A Toolbox of Resources

With the enactment of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act, Forest Landscape Restoration Act, and similar laws and policies, collaboration — an open and inclusive process through which two or more individuals or organizations work together to address a problem/issue that concerns them all and that no one of them is likely to be able to resolve alone — has gained increasing popularity as a way to resolve natural resource management challenges. With this increased engagement in the project development process, collaborative groups are beginning to see the fruits of their work from start to finish: landscape prioritization, project area identification, field trips, prescription development, proposals for action, project implementation, and monitoring of results are all now part of the work of collaborative groups. In this White Paper, published by the Ecological Restoration Institute at Northern Arizona University, Susan Jane Brown provides information on administrative and legal review opportunities for collaborative groups.

Measuring the social and economic impacts of collaborative stewardship work is extremely important to community-based groups and their constituents. In this session, the Ecosystem Workforce Program and the New Mexico Forest and Watershed Restoration Institute presented reports and tools they each recently released to assist community groups identify and measure socioeconomic indicators. In addition, Salmon Valley Stewardship described their efforts to monitor the economic impact of their work, and the exciting results they can now report.

The Region 6 Office of the U.S. Forest Service contracted with Sustainable Northwest to develop the Guidebook in response to requests from collaborative stewardship groups for specific information about multiparty monitoring approaches in the Pacific Northwest. Collaborative support and assistance for the Guidebook was provided by Oregon Solutions and the National Forest Foundation.

The sourcebook was developed by Ann Moote in coordination with a project team of the following organizations: Ecological Restoration Institute, Forest Guild, National Forest Foundation, USFS Ecosystem Services and National Partnership Office, Watershed Research and Training Center, and Sustainable Northwest.

This presentation was presented by U.S. Forest Service Grants & Agreements staff during the 2014 Virtual Partnership Conference.

Working together in a collaborative environment is more important than ever to both the Forest Service and the public. However, there is often a knowledge gap between the lead agency and stakeholders; each use their own language and have their own set of expectations. The National Forest Foundation is pleased to announce the publication of a new tool intended to bridge the gap in a clear, concise and usable way by identifying opportunities and presenting techniques for collaboration.

This tool will help you recognize the value of in-kind, or non-cash contributions and donations to your organization or collaborative.

This grid outlines the four stages of collaborative development - formation, foundation, fruition, and future. This tool will be helpful to any budding - or mature - collaborative group.

It is increasingly important to measure the impact of programs and projects, especially those involving collaboration, in order to practice adaptive management and demonstrate and communicate success to stakeholders involved in the collaborative process, the greater community, and potential funders. The purpose of this information sheet is to help collaborative groups develop outcomes and measurable indicators and targets. The companion to this tool is the "Outcome-Indicator Form."

This form is a companion to the tool titled "Developing an Outcome-Based Monitoring Plan with Measurable Indicators and Targets."