Master of Environmental Science and Management: Master's Group Project
(2023)
Ecosystem Services and Financing Community Forests: An Application to Wallowa County, Oregon
Andrea Cornelius, Cristina Mancilla, Hollie Pennington, Sachi Shiroma, Anusha Sridhara
Wallowa Resources
Deliverables:
Description
Community forest management is the use, ownership, and management of local forests by communities rather than for the benefit of private corporations or investors. This management practice has been gaining traction in the United States for the last thirty years. Community forest ownership provides increased recreational access to community members and allows for enhanced ecosystem services compared to ownership under Timberland Investment Management Organizations (TIMOs). Our project serves as a framework for understanding the feasibility of financing forestland acquisition and management in Wallowa County, Oregon by leveraging ecosystem service provision under local ownership. Our client, Wallowa Resources, is a non-profit in Wallowa County whose mission is to “empower rural communities to create strong economies and healthy landscapes through land stewardship, education, and job creation.” Ecosystem services evaluated in this project include carbon storage and timber, first foods, and recreation, and their potential under community forest management was measured and compared to potential under profit-maximizing management by TIMOs. The enhanced ecosystem services possible under community forest management could attract a diverse array of public and private funding to support purchase and management of forestland. Funding mechanisms considered include grants and investments from non-profits, government agencies, carbon markets, and natural capital projects. This project can serve as a foundation for other western, rural, resource-based communities interested in planning and financing for community forest management.
Acknowledgements
UC Santa Barbara Bren School: Dr. Niklas Griessbaum, Lecturer; Nathaniel Grimes, PhD Student Advisor; Dr. Heather Hodges, Lecturer; Dr. Ashley Larsen, Associate Professor
Dario Trujano-Ochoa, PhD Candidate, UC Santa Barbara Department of Economics
Wallowa Resources: Rick Bombaci, GIS Specialist & Staff Writer; Nils Christoffersen, Executive Director; Larz Stewart, Development Director
John Hillock, County Commissioner, Wallowa County, Oregon
Mary Young, Forest Soil Scientist, Wallowa-Whitman National Forest, US Forest Service
Ian Wilson, Wallowa County Project Coordinator, Grande Ronde Watershed Model
Dr. Ryan Haugo, Director of Conservation & Science, Oregon, The Nature Conservancy
Dr. David Mildrexler, Systems Ecologist, Eastern Oregon Legacy Lands
Spenser Shadle, Managing Director, Alder Point Capital Management
