June 14, 2021
Yamhill Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) landowners are lining up to participate in what some might consider an “alternative” forestry effort: removing valuable Douglas fir to restore Oregon white oak and its wildlife habitat.

The SWCD recently was awarded a second round of funding through the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) with the goal of restoring an additional 700 acres of white oak on another 35 properties across Oregon’s Yamhill County.
“I don’t have to convince people; they know the history of the land. It’s a real motivator to me that people just want to do the right thing from the get-go.” 

Yamhill SWCD Habitat Conservationist 
Amie Loop-Frison
With more than 200 wildlife species depending on native oak habitat and less than three percent of the habitat remaining in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, the conservation district will continue restoration efforts in an attempt to increase that habitat by a few more percentage points.

This second round of funding runs from 2021-2025. It will assist in expanding restoration in the area from a 2014 grant that by 2020 had successfully restored 900 acres across 41 different properties, utilizing nearly 100 percent of the money.
The Schuyler County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) in New York is using different state funding mechanisms to implement projects, including planting nearly 60 acres of riparian buffers to preserve and enhance water quality across several watersheds.

“Buffers are one of the most cost-effective conservation practices we can utilize,” Schuyler County SWCD Manager Jerry Verrigni said. “We try to include some sort of buffer in every grant we write on farms, no matter what the focus or practices are that we are working on.”

The SWCD recently was awarded more than $230,000 through a Climate Resilient Farming Grant offered by the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets.
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. Attendees must register for each session separately.

Learn more about the series and how to register here. 
Ohio
SWCD leading the way in urban tree canopy efforts
The Cuyahoga Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) recently unveiled its new Legacy Tree Fund program, which will help restore the county’s declining tree canopy while also serving as a way for ordinary citizens to leave behind a legacy on behalf of a loved one or themselves.
Contributions to the new fund can be made by visiting the district’s donation page and clicking the appropriate category in the “designate my gift” drop-down menu. The district will match the donations up to $5,000 in total.

All funds raised will be used exclusively to purchase trees.
“We’re really excited,” Jan Rybka, conservation district director, told Cleveland.com. “It’s another tree-planting program in Cuyahoga County, and we need as many people and organizations planting trees as possible. There can’t be too many.”

The district also recently announced that it will take over management of Cuyahoga ReLeaf, an established initiative that has long addressed the loss of tree canopy. ReLeaf, which began in 2010 by Cuyahoga River Restoration, will now serve as an umbrella for various district planting programs, such as Native Urban Tree Starters and Project Plant It, and will help students and teachers learn about trees while enlisting them in the fight against canopy decline.
Michigan
Districts help DNR promote Hunting Access Program
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is giving landowners the opportunity to earn extra income in exchange for allowing controlled hunting access on their properties.

The DNR’s Hunting Access Program (HAP) originally was established in 1977 to increase public hunting opportunities in southern Michigan, where more than 90 percent of the land is privately owned. The program has since been expanded to include the Northeast Lower and Eastern Upper Peninsulas.

In most counties, local conservation district staff are available to assist with enrollment and help landowners learn what they could earn for their land, the DNR said.

It’s one of the nation’s oldest dedicated private lands public access programs, aiming to provide licensed hunters access to private hunting lands while helping landowners manage wildlife, among other benefits, according to the DNR.

HAP pays private landowners up to $25 per acre, based on acreage, type of land cover and type of hunting chosen. It also includes liability protection for the landowner.
CALENDAR

June 22 – NACD-NASF Webinar Series l Virtual

June 24 – NACD Forestry RPG Summer Meeting l Virtual

July 24-27 – NACD Summer Conservation Forum and Tour l Chicago, Ill.

Sept. 7-10 – NASF Annual Meeting l Pittsburgh, Pa.

Nov. 17-18 – Partners in Community Forestry Conference l Louisville, Kent.
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