Northwest Community Forest Coalition
A JOYFUL RETURN TO THE FOREST
The Northwest Community Forest Coalition was founded in 2015 to support the ongoing development, education, support, and advocacy for community forests in Oregon, Washington, and the Pacific Northwest region. Forests are critical natural resources that provide diverse social, economic, and ecological benefits. By combining long-term forest tenure, working forest management, and robust community participation, community forests deliver meaningful benefits at the local level.
One of my first tasks working with Sustainable Northwest as the Forest Program Director was to convene and facilitate the Northwest Community Forest Coalition to navigate and update our Definitions and Principles.
The process included many healthy philosophical discussions about what constitutes the “community” in “community forest” and who gets to define it. To do so, we surveyed our membership for input, reviewed academic literature, looked at case studies from around the world, and recruited expert support from Brett Brownscombe who generously donated his time. It was a great introduction to coalition members and the different priorities, values, and structures of community forests that resulted in more inclusive language and an expansion of our Executive Committee.
The only downside? It was all over Zoom and phone. It’s hard to believe that in two years of working with the organization, I have yet to meet most of our partners in person or to set foot in a community forest. However, I’m excited to announce that we are hosting the Northwest Community Forest Coalition Forum and Field Tour again on May 4th and 5th - both days will be in person with remote attendance options for Forum on the 5th.
2019 Nisqually Field Tour. Source: Rachel Lee
The last time we hosted a Community Forest Forum and Field Tour was in 2018. It was in Astoria, Oregon and from the photos, it looked like a beautiful, foggy, spring day for touring the watershed.
The City of Astoria has long owned its drinking watershed and now enjoys revenues from log and carbon credit sales. More recently and further south, the North Coast Land Conservancy purchased 3,500 acres at the headwaters of Cannon Beach in 2021.
There is increasing interest from coastal communities in acquiring and managing their drinking water supply. The community of Arch Cape is planning to acquire 1,500 acres adjacent to the North Coast Land Conservancy’s Rainforest Reserve next summer. Across the Columbia River, the City of Ilwaco, Washington, is working with the Trust for Public Land to acquire 300+ acres of forestland around their drinking water reservoir.
Community forests can be developed for many benefits. Some community forests form to increase wildfire resilience as part of a wildland-urban interface strategy. Others might focus on timber production and revenue. The Kalispel Tribe's Natural Resource Department (KTNRD) prioritizes education and wildlife habitat in their management of the Indian Creek Community Forest.
In less than a month KTNRD will be hosting the 2022 Community Forest Forum and Field Tour on May 3-5, 2022, outside Spokane, Washington. We’ll plan to travel and arrive on the 3rd to have a full field day on Wednesday the 4th.
After visiting the Indian Creek Community Forest, we will continue traveling to Sandpoint, Idaho, to visit the Kaniksu Land Trust’s Pine Street Woods, which centers around recreation.
On Thursday, we’ll convene for the annual Community Forest Forum to learn from various community forest practitioners, partners, and advisors on different topics like funding & finance, outreach & marketing, and silviculture & natural resource management.
2019 Nisqually field tour. Source: Rachel Lee
If working with this group of community forest supporters and practitioners has been fun in a remote setting, I know it’s going to be a blast to meet in person, share stories, and walk in the woods. We would love to have you join us!
You can follow the Northwest Community Forest Coalition through our website and quarterly emails, participate in our Quarterly Member Meetings, and attend our Community Forest Forum and Field Tour.
Kaola Swanson
Forest Program Director
kswanson@sustainablenorthwest.org
To learn more visit our Private Forestlands page.
