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Ecosystem Restoration Partnerships Allegheny Highlands of Virginia

Learn about the Allegheny Highlands Ecosystem Restoration Partnership in Virginia, its milestones, benefits, challenges, and strategies for building a good partnership. Explore the ecological components of the area and the need for collaboration due to limited resources and land ownership patterns.

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Ecosystem Restoration Partnerships Allegheny Highlands of Virginia

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  1. Ecosystem Restoration Partnerships Allegheny Highlands of Virginia Sam Lindblom Land Management Director Fire Program Manager

  2. Goals of the talk • Overview of the Allegheny Highlands • The partnership mandate • Partnership milestones and mechanics • Benefits/accomplishments • Challenges • Suggestions for building a good partnership • Issues of scale • Discussion/Questions

  3. Allegheny Highlands, VA Overview • Where?

  4. Allegheny Highlands, VA Overview • George Washington, Jefferson, Monongahela National Forests • VA Dept. of Conservation and Recreation • VA Dept. of Forestry • VA Dept. of Game and Inland Fisheries • The Nature Conservancy • National Weather Service • Fish and Wildlife Service • National Park Service

  5. Allegheny Highlands Ecological Components • Dry pine-oak ridges

  6. Allegheny Highlands Ecological Components • Oak dominated dry forests

  7. Theories and Questions • What we know (or believe) • Fire has been a part of this landscape for thousands of years • Our forest are altered • Most species in the Central Appalachians are well adapted to fire; many are dependent • Our pine and oak communities are declining

  8. The Partnership need • Big vision from a handful of partners • Limited resources • Land ownership patterns demand cooperation • The recognition that no one organization could shift the tide alone

  9. Partnership Milestones • TNC acquires a critical tract that includes some of the most fire dependent habitat in the landscape, 2002 • TNC adopts NWCG standards for fire management, 2003-4 and utilizes IQCS for tracking • FS R8 / TNC-SE fire MOU signed 2005 • TNC-VA and GW-Jeff NF began fire discussions in 2005 • FLN used as a planning/organizing tool 2006-current

  10. Partnership Milestones • Cost-share agreement signed, 2007 • USFS leads landscape level planning and NEPA work-cooperatively completed on core 23,000 acres, 2007-8 • First cooperative Rx fire (1100 acres) 2008 on TNC property includes many partners. (ultimately Rx burned >3000 acres in 2008), ~7-8000 to date. • GW-Jeff NF adopts standard monitoring protocol for all burns on the forest (2008) • Planning, implementation and monitoring continues

  11. Partnership Mechanics • TNC / FS Region 8 MOU facilitates cooperation on fires • TNC / USFWS MOU • TNC / VA DCR MOU • Interagency agreements in place • Cost-share agreement provides funding (funds for cost-share have come from R8, primarily) • FLN provides framework, momentum, and accountability

  12. Benefits and accomplishments Ecology and planning • Monitoring • Fire history research • Mapping • Forest plan revision • Fire prioritization model

  13. Benefits and accomplishments Operations • Fire ops and aviation • Cost sharing • Other land management

  14. Benefits and accomplishments Other • Outreach to other NGO’s • Consolidated voice • Intangible benefits • Regional and national attention to our project

  15. Partnership Challenges • Eating your vegetables (Doing things you might not do otherwise) • Meetings and coordination • Commitment • Resolving differences without alienating partners

  16. Dr. Phil • A suite of strategies: boots>science>policy • Develop “champions” within the organizations • Commit resources (including money) • Be willing to compromise • Be up front about your abilities and your limitations • Understand your partner’s priorities if they’re different than yours (but don’t shy from trying to influence them) • Show up and work (even when you don’t really want to) • Be Nice. Always.

  17. The Scale Problem and Potential Strategies • Partners • “The Border Project”, includes additional partners, Region 9 • Funding and capacity are and will be our biggest challenge • Restoration at scale • Currently planning the largest (season long event) Rx Fire in VA history (~6000 acres) • Using TNC/FS 23,000 acres as a demonstration landscape (close to DC, state parks, high public visibility)

  18. The Scale Problem and Potential Strategies • Changing a culture • Lots of outreach, “fire is good for our Appalachian forests” • Fire in VA is not often like fire “out West” • Managing all ignitions instead of fighting them all • Monitoring change and communicating that change

  19. Discussion, Questions? Sam Lindblom The Nature Conservancy in VA 434-950-0580 slindblom@tnc.org

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