Forests to Faucets (F2F) InitiativeGetting the Project Underway

Michael Collins, AICPExecutive Director

Conserv : Marketplace for Ecosystem Restoration

March 11, 2010

F2F Major Objectives

1. Create F2F Advisory Council

2. Develop PES Protocols

3. Create Priority Areas Methodology and Map

4. Create Landowners Screening Methodology and Screen Landowners

5. Create an F2F Marketing Plan and advertise the initiative

F2F Objectives cont’d

6. Create a Watershed Health Index (WHI) and model pre- and post-project conditions

7. Develop a Cost Benefit Analysis methodology and prepare analysis

F2F Advisory Council

• The major purpose of the Council is to opine on general aspects of the project.

• The Council also provides commentary on Administration and Findings of Technical Sessions.

F2F Advisory Council Administration

• As it is a pure Technical Advisory Group no need for a Chair or rigid committee structure

• Meets on an ad-hoc basis, probably 3 times in 2010 and once in 2011 and several times in 2012

F2F Technical Sessions

• Technical Sessions are discussions structured around a particular topic on particular deliverables, that are open to anyone, but geared toward those that have particular expertise

• Technical Sessions replace committees, they are ad-hoc

F2F Technical Session Topics

1. Ecosystem Service Protocols

2. WHI

3. Prioritization

4. Landowner Screening

5. Cost Benefit Analysis

Ecosystem Service Protocols

• Practices for payments

• Payment methodology

• Payment amounts

Priority Areas Methodology and Map

• Optimum areas for resilience/water quality enhancement – sediment reduction

• Based on biophysical conditions (geology, soils, slopes, land cover) and land management conditions

• Parcels

• Easements

• Conservation priority areas

Eligible Landowner Screening

• Reactive– EQIP eligible– Sensitivity to annual payments– General interest ecosystem services markets– Willingness to transfer forest management

responsibilities at sale of property

• Proactive– Search for eligible landowners through

initiative marketing

Create a Watershed Health Index (WHI) and model pre and post

conditions

• Purpose is to model watershed health before and after initiative

• Methodology probably similar to EPA Rapid Watershed Assessment (RWA)

• Maybe integrate this with Cost Benefit Analysis!

Cost Benefit Analysis

• Create methodology

• Prepare analysis

What is this CBA?

This tool should be designed to graphically portray how much a dollar spent on land

cover stabilization will achieve in the currency of sediment reduction vs. a dollar spent on dredging for the NEXT reservoir.

What kind of tool would do this?

1. An abstract model using data from other similar situations

2. An abstract model using data from this area

February March April May June July August September October November DecemberF2F Council & Technical SessionsF2F Council Administration X XTechnical Session - Brainstorming 1 XTechnical Session - Brainstorming 2 XTechnical Session - Methodology Review 1 XTechnical Session - Methodology Review 2 XTechnical Session - Data XF2F Council Results X

Forests to Faucets (F2F) Project FlowchartYear 1 - Rivanna Workplan (2010)

February March April May June July August September October November DecemberMarketing and AdvertisingWebsite XCreate marketing plan X XCreate marketing materials X X X XProject advertising/marketing X X X X X X X X X

WHICreate Watershed Health Index X X X X X X X X X X X

PES ProtocolsDevelop PES forest mangement practice protocols X X X X X X

Priority Area IdentificationCreate Priority Areas Screening Method X X X X X X X X XRun Priority Areas Analysis X X X X XPriority Area Field Evaluation X X X X X X X

February March April May June July August September October November DecemberLandowner ScreeningCreate landowner screening process X X X X X XScreen landowners X X

Landowner ContractsCreate landowner contracts (VDOF) X X X XSign landowner contracts (VDOF) X X X X X X X X X XImplement forest management practices (VDOF) X X X XDisbursement of landowner payments (VDOF) X X X X

Landowner compliance inspections (VDOF) X

Monitoring and Evaluation Monitoring and Evaluation of SFRR Effort X X X X X X X X X X X

CBACost Benefit Analysis X X X X X X X X X X X

Next Steps

• Convene Technical Session

• Request Technical Session Participants