Mt. Hood National Forest S teward sh i p Co nt rac t i ng . . . . . . in your national forest! Stewardship Contracting is a tool Congress has provided the Forest Service to help it achieve its goals managing national forests while working to meet local and rural community needs. Key components of Stewardship Contracting include: 1 ) a r e q u i r e m e n t t h a t t h e F o r e s t S e r v i c e c o l l a b o r a t e w i t h the public in project planning and throughout the life of a stewardship project; 2 ) a c c o m p l i s h i n g f o r e s t r e s t o r a t i o n a c t i v i t i e s b y contracting with local contractors; 3 ) a l l o w i n g a n e x c h a n g e o f g o o d f o r s e r v i c e s , i . e . v a l u e of timber removed in a restoration project can be used to accomplish a variety of other restoration projects benefiting natural resources such as fish, vegetation, a n d w a t e r q u a l i t y. Benefits of the program include: creation of more jobs by trading goods (timber value) for services (restoration work), support from key stakeholders for forest management, and accomplishment of important restoration work. Since 2004, Mt. Hood National Forest has worked with private citizens, private land owners, and over 30 organizations and agencies representing the environmental c o m m u n i t y, t i m b e r i n t e r e s t s , r e c r e a t i o n e n t h u s i a s t s , a n d c o u n t y, s t a t e a n d f e d e r a l g o v e r n m e n t t o a w a r d 1 6 stewardship contracts. United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service Pacific Northwest Region USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. 3700 acres of commercial thinning and fuels reduction have generated $4.1 million for restoration projects including fuels reduction, fish passage culvert replacement, fuel reduction within public and adjacent private land, pre-commercial thinning, road storm proofing and d e c o m m i s s i o n i n g , O H V d a m a g e r e p a i r, a n d s i d e c h a n n e l habitat creation. Page 1 Mt. Hood National Forest S teward sh i p Co nt rac t i ng (Cont i nued ) . . . . . . in your national forest! Stewardship Contracting is one tool used by Mt. Hood National Forest to implement the Mt. Hood National Forest Strategic Stewardship Plan. The Strategic Stewardship Plan identifies five challenges to stewardship of Mt. Hood National Forest. Each challenge provides many opportunities for the public to participate in the stewardship of their national forest. Restoration projects implemented through a Stewardship Contract are examples of progress being made toward meeting the five stewardship c h a l l e n g e s w h i c h a r e l i s t e d b e l o w. - Protecting Communities from Wildfire - Restore Stream Habitat for the Recovery of Aquatic Species - Managing for Healthy Forest that Provides Sustainable Goods and Services for People - Working with Public, Private, and Civic Interests for Sustainable Regional Recreation - Assuring Relevance of Public Lands, Goods, and Services in an Increasingly Diverse Society The Mt. Hood National Forest Strategic Stewardship Plan also serves as a framework for implementing the Mt. Hood National Forest Strategy for Vegetation Management. Goals of the Strategy for Vegetation Management are: United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service Pacific Northwest Region USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. •Protect Communities from Wildfire. •Manage for a Healthy, Sustainable Forest that Provides Goods and Services •Restore and Maintain Aquatic and Terrestrial Habitats for Fish, Wildlife, and Native Plants •Restore and Maintain Diverse Plan Communities Stewardship Contracting, the Forest Strategic Stewardship Plan, and the Strategy for Vegetation Management are woven together with common threads of public collaboration, restoration of a variety of forest natural resources, and use of goods and services deemed relevant by working closely with the public. Page 2