The Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) has teamed up with Virginia Department of Forestry to help the state reach its goal of planting nine million trees in the next five years.
The goal will bring about targeted water quality improvements in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, increase the SWCD’s visibility, and draw in individuals and groups intent upon contributing to urban forestry and conservation.
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“We’re really able to multiply the message much further because of the shared and mutual understanding of each other’s programs,” Northern Virginia SWCD Executive Director Laura Grape said.
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The partners have joined efforts to increase urban tree canopy, in part through the district’s spring seedling sale – which this year sold out in 11 hours with help from the state’s promotions – and by requesting organizations and individuals throughout Fairfax County who are planting trees to record it on an app the Department of Forestry developed, called ‘My Trees Count.’ |
Beattra Wilson is Assistant Director for Cooperative Forestry within the U.S. Forest Service. As national lead for the agency’s Urban and Community Forestry Program, Wilson oversees program policy, budget, partnership development and strategic and equitable delivery of federal and state urban forestry programs.
Recently, she shared time with NACD to discuss several topics related to her work.
Urban forestry has a number of selling points — increased home values, energy efficiency, helping to connect a growing metropolitan population to the outdoors, improved mental health. What are you seeing as far as selling points in these next few years that you feel help sell your program and the investment into urban forestry?
Those are good examples. One of the other things – we’re having so much conversation within our administration around carbon storage and climate, and there is a lot of plantable land in urban areas. We can layer some really great things in this moment. There is an opportunity for a corporation or organization, if they want, to invest in the communities around them and think through what their climate impacts are and offset some of what may be happening. Urban trees can be part of the solution. And then, what if we have management and maintenance plans for urban forests, and we have huge gaps in planted canopy cover in vulnerable communities, communities that are minority communities or low-income communities? What if we can plan and plant those trees for them to have a more equitable experience? And what if we can hire local talent in those communities to do the work? And so when you ask, ‘What else is selling?’, that’s what’s selling – it’s this opportunity to build out more sustainable communities, but also rolling up our sleeves and thinking outside of our traditional experience of foresters and really truly seeing the needs of the community, not just the natural resources management plan.
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SPECIAL REPORT: TRIBAL FORESTRY
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In 2016, the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) envisioned two-way benefits from creating a Tribal Outreach and Partnership Resource Policy Group (Tribal RPG). Its mission is to promote and support NACD member efforts to establish partnerships with tribes that help put additional conservation on the ground. One Tribal RPG objective is to solicit, share and celebrate success stories in partnerships, including details of lessons learned. Among the priorities of the Tribal RPG are to identify effective communication methods and channels to promote outreach and connection between tribes and conservation districts, as well as describe the mutual benefits of establishing and expanding partnerships.
The Tribal RPG is committed to supporting partnerships between traditional conservation districts, tribes and tribal conservation districts. We share a common interest in making wise investments in and use of woodlands, grasslands and forests, so that these natural resources are both productive and sustained over time.
The stories in this special report represent a small sample of the work America’s conservation districts are doing in concert with tribes and tribal conservation districts.
Larry Davis, Chair
NACD Tribal RPG
ALSO...
Washington: The Clallam Conservation District (CCD) and the Quileute Tribe recently received a Conservation District Tribal Partnership Award for the relationship the two groups have developed to meet the conservation needs of Clallam County in Washington over the past five years... read more
Arizona: The Navajo Nation Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) is expanding its outreach and education efforts, in part to promote more agroforestry practices with Arizona’s Navajo Farmers and Ranchers. Little Colorado River SWCD is one of five tribal conservation districts on Navajo. Little Colorado River SWCD Board President Sadie Lister said many traditional Navajo practices closely resemble those practices identified as agroforestry. One of the five recognized agroforestry practices is silvopasture... read more
Oregon: The Polk County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) in Oregon is partnering with the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde to protect ancestral lands and implement forest management practices with a $1.7 million grant awarded through the NRCS Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP)... read more
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The NACD Forestry Resource Policy Group (RPG), in conjunction with the National Association of State Foresters (NASF) Forest Resource Management and Forest Markets Committees, has organized a day-long series of webinars.
The four webinars will be held on June 22. Each 50-minute Zoom session will feature guest presenters and a Q&A with attendees. Sessions are open to all conservation district staff and forestry partners interested in attending.
Understanding forest markets and their importance to forest landowners
June 22 – 11 a.m. ET
This session will explore the latest forest markets developments, with ideas for how America’s conservation districts may assist in supporting and promoting local markets.
Presenters: Brian Brashaw, Assistant Director, Wood Innovations, U.S. Forest Service & Rick Cantrell, CEO, BlackBriar Environmental LLC
Assisting under-served landowners with clear title
June 22 – 12 p.m. ET
Obtaining clear title can be a laborious and costly endeavor. Under-served landowners often need guidance when navigating this process.
Presenter: Marc Thomas, Director of Field Operations, Fort Valley State University-Cooperative Extension
Taking the right approach to carbon messaging
June 22 – 2 p.m. ET
Increasing carbon storage and harvesting for wood products are not mutually-exclusive landowner goals. How forestry and conservation professionals communicate this to landowners and the general public is critical in ensuring both carbon and forest health objectives are met.
Presenters: Whitney Forman-Cook, Communications Director, National Association of State Foresters, and Rae Tamblyn, #forestproud
Understanding what motivates woodland owners
June 22 – 3 p.m. ET
There is a growing push to increase tree plantings, which will require the participation of non-industrial private landowners. But what will convince them to participate? This session will provide insight on the needs and interests of woodland owners.
Presenter: Dr. Brett J. Butler, Research Forester, U.S. Forest Service
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California
Wildfire awareness campaign encourages residents to get prepared
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Tahoe Resource Conservation District, the University of Nevada Reno Extension, fire districts and land management agencies at Lake Tahoe are embarking on a six-month-long Lake Tahoe Wildfire Awareness Campaign. This year's campaign will run from May through October with the theme, 'Is your home ignition resistant?' The campaign encourages residents to get prepared for wildfires throughout the year by creating defensible space, addressing home ember vulnerabilities, and working together with neighborhood leaders and the community. Throughout the campaign, partners of the Tahoe Network of Fire Adapted Communities will continue to provide information and resources at events across the Tahoe Basin. |
Maine
SWCD co-hosts bird habitat workshop
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The Piscataquis County Soil and Water Conservation District is teaming up with the Maine Audubon Society and Maine Forest Service to provide the Forestry for Maine Birds Workshop in June. This free workshop is for landowners, foresters, loggers, birders and anyone who is interested in learning how to manage and enhance their property to benefit birds and other wildlife. Participants will learn about the different habitat needs for wildlife, how to improve the woodlot to make it more desirable for them, and how to incorporate these principles into a forest management plan that can enhance the value of woodlands for years. |
Washington
RCPP funding will help landowners pay for forest health treatments
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A $2.8 million federal grant will help fund safety measures in Chelan County areas at high risk to wildfire. The program will pay for forest health treatments over the next five years to property owners primarily located between Peshastin and Lake Wenatchee. The grant comes from NRCS’s Regional Conservation Partnership Program. The fuel break and forest resilience partnership will be led by the Cascadia Conservation District, Chelan County PUD and the state Department of Natural Resources.
“This project is the culmination of years of coordinated planning efforts in which DNR, the U.S. Forest Service and local fire districts identified the corridor from lower Peshastin up to Lake Wenatchee as being one of the most important areas in the entire state to take action on wildfire resilience and forest health,” CCD Forest Program Manager Patrick Haggerty told The Wenatchee World.
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Add your conservation district's tree sale, state association meeting, field day or celebration to NACD's calendar!
Click the button above to submit an event. Events will be reviewed by the website administrator and published to NACD's online calendar when approved. |
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