Your National Forests Summer/Fall 2019.

YOUR NATIONAL

The Magazine of the National Forest Foundation

Summer | Fall 2019

Show Me the Money CAN PROFIT-BASED INVESTMENTS HELP OUR FORESTS?

Biggest, Smallest, Tallest NATIONAL FORESTS THAT MEASURE UP

Take Two Nature Walks... ... AND CALL ME IN THE MORNING

Board of Directors Executive Committee Craig Barrett, Chair Retired, CEO/Chairman of the Board, Intel Corporation (AZ) Patricia Hayling Price, Vice Chair President, LiveWorkStrategize, LLC (NY) Lee Fromson, Treasurer Executive Vice President, Products & Operations, Simms Fishing Products (MT) Timothy P. Schieffelin, Secretary Founding Partner, Leeward Group (CT) Caroline Choi, Member Senior Vice President, Regulatory Affairs, Southern California Edison (CA) Peter Foreman, Member Sirius LP (IL) Robert Cole, Member Partner, Collins Cockrel & Cole, P.C. (CO)

Board of Directors Michael Barkin, CFO, Vail Resorts Management Company (CO) Mike Brown, Jr., Founder and Managing Partner, Bowery Capital (NY)

SUPPORT YOUR NATIONAL FORESTS Double your impact for our National Forests!

Workplace giving offers a convenient way to support the conservation of your National Forests and Grasslands. Many employers will also match your charitable contributions—doubling or even tripling the value of your donation to the National Forest Foundation.

Check with your human resources department to see if your company provides matching donations to make your contributions go even further!

Visit www.nationalforests.org/give to contribute today.

The National Forest Foundation is a proud member of EarthShare, accepting Combined Federal Campaign workplace contributions from federal civilian, postal and military employees.

Look for the National Forest Foundation – CFC #12053 on EarthShare’s website at www.earthshare.org.

Coleman Burke, President, Waterfront Properties (NY) Aimée Christensen, CEO, Christensen Global Strategies; Founding Executive Director, Sun Valley Institute (ID) Vicki Christiansen, Ex-Officio, Chief, USDA Forest Service (DC) Bart Eberwein, Executive Vice President, Hoffman Construction Company (OR) Barry Fingerhut, CEO/Owner, Certification Partners, LLC (AZ) Roje S. Gootee, Co-Owner & Manager, Rush Creek Ranch, LLC (OR) James K. Hunt Non-Executive Chairman, Tournament Capital Advisors, LLC, Hunt Companies, Inc. (WY) Allie Klein (CO) Andie MacDowell, Actress & Spokesperson (CA) Thomas McHenry, President & Dean, Vermont Law School (VT) Kevin Murphy, President, ExxonMobil Foundation, Manager, Corporate Citizenship and Community Investments, ExxonMobil Corporation (TX) Jeff Paro (NJ) Randy Peterson, Principal, LRP Consultants, LLC. (WI) Chad Weiss, Managing Director, JOG Capital Inc. (WY) Bob Wheeler, President and CEO, Airstream, Inc. (OH) Hugh Wiley, Head of Media Commerce, XI Group—The Knot Worldwide (NY)

welcome letter

Looking Forward While Looking Backward

A

t the NFF, we often find ourselves looking forward and backward simultaneously. It can be dizzying and exhilarating at the same time! This issue of Your National Forests does the same as we explore our history and chart out our future.

We are delighted to help celebrate the 75th birthday of one of the most beloved figures on the forest, Smokey Bear. Birthdays, whether for people or bears, straddle the past and the present, celebrating both at the same time. You can learn more about this cherished ursine educator on page nine.

A short drive south of our offices in Missoula lies the majestic Bitterroot National Forest. There, a century-long photographic documentation project illustrates how forests change over time.

While these photos document this forest’s past, they also provide valuable guidance for land managers across the West tasked with managing our forests into the future (pages 21-23).

On pages 12-14, you can read about new ways we are trying to finance conservation projects.

“Socially responsible investing” is a growing entrepreneurial tool for using private investment to create social benefits and profits, and we’re exploring how it could benefit our National Forests.

New research is revealing how reforestation helps soil (yes, soil) hold carbon (pages 10-11).

Yet more new research is showing how a simple walk in the woods can provide tremendous health benefits as medical professionals and others are "prescribing" nature (pages 26-28).

Finally, we are excited to welcome ten new staff members, our largest expansion ever!

Working on everything from forest health in California to our 50-million-tree-planting campaign to innovative communications strategies, these new staff are, quite literally, the NFF’s future.

This is an exciting time to be working with our National Forests and Grasslands to be sure! And, we thank and celebrate all our nonprofit partners, friends and supporters who make our mission possible. We hope you enjoy this issue as we look back on lessons learned and look forward to a bright future.

Thank you!

Mary Mitsos President

Summer | Fall 2019

1

inside

this edition

Looking Ahead and Looking Behind

features

3

Where in the Woods?

4

Forests by the Numbers

5

Field Reports

How Well Do You Know Our National Forests?

122 Years of Change on Our National Forests

12

Full STEAM Ahead in Arizona

8 10

Conservation Is Sustainably Responsible Investing the Path to Restoration

Forest News Recreation.gov Refresh Smokey Turns 75

Tree Spotlight Reforestation and Carbon

21 24

Unforgettable Experiences A Century of Change on the Bitterroot National Forest

15

Kids and Nature

Featured Forests Our Super(lative) National Forests

Make Your Own Photo Point

29

Honoring Our Leadership

32

Where in the Woods Answer

Gratitude and Transition

Did You Know the Forest?

26

Unforgettable Experiences Nature RX

on the cover The summer sun lights up the Bridger Wilderness Area, Shoshone National Forest. Photo: Louis Kamler.

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Your National Forests

Photos: Photo: RMAX - iStock, John Lemieux, Antonia Guillem - iStock

1 Welcome Letter

where in the woods This National Forest contains Colorado’s only designated Wild and Scenic River.

See page 32 for answer.

Photo: Thomas Hamilton

National Forest Foundation Building 27, Suite 3 Fort Missoula Road Missoula, Montana 59804 406.542.2805

®2019 National Forest Foundation.

No unauthorized reproduction of this material is allowed.

Your National Forests magazine is printed on recycled paper with 30% post-consumer content.

This magazine’s use of FSC certified paper ensures the highest environmental and social standards have been followed in the wood sourcing, paper manufacturing and print production of this magazine. To learn more log on to www.fsc.org.

Your National Forests

The Magazine of the National Forest Foundation Editor-in-Chief Greg M. Peters Contributors Zoe Bommarito, Rebecca Davidson, Karen DiBari, Hannah Ettema, Ray A. Foote, Tommie Herbert, Brad Lane, Mary Mitsos, Greg M. Peters, Monica PerezWatkins, Marcus Selig.

Graphic Artist Marci Mansfield, MansfieldCommunications.myportfolio.com

National Forest Foundation

President Mary Mitsos Executive Vice President Ray A. Foote Vice President, Field Programs Marcus Selig Shereé Bombard Director, Administration Zoe Bommarito Communications Associate Colleen Coleman Director, Marketing and Communications Darla Cotton Administrative Assistant Rebecca Davidson Director, Southern Rockies Region Sarah Di Vitorrio Northern California Program Manager Karen DiBari Director, Conservation Connect Hannah Ettema Communications Manager Dania Gutierrez California Program Manager – Southern California Robin Hill Controller Britt Holewinski Tree Planting Associate Ben Irey Conservation Connect Program Manager Beth Krueger Grants and Contracts Coordinator Adam Liljeblad Director, Conservation Awards Matt Millar California Program Manager – Tahoe Kerry Morse Conservations Programs Officer Luba Mullen Associate Director, Development Emily Olsen Colorado Program Manager Marlee Ostheimer Philanthropy & Partnerships Coordinator Monica Perez-Watkins Tree Planting Coordinator Spencer Plumb Arizona Program Manager Brian Robey California Program Associate – Southern California Evan Ritzinger California Program Coordinator – Tahoe Patrick Shannon Director, Pacific Northwest Program Dani Southard Northern Rockies Program Manager Emily Struss Event Planner & Coordinator Mark Shelley Director, Eastern Region Wes Swaffar Director, Ecosystem Services Briana Tiffany California Program Associate – Tahoe Dayle Wallien Director, Conservation Partnerships

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forests by the numbers

W

hen Gifford Pinchot was first appointed as the “Chief” of the Division of Forestry in 1898 (which later became the Bureau of Forestry and finally the U.S. Forest Service in 1905), he oversaw 60 employees.

Today, the Chief of the U.S. Forest Service, Vicki Christiansen, oversees nearly 25,000 permanent employees and a 2018 agency budget of just under $4.75 billion.

Then

Now

56 million acres of “Forest Reserves” in 1905,

193 million acres of National

the year the Forest Service was established under the U.S. Department of Agriculture (in 1907, Forest Reserves were renamed National Forests).

Forests today.

1 official campground on National Forests in

4,300 campgrounds across the

1916, when the first official Forest Service campground was built at Eagle Creek on the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area.

National Forests today.

3 million—Recreational visitors estimated

148 million recreational visits made to

in Recreation Uses in the National Forests, the firstever recreation report issued by the U.S. Forest Service in 1918.

National Forests in 2016, as reported by the “National Visitor Use Monitoring Survey.”

$7.5 million – Economic value of recreation

$10+ billion – Economic value of

on National Forests estimated in the 1918 report.

recreation on National Forests today (approximately $27.4 million per day).

19 Forest Service Chiefs from 1905-2019.

2 female Forest Service Chiefs – Abigail Kimball (2007-2009) and Vicki Christiansen (2018-present).

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Your National Forests

field reports Generating STEAM in Arizona: Cultivating a New Generation of Forest Champions on the Coronado National Forest By Rebecca Davidson Photo: Michelle Dillon

F

rom the magnificent saguaro forests in the Sonoran Desert to the verdant ponderosa pine forests atop Mt. Lemmon, the Coronado National Forest offers something for just about everyone just about any time of the year.

But not everyone finds it ‘natural’ to visit our National Forests, even if that forest serves as the backdrop to a large city (like the Coronado does for Tucson). Sure, the outdoors draws its share of urban residents, but many of our nation’s youth are becoming “city-locked” or “techno-locked”

—singularly focused on their urban and online communities.

Other kids simply don’t have the resources to overcome the barriers that block them from accessing their local National Forest.

At the NFF, connecting people of all ages to our National Forests inspires our work, but we know

it takes innovative approaches to reach our nation’s young people.

We also know that young people are as diverse as our landscapes.

Our youth programs strive to connect with kids in new ways, honor their interests and life experiences, and expand their values to include conservation, stewardship and a love of the outdoors.

In Tucson, we’re piloting a novel approach to traditional outdoor education curricula that we’re calling the Earth Conservation Experience (ECE).

The program connects high school students to their backyard forest by blending their individual interests in science, technology,

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field

reports

This experience gave me new insight into the importance of conservation work.

Your National Forests

valuable, and over the course of several ECE cohorts, we’ve found this youth-to-youth interaction is magic in action.

Our partners bringing the ECE to life are also passionate about it. The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum provides highly recognized education and curriculum development, oversees the sessions and hosts the students throughout their three days.

The Arizona Conservation Corps brings a local youth corps team to work alongside ECE students on a stewardship project. Students learn about the value of stewarding our public lands and get introduced to conservationrelated work opportunities. The Forest Service helps direct each session by finding a specialized project for the crews to tackle.

And the local schools connect and recruit students who may not otherwise have an opportunity to explore their backyard forest.

Amy Orchard, the ArizonaSonora Desert Museum’s Education Specialist, sums up her experience with the ECE: “In my 18 years working with teen programming at the ArizonaSonora Desert Museum, I have never seen a program as powerful as this one. The energy, wisdom and enthusiasm that was brought to the students by the conservation corps team was magical! The

Photo: Arizona Conservation Corps

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Photo: Michelle Dillon

engineering, arts and math In addition to the practical, (STEAM) with their digital and hands-on learning they receive, online worlds. the students also combine the The ECE focuses on four digital world they know (and love) themes that align with the local with the natural world they are school district’s career and learning about. As part of each technical education program session, students post on the ECE’s focus areas: Facebook page, bioscience, engidraft blog posts neering, media and produce and commuphoto-essays of nications, and their work. This culinary arts/ approach asks the ethnobotany. students to think The students critically about spend three days their time in ECE, on the Corodescribe it in nado, learning meaningful ways about the values to friends and of conservation peers, and discuss — Alyssa Vildusea, on public how conservation Intern, Spring 2018 Earth can be a ‘viral’ lands, meeting and working Conservation Experience ethic with their with natural peers. resources professionals, camping The students also work alongunder the Arizona stars, and side a youth conservation corps hiking and exploring. For many, team who provide on-the-ground this is their first experience on a leadership and mentorship. This National Forest. relationship has proven especially

field

reports

Photo: Arizona Conservation Corps

attentiveness of the students to the scientists and other adults was unsurpassed! Eyes were opened. Hearts were filled.

Minds were expanded. Futures made to look brighter.”

Getting youth out into nature is nothing new; we’ve been doing it for more than a decade. But the Earth Conservation Experience does more than just bring kids out into the forest; it bridges their everyday lives with the natural world, opens the door to new careers, and gives kids experiences that they wouldn’t otherwise have.

Some call it powerful, innovative, magical…we just call it full STEAM ahead!

Want to use technology to get your teen “into” nature?

Check out our cool, new “Log In To Nature” program available for free as a digital download (of course). Packed with innovative ideas to use technology and digital culture to get your tween, teen, or whomever, outside and connected—with nature and their friends. Download your copy now: nationalforests.org/loginnature

Want to “follow” the Earth Conservation Experience?

Follow ECE on Facebook (facebook.com/EarthConservationInternship/) or check out the NFF’s ECE webpage (nationalforests.org/eci).

Want to sponsor a student or give to the program?

Contact Rebecca Davidson (rdavidson@nationalforests.org).

Rebecca Davidson is the NFF’s Director, Southern Rockies Region.

Reach her at rdavidson@nationalforests.org.

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forest news Recreation.gov Receives a Refresh

I

f you’ve ever stayed at a National Forest campground, cabin, lookout tower or even reserved a permit for some of the most popular outdoor recreation spots in the country, you’ve probably used Recreation.gov.

By Hannah Ettema

As the one-stop-shop for recreation on federal public lands, Recreation.gov offers reservations and information for more than 3,500 facilities and 100,000 individual sites across the country.

Recreation.gov also offers a wealth of resources beyond reservations.

Its extensive library of travel guides, trips and recommendations include destination ideas and inspiration for a memorable visit to your public lands.

In October of 2018, Recreation.gov unveiled a fresh, new interface along with more robust features for visitors and public land managers.

The new platform, basically an entirely new system built with contractor Booz Allen Hamilton, includes updated efficiencies for public land managers, which in turn keeps the user better informed. Land managers can now easily update and make changes to a site as well as download comprehensive reports to track visitation and notice trends.

Recreation.gov users can access robust mapping tools to find a recreation experience near their destination. For the ultimate road trip or just an epic summer vacation, the new trip builder tool enables users to map their route, reserve locations and activities along the way, and then share their itinerary with others on the trip.

Another advantage to the new site is the real-time availability of data for third-parties. A handful of organizations have signed up to offer this information through their interfaces, increasing access to federal recreation opportunities.

The refreshed look and improved functionality of Recreation.gov brings an appreciated modernity and usability to how people access some of our country’s most popular and beloved places. Check it out to book your favorite campground now or to get some new ideas on what to do when you get there.

C O R P O R AT E PA R T N E R With a long history of supporting the NFF and recreation, Polaris is restoring a key bridge on the the Soo Line Trail connecting to the Chippewa National Forest.

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Your National Forests

forest news Icon of the Woods Turns 75

O

ne of the most famous bears in the country is celebrating a big birthday this summer.

On August 9, 2019, Smokey Bear turns 75 years old.

As wildfires continue to burn more National Forests and cost more each year, his message of “Only You Can Prevent Wildfires” is as relevant as ever.

In August 1944, the U.S. Forest Service authorized the creation of Smokey Bear as an animal symbol of their own to communicate about wildfire prevention. In the ensuing decades, Smokey aged well, even as his appearance and messaging have been tweaked to better educate the public about the dangers and prevention of wildfires. Today, Smokey is protected by U.S. federal law and is administered by the U.S. Forest Service, National Association of State Foresters and the Ad Council.

To kick-off a year of celebrations, Smokey made an appearance in the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, California, just down the road from the Angeles National Forest in January 2019. Later this year, Smokey will make another parade appearance for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City.

“The USDA Forest Service is excited to celebrate a milestone birthday for Smokey Bear and continue spreading the message of wildfire prevention,” said Gwen Beavans, Wildfire Prevention and Mitigation Branch Chief, USDA Forest Service.

Organizations across the country are finding unique ways to celebrate Smokey and this milestone birthday. Visit SmokeyBear75th.org to find an event near you this year and join the party! And remember: Only you…

Hannah Ettema is the NFF’s communications manager. Reach her at hettema@nationalforests.org.

C O R P O R AT E PA R T N E R New tree-planting partner and beer maker Patagonia Cerveza is helping restore degraded National Forests, enhancing wildlife habitat and restoring watersheds.

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tree spotlight

The Other (Surprising) Way Planting Trees Stores Carbon

Y

by Monica Perez-Watkins

our National Forests not only provide recreational opportunities and resources like fresh drinking water and wildlife habitat, they also play a vital role in regulating our climate.

Comprising a major portion of America’s forests (public and private), National Forests are one of the largest carbon storage systems in the United States.

Across 193 million acres of land, tens of millions of trees from coast to coast help play a vital role in regulating our climate.

But exactly how they do that may be surprising.

Most of us know that trees and other plants absorb the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO2) and release oxygen through a nifty process called photosynthesis. Photosynthesis combines water and CO2 from the atmosphere with energy from sunlight, creating a chemical reaction that yields oxygen and glucose, a carbon-based sugar that fuels tree growth and forms cellulose.

Cellulose is what gives trees their shape and rigid structure, and it’s made up of carbon, oxygen and hydrogen. In fact, half the weight of wood is carbon! It follows then, that the more trees we plant, the more carbon we sequester.

But converting CO2 to carbon-containing cellulose isn’t the only way trees sequester carbon.

Forests store carbon in several carbon “pools,” which are above

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Your National Forests

ground in the form of live tree trunks, branches, leaves, and shrubs, on the forest floor as dead trees and litter, and below ground as live roots and soil. Yes, soil.

Soil, commonly referred to as “dirt,” is a mixture of organic matter, minerals, liquids and organisms. Soil plays a vital role in forest ecosystems. In addition to providing habitat for soil-dwelling organism and helping to filter water, soil also stores carbon. In fact, soils are the largest on-land carbon pool on the planet!

While the carbon storage power of soils is widely known in the scientific community, the impact of reforestation on soil carbon sequestration was only recently analyzed.

A new study by researchers from the U.S. Forest Service’s Northern Research Station and the University of Michigan details the importance of reforestation to soil carbon sequestration on U.S. forests. Reviewing existing data of topsoils (the uppermost layer of soil) taken from land undergoing reforestation in the U.S., the researchers found that reforestation significantly increases carbon storage in topsoils. Reforested lands in the U.S. sequester 13-21 million tons of carbon in topsoils each year, equating to 7-12

percent of all the carbon sequestered by U.S. forests annually.

Soils do store carbon without active reforestation, but this study highlights how carbon storage increases with reforestation. Who knew that planting trees does double carbon duty—storing carbon in the growing trees while also increasing carbon storage in the soils beneath our feet?!

This study underpins the added global benefit of our campaign to plant 50 million trees. Each time we plant a tree on a National Forest, CO2 that would be contributing to global climate change is stored in both aboveand below-ground carbon pools.

An additional benefit: reforestation and the resulting carbon sequestration in soils can improve soil productivity, limit erosion and enhance watershed health.

Fortunately, trees are not the only plants that store carbon in soils. Grasses, like the native tallgrass species the NFF is restoring at Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie, also store carbon in the humble dirt between their roots.

Talk about doing double duty!

Soil is a powerful tool in fighting global climate change.

Paired with the 50 million trees we are planting across our National Forests, these natural climate solutions pack a potent punch!

Learn more about our campaign to plant 50 million trees, and donate to plant trees on your National Forests today: www.nationalforests.org/50million

tree spotlight

Carbon Storage 1% Leaves 40% Trunk & Branches 13% Roots 45% Soil

74%

The first 1 meter of soils hold 74% of all on-land carbon.

Organic layer Loose and partly decayed organic matter. Mineral matter mixed with humus.

Top soil Light-colored mineral particles, zone of eluviation and leaching.

U.S. forests offset 10-20% of the country’s fossil fuel emissions annually.

Soil can hold carbon for thousands of years.

Sources: Ohio Sea Grant publication OHSU-POST-005-2012 results of project # M/P-002 Data from C.M. Gough and others, Bioscience 58(7) 2008 https://www.fs.usda.gov/ccrc/topics/forests-carbon Reforestation can sequester two petagrams of carbon in US topsoils in a century by Lucas E. Navea, et al.

Carbon storage figures are based on estimates from a Michigan forest.

1,500 lbs C/acre After the natural exchange between plants, animals & the atmosphere, we end up with over 1,500 lbs/acre of carbon stored yearly.

Monica Perez-Watkins is the NFF’s tree-planting coordinator.

Reach her at mperezwatkins@nationalforests.org.

Summer | Fall 2019

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conservation Photo: RMAX - iStock

Can Socially Responsible Investing Help Our Forests and Make a Profit?

By Marcus Selig and Tommie Herbert

O

ur 193-million-acre National Forest System offers amazing vistas, havens for wildlife and escapes from everyday life. These assets, and others, help drive more than 148 million visits to National Forests each year, which support 143,000 full-time jobs and contribute roughly $10.3 billion towards America’s Gross Domestic Product.

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Your National Forests

The National Forest System also provides values which are less visible but equally important to our nation. The waters that flow from our National Forests provide tens of millions of people with their drinking water and generate hydroelectricity for 18 million homes. In 2018, over three billion board feet of timber was harvested from National Forests. In short, these public lands are an economic engine.

conservation However, this economic value is at risk. Severe wildfire, drought, flooding, and insect and disease disturbances increasingly damage our forests. The critical water supplies that flow from these lands are impacted by wildfire on a regular basis. Over 80 million acres of National Forest System lands need some kind of ecological restoration. Aging recreation facilities like trails, trailheads, boat ramps and campgrounds are incapable of handling an increasing volume of visitors.

Unfortunately, the type of proactive management that could help address these challenges is hampered by budget constraints. Fire suppression costs continue to increase almost every year. Annual budget cycles frustrate long-term planning. Even with the hard work of the U.S. Forest Service and dedicated nonprofit partners like the National Forest Foundation (NFF), we are not keeping pace with the ever-growing threats our National Forests face.

This reality forces the Forest Service and its partners to think creatively about how to use federal funding, philanthropy, and private capital to support meaningful improvements to our National Forests and ensure that they continue to be an economic asset for our country.

Europe) channeled $8.2 billion into investments that seek measurable returns and environmental benefits between 2004 and 2015. Perhaps more important for our forests, the report noted $3.1 billion in professionally managed portfolios dedicated to conservation was left unspent. Connecting the impact investing sector with needs on our nation’s forests, grasslands, and trans-boundary landscapes is something the NFF and Forest Service are actively pursuing.

The basic idea is that investors who provide the upfront capital to conduct large-scale improvements to National Forests earn a return from the economic value generated by those improvements. Two of the most promising efforts to date include a Forest Resilience Bond pilot project on the Tahoe National Forest in California and the structuring of a Pay for Success transaction on the Wayne National Forest in Ohio. These tools, if successful, will lay a path for the NFF, the Forest Service and other partners to work at larger scales and at a faster pace than traditional philanthropy and current funding programs allow.

The basic idea is that investors who provide the upfront capital to conduct large-scale improvements to National Forests earn a return from the economic value generated by those improvements.

Positive impacts through profits Fortunately, there is growing interest from investors in programs that deliver a financial return, while helping communities and improving the environment. This category of asset, known as Socially Responsible Investing (SRI) or “impact investing,” has increased 18-fold since 1995. As of 2018, $12 trillion worth of U.S.-based assets have been invested in SRI portfolios. SRI investments seek to produce profits just like traditional investments, but they also produce positive impacts on a range of issues including the environment, consumer protection, human rights, fair trade, and more.

Not all SRI assets are dedicated to environmental improvements but many are. According to a report released by Forest Trends’ Ecosystem Marketplace, the private sector (primarily in North America and

Upfront investments equal downstream benefits (and profits) In 2017, the Forest Service began working with Blue Forest Conservation (BFC), a public benefit corporation, to develop and implement the Forest Resilience Bond (FRB). The FRB is a financial vehicle that aggregates payments from downstream beneficiaries of forest restoration activities (water utilities and largescale water consumers, hydroelectricity generators, carbon emitters, etc.) to reimburse upfront capital investors. This model, with its large-scale upfront investment, allows for more rapid implementation than would be possible through incremental funding approaches like appropriations and philanthropy.

BFC launched its first FRB pilot project in November 2018, to restore forest health in the North Yuba River watershed on the Tahoe National Forest.

With aggregated multi-year payments from the Yuba County Water Agency, the State of California and

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conservation Photo: left: USFS. Right: Leslie Kehmeler - IMBA

Severely burned forests impact water supplies, but upfront investment can restore forest health and reduce these impacts.

Mountain biking trails and other infrastructure add economic opportunities for communities, but they are costly to build.

the NFF, the FRB is able to access over $4 million in private capital to improve 15,000 acres of National Forest lands over the next three to four years. The NFF is the primary implementation partner, carrying out projects like ecological forest thinning, meadow restoration, prescribed burns, and invasive plant treatments that improve forest and watershed health. As work is accomplished, payments from the beneficiaries of the work’s outcomes will be made back to the FRB to deliver a modest, sub-market rate of return.

recreation infrastructure. Although the necessary agreements are not yet in place for this project, there is a high-level of community support for the project.

While PFS and the FRB are new efforts the NFF and Forest Service are exploring, they build on previous cross-sector funding initiatives, like the NFF’s Northern Arizona Forest Fund, Ski Conservation Fund, and Carbon Capital Fund (visit our website for more information on all of these efforts). These existing programs continue to help the Forest Service and partners integrate multiple stakeholders into one initiative, leverage public and private dollars, and measure outcomes from forest management and recreation infrastructure improvements, but they do not utilize upfront money. PFS and the FRB are tools that are evolving these approaches to incorporate upfront capital along with structured investment returns, and payments linked to outcomes.

The pilot projects on the Tahoe and Wayne National Forests could offer new solutions to financial issues that hamper conservation. By actively exploring SRI, the Forest Service and NFF are tapping into new sources of investment capital and developing new ways to keep the economic engine that is our National Forests humming.

If you build it, they will come (and eat at restaurants and sleep in hotels…)

In 2018, on the Wayne National Forest in Ohio, the Forest Service and NFF contracted with consultant Quantified Ventures to assess the feasibility of Pay for Success (PFS) to support recreation infrastructure development. Similar to the FRB, PFS provides upfront capital for activities that will produce social, ecological and economic benefits. The repayment of that upfront investment, however, is tied to the successful achievement of expected, quantifiable outcomes.

If realized, PFS would provide over $5 million in upfront investment to finance the development of the Bailey’s Mountain Biking Trail System, an 88-mile trail network near Athens, Ohio. As a mountain biking destination within 250 miles of 35 million people, Bailey’s is predicted to increase visitation and drive new economic opportunities for nearby gateway communities. Local governments would repay the investors based on increased visitation and an associated expected increase in tax revenue from tourism spending. Using PFS would decrease construction time from five to two years, and provide robust data around economic outcomes from

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Your National Forests

Marcus Selig is the NFF’s Vice President of Field Programs.

Reach him at mselig@nationalforests.org. Tommie Herbert is the National Conservation Finance Lead at the U.S. Forest Service. Reach her at catherinetherbert@fs.fed.us.

featured forests All photos: USFS unless otherwise noted

BIGGEST Our Super(lative) National Forests

By Brad Lane

easternmost

OLDEST

TALLEST WETTEST

DRYEST

snowiest

A

cross the nation, more than 193 million acres of National Forests are all yours to explore. Whether you’re kayaking among icebergs, skiing one of 120-plus ski resorts, exploring saturated rainforests or even finding the perfect place to watch a total solar eclipse, you’re sure to find something superlative in each of our 174 National Forests and Grasslands.

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featured forests Some, like the Inyo National Forest, literally stand above the rest, while others like the Tongass offer perspective-shifting scale.

From Alaska to Puerto Rico and California to Maine, we’ve pulled together a list of the wettest, wildest, biggest and “most-est” National Forests America has to offer.

BIGGEST The BIGGEST (and the smallest) The Tongass National Forest reigns supreme as the biggest National Forest in the country.

That’s probably not surprising given that it’s located in the biggest state, Alaska. Glaciated coastlines, the Inside Passage and an abundance of wildlife including bears, eagles and whales define much of the Tongass. At 17 million acres, the Tongass is two million acres larger than the state of West Virginia.

Features like the 13-milelong Mendenhall Glacier and the world’s largest intact temperate rainforest add to the Tongass’ big feel. If you like big adventures alongside huge views and epic acreage, the Tongass offers kayaking iceberg-filled fjords, month-long backpacking trips, extended expeditions on shimmering ice, and more.

At the other side of the scale, the nation’s smallest National

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Your National Forests

Forest, eastern Alabama’s Tuskegee, encompasses just 11,000 acres. But don’t let its diminutive size deceive you, the Tuskegee is home to the Bartram National Recreation Trail, miles of mountain biking trails, wildlife viewing sites, a shooting range, a fire tower, and loads of historic sites.

Even though it could fit into the Tongass more than 1,500 times, the Tuskegee is proof that good things come in small packages

Up, up and away While Colorado has the country’s largest concentration of “fourteeners,” peaks 14,000 feet or higher, Mt. Whitney on California’s Inyo National Forest is the tallest of the tall. At approximately 14,500 feet above sea level, Mt. Whitney is the highest summit in the lower 48 and a jutting landmark of adventure in the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

It’s also the southern terminus of the drool-inducing

TALL John Muir Trail and a worthy side-trip along the 2,650-mile Pacific Crest Trail. The 360-degree views atop Whitney aren’t just reserved for backpackers; every day of the snow-free season (July to late-September), permitted day hikers tackle the 22-mile summit trail that includes a thigh-busting 6,000-plus feet of elevation gain.

North, South, East and West The Chugach National Forest in Alaska and El Yunque National Forest in Puerto Rico lay claim to

featured forests

EST Photo: above: John Lemieux. Right: John Bosco - iStock

EXTREME LATITUDE

the most extreme latitudes in the National Forest System; amazingly, they also hold the most extreme longitudes.

Within the contiguous United States, diverse forests anchor our nation’s corners.

Numerous National Forests in Washington, Idaho and Montana abut the 49th parallel. Washington itself has three National Forests adjacent the Canadian frontier: the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie, Okanogan-Wenatchee and Colville National Forests. August is arguably the best time to visit: snow has melted, rain is less likely

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featured forests and alpine lakes are primed for quick dips and cannonballs.

Those who prefer southern latitudes should head to Florida’s Ocala National Forest. This southernmost forest is rich with wildlife, hiking trails and first-magnitude springs, like the Alexander Springs Recreation Area which discharges more than 100-cubic-feet of water per second. Another adventurous attraction includes Juniper Run, a narrow 7.5-mile canoe waterway winding beneath the dense canopy of the Juniper Prairie Wilderness.

Extending into Maine, the easternmost National Forest rests primarily in New Hampshire. More than 1,200 miles of trails connect the varied terrain that define the White Mountain National Forest, including hardwood forests and clear mountain lakes, as well as 148,000 acres of designated wilderness. While, there’s no official contest, the White Mountain would win the “most likely to blow your hat off” award thanks to the summit of Mount Washington with its record-setting wind gusts that top 200 miles per hour.

While the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest is a smidge farther west than other forests in the lower 48, the Siuslaw is one of two continental forests that touch the Pacific Ocean (California's Los Padres is the other). Home to sand dunes, historic lighthouses and challenging headland trails, the Siuslaw also boasts the Cape Perpetua Scenic Area. A prominent stop on the Pacific Coast Scenic Byway and named by Captain James Cook in 1778, Cape Perpetua provides the highest viewpoint on the Oregon coast accessible by car.

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OCEAN SHORE TO FOREST FLOOR Oldies but goodies Using the powers provided by the Forest Reserve Act of 1891, President Benjamin Harrison established the Yellowstone Park Timberland Reserve, which served as a buffer for the newly appointed national park. This “reserve” of land started a chain reaction in history; over time, Presidents created a slew of other timber reserves that would become our National Forests.

The Yellowstone Park Timberland Reserve is now known as the Shoshone National Forest. Much like they were in 1891, all 2.4 million acres of the Shoshone are an integral part of the roughly 15-million-acre Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.

Along with the largest free-roaming, wild bison herds in America, the Shoshone helps support over 335 species of wildlife.

Created in 1908, the Ocala National Forest is the oldest forest in the East. Others soon followed because of the Weeks Act, which created a way for the federal government to purchase

private lands for natural resource development and protection.

Congress passed the Weeks Act in 1911 because of issues around watershed degradation, flood control and wildfire management.

The first tract of land purchased under the Weeks Act is now part of the Pisgah National Forest in North Carolina. Other iconic eastern Forests, including Virginia’s George Washington, New Hampshire’s White Mountain and Pennsylvania’s Allegheny National Forests, quickly followed.

Got rain?

On the rugged Olympic Peninsula of western Washington, the Olympic National Forest is nearly synonymous with rainfall. The Olympic contains the aptly named Quinault Rain Forest, and the area receives an olympic-swimming-pool quantity of water each year. Twelve to fourteen feet of annual rain, plus considerable snowmelt from the surrounding Olympic peaks, results in a lush and vibrant environment boasting more shades of green than Ireland.

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S H A R P E S T C L I M AT E E X T R E M E S Photo: Keith Curry-Pochy

Another contender for rainiest forest, the El Yunque National Forest in Puerto Rico, is certainly the most tropical.

Though it is one of the smallest at only 29,000 acres, El Yunque is the only tropical rainforest in the National Forest System. All that rain makes for a diverse place; many of the incredible animal and plant species supported by El Yunque are found nowhere else in the world.

Hardest to pack for

OLDEST

Stretching from the rim of the Great Basin to the colorful Colorado River canyons in southern Utah, the Dixie National Forest presents some of the sharpest climate extremes found in the country. At lower elevations near St. George, Utah, temperatures easily exceed 100°F in summer

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featured forests months, while atop the 10,000foot high plateaus that define much of Dixie National Forest, winter lows often reach minus 30°F.

Go jump in a lake A whopping 700 square miles of the Superior National Forest in northeast Minnesota are surface water, including much of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. The only amenities that rival the number of lakes within the Superior are the 2,000 designated campsites that offer solitude and glimpses of the aurora borealis throughout the year.

Most likely to find a chairlift Hosting industry giants like Aspen, Vail, and Breckenridge (and a total of 12 ski resorts across its 2.3-million acres), Colorado’s

White River National Forest is arguably the best National Forest for skiing. It’s also one of the most visited in the country. Winter isn’t the only draw, the chairlifts within the White River operate in warmer months for downhill mountain biking and scenic alpine rides.

Most likely to mispronounce With a name that’s easy to bungle, the Monongahela National Forest of West Virginia is within a day’s drive of about half the nation’s population. While many have their preferred way to pronounce this rich ecological region of mountains and rivers, the correct pronunciation (Muhnahn-guh-HEE-luh) reflects the native tongue of the area’s original inhabitants. After you master “Monongahela,” you’re ready for other tongue twisters like the Ouachita (Arkansas

and Oklahoma), the Chequamegon-Nicolet (Wisconsin), and the Okanogan-Wenatchee (Washington)!

Most likely to see the next total solar eclipse If you missed 2018’s total solar eclipse, don’t fret too much.

Several National Forests in the middle of the country are in the path of the next one, which will occur on April 8th, 2024. Some of the best viewing sites are on the Shawnee National Forest in Illinois; that forest’s Garden of the Gods Recreation Area is a particularly scenic spot to see the eclipse with plenty of boulders to lean on as you look skyward. But don’t wait until 2024 to book a visit to the Shawnee, it’s worth visiting any time of the year.

Brad Lane is a Missoula, Montana-based author and adventurer. This is his first piece for Your National Forests magazine.

Reach him through his website: BradLaneWriting.com.

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Your National Forests

Photo: Thomas Spence

Whether it’s the highest, the oldest or the one that’s closest to you, all 174 National Forests and Grasslands merit exploration. No matter the superlative, National Forests across the nation offer fun adventures, diverse environments, historical treasures and new things to discover, leaving the last category for you to fill: the National Forest you’re most likely to visit next.

unforgettable experiences Photo: Wiki Commons

A Century of Change: The Lick Creek Photo Point Project

By Greg M. Peters

Turn of the century logging practices.

hen the U.S. Forest Service was created in 1905, the agency’s first chief, Gifford Pinchot, wasted no time in fulfilling its mission.

something would show up to give us a key. The clue might be the bark pattern on a ponderosa pine, or perhaps a forked trunk. The camera we were using duplicated the one used for the original pictures, and when a spot was once found it was a simple matter to adjust the outfit so that the image on the ground glass would coincide with the print we were holding. It was an exciting game, and we felt it was more fun than work.

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By 1906, Pinchot and a handful of his deputies, including Elers Koch and Wilford White, had begun laying out a timber sale in Montana’s Bitterroot National Forest called the Lick Creek sale.

This effort represented the first large timber sale in the Northern Region and was considered an important example of the Forest Service’s ability to properly manage the nation’s vast timber reserves.

To document the sale, W.J. Lubkin, a photographer in the agency’s Washington Office, travelled west in 1909 to photograph the forest post-logging.

If that had been the extent of the early foresters’ attempts to document the Lick Creek sale, we would have a small handful of well-made photographs detailing logging practices circa 1909.

Fortunately, they kept at it.

In 1925, another Forest Service photographer, K.D. Swan, joined Wilford White (the Forest Supervisor from 1909-1921 and the Lick Creek sale administrator) on a trip to Lick Creek. The men were able to pinpoint where Lubkin had positioned his camera 16 years earlier. Swan recalled the adventure in his 1968 book Splendid Was the Trail: The quest was extremely fascinating. White had a good memory and was able to spot, in a general way, the locations we were after. Peculiar stumps and logs were a great help. Just when we might seem baffled in the search for a particular spot,

Swan returned to some of the sites in 1927 and then again in 1937-1938. The locations were permanently marked in 1938 by the Bitterroot Forest Supervisor, G. M. Brandborg, and a Forest Ranger named C. Shockley. By permanently marking the sites, Brandborg presciently set the stage for one of the most comprehensive photo documentation projects on a National Forest, whether he intended to or not. Indeed, other photographers followed in Swan’s footsteps, returning every ten years or so to record how the forest had changed. The project is ongoing today, with photographers returning to the site as recently as 2015.

For foresters, researchers and forest ecologists, this visual history provides a unique opportunity to better understand how forests react to management practices and natural processes. For the rest of us, these photographs provide a rare opportunity to see how a managed forest changes over time.

The following photos demonstrate just how much a forest can change. The accompanying captions were supplied by Forest Service researchers who have studied and written about this project over the years in various reports, papers, and other documents. In 1999, Forest Service researchers Matt Arno and Helen Smith wrote a comprehensive paper about this project, including analysis of the ecological changes evidenced by the photographs.

You can find it at fs.fed.us/rm/pubs/rmrs_gtr023.pdf.

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unforgettable experiences Photos and captions: USFS

1909 Facing nearly due west from ridge northeast of Lake

1938 29 Years Later. Several pines in foreground have been

Como. Light selection cut in open ponderosa pine. Ground cover is comprised of perennial grasses and forbs, including balsamroot.

A few low-growing bitterbrush plants can be seen in the vicinity of horses and in distance on left. A group of willows can be seen behind horseman at left center.

cut, some have died, and others have fallen to the ground.

Ponderosa pine and Douglas-fir regeneration is profuse, while the willow in distance is larger. Bitterbrush has increased, but regeneration appears minimal. Slash and windfall have resulted in an increase in heavy fuels. Mullein can be seen in left foreground for the first time.

1968 59 Years Later. Precommercial thinning and pruning in

1997 88 Years Later. Thinning in 1992 has created large

1968 removed mature pines and opened up young pine stand.

This benefited some bitterbrush plants (reference to other photo sequences), but those in left fore­ground under and near leave trees show further deterioration. Slash has added to heavy fuels, while down material is more decomposed.

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openings throughout the stand. Only mid- and background received burn treatment in 1993 resulting in loss of small trees.

Bitterbrush in unburned foreground looks more vigorous than others in burn area. Ground cover is dominated by spotted knapweed, elk sedge, and bluebunch wheatgrass.

unforgettable experiences

1909 Ground cover is comprised of herbaceous species

1938 29 Years Later. Douglas-fir growth is competing with

including balsamroot and low-growing snowberry and spiraea.

Young Douglas-fir can be seen in understory.

willow and bitterbrush. Both shrubs have grown considerably, but dead branches are particularly evident within the canopy of several willows. Note amount of dead material in willow at right edge of photo.

1968 59 Years Later. Precommercial thinning in the 1960s

1997 88 Years Later. Thinning in 1992 has opened the stand.

resulted in improved conditions for willow, bitterbrush, and other understory plants. Slash has increased surface fuels.

Underburning in 1993 was light and spotty resulting in most small conifers surviving. Rose bushes are more vigorous, surrounding the willow in center mid-ground.

Greg M. Peters is a freelance writer and editor. He was the NFF’s communications director until December 2018.

Find more of his writing at gregmpeters.com.

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kids and nature

Create Your Own Photo Point Study

By Zoe Bommarito

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ur forest landscapes are always changing. But it can be hard to notice these changes over time. Perhaps your favorite tree grew a bit taller or the lakeshore moved just slightly. Sometimes these changes are easy to see (a particular tree that was blown over during a winter storm) but often, they’re not. So how can we measure and track these changes?

Photo point monitoring!

What is photo point monitoring?

Photo point monitoring is an easy and fun way to observe ecosystem changes over time. It consists of repeat photography of a specific location at a specific time of the year. Basically, if you take a picture of your favorite spot in the forest every year on May 1st, you’ll be able to see how the landscape has changed throughout the years. You may be surprised to see drastic (and small) changes to your favorite forests!

Create your own photo point What do you need?

You’ll need a camera, a map, and a notebook to record your observations (a GPS unit or phone with a GPS app can be helpful too).

How to begin photo point monitoring Make a goal What do you hope to find out from this activity?

Perhaps you’d like to see how much a tree grows, what happens to the understory of a forest over the years, or maybe, how your favorite stream might

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change or move over time. You also might want to see how a forest changes over the seasons: what does it look like in the spring, summer, fall and winter?

Be sure that your photo point (the location of your photographs) aligns with your goal. For example, if you want to see how a stream changes over time, you’ll need to find a place near that stream that you are sure you can access each time you come back to photograph.

Select and establish photo camera points Identify the exact location and the landscape features that will be in the photo. It will be easier if you choose a prominent feature to photograph like an odd-shaped tree, a bend in a stream or a particular pond or meadow. Feel free to pick a couple of spots on a forest for your photo points to capture different changes. Be sure to pay special attention to the distance between the camera and the landscape elements you are photographing. Also pay attention to the angle of your camera. If you’re photographing a tree for example, you’ll need to make sure your camera is tilted the same way every time to you return to photograph it. It’s helpful to permanently mark your camera location so that you’ll know where to go every time (use something natural to mark the spot – pile some rocks on the ground, stand near a tree that is easy to identify year after year, or mark the spot on a map, GPS unit or your phone).

kids and nature Photos: Artsmela - Shutterstock

Create a field notebook to record site observations and store your data points. Be sure to write down the exact GPS coordinates of your chosen location.

On each of your site visits, you’ll be able to record your observations and data. Also be sure to plan out how you’ll label, organize and store your photos. You could print them out after each excursion or store them digitally; just be sure to label them so you know where and when each photo was taken.

Photograph your chosen location in planned intervals Decide when you’d like to return to photograph the area again. You must determine the frequency of the photos (yearly, monthly, once per “season,” etc.), the duration of the entire photo point project (one year, five years, etc.) and the time of day that you’re planning to photograph. Once you have set your photo point intervals, record them in your field notebook and mark them on a calendar so you won’t forget to go back out again.

Finally, make a plan to visit your site location and take pictures. This is the fun part! There’s no better feeling than stepping out in to the forest and soaking in your surroundings.

Record data and observations, identify any changes to the forest For each photo you take, be sure to record appropriate data in your field journal. Write down the date, time of day and any other observations you might have. Here are some prompts to get you started: • What’s the temperature today?

• The weather?

• What sounds do you hear?

• Do you see any wildlife around?

• What else do you see?

• Describe your surroundings.

When your photo point project is completed, be sure to look at your photos side by side and identify the differences or changes to the forest that you see. Write down your observations and share with your friends and family. You could also take your photo point project to the next level by turning it into a blog or a wall-worthy art project.

Zoe Bommarito is the NFF’s communications associate. Reach her at zbommarito@nationalforests.org.

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unforgettable experiences Photo: Antonia Guillem - iStock

The Forest Is the Therapist

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By Ray A. Foote

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t turns out that Mom was right after all. It takes some growing up, humility, and open-mindedness—even if grudgingly achieved­—to quit the eye-rolling at things our parents said. For my brothers and me, it was “you need to go outside and play.” What? Why do we “need” to do that?

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Whether she was parroting folk wisdom, going on gut instinct, or exercising some mysterious mom super-power, she knew that time outside worked wonders. It could reverse a foul mood, restore energy to a listless pre-teen, or create some serendipitous moment that saved the day.

Many of us feel intuitively that time outdoors is, well, good. But now medical professionals and researchers are proving our intuition has merit, pointing to specific health benefits. Moving steadily from the fringe toward the mainstream, “nature Rx” is quickly gaining credibility. Professionals and lay people alike are beginning to understand the profoundly positive impacts of exposure to the natural world.

More than 300 peer-reviewed studies have identified a strong correlation between time in nature and health benefits. Specifically, these studies show that time outside results in lower heart rates, reduced stress, enhanced intestinal

unforgettable experiences

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and gland activity, and more. Research is revealing time in nature is a factor in lowering hostility and depression while enhancing memory and feelings of awe. Data are also documenting how time in forests boosts “natural killer” (NK) cells in humans. NK cells are a type of lymphocyte that help ward off tumors and fight virally infected cells.

Dr. Robert Zarr, from Washington DC, is converting the research into active patient treatment by “prescribing” parks, literally. He and colleagues have mapped and rated 350 parks for access, cleanliness, level of activity and safety, linking these places to their patients’ Electronic Medical Records (EMR).

Zarr can thus quickly connect a patient with a natural place near home, school, or work where they can fulfill his nature prescription.

He is also the founder and medical director of the nonprofit Park Rx America whose mission is to “decrease the burden of chronic disease, increase health and happiness, and foster environmental stewardship, by virtue of prescribing Nature during the routine delivery of healthcare by a diverse group of health care professionals.” To date, Zarr has provided hundreds of nature prescriptions, and his work is being mirrored by a growing number of health professionals nationwide and internationally.

Importantly, Zarr and others aren’t especially focused on the activities that draw typical outdoor recreationists to trailheads like jogging, bicycling or hiking. Rather, they promote simply being outside in nature. Yes, exercise (whether done inside at a gym or outside in a forest) has proven 2 health benefits, but the nature RX movement makes space for more passive experiences in natural settings.

For example, Shinrin-Yoku¸ Japanese for “forest bathing,” holds that simply spending quiet time in the woods restores balance and feelings of wellness.

Studies are backing up the claims, pointing to reduced blood pressure levels, higher endorphin levels, and self-reported feelings of calm and well-being.

The principles behind Shinrin-Yoku originated from observations during Japan’s broad economic shift from agrarian to industrial work. The

government began noticing a rise in chronic disease (especially cardiovascular) and began studying whether being divorced from the outdoors was contributing to the trends.

Shinrin-Yoku has inspired a field of “forest therapy” in the United States, actively promoted by the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy (ANFT). The association provides “standards-based training and certification for forest therapy guides.”

Guides offer individuals opportunities to experience “guided walks” to learn greater mindfulness and openness to nature’s healing powers.

“It seems somewhat universal that people feel good after spending a warm, sunny day in nature, and you don’t have to look very far to get corroboration on those anecdotal indicators,” says Toby Bloom, a national program manager for the U.S. Forest Service and a guide certified by ANFT. “I’d say the thing that most excites me is the fact that stories about nature being good for your health are totally mainstream now.” She emphasizes greater productivity and a general sense of well-being.

Bloom acknowledges many may be skeptical of such health claims. “I think the best way to sway a skeptic is to get them on the forest for a few hours or a full day and see how they feel afterward.” For those who need more scientific proof, she points to a raft of studies.

One of the persistent challenges in broadening access to forest therapy is similar to one that conservation and environmental organizations grapple with daily, namely including disadvantaged or marginalized communities. Barriers abound.

For example, National Forests can be notoriously difficult to access for city dwellers. Disadvantaged populations may have a significant awareness gap about the health benefits of simply being outdoors, raising a communications challenge. But none of those are insurmountable.

In Oakland, CA the Center for Nature and Health blends diversity and natural health effects through weekly community walks. I spoke with Mona Koh last fall in Wyoming (where, not surprisingly, she was leading a walk on the Bridger-Teton National Forest). Koh said she helps convene “anyone who wants to come” every Saturday morning in Oakland for restorative time outdoors.

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Simply spending quiet time in the woods restores balance and feelings of wellness, reduces blood pressure levels, and raises endorphins.

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unforgettable experiences Photo: Ray A. Foote

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Farjana Islam gathers nature-walk participants in Jackson, WY last fall for an outdoor discussion about new research into the health benefits of time in nature.

“We walk together. We talk. We say ‘good morning’ in every language we know. Our activity stretches across generations, races, languages.”

As Tamberly Conway notes, “From an environmental justice perspective, it’s great to have tools that can show how trees can improve the health conditions in disadvantaged communities.” Conway is a Partnerships, Diversity, and Inclusion Specialist at the Forest Service. She explains that any time in any natural setting is beneficial relative to an indoor-focused lifestyle. This means even small local parks—an important part of Zarr’s approach— provide health-improving opportunities. In other words, one doesn’t need to camp in wilderness to get a therapeutic boost.

Motivated in part by a desire to help historically marginalized communities embrace nature Rx, Conway is training to become a forest therapy guide.

She notes, “This work has been life changing. I went on a walk and realized I had never seen anything so powerful. Forest therapy opens you up and increases your intuition. The guide opens the door, but the forest is the therapist.” Today, there are approximately 350 certified guides in the U.S. and ANFT is focused on bringing in more participants from underserved and underrepresented communities.

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The recent embrace of the outdoors as a health resource reinforces the role of and rationale for public lands in the U.S. Partnerships are emerging, and the trend appears strong. But there is more work to be done. Public land managers need to ensure the lands they manage are welcoming and accessible to diverse constituencies, and all of us need to broaden our notion of what constitutes a beneficial outdoor experience and what we “need” to access one.

“There is the ‘tyranny of the polar fleece,’” Bloom says. “People think they need the best gear, shoes, equipment or whatever to really appreciate nature, or that they need to be an avid mountain climber or biker or whatever. That is absolutely not the case. Any time you spend in nature, or just lying on your back in the grass looking at trees and plants, that’s time well spent.”

Just ask mom.

Ray A. Foote is the NFF’s Executive Vice President. Reach him at rfoote@nationalforests.org.

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nff

leadership

Celebrating Two NFF Leaders

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always wanted to be a forester,” says NFF Board Chair Craig Barrett. After a career at Intel, including as Chairman from 2005 to 2009, Barrett’s service on the NFF Board helped fulfill his lifelong interest in forests.

“Our Montana ranch is surrounded by National Forest land; we plant trees and we fight fire on our land, so I guess I did achieve my dream after all.”

This November, he will conclude his time on the organization’s board, which includes serving as Chairman at both the beginning and end of his tenure, which began in 2001. During his leadership, Barrett led significant expansion of the NFF’s programs, areas served, and financial health.

“Craig’s guidance and insights have helped us become more strategic across the board. We are grateful for his tremendous service,” said Mary Mitsos, NFF President.

Succeeding Barrett, NFF Vice Chair Patricia Hayling Price will assume the Chair’s duties in November. She is President of LIVEWORKSTRATEGIZE LLC, an executive coaching and talent development consultancy. After two decades at IBM in sales, consulting and as a global marketing executive, Price launched her consulting practice with clients such as MasterCard, Fannie Mae, Google, and many more. A frequent speaker and lecturer, Price’s nonprofit affiliations include boards and committees of the American Heart Association of Westchester, Westchester Medical Center Board, The International Marketing Research Association Board, The Bruce Museum of Greenwich, CT Gala Committee, and others.

“Anyone who loves to breathe clean air should love the forest,” noted Price. “Our Treasured Landscapes campaign was quite a milestone for the NFF. Under Craig’s leadership we reached new heights of financial health, held our first fundraising Gala in NYC and launched our 50 million trees initiative. It is an honor to serve knowing our collective efforts help ensure these priceless resources are here for generations to come. These amazing public lands offer everything from clean water to recreation to sustaining local economies.” Mitsos added, “Patricia

matches her business expertise with her passion for our mission; that is a fantastic combination for leading our Board. We are excited for Patricia’s efforts that will build directly on where Craig has brought us to date.”

These changes in NFF’s governing body reflect the organization’s commitment to build on strength, to continue to adapt and grow, and to benefit from outstanding volunteer governance.

We thank Craig for his exemplary service, and we welcome Patricia to the helm of a vital and dynamic mission.

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voices from the forest

Two Ways the NFF’s Conservation Connect Learning Network is Growing Our Impact

By Karen DiBari

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motions often run high when livelihoods, fish and wildlife habitat, forest health, recreational access and other issues central to public lands management are weighed against each other.

conservation, wood products, local government, community-based organizations, and the Forest Service. This group of leaders provides strategic advice about how we can increase our impact when we support natural resource-based collaborative groups, helps us identify strategic partnerships that leverage existThese conflicts play out in we can improve practices, help ing collaborative resources, and newspaper articles, impassioned people learn from each other’s shares with other groups working letters to the editor, tense public experiences, and build a network in collaborative settings the role hearings, and all too often, the of practitioners to advance this of the NFF and Conservation courts. Collaborative conservation work in the years to come. That’s Connect. Visit our website to find seeks to cut through these why we’ve launched two new the complete list of Advisory disagreements by bringing people efforts that invest in the future of with different views together. Good collaborative forest management. Council members: nationalforests. org/advisorycouncil facilitation can lead participants At our first in-person to find common ground and craft Collaborative leaders meeting in June 2018, the Council consensus-based solutions to even lend their expertise discussed organizational needs the most difficult public lands To make sure Conservation for collaborative efforts, Forest management issues. Simply put, Connect continues to be responService policy changes, and ways collaboration is one of the key sive to the real needs of people to strengthen the NFF’s investbuilding blocks to the successful working together to build collaboment in the next generation of management of our public lands. rative agreements for our National young leaders.

Our Conservation The NFF has worked for Forests, the NFF established a Connect Fellows (see right) particdecades to advance collaborative Conservation Connect Advisory ipated, receiving a full immersion conservation, largely through our Council.

Comprised of thought into the practice of collaboration.

Conservation Connect program. leaders from around the country, We are grateful to our Advisory This “learning network for collabthe Council is helping the NFF Council members for lending us oration” serves people working shape our Conservation Connect their time and knowledge and together to overcome conflicts programs.

The Advisory Council helping us remain a leader in around our National Forests. includes eleven people active in collaborative conservation!

We’re always looking at how

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voices from the forest The next generation of collaborative leaders

Photos: Karen DiBari

While the Advisory Council improves how we advance collaborative conservation, without a new generation of collaborative leaders, our work won’t have lasting impact. Our new Conservation Connect Fellowship program is investing in this next generation, enabling graduate students to engage directly in collaborative forest stewardship and match the knowledge they are acquiring through academic work with practical, hands-on experience.

In 2018, we piloted the program with two Fellows. This year, we quintupled that number, welcoming ten Fellows!

The Fellowships run for one year and include mentoring, training, and a practicum with the NFF or one of our collaborative partner organizations. Our 2019 Fellows hail from Northern Arizona University, Portland State University, University of California Merced, University of Georgia, University of Michigan and the University of Montana. We are thrilled to welcome our second cohort of students and look forward to another great year of mutual learning.

Anna Wearn, a recent Fellow from the University of Montana, shared what made the Fellowship program so valuable to her: “Working for the NFF, I have had the opportunity to facilitate conversations about some of most pressing challenges in land management. These experiences

have provided valuable insights into balancing multiple uses of our public lands.”

Even when it works, collaborative conservation is often rife with opportunities for conflict and disagreement. Successful efforts rely on the best in collaborative thinking and on experienced, professional leadership. The NFF’s Advisory Council and Conservation Connect Fellowship program provide both of these—a diversity of expertise honed through decades of collaboration and a cadre of young professionals who can capably lead collaborative efforts for the next several decades.

Collaborative conservation groups: • Are comprised of diverse interests that may represent local, regional, national, and other interests; • Agree to work together to identify common ground; and • Agree to advance solutions based on that common ground.

Many collaborative groups work out agreements through project development, design, implementation, and monitoring, or develop and advance recommendations at a more programmatic level.

Karen DiBari is the Director of the NFF’s Conservation Connect program.

Reach her at kdibari@nationalforests.org.

C O R P O R AT E PA R T N E R Long-time NFF partner Caudalie has recently committed to its second million trees on America’s National Forests. This cosmetic company’s investment truly makes the world more beautiful.

Thank you, Caudalie!

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where in the woods This National Forest contains Colorado’s only designated Wild and Scenic River.

Answer from page 3: Roosevelt National Forest Photo: Steve Bratman

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olorado’s Roosevelt National Forest was originally set aside as the Medicine Bow Forest Reserve in 1902 and was named the Colorado National Forest in 1910.

C O R P O R AT E PA R T N E R The Starbucks Foundation has committed to planting a tree on our National Forests in honor of each of its more than 200,000 team members, thus building on the company’s history of giving back.

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Your National Forests

Twenty-two years later, President Hoover renamed it to honor President Theodore Roosevelt, and it has been known as the Roosevelt National Forest ever since. Today, it is administered jointly with the Arapaho National Forest and Pawnee National Grassland. It is home to the Cache La Poudre Wild and Scenic River (Colorado’s only Wild and Scenic River). Visitors enjoy driving up to Cameron Pass at 10,276 feet or staying at one of the 22 campgrounds in the Forest. To escape the crowds of nearby Rocky Mountain National Park, explore one of the six designated Wilderness Areas within the Roosevelt National Forest.

HELP US PLANT 50 MILLION TREES

It’s so simple. Every dollar plants one tree.

But the impacts are anything but simple.

Every tree we plant: Restores Wildlife Habitat Protects Watersheds and Clean Drinking Water Absorbs and Stores Carbon

What impact will you make? nationalforests.org/50Million

Become a Friend of the Forest Today ÂŽ

Join the hundreds of thousands of Americans who help care for our National Forests. Find out where to play, stay up-to-date on conservation news and receive insider tips.

nationalforests.org