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STORIES -> Success Stories
Creating Zones of Agreement in Montana
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| Gathering of Montana Forest Restoration Working Group. 2007 |
“We disagree on these issues over there. But we can agree on this specific point. Let’s start with that and see if we can broaden areas of agreement, and if successful, figure out a better way to make good things happen on the ground.”
Montana, like many states in the Intermountain West, has faced difficult moments with changes in resource management and declining forestry infrastructure. Changing demographics in the state has resulted in shifting values—conditions compounded by the threat of wildfire and the rapid development of the wildland-urban interface. Decades of polarized interests has created a near paralysis of work in forests throughout Montana—impacting workers, communities and forest ecosystems.
In August 2006, Artemis Common Ground invited nine individuals from industry, the conservation community, the US Forest Service, the state of Montana, and the non-profit sector to discuss whether, despite differences, key parties interested in forest health could establish a “zone of agreement” to generate positive work on the ground. A larger group of interests facilitated by the National Forest Foundation and Artemis Common Ground gathered in January 2007, agreeing to operate by consensus and setting an ambitious timeline (August 2007) to develop principles and an action plan.
The development process was not an easy one—with individuals couched in long-time adversarial positions. From February through July 2007, working group members met face-to-face for nearly 50 hours to hash out a set of principles. These discussions took time, dedicated honesty and a keen ability to step outside of one’s own person and truly listen to and show respect for differences of opinion.
The principles that emerged articulate a collective vision for ecologically appropriate, scientifically supported forest restoration. The principles stand on a foundation of community participation and integrated science—recognizing that successful restoration must address ecological, economic, and social needs:
- Restore functioning ecosystems by enhancing ecological processes.
- Apply adaptive management approaches.
- Use the appropriate scale of integrated analysis to prioritize and design restoration activities.
- Monitor restoration outcomes.
- Reestablish fire as a natural process on the landscape.
- Consider social constraints and seek public support for reintroducing fire on the landscape.
- Engage community and interested parties in the restoration process.
- Improve terrestrial and aquatic habitat and connectivity.
- Emphasize ecosystem goods and services and sustainable land management.
- Integrate restoration with socio-economic well-being.
- Enhance education and recreation activities to build support for restoration.
- Protect and improve overall watershed health, including stream health, soil quality and function, and riparian function.
- Establish and maintain a safe road and trail system that is ecologically sustainable.
The Montanans believe the principles, signed by each participant, will help accelerate the ecological recovery of the national forest lands while enhancing the economic and social well-being of nearby communities. The Montana Forest Restoration Committee plans to test its restoration principles in the near future by working to implement two pilot projects on the Lolo National Forest and one on the Bitterroot National Forest. These demonstration projects will include “Forest level Resource Committees,” made up of diverse and knowledgeable community stakeholders, that will work alongside land managers to select, design, and monitor restoration projects.
To learn more about this process or details associated with the principles, please visit www.montanarestoration.org.
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PARTNERING WITH THE FOREST SERVICE
