Southwest Collaborative Forest Restoration Program 2020 Annual Workshop

FYI, Smokies….

The Southwestern Region of the US Forest Service is hosting the Collaborative Forest Restoration Program (CFRP) 2020 Annual Workshop on December 17-18, 2019 in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

The workshop will be held at Hotel Albuquerque, 800 Rio Grande Blvd, NW Albuquerque, NM 87104, 1-505-428-1000.  The workshop is open to the public and there is no charge for attending.

Click here to register for the workshop.

The CFRP Annual Workshop brings together CFRP grant recipients, their partners and other stakeholders to share their experiences and discuss accomplishments, challenges, and strategies to overcome barriers to the implementation of collaborative forest restoration projects.  The workshop also provides an opportunity to explore ideas for future CFRP projects. CFRP grants can be used for forest restoration and small diameter tree utilization projects on or on any combination of federal, tribal, state, county and municipal and land grant lands in New Mexico.  To be eligible, grant applicants must use a collaborative process that includes a diverse and balanced group of stakeholders and appropriate government representatives to design, implement and monitor their project.  The 2020 CFRP Request for Applications and the agenda for the December 17-18, 2019 Annual Workshop will be posted on the CFRP website in mid-November at http://www.fs.usda.gov/goto/r3/cfrp.

Rooms have been set aside on December 16th and 17th, 2019 at the rate of $96.00 plus taxes per night (single/double occupancy) at Hotel Albuquerque 1-866-505-7829. To receive the group rate, guests must state that they would like to be placed within the “US Forest Service” block of rooms, or they may refer to the Block Code 1912USFS. Below is a link for online bookings.  The link may be used over the actual room block dates only and the date of arrival and departure should be selected.

 USFS 1912USFS

Please note the reservation cut-off date will be:  November 18, 2019.  After this date, any remaining rooms within the block will be released into the hotel’s general inventory.

For more information on the 2020 Collaborative Forest Restoration Program Annual Workshop, please contact Ian Fox at 505-842-3425.

2 thoughts on “Southwest Collaborative Forest Restoration Program 2020 Annual Workshop”

  1. Inquiring minds might want to know how this program relates to different states. It sounds like there was a special Congressional effort…
    “Authorized by Congress in 2000, the Collaborative Forest Restoration Program (CFRP) established a new and innovative program in New Mexico to provide grants for collaborative forest restoration projects on public land.

    Prior to the creation of the program, New Mexico forests had been mired in conflict. Years of fire suppression, logging, and grazing had brought forests to an unhealthy state. In the 1990s, following a federal decision to list the Mexican spotted owl as an endangered species, and a long
    period of overharvesting, the regional timber industry collapsed. After that, environmentalists and the timber industry were engaged in heated public debates about how to move forward. In partial response to these conditions and a desire to create and maintain healthy, productive watersheds, Congress passed the Community Forest Restoration Act of 2000, which authorized the establishment of the CFRP in New Mexico.

    Within its legislative authority, the Act provides federal appropriations of up to $5 million
    annually towards cost-share grants to stakeholders for experimental forest restoration projects
    designed through a collaborative process.”

    Here’s a link https://www.udall.gov/SupportFiles/CaseBriefings/pdf/1034PR05.pdf
    Seems like many states have a similar history and might benefit from a chunk of federal appropriations. I wonder if it was intended to be a pilot and then CFLRP came along nationally?

    Reply
  2. I believe NM Senator Jeff Bingaman spearheaded CFRP. It’s been helpful of late for a small northern village seeking to reduce its fire risks while supporting small firewood economies organized in the model of acequia agriculture. A “Forest Mayordomo” assigns 1 acre plots to local wood gatherers who use or sell the wood. Slash is utilized for erosion control, and cutters can only move on to other plots after completing assigned plots according to USFS specs. Lots of villages are hoping to adopt this model.

    Reply

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