Transcript Slide 1

A New Currency for Conservation:
Markets and Payments for Ecosystem Services
from Our Nation’s Forests and Farms
Featuring Special Sessions on Conservation
Incentives for Southern Forestlands
Phoenix Park Hotel
Washington, DC
May 18-20, 2005
Presentation by
Timothy C. Boyce
Alabama State Forester
&
National Association of State Foresters
Forest Resource Management Committee Chair
COLLABORATION PARTNERS
- American Forests Foundation
- Environmental Defense –
Center for Conservation Incentives
- National Association of Conservation Districts
- National Wild Turkey Federation
- Society of American Foresters
- Southern Environmental Law Center
- USDA Forest Service
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF
STATE FORESTERS FOREST RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
COMMITTEE
ISSUES
Efficiency
To what extent do programs overlap in terms
of their goals and target stakeholders? Are the
highest priority conservation needs addressed
appropriately among mix of programs?
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF
STATE FORESTERS FOREST RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
COMMITTEE
ISSUES
Focus
Do programs with similar goals mutually
reinforce each other or simply offer parallel
tracks for achieving the same result? Are
administrative expenses minimized to put
maximum resources to work on the ground?
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF
STATE FORESTERS FOREST RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
COMMITTEE
ISSUES
Effectiveness
Are appropriate measures in place to measure
program performance against goals? Do these
measures allow for comparison of performance
among programs aimed at similar goals? Is
success measured by inputs or outcomes?
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF
STATE FORESTERS FOREST RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
COMMITTEE
ISSUES
Reach and Accessibility
Are eligible forest owners aware of program
opportunities that might benefit them? To what
extent could application and eligibility
requirements be harmonized to simplify
program entry?
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF
STATE FORESTERS FOREST RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
COMMITTEE
OUR BIGGEST CHALLENGES
- Escalating Development Pressure – Loss of Open
Space
- Increasing Demand for Natural Resources – More
Pressure on Existing Forests
- Shifting Demographics – Increasing Fragmentation
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF
STATE FORESTERS FOREST RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
COMMITTEE
OUR BIGGEST CHALLENGES
- Shrinking Size of Forested Tracts – More People
Need Assistance
- Declining Forest Health – More Forestland in
Need of Treatment
SOUTHERN PERSPECTIVE
- Focus more attention on the relationship between forest
resources and a healthy environment
-Fragmentation and competing use of forest resources
places severe strain on resources
- Today, rural and urban foresters need to manage the
entire forest as a viable, functional, and sustainable
ecosystem
SOUTHERN PERSPECTIVE
- Protect and conserve working forests - strong
leadership is needed in Forest Legacy
- Strong research programs are needed to address
emerging issues and new science and technology is
needed to be effectively distributed and implemented
on the ground
- Capacity to deliver effective programs is becoming
more critical - new approaches to assist landowner
organizations, cooperatives as well as communitybased organizations are needed
SOUTHERN PERSPECTIVE
- Traditional interest in forest products marketing is still
strong
- Other areas of interest are developing rapidly – wildlife
management, agroforestry, outdoor recreation
- Ecosystem services is a new an emerging issue
- Wildfire control and prevention are still a concern
especially in the rural/urban areas
INCENTIVE OPPORTUNITIES
- Mixed stand management
- Bottom land hardwood management
- Longleaf pine ecosystem management
- Upland hardwood management
- Integrate wildlife
- Prescribed fire
- Longer rotations
- Establishment of native ground cover
- Increase SMZ buffer
INCENTIVE OPPORTUNITIES
- Basal area reduction (forest health/wildlife)
- Tree species selection and planting: density
compatible with ecological objectives
- Education and training for landowners
- Focus on woodland systems where species are in
decline:
Bobwhite Quail, Bachman’s Sparrow,
Prairie Warbler
- Watershed management
Note: Technical assistance is important to the success of incentives