AZ - White Mountain Stewardship contract reaches midpoint, deemed a success

The stewardship project is halfway through its 10-year contract and has proved to be successful, according to McClure Consulting

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By: Karen Warnick, The Independent

The stewardship project is halfway through its 10-year contract and has proved to be successful, according to McClure Consulting.

The firm presented an economic assessment at a meeting of the multi-party monitoring board of the White Mountain Stewardship Partnership held at the U.S. Forest Service headquarters in Springerville on Aug. 27.

In August 2004 the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests were awarded the 10-year contract to thin 150,000 acres of primarily small-diameter ponderosa pine trees, emphasizing the woodland-urban interface around communities in the White Mountains. It is the first and only 10-year contract awarded in the nation.

The contract is designed to restore forest health, reduce the risk of fire to communities and the cost of thinning to taxpayers, support local economies and encourage new wood product industries and uses for the thinned wood fiber.

The 10-year guaranteed supply of wood is intended to enable wood product businesses to invest in equipment designed specifically to treat and mill the wood. Several USDA Forest Products Laboratory grants of $250,000 each have been awarded to White Mountain-based businesses in the last few years. The federal funds invested in these enterprises reduce the cost of forest restoration treatments.

Products created locally from the thinned wood fiber include wood pellets for heating, animal bedding and compost materials, wood moldings, structural lumber, pallets, paneling, specialty wood products and biomass to generate electricity.

Annual economic assessment reports have been presented to the monitoring board each year since 2005. These reports provide a data-based objective evaluation of the regional economic impacts resulting from the stewardship project.

The report presented last week is for the 2008 calendar year. The conclusion of the report stated, "As a general conclusion, it seems clear that the WMSP has already contributed to the economic well-being of the White Mountain region, aside from 'health and safety' benefits."

Other measures of success include the substantial acceptance of the products in the marketplace, demand for the products is rising, and the impact of the economic gains is felt throughout the entire region.

The report said that over $14,000,000 is spent annually by those businesses involved. That amount is spent in the local economy.

The WMSP is being watched by many other communities, organizations and businesses throughout the world. A Google search of the name "White Mountain Stewardship Contract" brings up almost a half million sites.

A case study was done by the Ecological Restoration Institute of Northern Arizona University, considered a "pioneer in researching, implementing and monitoring ecological restoration of southwestern ponderosa pine forests."

Their summary of the WMSP says: "Stewardship contracting is a recent innovation in federal land management designed to address land stewardship needs through collaboration with local communities ... The WMSP is credited with helping to restore forest health, protect vulnerable communities and revitalize local wood products businesses and has received strong support from a broad spectrum of local stake holders. These accomplishments are particularly impressive given the fact that less than a decade ago the White Mountains region was mired in a 'shut down' of forest activities."

So far to date, 33,640 acres have been treated and 700,000 tons of biomass has been hauled off. One million tons of biomass has been treated since the beginning of the contract. For each acre of treated forest, about 22 tons is processed with 70 percent being removed.

The goal of the project is create an economic boon to the area while taking care of the forest. The hope is that at the end of the contract, the infrastructure will be in place to allow local businesses to continue with the project on their own.

Reach the reporter at kaykay85901@yahoo.com

Additional Information

Web Site: http://www.wmicentral.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=20368467&BRD=2264&PAG=461&dept_id=505965&rfi=6

Category: Forestry>Forest Stewardship

Region: Arizona

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