This month, NNRG wrapped up a project to help landowners in the San Juans improve forest health, reduce wildfire risk, and use the slash and woody biomass byproducts in creative and beneficial ways.
NNRG is working with Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust and Seattle City Light to return these 150 acres of previously logged land to healthy forest using climate-adapted practices.
Across Oregon and Washington, more than 600,000 acres of forestland are certified as “well managed” by the standards of the Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®). And yet, much of the wood harvested from these forests doesn’t make it to the consumer with its certification intact. In many cases, these logs are sold into the generic wood market and don’t receive any special recognition when turned into lumber, plywood, or furniture. For NNRG, with our 190,000-acre group certificate that now covers a larger area than any other in the Pacific Northwest, that is a grave disappointment, and it affects about 90 percent
Three years, five targets, and seventeen measures of success: we invite you to read our Strategic Plan for 2018-2020, released this spring.
Bees need our help. Just five years ago Oregon saw a major bee die off, and pollinator populations continue to decline around the world. “We have more species of bees in the Pacific Northwest than all the states in east of the Mississippi,” says Andony Melathopoulos, a pollinator ecotoxicologist with OSU. “We really want to protect that endowment.” The Oregon Bee Project, a partnership bolstered by OSU Extension, Oregon Department of Agriculture, and Oregon Department of Forestry, is hard at work to prevent another die-off. The program engages communities about their local bees, provide diagnostic services for beekeepers to recognize emergent diseases,
Remember the Super-Axe-Hacker from The Lorax? The machine that could whack off four truffula trees with one smacker? Advances in logging technology have made this fantasy contraption a reality, with equipment like feller-bunchers, forwarders, skidders, and processors changing how we harvest. These machines can make ecological forestry better, efficiently and safely removing some trees while leaving others to continue providing wildlife habitat, clean water, carbon storage, and even beauty. Our Executive Director Seth Zuckerman shares his take on logging advances to a sold-out crowd at Ignite Seattle’s March event.
2017 was a productive year for NNRG and the forests our members steward! We are so inspired by the landowners and managers in our community who worked to enhance habitat for threatened and endangered species, removed invasive species, planted a diverse array of native seedlings and shrubs, and pursued new markets for local wood products. Many thanks to this dedicated community of ecologically-minded forest owners, land managers and NNRG’s partners who steward biodiverse forests and contribute to the regional economy. Here are some highlights of our year: Accomplishments Hosted 5 workshops on ecologically-based forest management, fuels reduction, biochar creation, and
I’ll admit that I traveled to the worldwide General Assembly of the Forest Stewardship Council meeting last month in Vancouver, BC with a smidgen of skepticism. As I’ve re-immersed myself in ecological forestry since taking the helm at NNRG in June, I’ve been chagrined to learn that 15- and 20-year-old challenges are still dogging the Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®) in the Pacific Northwest: sparse interest from lumber mills and the difficulty connecting consumer demand with landowner supply — the so-called chicken-and-egg problem of certified wood markets. Of course, FSC certification has other kinds of value for our certified members. It
Eugene Weekly published a wonderful piece celebrating the values behind responsibly sourced timber. Two of our pioneering members are featured in the story. Both Hyla Woods and Zena Forest are Forest Stewardship Council-certified woodlands that employ diverse silvicultural practices that balance forest health and wildlife habitat with sustainable timber production. Learn more about their stewardship and buy beautiful wood to support ecological forestry!
NNRG is excited to announce Seth Zuckerman as our new Executive Director! Seth brings expertise in sustainable forestry, watershed restoration, salmon runs, and climate change to NNRG’s helm. Seth comes to us from Climate Solutions, where he wrote the weekly column ClimateCast and researched biofuels, among other topics. Before that, he directed a program partnering with private landowners in California’s Mattole watershed to restore riparian ecosystems, reduce fire hazards, control invasive species, and harvest timber. He has decades of experience as an environmental journalist and has a Masters in Energy and Resources from UC Berkeley. We wanted to get to
2016 was an incredible year for Northwest Certified Forestry members and the forests they steward. Because of the dedicated community of ecologically-minded woodland owners, Pacific Northwest forests are healthier, more resilient homes for wildlife and people alike. Here are some highlights of our year: Accomplishments: We hosted 11 workshops on ecologically-based forest management, precision tree-felling, forest monitoring, and programs for natural resource professionals and engaged 267 participants. We conducted more than 92 site visits to forest landowners – including NCF members and beginning woodland owners. We completed 6 ecologically-based thinning projects across 65 acres We oversaw 4 forest restoration projects involving inter-planting, pre-commercial
NNRG Executive Director Dan Stonington (right) accepting NNRG’s 2016 FSC Leadership Award. The board and staff of NNRG are pleased to share that our Executive Director, Dan Stonington, has been selected to join the new administration of Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz as the Commissioner’s Policy Director. Dan has served as NNRG’s Executive Director since 2011 – during this time the organization has expanded ecological forestry assistance for landowners, advanced projects demonstrating innovative ecosystem services, and continued to provide cost-effective access to Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®) certification for 150,000 acres in Washington and Oregon. We are excited for the opportunities
The wet season is the perfect time to plant young trees, native shrubs, and flowers! When it comes to planting, timing is important. At lower elevations, planting in late fall or early winter gives plants a head start. In mid-elevation areas, late winter and early spring is the time to put new trees and shrubs in the ground. Planting before the start of the spring growing season helps ensure survival as small plants have time to recover from the shock of transplanting. That way, they can focus on growing roots that connect them to nutrients and water in the soil, and have
Cedar Row Farm is a gorgeous 160-acre FSC-certified forest in Oregon that has been a member of Northwest Certified Forestry since 2013. A wonderful recent piece in The New York Times highlights Eve Lonnquist and Lynn Baker’s incredible efforts to protect a century of family history. Tapping into carbon markets is an income option the family is considering to diversify their income and protect Cedar Row Farm for future generations. “Maybe I’d just be at home growing carbon,” says Lonnquist. “And maybe that’s the best thing.” Read the full story here! Photos: Leah Nash for The New York Times
Forests offer us inspiration and a connection to the land – one that renews us and often reminds us we have put in a day’s good work. Owning a forest can be a source of beauty, relaxation, recreation, and income for you and your family. There are many simple things that you can do to make your forest a better place to visit, attract more wildlife, and contribute to its upkeep. Join us and start your stewardship journey with guidance from regional specialists and fellow woodland owners. Woodlands can be managed on a regenerative cycle that allows for healthy ecosystem functions, wildlife
People need forests. They make our oxygen, clean our water, limit flooding, and absorb carbon. They evoke mental well-being and are part of our cultural identities. Protecting the ecosystem services that forests and other invaluable biotic communities provide is integral to our future. Often, we can take for granted the significance of what forested ecosystems contribute to our region. Enter this under recognized niche, are the scientists and economists who are translating the functions of ecosystems into a more comprehensible currency. A 2009 study by Earth Economics found that every year, the Nisqually Watershed provides between $288 million and $4.2
We found this short film inspirational. Especially considering the efforts of our Forest Stewardship Council® certified members who are committed to restoring oak habitat in the Willamette Valley, the Puget Trough, and the San Juan Islands. These stewards have removed Douglas-fir trees that established after years of fire suppression, thinned small diameter Oregon white oaks (a.k.a. Garry oaks, Quercus garryana), and planted native grasses and flowers all in effort to restore oak savanna and woodland ecology. They’ve spent countless days removing Scots broom and Himalayan blackberry from the under-story and mid-story of their forest. Oregon white oak ecosystems are among the most endangered ecological communities in
Forestry Director Kirk Hanson is on Orcas Island hosting the precision tree felling and low-impact yarding courses at YMCA Camp Orkila this week (9/24-26). Ken Lallemont of Timber Resource is instructing the courses and providing hands on guidance to students. It’s an intensive 2-3 days of training to learn the art and science of tree felling and tree extraction. Many of the folks who take the class go on to do their own timber harvests, take down trees for firewood, and thin their forests to create space and allow light to reach the forest floor. Learning to fell trees is also an application of understanding
On a beautiful summer day in early June, woodland owners gathered inside the library at Sedro-Woolley High School for the Managing for Timber and Wildlife workshop. The more than 20 participants were there to learn from Rolf Gersonde and Ken Bevis, two experts in the fields of silviculture and wildlife biology. Rolf Gersonde, a renowned silviculturist and researcher for the City of Seattle’s Cedar River Watershed presented first, focusing mainly on sustainable forest management practices. He explained that creating stands that are diverse in age, class, and species would not only serve as sanctuary to many different types of wildlife but would also
On June 23, I was fortunate enough to attend a forest health workshop at the location. It was a lovely night to be outside as we tromped up and down the road of Crystal Lake Tree Farm. Settled on 400 acres in suburban Woodinville, WA, its location is merely one special aspect of the tree farm. The tree farm is a sustainably-managed community forest that surrounds Crystal Lake, where 66 families live and own a lot of their own land. I soon met Ron Munro, the man behind this unique place. Unassuming and vastly knowledgeable, he reminds me of my
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