Each community forest effort is unique to the local forest and community, but critical components are:
• Engaging local residents and building partnerships
• Accessing technical expertise/support
• Assembling adequate financing
• Identifying community goals and values through an open, inclusive process
• Incorporating community vision into a written management plan
• Providing long term community stewardship and monitoring
For many communities, the road to a community forest starts when a parcel becomes available for purchase on the forestland market, and one or a few determined local residents see the potential opportunity to create a community forest. From there, the idea builds to a broader community effort, often with support from regional and national organizations, such as land trusts, conservation groups, recreational and business interests, financial institutions, as well as public officials at local, state and national levels. Partner organizations can play many roles, including assisting with negotiations for the land purchase, assembling financing, advising on particular financial tools, connecting with state and federal officials, or helping you apply to highly competitive grant programs. In cases where the land is likely to be sold before a community has time to raise sufficient funds, a land trust or other partner may even be able to purchase it and later sell it to the community when it has financing in place.
Community Priorities
Once the idea of a community forest has gained some momentum and support, a more formal process of community public meetings and priority-setting usually takes place, to solidify support, define community priorities and goals for how to use the forest, and determine the appropriate ownership and decision-making structure for its management. Every community has different needs and priorities for its forest – maintaining open space and scenic values, protecting water supplies, conserving wildlife habitat, providing timber and other forest products, offering outdoor recreation opportunities, and/or serving as an outdoor classroom for environmental education and other programs.
Governance Structures
Many community forests, particularly in New England, are owned by the local town or county government, with oversight by a conservation commission, town forest committee, forest advisory board or other similar body made up of local council members and/or volunteers from outside of the government structure. These committees may have decision-making authority themselves or be advisory bodies to the planning commission, town council or other governing body, which then has ultimate decision-making authority.
Public ownership and management, however, are not the only option for a community forest. Other ownership structures, including non-profit and limited liability corporations, can incorporate effective and representative local participation in managing the forest and sharing its benefits. Moreover, alternative structures can provide an opportunity to develop new leadership and management capacity among community residents not already involved in local government or volunteer efforts. Whatever the governance structure, the most important consideration is representation of diverse community interests and stakeholders – local/county government, businesses, recreation/hunting, conservation, education and others. Ultimately, what makes a forest a community forest is community involvement in its long-term stewardship.
Financing Acquisition
Often the biggest hurdle for communities seeking to acquire a community forest is assembling the necessary technical expertise and financing to purchase the forest. Buying forestland is costly, and the real estate transactions involved are complex. Pulling together funds from a variety of sources often takes years to accomplish, involving multiple entities and several sources of financing, including public or private grants, loans, bonds and/or private equity investments. Many community forest purchases also involve selling a conservation easement to a government agency or land trust can help lower the market value of the land and bring the acquisition cost within easier reach. Several public and private sources can provide funding toward the purchase of a community forest.
Federal Funding Sources
The Forest Legacy Program has provided funding for many recent community forest purchases. Other programs that support community forests include the Land and Water Conservation Fund, Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund, North American Wetlands Conservation Act Grant Program, Department of Defense Readiness and Environmental Protection Initiative, and Wetlands Reserve Program.
State and Local Government Funding Sources
Some states have grant programs specifically for land conservation, such as the Land for Maine’s Future Program. Mitigation funds are another source of funding at the state level. Many states require that when a company develops or builds on sensitive lands, such as wetlands or wildlife habitat, that company must offset this damage by paying into a fund that supports conservation or restoration of other lands. In addition, each state manages a Clean Water State Revolving Fund (SRF), as provided under the federal Clean Water Act. SRFs provide low interest loans for water quality improvement projects, including projects that reduce non-point source pollution. Several states allow use of these funds to purchase land or easements to protect riparian ecosystems or protect waterways from non-point source pollution. General obligation or revenue bonds are another potential source of funding at the state and local level.
Private Funding Sources
Some philanthropic foundations, including national, regional and community foundations, will make grants for land acquisition. In addition, many foundations do not fund land acquisition, but support other conservation and forest-related projects, including developing a management plan, restoring habitat or creating recreational trails. In addition to making grants, some philanthropic foundations provide below-market-rate loans through program-related investments or revolving loan funds.
Long-term Management and Stewardship
Most community forests are governed by long-term management plans that outline the community’s objectives, management activities to achieve these outcomes, and monitoring protocols to assess progress toward stated goals. Community-determined priorities and goals determine the overall direction and uses for forest land and inform the forest management plan. The authority charged with managing the forest generally then works with technical professionals to develop a forest management plan that provides a blueprint for specific management strategies to meet these priorities, governing activities in various parts of the forest over a set period of time. As the cases above illustrate, many community forests are certified by a national authority, such as the Forest Stewardship Council or Sustainable Forestry Initiative. This can give community members assurance that the forest is being managed in a sustainable way, as well as provide for ongoing monitoring of forest conditions, and enhance the value of products from the forest.
Those charged with day-to-day management of community forests provide a variety of ways for local resident involvement, including regular opportunities for public feedback, and recreational, educational, stewardship and monitoring activities to encourage ongoing community involvement and interest in the forest. Most communities or municipalities have regular open meetings of their forest management team as a way to keep community residents informed about what’s happening in the forest and provide opportunities for questions and input. Some towns have a team of volunteers who undertake stewardship and/or monitoring activities, such maintaining or improving trails, removing invasive plants, taking soil or water samples, conducting wildlife surveys, or inventorying trees.
In many towns that have community forests, schools, from elementary to college and graduate levels, use the forest as a hands-on educational resource and living laboratory to learn about biology, ecology, forestry and other subjects. Community forests have educational value beyond the natural sciences – classes have written essays, conducted oral history projects, and even produced videos about their community forest. Avenues for ongoing community involvement help ensure effective community leadership, investment, and stewardship of community forests over the long term
RESOURCES
Communities Committee’s website, www.communitiescommittee.org