Ecosystem Restoration Partnerships Allegheny Highlands of Virginia

Sam LindblomLand Management

Director Fire Program Manager

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

Allegheny Highlands, VA Overview

• Where?

• 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

Allegheny Highlands, VA Overview

Allegheny Highlands Ecological Components

• Dry pine-oak ridges

• Oak dominated dry forests

Allegheny Highlands Ecological Components

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

• 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

The Partnership need

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

• 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

Partnership Milestones

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

Benefits and accomplishments

Ecology and planning• Monitoring• Fire history research• Mapping• Forest plan revision• Fire prioritization model

Benefits and accomplishments

Operations• Fire ops and aviation• Cost sharing• Other land management

Benefits and accomplishments

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

Partnership Challenges

• Eating your vegetables (Doing things you might not do otherwise)

• Meetings and coordination• Commitment• Resolving differences without alienating partners

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.

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)

• 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

The Scale Problem and Potential Strategies

Discussion, Questions?

Sam Lindblom

The Nature Conservancy in VA

434-950-0580

slindblom@tnc.org