Stakeholders

Throughout: Informing the Strategy with Local Knowledge

Core Question:

• What questions do we ask each stakeholder group to inform the overall strategy and action plan with local knowledge?

Dialogue Questions:

1. What questions do we ask specific stakeholder groups, and what have they contributed to the collective thinking?
   1. Local and Indigenous peoples
      1. How does forest and watershed renewal align with your values and lifeways?
      2. How can newer, more efficient, diversified approaches to forestry further your values or interests?
      3. What threats to your values and lifeways are occurring from the existing dynamics?
      4. How do threats from previous or potential wildfires impact your culture and lifeways?
      5. What opportunities, threats, or disadvantages do you see from a regional forestry strategy?
   2. Landowners
      1. Forest management
         1. What are the primary land stewardship issues landowners face?
         2. What quality of life goals do we want front and center in a regional forest-to-market approach?
         3. What environmental concerns do we want to address in a regional forest-to-market approach?
         4. What assistance is needed to relate to the state and federal government effectively?
            1. What are the issues in accessing state and federal funds?
            2. What are the management plan challenges?
            3. What are the issues in assessing loss?
            4. What are the issues in implementing fire recovery approaches?
            5. How can we relate most productively with other landscape cooperatives?
         5. What is the status of each landowner’s forest management plan?
         6. What is the total forestry harvesting volume needed to be done annually?
         7. How much new labor is needed?
         8. What are the opportunities to establish shared equipment pools?
            1. Burn wagons
            2. Firewood processing gear
            3. Trucks
            4. Biochar production equipment
         9. What are the opportunities to establish collective forest treatment contracts?
         10. Which log roads need maintenance?
         11. How do we better integrate stewardship of public and private lands?
             1. Connect with the State Lands Office
         12. How can smaller landowners participate in this Action Plan?
         13. How do we integrate federal recovery funding granted to individual landowners into a coherent strategy?
      2. Market development
         1. What challenges identifying contractors need to be addressed?
            1. Bonding and legitimacy of payroll protocols render many small contractors ineligible for government funding.
         2. What challenges in identifying markets for materials need to be addressed?
         3. For which forest materials have it proven easier to find contractors?
         4. What issues with contractors need to be addressed?
         5. What issues with processors need to be addressed?
         6. What types and volumes of material need new local processing capacity?
         7. Which forest material needs a costs-for-service agreement?
         8. Where should new milling capacity be established?
         9. What entity and organizational structure best supports this overall forest-to-market system?
            1. What involvement of the large landowners should be considered?
               1. Volume guarantees
               2. Investment in facilities and infrastructure
               3. Short-term advances against costs, then reimbursed by product supply
         10. What concerns for privacy, confidentiality, and appropriate treatment of information need to be addressed within a collaborative planning process?
         11. What education for landowners is needed?
         12. How can we establish a fair and impartial process for timber valuation?
         13. What elements comprise a productive and fair regional forest material “exchange”?
         14. What is the condition and use of area wood-fired boiler systems?
      3. Fire prevention and mitigation
         1. How can prescribed fire be used productively and safely as a management strategy?
            1. How is fear of fire handicapping overall effectiveness?
            2. How can we improve the process for obtaining burn and smoke permits?
            3. How can we coordinate a regional fire management strategy?
               1. How do each landowner’s priorities fit into the larger landscape approach?
         2. How do we use geospatial information to guide fuel break locations and related strategies?
            1. What are the optimal uses of fuel breaks within the overall forest management strategy?
            2. What factors need to be incorporated into a fuel breaks strategy?
               1. Where are the prevailing winds?
               2. What is the optimal scale of prescribed burns?
               3. What are the associated costs at various scales?
               4. How can we best coordinate multi-landowner approaches to fuel breaks?
         3. Where are the optimal locations to focus forest thinning activities?
      4. Burnt forest issues
         1. What has to happen for soil and erosion control?
         2. What can be done with the forest slash safely and viably?
         3. What are the uses of burnt forest material?
         4. What is needed to restore the roads?
         5. What is needed to restore the acequias?
         6. What is needed to restore the fences?
         7. What is needed to restore the water system?
   3. What are the trespass issues that need to be addressed?
      1. ATVs
      2. Poaching for game
      3. Taking firewood
      4. Partying
      5. Vandalism
2. Questions for individual landowners
   1. Is the high density of burned or unburned trees a severe challenge on your lands?
   2. What concerns do you have about how adjacent forests to your lands are managed?
   3. What harvesting activity are you doing now, and how?
   4. What is your on-staff and available contracting capacity for forest harvesting?
   5. How many acres would you treat if a viable approach were developed within this comprehensive forest-to-market strategy?
   6. In what timeframe do you want to have this acreage treated?
3. State and federal forestry staff
   1. Administrative
      1. How does the U.S. Forest Service Planning Rule 2012 inform the local work?
      2. What Forest Plans have been completed?
      3. What other legal guidelines have to be recognized?
      4. What is the best way to coordinate with these plans and guidelines?
      5. What funding or other support opportunities can we tie into, and how can state and federal agencies assist?
      6. How do we assist states and agencies in attaining funding and logistical support?
      7. What misinformation challenges you?
         1. What information do you need to spread?
         2. How can we use our networks at OTNA to inform and educate the public and decision-makers?
   2. Current efforts assessment
      1. What other large landscape and ecosystem planning efforts are underway?
      2. How can RE-FOREST collaborate with other forest conservation efforts?
      3. Specifically, which programs do you suggest building on, and what models do you suggest we emulate among local initiatives and national programs?
      4. What pitfalls should be avoided - what has worked and what has not?
      5. What can we learn from the experience of prior fire mitigation and recovery efforts?
         1. How can State Forestry Divisions and the U.S. Forest Service improve their collaboration toward shared goals?
      6. What is the most appropriate balance between post-fire recovery and future fire mitigation?
      7. What assessments of existing industry barriers and needs have been completed, and when?
   3. Private land coordination
      1. How can private lands be served by state and federal planning efforts?
      2. How can progress on private lands assist the overall forest management and stewardship goals?
      3. How can the USFS and State Forestry Divisions assist in the stewardship of private lands?
      4. How can we better synthesize public and private land stewardship?
4. Forestry and forest products business leaders
   1. How can we improve how federal agencies handle forest material?
      1. Implement material bid process before harvesting so timber can be cut to suitable lengths.
         1. FEMA, in post-fire situations, has little connection to forest companies and landowners and is chopping material into 4’-6’ pieces with limited utility.
   2. How do we level the playing field between large national and local contractors?
   3. How can we improve communications between the local forest industry and state and federal agencies?
      1. Close the timber sales promptly on state and private lands.
   4. What federal policies concerning forest management need to be re-evaluated?
      1. NEPA needs to be streamlined
      2. NEPA exception in devastated landscapes and Federal Disaster Zones
      3. Archaeological sites are already known and have typically already been damaged
      4. 1990 Roadless Act, passed during the Clinton administration, requires using main roads only
         1. Carson National Forest and the Bridge Road area had 100,000+ latillas that could have been harvested in the aftermath of the 2022 Hermits Peak/Calf’s Canyon Fire, but for the closure of the roads
      5. They need to take a whole forest management approach
      6. The prohibition against salvage alongside forest treatment has to be removed
      7. The federal agencies that are involved in forest management, recreation, fire recovery, environmental issues, wildlife, and transportation aren’t coordinating
      8. Need equipment loans to cover operating capital, FSA loans are capped, stringent requirements, 150% collateral
   5. How can we improve communications and understanding with the environmental community?
      1. Recognize loggers as environmentalists.
   6. How can we improve how landowners relate to forest treatment and local logging and mill management?
      1. Need to address small landowners’ burned trees near their homes
      2. Communication and education
      3. Forest treatment for material contracts
      4. Utilize the logging and mill owners to educate the landowners and others
      5. Establish a local marketplace hub for pricing, supply, and offers on forest treatment services and material disposition
   7. What other challenges in doing your work do we want to address?
   8. What capacity increases would you like to be capitalized for?
      1. What shortcomings do you find in how banks relate to you?
         1. Need new low-interest/reasonable-interest equipment loan fund
         2. Banks don’t understand the non-equipment capital needs
         3. Need a new source of collateral and guarantee
         4. Need a method for valuing wood inventory
         5. Need to be considered an ag industry
   9. In addition to capital, what else do you need to grow?
   10. What are the opportunities to share and coordinate equipment across your businesses?
   11. What are the opportunities to share and coordinate wood supply contacts and relationships across your businesses?
   12. What are the opportunities to coordinate forest activity across your businesses?
   13. What concerns about this cooperation do you want to make sure are addressed?
   14. What are your other concerns about the current system, and how can it be improved to better assist you in expanding your work?
   15. How can we address the need for more skilled labor, operators, and managers?
       1. Environmentalists have to stop stigmatizing logging
       2. Invite equipment providers like Ponsee to participate in training
   16. How can we address the need for additional employee housing in emergencies?
   17. How can state and federal financial and logistical support better serve your needs?
5. Local public sector and community leaders
   1. How do fires impact your community and your work?
   2. What goals would your community want to see advanced from RE-FOREST?
   3. What concerns do you want to ensure are addressed in this Action Plan?
   4. What resource limits need to be addressed for this initiative to be successful? Potential issues include, but are not limited to:
      1. Housing
      2. Labor force
      3. Road capacity
      4. Transportation networks
      5. More effective and relevant state and federal support
   5. What adjustments to your current role or mission would enable you to focus more on long-term collective benefit?
6. Environmental groups
   1. How do you define and conceive forest and watershed health?
   2. How does forest and watershed health impact your work and programmatic mission?
   3. How have fires impacted your mission and operations?
   4. What are the significant barriers to improving forest and watershed health?
   5. What are the significant opportunities for improving forest and watershed health?
   6. What concerns for the vitality of the environment, watersheds, and wildlife do you want to have a role in addressing within this forest-to-market strategy?
   7. How can your organization support a positive view of forest workers as environmental stewards?
7. Foundations and philanthropists
   1. What forest and watershed issues are the most significant challenges?
   2. How have fires impacted your actions and role?
   3. What needs are not being addressed under the current system?
   4. What would help you make your work more effective?
   5. What resources can you provide to RE-FOREST, and what questions and guidance do you have toward applying those resources?
8. New technology developers
   1. What technology could be productively included in this initiative?
   2. What is the current status of your technology and its deployment?
   3. What capital or support is needed to advance your technology?
   4. What forest materials' supply issues need to be addressed for your business to succeed?
9. Foundational questions for all stakeholders
   1. What resources do you have in your control that may be helpful to this Initiative?
   2. What resources are you familiar with that you want to ensure we are aware of?
   3. What resources do you want assistance accessing?
   4. What is your vision for how the federal government, the state, and the region should relate to this Initiative?
   5. Based on your understanding of this initiative, do you want the state and federal governments to embrace and support the project?
   6. How do you want to participate in the development of the RE-FOREST Action Plan?
   7. How do you want to participate in the implementation of the Action Plan?
   8. What is your political influence, and how can we activate that influence for the success of this initiative?
   9. Will you engage with RE-FOREST to make a case for this Action Plan with decision-makers?
   10. Will you contribute financially to this effort?
   11. Will you agree to this participation agreement?
       1. I promise to respond to the RE-FOREST emails or phone messages within 48 hours or sooner when time is crucial.
       2. I promise to invest up to 1-2 hours a week in reading and writing when requested so that my input effectively contributes to this effort.