Within the Clearwater Basin of northern Idaho, a diverse group of conservation, business, government, and tribal leaders have been working together through the Clearwater Basin Collaborative (CBC) since 2008 to resolve longstanding land management conflicts. The CBC sees great potential in the synergy between forest restoration and the forest industry to benefit the health of the basin’s forests, rivers, and its communities. Yet, due to a lack of comprehensive information on current ecological conditions across the entire Basin, it has not been possible to clearly define forest restoration needs or identify the long‐term ecological, economic, and social outcomes of different forest management strategies. Without this information, it has been difficult for the CBC to reach shared understandings, articulate a clear vision, and speak with a unified voice on issues of forest management.
Working from available data sources, we have documented current vegetation conditions and identified restoration needs in forests throughout the Clearwater Basin. Our assessment considers all forest ownerships, including federal, state, private, and tribal. Ultimately, this information is intended to facilitate the CBC in developing and articulating a “shared vision” for where, how much, and what types of forest management activities the CBC advocates. More immediately, this assessment will help define current forest restoration/management needs and provide ecological context for CBC conversations on forest management.
In addition to the report (downloadable from this page), you can access the BpS model report here.
Ryan Haugo and Nathan Welch. 2013