors, recently purchased almost 40,000 carbon dioxide reduction tons generated on working ranch grasslands in the Prairie Pothole region of North Dakota.

Sharing successes and hearing from local leaders will be critical to expanding potential markets. Under Secretary Bonnie said that we can create demand by showing producers how “real, measurable environmental benefits” can also improve their bottom line. “We need to ramp up demand,” said Bonnie. We’ve made tremendous progress on forest conservation measures, but we need every tool on the table as we deal with climate change.”  USDA is very committed to the concept of environmental markets:  Markets that work “for the environment but also for land owners and private foresters.”

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Chief Jason Weller makes a presentation at a Town Hall Meeting. USDA Photo by Bob Nichols.

U.S. Forest Service Offers Winter Yurt, Cabin Adventures

USDA Blog Post:

Posted by Charity Parks, Intermountain Region, U.S. Forest Service, on December 6, 2013 at 3:00 PM

The tranquility of winter camping is ideal at the Grizzly Ridge yurt on the Ashley National Forest in Utah. Numerous hiking, biking and off-road trails crisscross the area. (U.S. Forest Service)

While some may close up tents and winterize recreational vehicles this time of year, there are others who look forward to a winter filled with adventures on forests and grasslands. The draw is yurts and historic cabins available to rent that offer a bit of solitude for camping, a dose of adventure on skis, snowshoes or snowmobiles, and a lifetime of memories.

A yurt is a circular tent with canvas walls. There are many different styles and sizes of yurts, but generally each yurt is different in what it offers. Typically, you can expect to provide your own bedding, food, and cooking supplies. Some include beds, tables and chairs. Others have camp stoves and wood burning stoves. Check information on Recreation.gov before making your reservation and committing to a stay.

Last year, Johanne Tuttle and her friends chose the Grizzly Ridge yurt on the Ashley National Forest in Utah. After skiing three miles to reach the yurt, they found it had a wood-burning stove to keep warm when they finished cross-country skiing or sledding down a small hill. Inside, they could relax, play cards and cook their meals.

“We were actually really surprised to get up here and see how spacious the yurt is. It’s really spacious, big huge bunk beds, double sized, so you can easily fit two people on one bed,” Tuttle said. “It’s bigger than any yurt I’ve ever been in and plenty of room to move around and stretch out.”

Tuttle’s group stayed for several days, packing in everything they needed and adhering to outdoor ethics and packing out their trash and leaving the yurt ready for the next campers.

Jamie Tyson, Johanne Tuttle, Charity Parks and Chris Berry dine on a meal they cooked in the Grizzly Ridge yurt on the Ashley National Forest in Utah. The yurt comes with bare-bones cooking utensils. (U.S. Forest Service)

Staying in a yurt or cabin is easy to do depending on the location of the cabin and whether use is seasonal or year-round. All reservations are made through Recreation.gov. However, most facilities are locked and can be accessed only after contacting the forest or grassland office.

And as with any outdoor recreation adventure, preparation is key no matter which season you choose. Be sure you have the appropriate clothing, supplies and a local area map before you head out. The Forest Service offers paper maps for sale and digital maps for iOS and Android smart devices.

Still not sure you want to stay in a yurt? To learn more about unique camping experiences on the Ashley National Forest, watch videos on the Grizzly Ridge yurt; Trout Creek Guard Station; and the Carter Military Yurt.

Johanne Tuttle, Jamie Tyson, Charity Parks and Chris Berry head out for cross-country skiing after checking into the Grizzly Ridge Yurt on the Ashley National Forest in Utah. The primitive camping site is open year-round but many people are drawn to it for its feeling of isolation and for the cross-country and snowshoeing trails. (U.S. Forest Service)

Secretary's Column: Taking New Steps to Care for the Land and Water

USDA Blog Post:

Posted by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, on September 13, 2013 at 3:00 PM

Natural resource conservation is paramount to the ongoing strength of our nation. Healthy soil contributes to agricultural productivity. Healthy forests clean our water and air. Vibrant waterways are critical for our health, for transportation and for trade. Investments into conservation spur job growth and community development, particularly in rural areas.

This is an uncertain time for USDA conservation activities. Congress has not yet passed a comprehensive Food, Farm and Jobs Bill that would continue to invest in conservation efforts, while providing rural America with certainty regarding many other important programs.

As we continue urging Congress to provide a new Food, Farm and Jobs Bill, USDA this week took several new steps to strengthen conservation across the country.

We invested in innovation by awarding new grants under USDA’s Conservation Innovation Grants program.  New technologies and tactics are constantly emerging that help producers and landowners care for the environment.  These 33 new awards will help organizations across the country carry out advanced new conservation strategies and share them with producers. For example, several projects will investigate the benefits of cover crops, which could help producers grow more while mitigating the impacts of a changing climate.

These new project awards are part of more than 260 projects funded since 2009, including a special group of Conservation Innovation Grants to help agriculture adapt to drought.

We also invested this week in the future of renewable energy from wood products. USDA announced a partnership with industry to work toward additional wood-to-energy projects, while awarding more than $1 million in grants for five statewide teams that will further develop these efforts.  This builds on past work that has resulted in more than 230 wood-to-energy projects created under the Obama Administration.

Advanced wood energy provides a wide range of benefits for our nation. It encourages forest restoration by providing a new way to use wood byproducts. It contributes to an “all-of-the above” energy strategy, giving folks an alternative to costly energy sources. And it helps to create good jobs in energy and forestry for rural Americans. Renewable wood energy holds tremendous promise for rural America, and the new investments made this week are yet another step forward for this technology.

To cap off a week of positive new developments for USDA conservation efforts, we announced today that the U.S. Forest Service will partner with Coca-Cola, the National Forest Foundation and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation in a long-term effort to restore and clean waterways in our National Forests.

National Forests provide drinking water for more than 60 million Americans – and working together, USDA and Coca-Cola will undertake a range of projects in the coming years to restore forest waterways. These include working on the Angeles National Forest in California to prevent erosion caused by wildfire; restoring a stream in New Mexico that was previously impacted by industrial activity; and enhancing waterways within the Lake Michigan watershed.

Our hope is that these restoration projects will stand as an example for the benefit of public-private partnership to deliver results for the American people, even in a time of tighter budgets.

These new efforts complement the wide range of work we will continue to do with a focus on delivering record conservation results for Americans. With the right tools, including a new Food, Farm and Jobs Bill, there is much more we can achieve in the years to come.