Starting early in the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration (CFLR) Program’s development, many people identified the need to articulate the national story about the impacts of the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program, both in terms of on the ground restoration impacts as well as socio-economic results. In response to that need, the National Forest Foundation facilitated a meeting in 2011 between partners and Forest Service representatives from the first 10 CFLR projects, the Forest Service’s Washington Office of Forest Management, and other interested stakeholders to develop a proposal for a national framework of outcomes and indicators. Meeting participants developed indicators in five areas, including fire costs, ecological change, jobs/economy, leveraged funds, and collaboration. The first four indicators were incorporated into the Forest Service’s reporting structures. The collaboration indicator, however, was not included due to restrictions on the use of federal funds for surveying.

In 2012 we were able to work with the CFLR Coalition to gather data for the collaboration indicator. Because collaboration is an important part of the CFLR Program, the group that developed the indicator created a very short survey to provide feedback to Congress consistent with the requirements of the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Act. Thirteen CFLR collaboratives responded to the 2012 survey. Responses are summarized in the attached report (and available at http://www.nationalforests.org/CFLRP/monitoringandreporting).

Now, we are repeating the survey with hope of (1) comparing the collaboration indicator results from 2014 with 2012 results, and (2) including a larger number of CFLR collaboratives in the survey. Perhaps most important, the data gathered from the 2012 and 2014 surveys will be included in the 5-Year Report to Congress as a way to indicate how collaboration under CFLRP is working.

So this is your chance to provide feedback about how collaboration is working at your CFLR site! We ask you assist us with reporting on the collaboration indicator by taking the following steps.

Instructions:

Additionally, page two of the survey includes space to share stories from your experiences that you would want to share with Congress. The CFLR Coalition and others are also collecting stories, and together we hope to illustrate the program’s successes and challenges to Congress.

Please feel free to call or email me if you have any questions about the survey, collaboration indicator, or reporting. Thank you in advance for the hard work you are putting in to restore the lands in your CFLR project.   

Sincerely,

Director, Conservation Connect - National Forest Foundation

Bldg. 27, Suite 3 | Fort Missoula Rd. | Missoula, MT 59804

Phone: 406.830.3352  | Cell: 406.544.6949  | Fax: 406.542.2810