The Chairman’s Initiative of Montana Governor Steve Bullock creates a mechanism for states and land managers to share best practices and policy options for forest and rangeland management. The work of the initiative positions Western Governors to recommend congressional efforts to improve forest management and encourage effective collaboration throughout the West.
This workshop of the Chairman's Initiative was hosted by Oregon Gov. Kate Brown on Jan. 23-24, 2017, in Bend, Ore. Governor Brown, in her keynote, said "we accomplish more working together.” U.S. Forest Service Deputy Chief Leslie Weldon also delivered a keynote. Roundtable discussions examined how to get the most out of collaboration and ways to support and diversify rural economies.
This webinar examined risks to power systems on public and private forests and rangelands, as well as evaluating how proper management can improve electricity reliability and mitigate wildfire danger. Panel moderator: Anne Beard, Manager, Vegetation Management and T&D Asset Management, Public Service Company of New Mexico. Panelists: Randy Miller, Director, Vegetation Management, PacifiCorp; Reggie Woodruff, Energy Program Manager, U.S. Forest Service; Tom Sullivan, Audit Committee Chair, Right-of-Way Stewardship Council. Watch, download presentation slides.
In 2015, the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) partnered with The Nature Conservancy to release a five-year report on the USFS’s Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program. The report gives details on 23 different collaborative programs across the US, and offers recommendations for successful collaboratives.
The 2014 Farm Bill created or permanently authorized several tools that help federal forest managers better collaborate with states, local governments and community stakeholder groups. These authorities and their application will be a major focus of Gov. Bullock’s Chairman’s Initiative.
