United States Department of Agriculture

From Accelerating Restoration To Creating
and Maintaining Resilient Landscapes and
Communities Across the Nation
Update on Progress From 2012

Forest Service

FS-1069

November 2015

 Compiled and Edited by: Marilyn Buford, Carita Chan, John Crockett, Elizabeth Reinhardt, Jenna Sloan
Steering Committee: Victoria Christiansen, Brian Ferebee, Carlos Rodriguez-Franco
Design and Layout: Carita Chan
National Publications Editor: Sonja Beavers
Cover Photos: USDA Forest Service
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2

 Executive Summary
In a period of great ecological and socioeconomic change, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service recognizes
the critical importance of restoration to fulfilling its mission to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the Nation’s
forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations. Across the country, forests, grasslands, and
watersheds are impacted by a confluence of stressors, including catastrophic wildfire and outbreaks of insect and disease,
that are exacerbated by a changing climate. At the same time, demand is growing for the multitude of services provided by
national forests and grasslands. Restoration of these vital landscapes is critical to maintaining and enhancing the functions
needed from productive, resilient forests and grasslands to support thriving communities and economies.
In 2012, the Forest Service shared a number of policies and initiatives to increase the pace of forest restoration and
management on the national forests. This report serves as an update to Increasing the Pace of Restoration and Job Creation
on Our National Forests and shares progress that has been made over the past 3 years. The Forest Service, together with
diverse partners across public and private sectors, is making a difference through implementation of the Collaborative
Forest Landscape Restoration Program, Watershed Condition Framework, Integrated Resource Restoration budgeting,
and the Western Bark Beetle Strategy; finalization of the 2012 forest planning rule; efficiency improvements for National
Environmental Policy Act and timber and stewardship contract processing; and support to expand markets for forest
products. As a result, the Forest Service has increased the impact and rate of restoration nationally, despite mounting
challenges such as record droughts, longer and drier wildfire seasons, a reduction in non-fire personnel to support
the agency mission, and a rapidly increasing percentage of the budget being spent on wildland fire management. In
the previous report, the Forest Service projection for 2011 was to complete 3.7 million acres of restoration treatments.
Ultimately, the agency exceeded its target and accomplished 4.2 million treatment acres.1 In 2014, the Forest Service
further prioritized restoration and accomplished over 4.6 million acres of restoration treatments; an increase of nearly
400,000 acres (9 percent) compared to 2011 accomplishments. In fiscal year (FY) 2015 and beyond, the Forest Service
continues to implement policies and approaches that more efficiently and effectively increase its impact on landscapes and
communities as a result of restoration treatments. Yet, much work remains to be done.
The Forest Service has made great progress since 2012, with the help provided through legislation. New and extended
authorities, such as those provided in the 2014 Farm Bill, have allowed the Forest Service to work more efficiently and
extensively with partners. However, there is a limit to the gains that can be realized through efficiencies and partnerships
alone. Over the last few decades, wildland fire suppression costs have increased as fire seasons have grown longer and
the frequency, size, and severity of wildland fires have increased. Today, the Forest Service spends half of its budget on
fire management activities and that has real implications on the ground, including for restoration work that would help
prevent catastrophic fires. Wildland fire suppression activities are currently funded entirely within the Forest Service
budget, based on a 10-year rolling average that continues to increase, consuming a growing portion of the agency’s
appropriated budget. This unsustainable problem is made worse because, in many years, fighting fires costs more than was
appropriated for that year, requiring mid-season transfers of additional dollars from already depleted accounts to pay for
firefighting: a practice referred to as “fire transfer.” In some cases, the agency is forced to divert money away from the same
forest restoration projects that prevent or lessen the impacts of future wildfire. The agency has hit a tipping point. To solve
this problem, the Government must change the way it pays for wildfire suppression. The USDA and the Forest Service
stand ready to support the Wildfire Disaster Funding Act. Resolving funding issues will help the Forest Service better
restore the health and resilience of the Nation’s landscapes and serve the communities that rely on them.
1  Restoration accomplishments are comprised of acres treated to sustain or restore watershed function on National Forest System land and acres of
hazardous fuels treated in the wildland-urban interface on National Forest System lands and State and private lands.

(USDA Forest Service)

3

 Introduction

Spurred by Secretary Tom Vilsack’s vision, which
emphasized collaboration with stakeholders and
restoration of the Nation’s forests, the United States
Department of Agriculture (USDA), Forest Service
published Increasing the Pace of Restoration and Job
Creation on Our National Forests in February 2012.
The report laid out the need to increase the pace
and scale of restoration on national forests to benefit
water resources, wildlife, and local communities, as
well as identifying a series of actions to help make
restoration outcomes a reality. This document provides
a progress update on the commitments identified in
2012, describes new approaches being implemented in
addition to the earlier commitments, and describes the
important work that remains.
The Need for Restoration
The Forest Service administers 193 million acres of
national forests and grasslands; across the country,
national forests provide myriad values and benefits to
the American people, including clean drinking water,
vital wildlife habitat, wood products, and a variety of
recreational opportunities. However, carrying out the
agency’s mission to sustain the health, diversity, and
productivity of the Nation’s forests and grasslands to
meet the needs of present and future generations is
becoming increasingly difficult. Large areas of National
Forest System (NFS) land are at risk from catastrophic
wildfire, insect and disease, changing climate, and
other stressors. The potential restoration treatment
needs on NFS land are between 65 to 82 million acres.
Restoration of these vital landscapes is critical to
maintaining and enhancing the functions needed from
healthy, productive, and resilient forests.

Progress on 2012 Commitments

In 2012, the Forest Service shared a number of
policies and initiatives to increase the pace of forest
restoration and management on national forests. In
spite of challenges, notably the budgetary impacts
of the 2011 Budget Control Act and fire transfers in
2012, 2013, and 2015, the Forest Service has made
progress on its earlier commitments. The number of
acres treated annually has increased during this time
period. In the previous report, the Forest Service
projection for 2011 was to complete 3.7 million acres
of restoration treatments. The Forest Service was
able to exceed this projection with an actual 2011
accomplishment of 4.2 million acres of watershed and
forest restoration, wildlife habitat improvement, and
hazardous fuels treatments. In 2014, the agency further
increased accomplishments by treating more than 4.6
million acres of restoration treatments, an increase
of 400,000 acres compared to 2011. Additionally, the
Forest Service has increased its timber production
from 2.5 billion board feet (bbf) in 2011 to 2.8 bbf in
2014. The Forest Service plans to increase this number
still further in 2015 and 2016 with targets of 2.9 and
3.2 bbf, respectively based on funding levels in the
President’s budget request.
The Forest Service has additionally made significant
progress on the key actions identified in the
previous report: expanding collaborative landscape
partnerships; finalizing and implementing a new
forest planning rule; implementing the Watershed
Condition Framework; implementing Integrated
Resource Restoration budgeting; improving restoration
project planning process efficiency under the National
Environmental Policy Act; implementing the Forest
Service bark beetle strategy; expanding stewardship
contracting; improving implementation and efficiency
of timber and stewardship contracts; and expanding
markets for forest products, including woody biomass
utilization and green building materials.
Further detail is provided below. Congress, Forest
Service partners, and the public have played an
important role in attaining this progress.

4

 1.  Expanding Collaborative Landscape
Partnerships
In its first 5 years of implementation, the
Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration
(CFLR) Program has expanded to 23 projects
on high-priority landscapes in 15 States, from
Florida to California. By strategically focusing
restoration efforts and emphasizing collaboration
and community engagement, the CFLR projects
have brought people together to accomplish work
on the ground that otherwise might have been
impossible. Collectively, more than 1.45 million
acres of forest have been treated to reduce the
risk of catastrophic wildfire, and more than 1.33
million acres have been improved for wildlife
habitat. The CFLR projects and other related
restoration activities have generated more than
1.256 bbf of timber volume sold, $661 million in
local labor income, and created or maintained an
average of 4,360 jobs per year.1 There is interest
from partners across the country in expanding
the CFLR program. Given capacity constraints
1  For more information, see the CFLR 5-Year Report: http://www.fs.fed.
us/restoration/documents/cflrp/CFLRP_5-YearReport.pdf.

on the existing program appropriation, only 23
projects could be funded out of the 50 proposals
submitted in 2010 and 2011. Since 2012, there
has been interest in additional projects in areas
where there is not an existing CFLR project
but where increased collaboration is proposed
and needed, such as in the Great Lakes region.
The fiscal year (FY) 2016 President’s Budget
proposed to expand the CFLR program to meet
this demand and the opportunity presented by
unfunded collaborative projects.
By continuing to support this innovative
program, Congress empowers the Forest Service
and its partners to advance restoration outcomes
while engaging local communities. The Forest
Service continues to seek new opportunities
to leverage additional partner investments and
capitalize on new programs and authorities
to maximize efficiencies. The Forest Service
welcomes the opportunity to expand the program
through additional appropriation of dedicated
funding beyond the $40 million per year
currently authorized.

Grandfather Restoration Project

North Carolina: The Grandfather
Collaborative Forest Landscape
Restoration Project brings together
diverse partners to restore the forest
health and resilience of a unique
section of the southern Blue Ridge
Mountains. The project is reducing
fire risk, removing invasive species,
improving wildlife habitat, and increasing
recreation opportunities. One of the
project’s
Lo
many successes is the work
across ownerships to remove Japanese
knotweed from the Wilson Creek Wild
and Scenic River Corridor. This invasive
plant species takes over riparian areas,
competing with native vegetation and
(https://grandfatherrestorationproject.wordpress.com)
reducing the quality of trout habitat in
the waters of Wilson Creek. Successful treatment of Japanese knotweed requires removing the plant from
both the National Forest System and privately owned land in the river corridor. The Forest Service, North
Carolina Wildlife Resource Commission, and the partner group Friends of Wilson Creek are working on
National Forest System lands and with private property owners to remove Japanese knotweed, with plans to
eradicate Japanese knotweed from the area by 2017.

5

 2.  Finalizing and Implementing a New Forest
Planning Rule
The May 9, 2012, planning rule (2012 planning
rule) for NFS land management planning2
guides a collaborative and science-based
approach to planning that aims to maintain and
restore NFS lands in an ecologically, socially,
and economically sustainable manner, as
well as providing for ecosystem services and
multiple uses. This new rule is resulting in
nimble, less expensive plans. In August 2014,
a 21-member Planning Rule Federal Advisory
Committee was selected to provide guidance
and recommendations on the management of
2  For more information, visit http://www.fs.usda.gov/planningrule.

America’s national forests. The recommendations
are intended to deepen the level of stakeholder
collaboration in forest planning. The Forest
Service has 124 land management plans, 19 of
which are currently being revised under the 2012
planning rule. In August 2015, the Francis Marion
National Forest released the first proposed plan3
developed under the new planning rule. Land
management plans provide important focus and
context for restoration activities on national
forests and watersheds. Over the coming years,
actions under this rule will expand the number of
acres and watersheds restored on national forests.
3  The proposed plan is available at http://www.fs.usda.gov/main/scnfs/
landmanagement/planning.

Proposed Plan Issued for the Francis Marion National Forest
South Carolina: The Francis Marion
National Forest supplies clean water,
as well as economic benefits through
timber production, eco-tourism,
and recreation, to its surrounding
communities. In addition, the forest
provides wildlife habitat for many
species, including the red-cockaded
woodpecker. As part of plan revision,
the Francis Marion National Forest is
working with many entities interested
in longleaf pine restoration, including
Atlantic Coast Longleaf Implementation
Lo
Team, Sewee Longleaf Conservation
Cooperative, South Carolina Forestry
Commission, The Nature Conservancy,
Red-cockaded woodpecker in the Francis Marion National Forest.
and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

(USDA Forest Service)

In August 2015, the Francis Marion
National Forest issued a proposed plan, representing the first plan developed under the 2012 planning
rule. The proposed plan provides an opportunity to restore and connect longleaf pine forests across the
landscape; one of the plan’s objectives is to maintain or restore 91,000 acres of longleaf pine ecosystems
in woodlands and savannas. The restoration emphasis in the plan complements fish and wildlife habitat
needs. For instance, ensuring a sustained flow of early successional habitats will support a variety of
species, including the northern bobwhite quail. Additionally, the proposed plan emphasizes conversion
of loblolly pine to longleaf pine in the first decade to meet timber demands from local mills while also
supporting forest restoration objectives.

6

 3.  Implementing the Watershed Condition
Framework
The Watershed Condition Framework (WCF)
provides a consistent approach for classifying the
condition of watersheds on the Nation’s forests and
grasslands. The Forest Service established three
watershed condition classes (functioning properly,
functioning at risk, and impaired function) to
assess, classify, prioritize, and monitor progress
toward maintaining or improving watershed
condition. The Forest Service has identified more
than 300 priority watersheds. From FY 2011 to
FY 2014, 34 watersheds were restored to a fully

functioning condition. Plans are for the Forest
Service to restore an additional 39 watersheds in
FYs 2015 and 2016. Additionally, the Forest Service
has collaboratively developed 260 Watershed
Restoration Action Plans and implementation
schedules with partners for appropriate treatments.
The WCF is an important tool to help prioritize
treatments with partners to restore the condition of
priority watersheds nationwide.

Sitkoh River Restoration Project in Alaska
Alaska: Epitomizing the broad interest in
and support for restoration actions across
both the Tongass and Chugach National
Forests in the Alaska Region, the Sitkoh
River restoration project on the Sitka
District of the Tongass National Forest
was a collaborative effort with the Alaska
Department of Fish and Game, The Nature
Conservancy, Sitka Conservation Society,
and Trout Unlimited. Stream restoration on
the national forests in Alaska is connected
to the life-blood and culture of all the
people that live in and depend on the rich
fisheries resources of the State. Wild salmon
caught in waters adjacent to the national
Lo
forests in Alaska for subsistence, sport, and
commercial uses have an economic value
of $2 billion. The Sitkoh River is a Tongass
National Forest Watershed Condition
Framework (WCF) priority watershed.
The restoration project improved 2 miles
of main-stem stream habitat in an area
of historic harvest and road construction,
restored 780 acres of riparian habitat, and
replaced 14 fish passage barriers, creating
additional salmon habitat in newly opening
(USDA Forest Service)
stream segments. These treatments allowed
the watershed to be maintained as functioning properly as defined by the WCF. This fully integrated project
fixed existing problems and expanded habitat for wild salmon while improving vegetation to ensure that the
work would yield sustainable improvements over the long run.

7

 4.  Implementing Integrated Resource
Restoration Budgeting
Integrated Resource Restoration (IRR)4
consolidates several existing programs into a
single budget line item to support landscape
scale restoration. FY 2015 marks the fourth year
of implementing the IRR pilot authority in the
Forest Service’s Northern, Southwestern, and
Intermountain Regions. To better understand its
progress and challenges implementing IRR, the
Forest Service sought a third-party evaluation
of IRR and its effects. A team from Colorado
State University and the University of Oregon is
conducting a three-phase analysis of IRR, which
will be completed in late 2015.

The results from evaluation of Phases I and II
indicate that IRR tends to benefit larger scope
projects that are integrated and meet multiple
objectives across the landscape. Most Forest
Service line officers value IRR because it enables
them to pool resources and accomplish priority
work at a larger scale. The majority of Forest
Service line officers also report that IRR is
increasing budget flexibility, complementing other
authorities, and improving prioritization and
integration in ecosystem restoration work. The
IRR pilot authority to date has shown positive
results, and nationwide authority would be the best
way to capitalize on the lessons learned to date.

4  For more information, visit http://www.fs.fed.us/restoration/IRR/.

Jackknife Watershed Restoration
Idaho: The use of Integrated
Resource Restoration budgeting
allowed the Jackknife Watershed
Restoration project to integrate
multiple resource objectives
and work across Forest Service
resource programs to accomplish
landscape outcomes at meaningful
scales. Following guidance from
the National Watershed Condition
Framework, the Caribou-Targhee
National Forest selected the
Jackknife as a priority watershed
for restoration. In 2008, restoration
projects were initiated on nearby
private and Forest Service lands,
making the Jackknife a prime
Upper Mesa Falls in the Caribou-Targhee National Forest.
(USDA Forest Service)
candidate for improving watershed
condition. The national forest and
cross-boundary partners representing a variety of interests are collaborating in a multi-year effort to restore
the Jackknife watershed. The work focuses on decommissioning and relocating roads and trails located
on unstable slopes near stream channels, replacing undersized road and trail stream crossings, restoring
eroding and disconnected stream and riparian systems, and upgrading nonfunctioning water irrigation
diversions. These collaborative actions were designed to improve water quality and habitat for two
sensitive fish species (Yellowstone cutthroat trout and northern leathersides), improve wildlife habitat, and
increase stream stability, while providing for public access and recreation opportunities. The last essential
project on National Forest System lands was completed in 2014, and the watershed within National
Forest System boundaries has improved sufficiently to meet the criteria from a “functioning at risk” to a
“functioning properly” condition rating.

8

 5.  Improving Restoration Project Planning
Process Efficiency Under the National
Environmental Policy Act
Historically, the Forest Service has expended
significant resources on National Environmental
Policy Act (NEPA) compliance. Great strides have
been made in gaining efficiency in NEPA processes
while maintaining a high standard of protecting
and enhancing natural resources. The agency
has a number of ongoing efforts emphasizing
collaboration, learning, and technology to promote
a more efficient NEPA process, especially at the
landscape scale. A NEPA Line Officer Team was
recently formed to promote a community of
practice in enhancing the decisionmaker’s role in
the NEPA process. Additionally, improvements
in technology use during the NEPA process are
being made through the electronic Management
of NEPA (eMNEPA) program. eMNEPA has
saved the agency an estimated $17 million in
administrative time. Three learning teams continue
to be engaged in facilitating the use of adaptive
management, focused environmental assessments,
and NEPA documents that better reflect
collaboration. By focusing on larger landscapes
and adaptive components in NEPA analyses, the
Forest Service is able to provide NEPA decisions in
which additional acres may be treated over a larger
landscape and a longer period of time.

While the Forest Service has seen a 400,000
increase in acres treated since 2011, it has reduced
the number of NEPA analyses and decisions
needed to achieve that increase by approximately
26 percent. For NEPA decisions where the project
purpose is forest products, the number of analyses
and decisions has been reduced by roughly 50
percent over the same time period, resulting in
significant time savings. The Forest Service is also
beginning to see a decrease in litigation as a result
of collaborative efforts, further increasing planning
efficiencies. For example, the last litigation brought
against projects on the Malheur National Forest
was in 2007. The forest formalized both of its
collaborative groups in 2006 and 2008.
The Forest Service has closely collaborated with
the White House Council on Environmental
Quality (CEQ). The agency has been recognized
for various NEPA-related projects and has played
a leading role in initiatives with other Federal
agencies. Recently, CEQ selected the Forest
Service to lead an effort as part of CEQ’s NEPA
Modernization Initiative, in coordination with
the U.S. Department of the Interior, to explore
and highlight best management practices for
landscape-scale analyses. The goal of this initiative
is to modernize NEPA to be a more dynamic tool
and expedite decisionmaking.

(USDA Forest Service)

9

 6.  Implementing the Forest Service Bark
Beetle Strategy
Between 2000 and 2010, the Western United States
experienced the largest bark beetle outbreak in
recorded history. In response, the Forest Service
developed the 2011 Western Bark Beetle Strategy,5
identifying how the Forest Service will respond
through FY 2016. The science-based strategy
presents a path forward for effectively restoring
western forests over time to provide healthy
watersheds, stimulate local economies, and be

resilient to a changing climate. During the first 4
years of implementation, the Forest Service treated
nearly 1.2 million acres, including removing hazard
trees from 4,044 miles of roads and trails. The
treatments resulted in 1 bbf of timber sold, 470,160
green tons of biomass produced, and human safety
improvements. In the last 2 years of the strategy,
the Forest Service is projected to treat another
586,000 acres.

5  For more information, visit http://www.fs.fed.us/restoration/Bark_
Beetle/.

Mountain Pine Beetle Response Project

South Dakota: In response to
a mountain pine beetle (MPB)
infestation, the Black Hills
National Forest developed the
MPB Response Project. To allow
quicker assessments of outbreak
situations and timelier responses,
the project applies a landscape
scale approach that emphasizes
adaptive management. With this
approach, the Black Hills National
Forest was able to conduct an
analysis and issue a National
Environmental Policay Act (NEPA)
decision affecting up to ten times
the area covered by traditional
analysis methods for the Black
Hills National Forest. Signed in
2012, the decision authorizes
treatments on approximately
248,000 acres of ponderosa pine.
The decision also allows the Black
Hills National Forest to align and
support efforts on adjacent lands.
For example, in 2014, the Black
Before and after images of a mountain pine beetle infestation.
Hills National Forest was able to
(USDA Forest Service)
capitalize on the State of South
Dakota’s actions to thin and remove MPB-infested trees on adjoining State lands by quickly preparing
a sale in a matter of weeks, under the MPB Response Project decision. The MPB Response Project
decision provided the flexibility to implement this timber sale in an expedited and effective manner without
additional NEPA decisions. This timber sale facilitated removal of green susceptible trees prior to the 2014
bark beetle season and increased overall treatment effectiveness on State and Federal land. Since 2013,
project implementation has included almost 9,000 acres of commercial timber harvest and will encompass
approximately 55,000 acres of commercial treatment over the next 4 years.

10

 7.  Expanding Stewardship Contracting
Congress permanently authorized stewardship
contracting and agreements with passage of
the Agricultural Act of 2014 (the Farm Bill).
Stewardship contracting is an important tool,
allowing the Forest Service to develop forest
restoration projects that provide timber while
using proceeds for related activities, such as
stream restoration and road improvement. With
the permanent authorization, Congress also made
contractor fire-liability requirements consistent,
reducing uncertainty and risk for contractors
and partners.
The Forest Service supports the continued and
expanded use of this tool in the field. In 2014,
the Forest Service published updated policy

direction and provides stewardship contracting
and agreements training. Thus far, the agency
has reached more than 300 internal and external
participants in a series of national and regional
workshops. Use of stewardship contracting and
agreements is also expanding as a direct result
of increasing integrated resource restoration
activities and collaboration, including the largescale CFLR projects. From 2011 through 2014,
the Forest Service administered more than 790
stewardship contracts or agreements treating over
583,000 acres. The authority to award a contract or
agreement for up to 10 years provides flexibility for
the Forest Service and contractors to implement
and monitor the work over time.

Northeast Washington Mill Creek A to Z Stewardship Contract

Washington: As part of the Forest
Service’s ongoing efforts to increase
the scale and pace of restoring forest
health and sustainability, the Colville
National Forest is developing an
entirely new way of accomplishing
restoration activities. Through a
10-year stewardship contract, a
contractor will complete all necessary
National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA) requirements and carry out all
resulting restoration work activities,
as directed by the Forest Service.
The contractor will incur all NEPArelated expenses, but will recoup its
investment by deriving value from
the forest products that need to be
removed to meet land management
goals and objectives. This contract
(USDA Forest Service)
goes beyond the scope of a typical
stewardship contract, because it requires the contractor to complete work that is not traditionally included,
such as fulfilling NEPA and collaboration needs and conducting unit layout, cruising, marking, and volume
determination. By leveraging additional resources, the contract will allow more on-the-ground restoration
work to be accomplished and contribute to accomplishment of the forest’s management goals. Supported
by the Joint Chiefs’ Landscape Restoration Partnership initiative, the Forest Service is additionally
collaborating with U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service; Washington
Department of Natural Resources; and other partners to prioritize fuel reduction and restoration projects on
adjacent private and State land next to the Mill Creek A to Z planning area.

11

 8.  Improving Implementation and Efficiency
of Timber and Stewardship Contracts
The Forest Service has taken steps to improve
the efficiency of timber sales and stewardship
contracts. As a result of the 2013 Task Force Report
on Sale Prep and Cruising Cost,6 the Forest Service
has taken actions, including the following, to more
efficiently implement timber sale preparations:
•  Implemented training for line officers
in 2013;
•  Mitigated the cost and difficulty of
implementing planning decisions through
better use of landscape analyses, categorical
exclusions, and input from the line officers
focus group;
•  Issued new directives in May 2015
to increase the use of designation by
description and prescription, allowing
6  The report is available at http://fsweb.wo.fs.fed.us/fm/saleprep/
documents/Sale_Prep_Report_Final_2013.pdf.

• 
• 

trees to be designated for removal without
requiring individual tree marking;
Implemented cross training for contract
administrators in 2014; and
Developed a comprehensive training course
for timber sale preparation personnel, with
first classes to be taught in spring of 2016.

At times, conservative silvicultural prescriptions
leave more materials on the landscape than
is desired to accomplish needed restoration.
By working collaboratively with stakeholders,
managers are better able to carry out appropriate
forest restoration. With improved silvicultural
prescriptions and bundling restoration activities
together, forests are better able to meet desired
conditions with fewer entries into the same
treatment areas, resulting in both administrative
cost and labor savings.

(USDA Forest Service)

12

 9.  Expanding Markets for Forest Products,
Including Woody Biomass Utilization and
Green Building Materials
The Forest Service is making significant strides
in supporting greater use of a wide range of
forest products to assist in expanding existing
markets and developing new ones, particularly for
green building, energy, and innovative product
applications. The agency works with industry,
universities, and other Federal partners to develop
technology for producing high-value wood
products from the small-diameter, low-value
material that is a typical by-product of restoration
efforts. This includes cross laminated timber
in green building and innovative Forest Service
research into wood-based nanotechnologies.
Additionally, the Forest Service supports the wood
energy sector with feasibility and engineering
studies. As the lead partner in USDA’s Wood to
Energy Initiative, the Forest Service has helped

facilitate investment in over 230 wood to energy
projects with a combined investment of nearly $1
billion in grants, loans and loan guarantees since
2009. In 2015, Forest Service awarded over $9
million to expand and accelerate wood energy and
other wood product markets through the Wood
Innovations grant program. The Federal funds will
leverage $22 million in investments from partners,
resulting in a total investment of $31 million in 23
States. Also in 2015, the Forest Service provided
support for the U.S. Tall Wood Building Prize
Competition, which awarded a combined $3
million in funding to support the development
of tall wood demonstration projects in New York
City, NY, and Portland, OR, using innovative, mass
timber technologies. By creating viable markets
for the by-products of restoration treatments, the
cost of forest restoration treatments can be lowered
and rural and urban jobs are supported along each
stage of the supply chain.

WoodWorks Wood Product Council

Nationwide: The U.S. Department of
Agriculture and the Forest Service have
brought considerable focus to promoting
opportunities for wood as a sustainable,
renewable, versatile building material that
also offers extraordinary opportunities for
carbon sequestration. The Forest Service
is currently underwriting U.S. Building
Code revision work to help align building
codes with the opportunities presented
by current wood technologies. The Forest
Service is additionally funding work that
will potentially expand the kinds of wood
that can be included in some of the most
advanced wood building technologies, such
(USDA Forest Service)
as Cross Laminated Timber. In 2014, the
Forest Service became a primary funder of
WoodWorks, a wood products council aimed at creating awareness of wood’s possibilities and providing
credible opportunities for architects and designers to propose wood solutions as building material. Since
the Forest Service began supporting WoodWorks, there have been 596 construction projects influenced
by the efforts of WoodWorks. This has resulted in the use of $395 million of wood that has sequestered the
same amount of carbon as taking 290,434 cars off the road for a year.

13

 Increasing the Forest Service’s Impact on Landscapes and Communities
The Nation’s forests and grasslands are facing increasingly complex and widespread challenges and demands that
transcend jurisdictional boundaries. The Forest Service has made significant progress on the nine actions listed
in the 2012 report, though much work remains to meet the demands and challenges associated with creating,
maintaining, and enhancing resilient landscapes and communities across the Nation.
Working with partners and stakeholders, the Forest Service continues to broaden the pace, scale, and impact
of its activities, as well as increase the benefits to communities and enhance natural and cultural resources. In
addition to the nine commitments described previously, the Forest Service has developed and implemented
other important restoration policies, initiatives, programs, and activities. The following information provides a
sampling of innovative approaches to restoration, along with examples of how the Forest Service is
implementing them.
Integrating Efforts and Increasing the Pace of Restoration
The Forest Service is integrating efforts with its restoration partners; identifying and implementing process
improvements that help with increasing the pace and scale of restoration; and importantly engaging the public
in developing well-planned projects. Overall, the Forest Service has successfully increased its restoration efforts.
Working in a more integrated fashion has likewise boosted restoration efforts. For example, in FY 2014, the
Forest Service maintained or restored watershed conditions on 2.9 million acres, lessened wildfire threats to
communities by reducing hazardous fuels on 1.7 million acres in the wildland-urban interface, and provided 2.8
bbf of timber volume sold—a 200-million board feet increase from FY 2013.
Implementation Highlight: Joint Chiefs’ Landscape Restoration Partnership Program
In 2014, the Forest Service and
Natural Resources Conservation
Service (NRCS) initiated a new
partnership to address landscapescale objectives for reducing wildfire
threats, protecting water quality
and supply, and improving habitat
quality for at-risk species. The
Landscape Restoration Partnership
enables the two agencies to design
and implement treatments where
private and public lands meet and
where restoration objectives cross
ownership boundaries. By leveraging
technical and financial resources and
coordinating activities on adjacent
public and private lands, the Forest
Service and NRCS are more efficient
(USDA Forest Service)
and effective in accomplishing
conservation work in priority watersheds. In some places, the Forest Service has expanded its capacity
to implement NEPA-ready projects through new partnerships beyond NRCS, such as with Tribes or youth
groups like the Student Conservation Association. Activities such as thinning, prescribed burning, invasive
species eradication, and riparian road decommissioning on and off NFS lands have resulted in improved
resiliency and land health on thousands of acres across the county. Currently, 28 cross-boundary projects
are partnering to accomplish restoration objectives, and new projects will be selected in January 2016.

14

 West Virginia Venture Partnership

West Virginia: The Forest Service and the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) have been
working jointly on collecting scientific data and developing assessment tools for decades in West Virginia.
Traditionally, NRCS has implemented programs that are focused at the farm scale, working one-on-one
with landowners to promote conservation and implement Farm Bill initiatives. The Forest Service has
worked within individual watersheds to implement conservation practices on public land in the Monongahela
National Forest. By working together on the West Virginia Venture Partnership, NRCS and the Forest
Service are identifying and implementing projects in high-priority restoration landscapes that have resulted
in measurable improvements in local water quality and wildlife habitat across a much broader landscape.
For example, in 2014, the project accomplished 1,500 acres of red spruce restoration, planted more than
20,000 trees, installed 3,300 feet of use exclusion fence, decommissioned 12.7 miles of road, performed
inventories on 200 miles of road and 55 miles of stream, completed 600 acres of prescribed burning, and
finalized 7 conservation plans and 86 contracts with local land owners for conservation on private land
through the NRCS Environmental Quality Incentives Program. This project was jointly funded in 2014 and
2015 through the Forest Service/NRCS Joint Chiefs’ Landscape Restoration Partnership program, investing
over $3.5 million of Forest Service funding and $2.8 million of NRCS funding for cross-boundary restoration.

Implementation Highlight: Upgrading Road-Stream Crossings
Aquatic organism passages at roadstream crossings increase habitat
for important fish and other aquatic
organisms. Road-stream crossings,
particularly culverts and fords, are
vulnerable to failure, damage, and
loss of access and can modify or
obstruct the upstream movement of
fish and other aquatic- and ripariandependent organisms. Recognized
as a national leader in technical
stream simulation approaches, the
Forest Service has been providing
training sessions on the approaches
for more than a decade. Requests
to attend these sessions by agency
partners continue to increase. In
2015, the Forest Service will
achieve the impressive 1,000th
road-stream crossing upgrade
(USDA Forest Service)
since Congress enacted the
Legacy Roads and Trails Program in 2008. Reconnecting streams and rivers beneath the road
network—both on and adjacent to NFS lands—constitutes a major component of the agency’s watershed
restoration efforts. More than $48 million in aquatic organism passages projects are listed in current
Watershed Action Plan Essential Projects. Restoring stream connectivity so fish can move freely to find
cold water and high-quality habitat is a fundamental strategy for helping salmon, trout, and many other fish
species thrive. Restoring aquatic organism passage also helps meet agency responsibilities for tribal treaty
fishing rights and the Endangered Species and Clean Water Acts.

15

 Focusing Investments in Collaboration With Partners and the Public
The health of the Nation’s forests and the communities they serve is a shared priority. The Forest Service is
investing in collaborative approaches to forest restoration across the country as a way to prioritize investments,
work across larger landscapes, build public support for forest restoration and management, and reduce/avoid
litigation. Collaborative efforts are being implemented at all scales and serve to identify shared goals and
landscape objectives, as well as prioritize areas where projects that address forest restoration, supply wood to
local mills, conserve watersheds, and provide a range of other benefits will have the greatest impact.
Implementation Highlight: The National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy
Developed with other Federal, State, local, and tribal governments, nongovernmental organizations, and
public stakeholders, the National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy (Cohesive Strategy) and
National Action Plan provide the framework to meaningfully reduce risks posed by wildfire. The Forest
Service is implementing the principles and commitments within the Cohesive Strategy in a variety of
ways. By identifying and assessing risks both in the short and long term, the Forest Service is able to
make investments in the near term, where they will have lasting benefits to landscapes and communities.
By identifying shared goals with stakeholders, the Forest Service is working collaboratively with partners
across jurisdictional boundaries to achieve greater collective investment and impact. Importantly, the Forest
Service continues to work toward strategic alignment of programs, policies, and actions both within the
agency and with its stakeholders, such as through the efforts of the Wildland Fire Leadership Council. Ten
Cohesive Strategy pilot projects have been implemented, ranging in investment from $100,000 to more
than $2 million. These projects not only reduce risk to communities and important resources, but also foster
the Cohesive Strategy mindset that all stakeholders share responsibilities for managing the Nation’s lands;
protecting the Nation’s natural, tribal, and cultural resources; and making communities safe and resilient for
future generations. Examples of partnerships the Forest Service is supporting include the Blue Mountains
Collaborative in Oregon, Mid-Klamath Partnership in California, and the Utah Statewide Catastrophic
Wildfire Reduction Strategy.

Northern Blue Mountain Cohesive Wildfire Strategy Partnership
Oregon: Partners in the Blue Mountains of northeast Oregon and southeast Washington have turned the
threat of wildfire into a chance for new collaboration. In 2013, the Northern Blue Mountain Cohesive Wildfire
Strategy Partnership was funded as a pilot to bring strategic alignment to the efforts of stakeholders
across nearly 3.5 million acres of Forest Service lands covering two national forests; more than 2 million
acres of private land protected by the Oregon Department of Forestry and the Washington Department of
Natural Resources; and approximately 2 million acres of land managed or protected by a variety of entities,
including the Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Indian Affairs, and Rural Fire Protection Districts.
By identifying goals and priorities for forest restoration, fuels reduction, and other work, implementation
is focused on landscapes rather than ownership lines. The collaboration also resulted in a 70,000-acre
planning area for restoration activities across multiple land ownerships and technical assistance provided
to more than 50 private landowners, who will be treating more than 6,000 acres when the project is
completed. With expanded support from Forest Service and Natural Resources Conservation Service Joint
Chiefs’ Landscape Restoration Partnership initiative and the Forest Service Landscape Scale Restoration
Program, the Forest Service continues to work with the Oregon Department of Forestry and representatives
of local governments, State and Federal agencies, and private landowners to collectively implement
landscape-scale restoration as part of this partnership.

16

 Before (above) and after. By removing hazardous fuels buildup, fuel treatments help restore forests to be more resilient to wildfire.
(USDA Forest Service)

17

 Leveraging Resources Across Landscapes
The Forest Service leverages technical and financial resources with a diversity of partners across landscapes.
Coordinating efforts to restore lands across large landscapes, regardless of land ownership, often requires the
agency to work across traditional boundaries. Together, Forest Service investments in coordinated, crossboundary planning ensure that actions are more efficient and effective at creating and maintaining healthy,
resilient ecosystems.
Implementation Highlight: Good Neighbor Authority
Congress expanded the Good Neighbor Authority, which was previously authorized only in Colorado and
Utah, to apply nationwide. The Good Neighbor Authority allows the Forest Service to enter into cooperative
agreements or contracts with States and Puerto Rico, which enables these entities to perform forest,
rangeland, and watershed restoration services on Federal lands. In this way, the Good Neighbor Authority
fosters a collaborative approach to better leverage resources and address land management challenges
across boundaries. After gaining approval for the new agreement templates to implement Good Neighbor
Authority, the first agreements with States were signed within weeks. Currently agreements are in place
with Wisconsin and Utah, and more are expected. As the authority is implemented, the Forest Service
and Congress continue to study and explore policy and legislative approaches to ensure the authority
empowers Federal/State partnerships and provides an effective tool for achieving cross-boundary
landscape restoration.

Implementing Good Neighbor Authority
Wisconsin: In August 2015, the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest and Wisconsin Department of
Natural Resources (WDNR) signed an agreement for implementation of Good Neighbor Authority in
Wisconsin. Per the agreement, the WDNR will supplement the work being done by the Forest Service on
the Chequamegon-Nicolet. The WDNR will prepare, award, and administer national forest timber sales
where the forest has already completed all necessary inventory and planning work. These timber sales will
add approximately 25 million board feet to the forest’s regular sale volume of 85 million board feet, which
has been planned for FY 2016. In subsequent years, agreements will continue to support higher levels
of timber sales and increased levels of watershed restoration activities. The use of the Good Neighbor
Authority will provide more wood and jobs to Wisconsin’s important forest products industry, while creating
and maintaining forest conditions adaptive and resilient to climate change and other stressors.

(USDA Forest Service)

18

 Broadening Restoration to Landscape-Scales and Working Across Land Ownerships
The Forest Service continues to build collaborative partnerships and increase capacity for on-the-ground project
implementation and monitoring in support of local communities and their economies. Many Forest Service
initiatives have become a catalyst for turning local discussions about restoration among diverse interests into onthe-ground implementation by various partners. Dozens of collaborative planning and implementation efforts
across the country are enabling the Forest Service and its partners to get more work done. These collaborative
partnerships are locally led efforts from local communities, environmental groups, forest industry, and others.
Implementation Highlight: Landscape Scale Restoration Program
As part of Forest Service State and Private Forestry (S&PF), the Landscape Scale Restoration (LSR)
program consolidates several existing programs into a single budget line item to help States and
communities work collaboratively across boundaries to achieve restoration outcomes. The Forest
Service has been developing the LSR approach for several years and in the FY 2015 budget, Congress
provided the new authority to utilize $14 million for the LSR program. The LSR program builds on
State Forest Action Plans, enabling State forestry agencies and partners to target forest landscapes
recognized as high priorities for restoration treatments. It also allows local partners to integrate
the functions of several current S&PF programs, including Urban and Community Forestry, Forest
Health Management, Forest Stewardship, and State Fire Assistance. Using the LSR approach, S&PF
competitively allocated $12.5 million for 49 projects in 39 States and Territories in FY 2014. These
allocations enabled the Forest Service to leverage over $13.2 million in partner dollars and in-kind
contributions. This ongoing investment in cross-boundary, landscape-scale projects on State and private
lands is spurring innovation, bringing partners to the table, supporting resilience to a changing climate,
and allowing the agency to leverage partner contributions.

Longleaf Pine Restoration

(USDA Forest Service)

Longleaf pine forests once encompassed more than 90 million
acres of the North American landscape from Virginia to Texas.
However, these forests have diminished to less than 3 percent of
their original range. In 2007, a regional working group of diverse
organizations was formed to develop America’s Longleaf Initiative
and a plan to restore this ecosystem. The Range-wide Conservation
Plan for Longleaf Pine was developed in 2009 with a goal of
restoring 8 million acres of longleaf by 2024. Today, we are at 4.7
million acres. Range-wide, about 150,000 acres of longleaf pine
reestablishment are estimated to occur annually, with 153,000 acres
reestablished in 2014. Contributing to the restoration goal in the
Lo
conservation plan, the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration
(CFLR) projects on the Osceola National Forest in Florida and
National Forests in Mississippi seek to restore longleaf pine forest
ecosystems. These CFLR projects re-establish native longleaf pine
forests by planting native seedlings, increasing prescribed fire, and
reducing fuel loads via harvesting of woody biomass. Through the
Landscape Scale Restoration Program (LSR), the Forest Service
is also working with State governments and private landowners
to fund and implement restoration projects in nine States in the
longleaf pine range. Since 2008, the Forest Service has funded 17
projects, and, in FY 2015 alone, the Forest Service awarded more
than $650,000 through LSR for longleaf restoration projects.

19

 Providing Benefits Beyond National Forest and Grassland Boundaries
Forests provide a broad range of values and benefits. Covering a third of the country’s landmass, they store and
filter more than half of the Nation’s water supply and absorb approximately 12 percent of the country’s carbon
emissions. The Forest Service recognizes the value of ecosystem services provided by the Nation’s forests and
grasslands—including clean drinking water. The Forest Service, along with public and private stakeholders, is
investing in watershed restoration across the Nation to avoid catastrophic losses.
Implementation Highlight: Economic Justification for Watershed Investment Partnerships
Catalyzed by the devastation resulting from the 2013 Sierra Nevada Rim Fire, the Forest Service and The Nature
Conservancy co-sponsored an economic analysis of proactive fuel treatment and restoration in the Mokelumne
watershed.7 The study found the benefits of management actions to exceed the cost of treatment by a ratio of two
to one. These benefits stem from saved structures and timber; avoided fire cleanup, road repairs, and sediment
treatment for utilities; and sequestered carbon. Bolstered by the results of this analysis and the devastating
impacts of past wildfires and other stressors, public and private-sector partners in Denver, CO; Flagstaff, AZ; Upper
Delaware River Region; Santa Fe, NM; Eugene, OR; the Sierra Nevada Range in California; and others have
adopted investment strategies designed to support restoration of headwaters to increase resiliency and protect
source water. Implicit in these partnerships is public consensus around the need for collective action and financial
support in order to manage ecosystem threats before wildfires become a reality.
7  For more information, visit http://www.sierranevadaconservancy.ca.gov/mokelumne.

Investments in Fuels Reduction Assist Firefighters on the San Juan Fire

Arizona: In June 2014, hazardous fuels treatments showed their value during the San Juan Fire on the
Apache Sitgreaves National Forest. Treated areas are meant to slow a fire’s advance and restore a
forest’s natural ability to self-regulate. This was evident during the San Juan Fire. “Fire crews and incident
management teams reported that when the fire burned into areas that had been thinned, it burned with
low severity and on the ground, not in treetops. The dry, frequent-fire forests of the West evolved with this
type of fire; slow-moving, low-severity surface fire that would remove young trees and revitalize understory
grasses and forbs,” according to Dr. Wally Covington, Director of the Ecological Restoration Institute at
Northern Arizona University. The treatments provided a safe place for firefighters to work, helped keep fire
out of nearby communities, and reduced negative impacts of fire to natural resources including aquatic
habitat, soils, and timber. The combination of thinning with follow-up prescribed burning was most effective
at reducing fire behavior and providing for favorable ecological outcomes. In FY 2015, the Forest Service
implemented additional strategically placed treatments in high-priority areas as a result of an increase in
Hazardous Fuels funding, including more than $4.1 million for additional treatments in Arizona.

(USDA Forest Service)

20

 Creating Efficiencies and Sustainable Partnerships and Practices
The Forest Service will continue to work with States, local government, tribes, and many other partners to
improve its forest management program through increased collaboration, new efficiencies, and implementation
of sustainable practices.
Implementation Highlight: Expediting NEPA Procedures for Insect and Disease Designation Areas
The 2014 Farm Bill contains a wide range of forestry provisions that are aiding the Forest Service in
increasing the pace and scale of restoration, as well as gaining efficiencies at implementing activities.
For example, the 2014 Farm Bill amended the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 and gave
Governors experiencing declining forest health the opportunity to request the Secretary of Agriculture to
designate areas for treatment. In response to requests from Governors, the Chief of the Forest Service
has designated approximately 46.7 million acres of NFS lands in 36 States. Efforts to mitigate risks and
impacts are being implemented on the ground. To improve efficiencies in implementation, the Farm Bill
authorizes use of expedited NEPA procedures within the designation areas, as outlined in the Healthy
Forests Restoration Act. It also allows for application of the newly legislated Categorical Exclusion (CE). As
of August 2015, 19 projects have been proposed. Of these projects, 16 are utilizing the new CE authorities,
and 3 are using the expedited Environmental Assessments (EA) authority. The unique EA authority allows
more efficient analysis by considering two alternatives: one action and one no-action alternative. Proposed
treatment acres range from 131 to 3,000 acres.
Implementation Highlight: Watershed Best Management Practices
The National Best Management Practices (BMP) program8 was established to improve the management
of water quality to be consistent with the Federal Clean Water Act and State water quality programs. A
national technical guide was drafted in 2012, in coordination with a monitoring technical guide, revised
directives, and a national database to collect information on BMP monitoring at different geographic scales.
“Train the Trainer” sessions were held in each of the nine Forest Service regions to teach water resource
specialists how to effectively monitor and update the database. Forest Service efforts to increase the
effectiveness of monitoring efforts helps ensure that data collected is more readily usable in analysis and
trends assessment to inform and adapt restoration activities.
8  For more information, visit http://www.fs.fed.us/biology/watershed/BMP.html.

Before (above) and after images of stream restoration.
(USDA Forest Service)

21

 Preparing for Ecological, Social, and Economic Change
Forests provide a multitude of services, from clean air and water to food and fiber to places for outdoor
recreation and spiritual reflection. Even as demand for these services grows, forests are being lost and degraded
as a result of climate change impacts, fires, invasive pests, diseases, and fragmentation. The Forest Service
is working to better understand and anticipate changing conditions in, and demands on, forest resources to
enhance the effectiveness of management policies and actions.
Implementation Highlight: Addressing Impacts to Natural Resources From a Changing Climate
The Forest Service has forged numerous partnerships across the country to respond to climate change on
Federal lands, including major efforts in the Western9 and Eastern10 United States. The Climate Change
Response Framework (CCRF)11 is a collaborative approach to helping land managers understand the
potential effects of climate change on forest ecosystems and integrating climate change considerations into
management. The CCRF is a collaborative, cross-boundary approach among scientists, managers, and
landowners to incorporate climate change considerations into natural resource management. It provides
an integrated set of tools, partnerships, and actions to support climate-informed conservation and forest
management. Six projects encompass 19 States, including 14 national forests and millions of acres of
forest land. Each regional project interweaves four components: science and management partnerships,
vulnerability assessments, adaptation resources, and demonstration projects.
9  For more information, visit http://adaptationpartners.org.
10  For more information, visit http://forestadaptation.org.
11  For more information, visit http://www.nrs.fs.fed.us/niacs/climate/framework/.

Understanding Wildfire Hazard Potential and Trends

Nationwide: Wildfire suppression costs
have grown tremendously in recent years.
Projections indicate this trend may continue
to increase as a result of changes in climate
conditions, increasingly populated wildlandurban interface areas, and hazardous fuel
build-up creating unhealthy forests and
grasslands that pose risk to surrounding
communities. To better understand growing
challenges, the Forest Service Fire
Modeling Institute developed the wildfire
hazard potential (WHP) map1 in 2012 to
support assessments of wildfire risk and
the prioritization of fuels management
needs across large landscapes. Updated
in 2014, the WHP map depicts the relative
potential for wildfire that would be difficult
for suppression resources to contain. Areas
mapped with higher WHP values represent areas with a high probability of fire and fuel conditions that
are likely to result in torching, crowning, and other forms of extreme fire behavior. Utilizing the WHP map
and other data, the Forest Service is additionally completing a national wildfire risk assessment to focus
investments in risk mitigation to those places where probability of severe wildfire is high, and high-valued
resources are vulnerable to damage from wildfire. Quantitative wildfire risk assessment helps the Forest
Service understand where it needs to reduce fuels, where communities need to increase their fire-adaptation
efforts, and where wildfire can be managed to reduce future wildfire risks.
1  For more information, visit http://www.firelab.org/project/wildfire-hazard-potential.

22

 Using Science To Inform Decisions
Forest Service research addresses key questions
surrounding functional restoration for diverse
ecosystems, including grasslands, forests, and
watersheds, in response to disturbances such as
fire, pests, and diseases. Forest Service restoration
science activities12 are interdisciplinary; help to
evaluate tradeoffs and synergies for restoration;
develop and test management options, systems,
practices, and products for sustainably delivering
intended outcomes; and work with stakeholders
to establish realistic goals that are adapted to
future conditions. Forest Service researchers
have produced more than 2,000 publications that
provide a science basis for restoration actions.
(USDA Forest Service)
Recent publications include General Technical
Report RMRS-GTR-310, Restoring composition
and structure in southwestern frequent-fire forests: A science-based framework for improving ecosystem resiliency;13
General Technical Report PSW-GTR-237, Managing Sierra Nevada forests;14 and Contemporary forest restoration:
A review emphasizing function15 published in Forest Ecology and Management. Forest Service scientists are
providing science and landscape-scale decision support tools to help landowners and managers develop options
and strategies for restoration, and engage with State and local governments, as well as private landowners, to
share the science behind restoration activities.
Implementation Highlight: Restoring Composition and Structure in Southwestern
Frequent-Fire Forests
Forest Service research is used to guide
restoration strategies and management
actions. In application, the research is tested
on the landscape. For example, during the
Wallow Fire in eastern Arizona and a small
part of western New Mexico, fuel reduction
treatments guided by ongoing research
were tested at the Eager South WildlandUrban Interface Fuel Reduction Project Area.
Forest Service scientists and collaborators
synthesized this research and presented
a management framework for ponderosa
pine and dry mixed-conifer forests in the
Southwest United States in RMRS-GTR-310.
The framework informs management
strategies that can improve the resiliency of
(USDA Forest Service)
these frequent-fire forests and is serving as a
guidebook for work in Colorado and other areas of the Southwest to restore ponderosa pine and dry-mixed
conifer forests, reducing fire risk and improving forest health.
12  For more information, visit http://www.fs.fed.us/research/forest-restoration/.
13  For more information, visit http://www.treesearch.fs.fed.us/pubs/44885.
14  For more information, visit http://www.treesearch.fs.fed.us/pubs/40254.
15  For more information, visit http://www.treesearch.fs.fed.us/pubs/46976.

23

 The Four Forest Restoration Initiative

Arizona: As 1 of the 10 initial Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program projects, the Four
Forest Restoration Initiative (4FRI) is a collaborative effort involving more than 30 stakeholder groups
and the Forest Service. Collaborators and the Forest Service established the 4FRI to enhance the health
and resilience of a 2.4-million-acre ponderosa pine forest landscape, including portions of the Coconino,
Kaibab, Apache-Sitgreaves, and Tonto National Forests, in northern Arizona. After years of conflict, the
4FRI effort brings together stakeholders with diverse perspectives to work towards a shared vision to
restore the structure, pattern, composition, and health of fire-adapted ponderosa pine ecosystems; reduce
fuels and the risk of unnaturally severe wildfires; and provide for wildlife and plant diversity. Forest Service
staff work hand in hand with the 4FRI stakeholder group and members of the community to harness
science and technological innovation and enhance the efficacy of treatment planning, implementation,
and monitoring on a large, landscape scale. In developing the vision and National Environment Policy Act
analysis for a restoration project that was unprecedented in scale, collaborators relied on research studies
later summarized in RMRS-GTR-310, Restoring composition and structure in southwestern frequentfire forests: A science-based framework for improving ecosystem resiliency. In fact, the members of the
stakeholder group provided unanimous support for the first 4FRI environmental analysis. When the Wallow
Fire burned hundreds of thousands of acres in eastern Arizona and a small part of western New Mexico in
2011, the 4FRI project area was impacted. The crown fire was intense and hit the Eager South WildlandUrban Interface Fuel Reduction Project Area with full force. The blast of hot air caused mortality at the edge
of and into the treated area for a distance of up to 300 feet. The crown fire, however, did not penetrate the
treatment area. The treatment area greatly reduced the fire’s spread, stalled the fire for several hours, and
was instrumental in saving homes in the communities of Alpine and Greer. The 4FRI treatment efforts based
on Forest Service research proved to be successful.

(USDA Forest Service)

24

 A Continuing Commitment to Restoration

Restoration helps ensure that forests and grasslands continue to provide the goods and services that
Americans want and need, including clean air and water, wood products, energy, recreation opportunities,
carbon management, and fish and wildlife habitat. The Forest Service has accomplished and learned much
since beginning to implement the principles and actions outlined in 2012. Using a variety of techniques and
approaches—including mechanical treatments, prescribed fire, wildfire management, invasive species control,
and stream restoration—the agency has treated millions of acres each year to enhance their resilience.
The Forest Service’s priority is increasing the rate of restoration, despite mounting challenges such as record
droughts and fire seasons in the West. For example, in 2015, an increase in Hazardous Fuels appropriations
allowed the agency to focus on increasing risk mitigation efforts that put the principles of the intergovernmental
Wildland Fire Management Cohesive Strategy into practice nationwide. Fuel treatments support all three
goals of the Cohesive Strategy. Treatments are designed to increase the resilience of fire-adapted ecosystems
by restoring conditions so wildfire can occur without devastating consequences, reducing risk to communities
by treating fuels to reduce fire intensity in the wildland-urban interface or immediately adjacent to residential
developments, and providing safe places and increasing response options for firefighters. Since 2012, the Forest
Service Fuels Program has implemented treatments to reduce hazardous fuels on more than 5,346,000 acres
across the country, including more than 2 million acres of mechanical treatments and more than 3.9 million
acres treated with prescribed fire. Records show that, where fuel treatments are tested by wildfire, they reduce fire
behavior and/or aid in suppression efforts in over 90 percent of cases.
While the term “restoration” often evokes a return to a past set of resource conditions or characteristics,
landscapes are dynamic, and the pace of that change is accelerating. We cannot return to the past, but we
strive to restore healthy function and resilience to ecosystems under stress. Private landowners and public land
managers wish to improve the economic, ecological, and social capacities of landscapes to serve the needs of a
rapidly growing human population in the face of a static or declining forest land base.
The Forest Service works to integrate science results and experience to inform restoration efforts and achieve
desired outcomes more effectively and efficiently. The Forest Service will continue to work with stakeholders and
partners to better understand the social drivers and demands surrounding forested landscapes and accomplish
needed actions. The agency’s focus on collaborative restoration, alignment of priorities with diverse stakeholders,
and implementation of new authorities and efficiencies is resulting in better outcomes on the land, but there
is a limit to the gains that can be realized through partnerships and efficiencies alone. Wildfires are becoming
increasingly frequent and intense, making fire suppression more difficult and expensive. Projections indicate this
trend might continue to increase. Trends in urbanization and development patterns have resulted in millions
of citizens, homes, and entire communities located in fire-prone environments. Previous decades of aggressive
fire suppression have resulted in widespread hazardous accumulations of flammable vegetation. And, as climate
conditions change, fire seasons are growing longer, hotter, and drier. All of these factors indicate that wildfire can
be expected to present an increasing challenge to the agency and to society.

25

 Conclusion
In FY 1995, the Forest Service spent 16 percent of its budget on firefighting; today the Forest Service spends
nearly half of its budget on fire management activities. This has enormous implications for how the agency
carries out its mission. When all available fire resources from the Suppression and FLAME Fund accounts are
exhausted, the Forest Service must transfer funds from non-fire accounts. The depletion of non-fire programs to
pay for the ever-increasing costs of fire has real consequences. These represent lost opportunities for the Forest
Service to undertake important work and deliver value to the American people, including to the agency’s fire
prevention and restoration work that could help prevent catastrophic wildfires. Fire funding transfers reduce
the agency’s ability to protect the natural and cultural resources that provide countless benefits and ecosystem
services to the public. This threatens the thousands of jobs and billions of dollars of economic growth that
national forests and grasslands and programs support across the country.
To solve this problem, the agency must change the way it pays for wildfire suppression. Instead of treating
catastrophic wildfires as a normal agency expense, the Government must treat them more like other natural
disasters, such as tornadoes or hurricanes. And, any solution must confront both parts of the funding quandary:
it must limit or reverse the runaway growth of firefighting costs, and it must address the compounding
disruption of fire transfers.
Bipartisan legislation that offers a more rational approach to funding wildfire, the Wildfire Disaster Funding
Act, has been introduced in the House and Senate. It is mirrored by a similar option in the President’s 2016
Budget. This proposal provides a fiscally responsible mechanism to treat wildfires more like other natural
disasters, end transfers, and partially replenish agency capacity to restore resilient forests and protect against
future fire outbreaks.
The USDA and the Forest Service stand ready to support the Wildfire Disaster Funding Act to address the
growth of fire costs that is crippling the agency’s ability to restore resilience to the Nation’s forests and grasslands
and to address the need for continued forest and rangeland restoration.

(USDA Forest Service)

26