To have a significant impact over a broad landscape it often takes collaboration from many organizations and people working in that area.  NNRG realizes that to create a truly sustainable regional economy requires working outside the realm of forestry to incorporate local farms and local markets as well.  NNRG is proud to be a member of Jefferson Landworks and is actively working to advance this model of collaboration in other areas of the Northwest.

Jefferson LandWorks Collaborative and NNRG

The purpose of the Jefferson LandWorks Collaborative is to achieve a "triple bottom line" by coupling farming and forest land preservation with rural economic development. The goals are to:

• keep prime agricultural and forest land available in large enough tracts that food and timber operations can be economically viable, and keep that land available and affordable over time;

• provide farmers and small-scale foresters access to the business training, capital, and know-how to be profitable; and
• ensure that both consumer demand and robust markets are in place to accommodate local food and timber products.

The Jefferson LandWorks Collaborative aims to sustain our rural land base by providing financing, education, promoting market access, enhancing economic infrastructure and valuing the ecosystem services provided by working landscapes.  The Collaborative, through NNRG, provides small timber holders  Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification, access to ecosystem services markets , product marketing, and other revenue options with sustainable and environmentally sound forest management.  Since many parcels in our region contain both farm and forestland, this collaboration is vital to preserve the whole rural character of our area while supporting a sustainable economy.

NNRG’s mission is to promote innovative forest management strategies that increase the health of forest and freshwater ecosystems while enhancing economic development in Northwest rural communities.  NNRG’s role in the collaborative is to bring environmentally sustainable management techniques to local working forest lands and to explore the use of ecosystem services (i.e., water quality and carbon sequestration credits) and FSC certification as landowner revenue streams.  In Jefferson County, NNRG is working with local wood and paper retailers such as Edensaw, Carl’s Building Supply, and the Printery to increase the availability of locally produced sustainable FSC wood and paper products.  NNRG also works with WSU to provide technical forestry assistance to the Collaborative and acts as a link to reengage small woodlot owners in the community as potential LandWorks participants. 

A prime example of this collaboration is the Tyler Family Forest, a 125 farm recently purchased by Suzanne and Mike Tyler of Chimacum.  The 95 forested acres have a wide range of species, stocking levels and age classes based on previous management. The Tylers are committed conservationists and interested in creating a highly diversified stream of farm and forestry income for everything from goat cheese to carbon offset credits.  NNRG is working with the Tylers to certify their forestland under the Forest Stewardship Council.  Not only will this assist them in development of a long term sustainable forest management plan, NNRG’s work will help ensure their wood products find local market outlets and bring the best price possible.  NNRG will also be working with the Tylers to allow them to access the emerging market for carbon sequestration credits.  These activities will help ensure the Tylers are successful in their venture, by supporting a continuing flow of local products into our economy, and help preserve this prime working forest and farm land.

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