Changing Roles: WUI Professional Development Program -

An Overview

Paul Gellerstedt & Leslie Moorman

N.C. Division of Forest Resources

June 3, 2010

Powerpoint compiled from presentations by Martha C. Monroe, Lauren McDonell, Univ. of Florida; and Nicole M. Wulff, CR Coordinator

Raise your hand if you…• Are concerned about fragmentation of

forests?

• Are seeing different types of landowners moving out to more rural areas?

• Are concerned about fire risk to people and their property?

• Are seeing urbanization growing into previously rural areas?

• Are tired of landowners not listening to your advice?

What is the Wildland-Urban Interface?

An area where increased human influence and land

conversion are changing natural resource goods,

services, and management

Not just fire!

Changing Roles:Building skills to meet WUI challenges

Nicole Wulff U.S. Forest Service - InterfaceSouth

Where urban sprawl presses against natural

areas…

The Interface is an area…

Where nature or development is an island within the other…

Where land use is changing…

Decreasing parcel size

Increasing number of land owners

Loss of connectivity

There are many issues to deal with…

FIRE!

Wildlife

Recreation

Forest Management

Forest ManagementHuman Dimensions

The Result

• Challenges to manage the resource

• Conflicts over different objectives

• Depressing long-term forecast…

…and resource professionals are overwhelmed!!

Who can help???

Changing Roles – The Concept

The Southern Group of State Foresters led a partnership with the USDA Forest

Service, InterfaceSouth, the University of Florida, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to develop a WUI professional

development program.

Partners and Cooperators

Changing Roles - The Project

This program provides resource professionals with a set of flexible tools to conduct their own training programs aimed toward building skills and tools to successfully tackle WUI issues.

Changing Roles – Tools for Workshops

• DVD: When Nature is at Your Doorstep• Large notebook

– 37 interactive exercises– 23 case studies– 28 fact sheets– 4 Trainer’s Guides

• Powerpoint presentations• Website support• Listserve• Quarterly e-bulletin

Available to Resource Professionals:

Website:

http://interfacesouth.org/changingroles

Changing Roles section of InterfaceSouth webpage

• Changing Roles Listserve

• Changing Roles Notebook

• Changing Roles Update

• Information Handout

• Related Resources

• Trainer’s Corner

Module Topics

1: WUI Issues and Connections

2: Managing Interface Forests

3: Land-Use Planning and Policy

4: Communicating with Interface Residents and Leaders

Module 1: WUI Issues and Connections

• What is the Wildland-Urban Interface?

• Key WUI Issues in the South

• Why Focus on the WUI?

• Skills Needed by Natural Resource Professionals

Module 2: Forest Management

• Who Are Interface Landowners?• Generating Income from Interface Forests• Reducing Fire Risk• Amenity Resources• Forest Health• Wildlife• Water Management• Practicing Visible Stewardship• Mechanical Vegetative Management• Forest Cooperatives (Case study later in this Presentation)

Module 3: Land-use Planning & Policy

• Some Policies and Programs that Affect Natural Resources

• Zoning Ordinances• Smart Growth Principles• Some Negative Effects of

Urban Sprawl• Subdivision Design• Land Conservation Tools• Best Management Practices

in the South

Module 4: Communication

• Communication Basics• Starting an Informal Presentation• The Language of Conservation• Tools for Understanding Audiences• Working with African American and Hispanic

Communities• Addressing Misconceptions about Wildland-Urban

Interface Issues• Communication Challenges–When People Will Not Agree• Social Marketing Tools

In the Trainer’s Notebook you will find….

Trainer’s Guides…

• Provide background information for each module

• Provide direction for using the training elements

•Role plays

•Discussion questions

•Worksheets

•Ice breakers

•Handouts

•Small group

•Large group

•Adaptable

Exercises…

Fact Sheets…

• Outline important points, strategies, and information

• Provide additional background material

• Can be used for different audiences

Resources…

• Books• Reports• Articles• Media• Websites• Possible fieldtrips• Guest speakers

Case Studies…• Represent each state of the South

and Puerto Rico & the Virgin Islands

• Use examples from various resource agencies

• Describe a variety of interface issues

• Each module has discussion questions

How have materials been used?• 1-2 day in-service training• Session in conjunction with an annual meeting• Breakout session in an agency annual training• Teleconference/webinar• Texas Forest Expo• Integrated with Firewise field days• Integrated with Green Infrastructure training• Integrated with leadership training• Integrated in undergraduate forestry courses• Emerging Communities Redesign

Coming in 2011! New Module 5: Emerging Issues• Land-use planning at multiple scales

• An ecosystem goods and services approach

• Climate change

• Small-scale forestry

• Ecological restoration

• Social responsibility

Fall 2010 Webinar Series

• We want to hear from you!!– Who do you want to hear from?– What topics would you like to learn more about?– What questions or problems do you find

challenging?– What of your own work experience would you like

to share with your colleagues?

For More Info Contact:

Changing Roles Training CoordinatorNicole Wulff

nmwulff@fs.fed.usPhone: (352) 378-2451

Coming up: a case study example…

• Leslie Moorman will now present a Case Study on Forest Landowner Cooperatives

in Virginia. This case study is found in Module 2 of the Changing Roles Program.

Forest cooperatives

Why Forest Cooperatives?

• Small acreage, family forest landowners are more common

• Help landowners manage effectively for multiple objectives

• Help keep land in forestry• Makes forest operations more profitable

and sometimes more sustainable• Can help reduce WUI issues

Forest cooperatives• Protect ecological

systems• Share information,

equipment, & labor• Protect buffers• Create wildlife corridors• Share access roads • Develop formal

business arrangement

Benefits

• Trusted Knowledge• Pooled Resources• Increased Property

Access• Coordinated Forest

Health• Value-added Products• Community Development• Political Clout

Costs and reservations• Governance

• Property rights

• Start-up cost

• Marketing

• Lack of time, trust, or temptation

• Funding

Cooperative examples

1. The Blue Ridge Forest Landowner Cooperative

2. The Forest Bank

3. National Demonstration Program in Community Based Forestry

Case Study 3:Cooperation is the Key: The

Blue Ridge Forest Landowner Cooperative

The Blue Ridge Co-op

• Located in Southwestern Virginia

• Founded in 2003• Goal: assist members in

becoming certified by FSC• Five board members, one

chief executive officer

The Blue Ridge Co-op

• Members – – $500 common stock– minimum of 20 acres – adhere to guiding documents

• Focusing on Marketing & Education

• Technical Assistance• Currently 900 acres, hopes

to grow to 10,000 acres

Module 2 Discussion Questions

• Has your agency been involved in assisting any local forest cooperatives? If so, how?

• How can cooperatives influence forest management in the interface?

• What advantages do forest cooperatives provide? What challenges or disadvantages do they have?

• What types of resources were used to get the Blue Ridge Cooperative established? What agencies and organizations have provided them with assistance?

• What role can resource professionals play in assisting forest cooperatives?