Characterizing the Context and Demand for the US Forest Service’s Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program in 2020

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chad Kooistra ◽  
Emily Sinkular ◽  
Courtney Schultz
Keyword(s):  
Forest Restoration ◽  
Landscape Scale ◽  
Policy Innovation ◽  
Forest Landscape ◽  
High Demand ◽  
Landscape Restoration ◽  
Local Economies ◽  
Forest Landscape Restoration ◽  
Adaptive Monitoring ◽  
The Us

Abstract The US Forest Service’s Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program (CFLRP) was a major policy innovation for supporting collaborative, landscape-scale forest restoration. Twenty-three CFLRP projects were funded following requests for proposals in fiscal years (FY) 2010 and 2011. Congress appropriated the fully authorized amount of $40 million to the program in FY 2012. In 2018, Congress reauthorized the CFLRP, and soon thereafter the Forest Service issued a request for new CFLRP proposals. In this article, we provide background on the reauthorization of the CFLRP and the updated proposal process. We present findings from a document analysis of the final 22 CFLRP proposals submitted in FY 2020 to characterize current demand for CFLRP and the nature of the proposed projects. We discuss our findings in the context of the CFLRP Advisory Committee’s recommendations, funding uncertainty, and broader efforts to support cross-boundary, collaborative wildfire mitigation and forest restoration. Study Implications: Reviewing the broader context of the CFLRP and the FY 2020 proposals highlights the importance of the program in pursuing collaborative, cross-boundary wildfire mitigation and restoration across the US. There is high demand for the program, as illustrated by more than $600 million requested over 10 years and more than $400 million in planned partner contributions for projects across diverse ecosystems involving locally driven partnerships. Ensuring consistent funding and leadership commitment, aligning policies across scales, supporting collaboration, encouraging innovation to support restoration and local economies, and using adaptive monitoring approaches are needed to facilitate the success of programs like CFLRP.

scholarly journals Forest landscape restoration: state of play

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (12) ◽  
pp. 201218
Author(s):  
John A. Stanturf ◽  
Stephanie Mansourian
Keyword(s):  
Forest Restoration ◽  
Forest Products ◽  
Forest Degradation ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Tree Planting ◽  
Forest Landscape ◽  
Landscape Restoration ◽  
Community Forests ◽  
Landscape Degradation ◽  
Forest Landscape Restoration

Tree planting has been widely touted as an inexpensive way to meet multiple international environmental goals for mitigating climate change, reversing landscape degradation and restoring biodiversity restoration. The Bonn Challenge and New York Declaration on Forests, motivated by widespread deforestation and forest degradation, call for restoring 350 million ha by 2030 by relying on forest landscape restoration (FLR) processes. Because the 173 million ha commitments made by 63 nations, regions and companies are not legally binding, expectations of what FLR means lacks consensus. The frequent disconnect between top-level aspirations and on-the-ground implementation results in limited data on FLR activities. Additionally, some countries have made landscape-scale restoration outside of the Bonn Challenge. We compared and contrasted the theory and practice of FLR and compiled information from databases of projects and initiatives and case studies. We present the main FLR initiatives happening across regional groups; in many regions, the potential need/opportunity for forest restoration exceeds the FLR activities underway. Multiple objectives can be met by manipulating vegetation (increasing structural complexity, changing species composition and restoring natural disturbances). Livelihood interventions are context-specific but include collecting or raising non-timber forest products, employment and community forests; other interventions address tenure and governance.

scholarly journals The Choice of a Set of Operations for Forest Landscape Restoration Technology

Inventions ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Tatyana P. Novikova
Keyword(s):  
Forest Restoration ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Practical Implementation ◽  
Forest Landscape ◽  
Landscape Restoration ◽  
First Approximation ◽  
Forest Landscape Restoration ◽  
Interdisciplinary Interaction ◽  
Algorithm Construction ◽  
Comprehensive Study

The study is intended for forest farmers who need to make a mathematically sound and objective decision on the choice of technological operations and technical means for forest restoration. Currently, in studies implementing the forest landscapes restoration approach from the point of view of technology and the use of technical devices (FLR technology), there is some discreteness and fragmentation of the issues. There is a need for a comprehensive study of FLR technology using frontier techniques and devices, and the construction of a single technological FLR algorithm. Preliminary analysis indicates a sharp increase in the number of operational sets from nine for the implementation of the classical technological FLR algorithm to 268 in the first approximation when implementing the proposed algorithm. The FLR algorithm construction is based on the algorithm’s theory, and the verification of the similarity degree of operational sets is based on the cluster analysis by Ward and intra-group connections methods. The algorithm decomposition into six conditionally similar clusters will help plan new forest experiments taking into account interdisciplinary interaction, in addition to the modernization of plant propagation protocols for sustainable reforestation quality management. However, some questions remain for the future: which criterion should be used as a universal basis for choosing operational sets? How can the effectiveness of the FLR technology procedure be evaluated and predicted before its practical implementation?

scholarly journals Forest Landscape Restoration—What Generates Failure and Success?

Forests ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 938 ◽  
Author(s):  
Markus Höhl ◽  
Vianny Ahimbisibwe ◽  
John A. Stanturf ◽  
Peter Elsasser ◽  
Michael Kleine ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Forest Restoration ◽  
Forest Regeneration ◽  
Success Factors ◽  
Local Communities ◽  
Tree Regeneration ◽  
Forest Landscape ◽  
Landscape Restoration ◽  
Project Failure ◽  
Forest Landscape Restoration ◽  
Nursery Production

Research Highlights: The global Forest Landscape Restoration ambitions could be impaired by projects that ignore key principles such as the engagement of local communities in decision making and implementation, equitable benefit sharing, and monitoring for adaptive management. This entails the danger of continued degradation, disappointed local stakeholders, and ultimately, project failure. Other projects face technical problems related to tree establishment and nursery production. Background and Objectives: There are high hopes for Forest and Landscape Restoration to regain ecosystem integrity and enhance human well-being in deforested and degraded areas. We highlight various problems and success factors experienced during project implementation on a global scale. Materials and Methods: We use data from a global online survey to identify common obstacles and success factors for the implementation of forest restoration. Results: While the majority of respondents reported successful projects, others indicate drastic problems and failed projects. Major obstacles to forest restoration experienced by survey respondents were a lack of local stakeholder involvement and a mismatch between goals of local communities and restoration managers, as well as environmental, anthropogenic, and technical barriers to tree regeneration. Conclusions: When local communities, their goals, and needs are disregarded in project planning and implementation, as reported from various cases in our survey and the limited available literature, there is a risk of project failure. Failed projects and disappointed stakeholders, as well as discouraged funders and policy-makers, could lessen the momentum of global forest restoration ambitions. Adhering to key principles of Forest and Landscape Restoration can promote much-needed community support, with the potential to overcome barriers to forest regeneration and enable communities for the protection, management, and monitoring of the restored forests beyond the limited project and funding periods. Research is needed to gain a better understanding of the perception of local communities towards restoration activities. Further studies on the implementation of forest restoration at the intersection of environmental factors, socioeconomic conditions, forest regeneration/silviculture, and nursery production are needed.

Forest Landscape Restoration: increasing the positive impacts of forest restoration or simply the area under tree cover?

2017 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 178-183 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie Mansourian ◽  
John A. Stanturf ◽  
Mercy Afua Adutwumwaa Derkyi ◽  
Vera Lex Engel
Keyword(s):  
Forest Restoration ◽  
Tree Cover ◽  
Forest Landscape ◽  
Landscape Restoration ◽  
Forest Landscape Restoration ◽  
Positive Impacts

scholarly journals The Development and Application of a GIS-Based Tool to Assess Forest Landscape Restoration Effects on Water Conservation Capacity

Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (9) ◽  
pp. 1291
Author(s):  
Enxu Yu ◽  
Mingfang Zhang ◽  
Yali Xu ◽  
Sheng Zhang ◽  
Zuozhu Meng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Conservation ◽  
Forest Restoration ◽  
Forest Landscape ◽  
Landscape Restoration ◽  
Water Storage Capacity ◽  
Natural Restoration ◽  
Forest Landscape Restoration ◽  
Regional Forest ◽  
Restoration Measures ◽  
Artificial Restoration

In forest landscape restoration, one of the key objectives is to improve the water conservation capacity of the deforested land. A rapid, accurate assessment of the effects of the restoration measures on the water conservation capacity of targeted forests can help forest managers to identify the best practices for forest restoration. However, the traditional assessment tools of forest water conservation function lack a description of forest growth, and are featured by complex computation, which fails to evaluate the effects of forest restoration on the regional forest water conservation capacity in an efficient way. To address this issue, through combining the forest restoration evaluation model (equivalent recovery area, ERA), classic forest water storage capacity estimation (total water storage capacity), this study has taken advantage of ENVI/IDL, ArcGIS Engine/C#.Net to develop the Forest and Water Assessment Tool (FWAT) for assessing the changes of the regional forest landscape and the associated forest water conservation capacity in various forest restoration scenarios. This tool has been successfully applied in the Upper Zagunao watershed, a large forested watershed in the Upper Yangtze River basin. According to the assessment, the forest water conservation capacity of the study watershed consistently increased from about 1580.76 t/hm2 in 2010 to a projected 2014.34 t/hm2 by natural restoration, and 2124.18 t/hm2 by artificial restoration by 2030. The artificial restoration measures yield a better effect on forest water conservation function than natural restoration. By 2030, the forest water conservation capacity of artificial restoration scenario is expected to be about 7% higher than that of natural restoration scenario. The FWAT as an efficient tool to assess the effects of forest restoration measures on regional forest water conservation capacity can provide scientific support for the design of forest restoration and management strategies worldwide.

scholarly journals Defining Landscape-Scale Collaboration as Used to Restore Forests and Reduce Catastrophic Wildfires

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcelle DuPraw
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Forest Restoration ◽  
Human Life ◽  
Research Question ◽  
The United States ◽  
Landscape Scale ◽  
Forest Landscape Restoration ◽  
The Us ◽  
Restoration Work ◽  
Management Recommendations

In this article, I explore the distinctive characteristics of landscape-scale collaboration in the context of forest resource management in the United States. The United States (US) is experiencing a significant increase in acres burned by wildfire in the wildland-urban interface zone, exacting a heavy toll on human life, health, property, and livelihoods. The US Forest Service’s Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration (CFLR) Program demonstrates an effective approach to reducing risk of catastrophic wildfire through collaborative forest restoration work at the landscape scale. This is the first in a series of articles building toward a grounded theory to guide development of the capacities needed to collaborate at this scale. The study is based on thirteen interviews and nine focus groups with CFLR Program participants. This article addresses the research question: What is unique about collaborating at the landscape scale? Findings include five characteristics that together define this form of collaboration and insights on how participants framed their focal landscapes. I explain the catalyst for these collaboratives, scope of the study, and context for my involvement. I review pertinent literature and then describe the methods I employed in this study. Finally, I present and discuss my findings and offer suggestions for further research and management recommendations. Subsequent articles in this series will identify the capacities needed to collaborate in this context, present a theory informing strategies for cultivating these capacities, offer additional management and policy recommendations, and suggest curricular implications.

scholarly journals Land Use Spatial Optimization for Sustainable Wood Utilization at the Regional Level: A Case Study from Vietnam

Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 245
Author(s):  
Nguyen Dang Cuong ◽  
Köhl Michael ◽  
Mues Volker
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Forest Management ◽  
Forest Plantations ◽  
Land Resource ◽  
Forest Landscape ◽  
Timber Supply ◽  
Landscape Restoration ◽  
Forest Landscape Restoration ◽  
Wood Utilization

Forest landscape restoration is a widely accepted approach to sustainable forest management. In addition to revitalizing degraded sites, forest landscape restoration can increase the supply of sustainable timber and thereby reduce logging in natural forests. The current study presents a spatial land use optimization model and utilizes a linear programming algorithm that integrates timber production and timber processing chains to meet timber demand trade-offs and timber supply. The objective is to maximize yield and profit from forest plantations under volatile timber demands. The model was parameterized for a case study in Thai Nguyen Province, Vietnam, where most forest plantations grow Acacia mangium (A. mangium). Data were obtained from field surveys on tree growth, as well as from questionnaires to collect social-economic information and determine the timber demand of local wood processing mills. The integration of land use and wood utilization approaches reduces the amount of land needed to maintain a sustainable timber supply and simultaneously leads to higher yields and profits from forest plantations. This forest management solution combines economic and timber yield aspects and promotes measures focused on economic sustainability and land resource efficiency.

scholarly journals Forest Landscape Restoration under Global Environmental Change: Challenges and a Future Roadmap

Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 276
Author(s):  
Florent Noulèkoun ◽  
Sylvanus Mensah ◽  
Emiru Birhane ◽  
Yowhan Son ◽  
Asia Khamzina
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Change ◽  
Global Environmental Change ◽  
Ecological Knowledge ◽  
Forest Landscape ◽  
Landscape Restoration ◽  
Adverse Impacts ◽  
Forest Landscape Restoration ◽  
Global Environmental ◽  
Governance Challenges ◽  
Globally Distributed

The adverse impacts of ecosystem degradation have raised the need for forest landscape restoration (FLR) to be included in international sustainability agendas. However, the path towards successful FLR implementation faces numerous biophysical, socioeconomic and governance challenges because FLR operates within complex socioecological systems. In the present study, we review and discuss FLR challenges in the context of global environmental change. We propose a roadmap consisting of five interlinked steps to overcome these challenges: (1) advancing ecological knowledge supporting FLR, (2) adapting FLR management to environmental change through strengthening globally distributed experimental networks, (3) implementing modelling approaches, (4) improving socioeconomic and governance dimensions, and (5) developing evidence-based knowledge platforms. The roadmap offers an iterative and adaptive framework for the continuous evaluation and improvement of FLR strategies and outcomes.

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