• Project No. and Title: WCC_OLD1003 - Coordination of Western Regional Extension Forestry Activities
• Dates: 07/23/2018 to 07/25/2018
• Contacts: [Andrew Perleberg] [A. Scott.Reed]

This authorizes the annual meeting: .
The meeting will be held on 07/23/2018 at Vancouver, WA. :

Admin Advisor: Scott Reed (scott.reed@oregonstate.edu)

TO: WCC 1003: Western Coordinating Committee – Forestry<br /> (Multistate Research Coordinating Committee and Information Exchange Group)<br /> <br /> FROM: Andrew B. Perleberg, Committee Chair andyp@wsu.edu<br /> 509-630-4217 (mobile)<br /> <br /> SUBJECT: Coordination of Western Regional Extension Forestry Activities<br /> <br /> Hello WCC:<br /> <br /> It’s my pleasure to invite you to the attend the annual Western Regional Extension Forestry annual coordinating meeting on (July 23 board only) 24-25 in Vancouver, WA. For the past two summers, extension foresters, USFS research station staff and other partners of State and Private Forestry - Cooperative Programs, have experienced mile-high lineups hosted by USU and CSU, and now we are excited to showcase multi-state collaborative projects at a sea-level settings (well, nearly!) in the Vancouver-Portland vicinity along the mighty Columbia River. This is a valuable reunion of science and technology transfer specialists and I hope you will make this important meeting a priority.<br /> <br /> The purpose of the WCC is to identify present and emerging forest resource management “issues” of regional and even national significance, and to examine participants’ interest and capacity for addressing problems as a multi-state approach. Attached is a presentation recently delivered at the Association of Natural Resource Extension Professionals conference which basically describes the WCC in picture-book fashion. This meeting helps to ground us in the reality of what we do best and to help partner members recognize the unique role that Extension represents and executes in facilitating forest science information and technology transfer needs. The combination of the information revealed through research, conveyed through Extension endeavors, and executed by and for practitioners and end-users is what I refer to as coaction. Examples of WCC topics include watershed resources; web-based technology transfer; climate change awareness; wildfire hazard abatement; communicating forest health conditions; and intergenerational transfer of family forestlands.<br /> <br /> Cooperative strategies are increasingly viewed favorably by stakeholders and funding entities. Examples include:<br /> • Good Neighbor Authority (which allows Forest Service to enter into cooperative contracts allowing the States to perform watershed restoration and forest management services on National Forest System (NFS) lands;<br /> • Regional Conservation Partnership Program (or RCPP, which promotes coordination between NRCS and its partners to deliver conservation assistance to forest owners);<br /> • Joint Chief’s Landscape Restoration Partnership (such as the “All Lands, All Hands” approach in NE WA, where Forest Service and NRCS are working in partnership and have improved the health and resiliency of forest ecosystems where public and private lands come together.<br /> • Landscape Scale Restoration Competitive Grant Process - LSR projects cross boundaries to affect any combination of federal, state, tribal, county, municipal, or private lands.<br /> • Renewable Resources Extension Act – For example in WA, we work with the Dept. Natural Resources to leverage RREA funding and receive dedicated stewardship forester assistance for helping landowners personalize classroom-based information for writing their own Forest Stewardship Plans.<br /> <br /> Extension’s “safe and steady” relationship with public and private entities is important to engage for gaining trust and action on-the-ground. On Tuesday, July 24, at the Heathman Lodge in Vancouver, WA, we will learn about cooperative, transboundary experiences throughout the west that have advanced landscape-scale forest restoration improvements. Extension programs differ state-by-state in outreach capacity, establish distinctive relationships to solve local programs with effective partnerships, and develop strong relationships with institutions and research entities, and these efficiencies can be leveraged to create greater regional impacts. We will learn new and effective ideas for increasing awareness, stimulating best practices behaviors, and improving environmental and economic conditions. This meeting creates opportunity for both formal and casual discussion for strategizing the most effective outreach approaches for addressing regionally-relevant situations for specific landscapes. National program leaders are asked to give insights to developments dealing with the Farm Bill, Western States Competitive Grants, etc, and will (hopefully) share thoughts about how we can help them with programs of regional and national significance.<br /> <br /> On Wednesday, July 25, we will lead off with a tour of historic Camp Bonneville, a complex story of multiple natural resource agencies – federal, state, and local – that is presently being managed under a multi-resource Forest Stewardship Plan. Learn about restoring a landscape that has been burned, blown-over, and blown-up through a century of shifting management objectives. The remainder of the tour will feature the “Partnership for Resilient Forests in the Columbia River Gorge Wildland Urban Interface,” a multi-state Landscape-scale Restoration project funded through the USDA Western States Competitive Grants program, involving landowner and natural resource professional education and training, community outreach, and strategic on-the-ground fire, storm, and bark-beetle treatments (including California fivespined Ips). Finally, the tour will include a presentation/ discussion on impacts of the Eagle Creek wildfire on communities, infrastructure, air quality and human health, and lives at risk. Fire behavior, protection tactics, and costs will be discussed, and we will entertain ideas for renewed partnership efforts to develop strategic landscape-level projects that are also community- centered. Stops include: Washington Viewpoint; Cascade Locks (and for lunch) & Bridge of the Gods; Ainsworth State Park (walking); Multnomah Falls (walking and view).<br /> <br /> Monday, July 23, 2PM-5PM (Executive Board only, all welcome) Tuesday, July 24, 8AM – 5PM WCC Annual Meeting (presentations) Wednesday, July 25, 8M – 5PM Field Tour<br /> <br /> Call for Presentations (~20 min each incl. Q&A)<br /> Please consider providing a presentation that represents a good example of the unique role and value of Extension with collaborative forestry projects. Though seemingly obvious and avoidable, we’ve all gotten into situations where we have become involved in cooperative projects that did not capitalize on our strengths and was not a particularly valuable use of our time. We are seeking 4-6 short presentations that convey front-lines experiences with successful and perhaps some less positive views of collaborative endeavors, to stimulate dialog, perhaps help avoid pitfalls, and offer retrospect of how you would have done things the same or different. By June 30, please send your presentation topic idea to Andy Perleberg, andyp@wsu.edu<br /> <br /> Any WCC participant who feels s/he may need an accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact Andy Perleberg privately to discuss your specific needs. andyp@wsu.edu<br /> <br /> WCC partner participants are identified by USDA NIFA as: USDA Forest Service - State and Private Forestry; Council of Western State Foresters; USDA Forest Service Western Regional Foresters; Western Agriculture and Natural Resources (ANR) Program Leaders; National Association of University Forest Resources Programs (NAUFRP); USDA-National Institute of Food and Agriculture; USDA Forest Service Research; Western Forestry Leadership Coalition; Western Governors Association; National Woodland Owners Association and state affiliate organizations; Association of Natural Resource Extension Professionals (ANREP); Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).<br />