Into the Woods – Restoration Planning and Funding with Kirk Hanson

This article is part of the Hanson Family Forest series. Introduction When I helped my parents acquire our family’s Bucoda forest in 2018 we did what good farmer’s do, we bought good soil. The silty clay loam that this land is built from is nutrient-rich and, coupled with the mild maritime climate of the Pacific Northwest, capable […]

2023 Book Recommendations

2023 Book Recommendations

We asked the NNRG staff and board — notorious for thinking about forests as much off-the-clock as on — for the best forestry, nature, PNW, and environment-related books they read this year. The resulting list has some real gems! Scroll down to read the whole list.  The Ghost Forest: Racists, Radicals, and Real Estate in […]

An Interview with the Creators of Landmapper

An Interview with the Creators of Landmapper

Our partners over at Ecotrust are releasing a new tool that makes forest maps accessible in a matter of minutes, with no specialty knowledge needed. The maps are available for most properties in Oregon and Washington, with more updates coming over the next few months. We chatted with two of the program’s creators, Director of […]

The Meaning of Maps

The Meaning of Maps

Maps are an essential part of forest management, used to remotely evaluate property, delineate management units, plant harvests, and track management over time. But the array of maps available can be dizzying. Below, we outline a number of the maps you can expect to see in your forest management plan, plus a few more unusual […]

Snow for Trees: Forestry Techniques for a Changing Climate

Snow for Trees: Forestry Techniques for a Changing Climate

Climate change is impacting landscapes on a large scale, and forests – one of our largest carbon sinks and
a critical part of any climate mitigation strategy – are at risk. If climate change is making forests more vulnerable, can innovative forest stewardship make them more resilient, and sustain the role they play in watershed protection? This question led us at Northwest Natural Resource Group (NNRG) to create an experiment in practical forestry methods, in collaboration with forward-thinking partner organizations.

Forest Adaptation: Half Art, Half Science

Forest Adaptation: Half Art, Half Science

For fifteen years, the Deumlings have been experimenting with planting less-traditional tree species—ones more tolerant to a warming climate—including Incense cedar, Coast redwood, Giant sequoia, Oregon white oak, and Ponderosa pine. They’ve also been sourcing Douglas-fir seedlings from farther south, where they may already be adapted to a warmer and drier climate.

November Fireside Chat: Let’s talk about mushrooms, baby!

November Fireside Chat: Let’s talk about mushrooms, baby!

NOVEMBER FIRESIDE CHAT | NOVEMBER 8, 2023 | 6pm – 7pm | ON ZOOM At this month’s Fireside Chat, NNRG Forester Gustavo Segura Flores will share some of his experience with maps! Bring your favorite fall drink, curl up in front of a fire or heater, and get ready to put yourself on the map. […]

Riparian Restoration Along the Skookumchuck River

Riparian Restoration Along the Skookumchuck River

Often when landowners come to NNRG for forest restoration help, our aim is to turn a dense, uniform forest that is susceptible to pests, disease, and fire into a more heterogeneous, resilient forest that supports a diversity of wildlife habitat and (sometimes) provides long-term timber revenue. In 2021, NNRG was hired to spearhead an entirely […]

July Fireside Chat: Practical Forest Restoration for Small Woodland Owners

July Fireside Chat: Practical Forest Restoration for Small Woodland Owners

JULY FIRESIDE CHAT | JULY 19, 2023| 7:30-8:30PM | ON ZOOM Many forests in our region need active stewardship to achieve their ecological and economic potential. Years of single-species management, overstocked stands, invasive species, and neglect can make forests susceptible to a slow decline in ecosystem services. This month’s fireside chat will focus on forest […]

Mapping Tools for Forest Landowners

Mapping Tools for Forest Landowners

When NNRG foresters prepare for a site visit with a forest owner or begin drafting a forest management plan, one of the first steps they’ll take is to prepare a suite of maps that provide critical information about the characteristics of a forest. Although our forestry team includes professional cartographers familiar with Geographic Information Systems […]

Stossel Creek and Assisted Plant Migration: How’s It Growing?

Stossel Creek and Assisted Plant Migration: How’s It Growing?

Article by Shay Steeves. Shay completed her University of Washington Environmental Studies Capstone Project with Northwest Natural Resource Group in Winter/Spring 2023. Three years ago marked the start of the Stossel Creek adaptive restoration case study. Located in Carnation, WA, Stossel Creek is now home to over 14,000 growing seedlings, including 900 that are set […]

Ecological Forestry Put to the Test for Birds

Ecological Forestry Put to the Test for Birds

This bird monitoring study, funded by a $25,000 grant from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Land Trust Bird Conservation Initiative, is going to use recordings of birdsong and bird calls captured by the AudioMoth devices to understand how a set of ecological forest management activities impact bird populations.

New Free Workshop: Stewarding a Climate-Resilient Forest West of the Cascades

New Free Workshop: Stewarding a Climate-Resilient Forest West of the Cascades

Learn hands-on strategies for managing healthy, resilient forests in Jefferson County. At this free workshop in Jefferson Land Trust’s Valley View Forest, professional foresters will introduce forest owners to a set of simple, hands-on strategies for increasing their forests’ resilience in the face of a warmer and drier climate. Participants will develop a deeper understanding […]

Camera Traps for Climate Adaptation…and Critters!

Camera Traps for Climate Adaptation…and Critters!

Article by Margaux Clarke. Margaux completed her University of Washington Environmental Studies Capstone Project with Northwest Natural Resource Group in Winter/Spring 2023. 3… 2… 1… Say Cheese! NNRG’s use of scout cameras (camera traps) at their climate adaptation project in Nisqually Community Forest are an important part of the snow monitoring research, but they provide […]

Active Management and Small Landowners: It’s in the Intention

Active Management and Small Landowners: It’s in the Intention

By Jaal Mann and Rowan Braybrook. This article was originally published in the Winter 2023 issue of Western Forester, which focused on exploring what active management of forests means. You can read the full issue here. A prescribed burn to maintain open prairie. An individual western redcedar selected to make bentwood boxes or a dugout canoe. A […]

TIME TO START THINKING ABOUT 2024 EQIP PROJECTS

TIME TO START THINKING ABOUT 2024 EQIP PROJECTS

The Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) is a technical and financial assistance program managed by the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service. EQIP helps forest owners access technical expertise to develop and complete conservation practices that improve the health and productivity of their land.

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