Regional Cooperation in Forestry

Extension forestry programs in the Northeast generally focus on: (1) forest management education for nonindustrial, private landowners, who collectively own roughly two-thirds of the forested landscape of the region and (2) technology transfer for public and private professional foresters and timber harvesters.

Because of the small size of the northeastern states and the similarity of forest conditions and ownership patterns, there are often common regional forest resource issues. Extension foresters from the 12 northeastern states meet periodically to discuss issues and opportunities for regional programming. Such regional cooperation also minimizes duplication of efforts in producing educational materials. This Northeast Forest Resource Extension Committee (NEFREC) has recently developed a Bibliography of Cooperative Extension Natural Resource educational materials that are available in each state, as well as a regional survey of practicing foresters to identify common research needs.1

To further explore the opportunities for regional cooperation, a study using the Delphi technique2 was initiated in 1989. Northeastern Extension foresters were asked to list the current issues in renewable natural resources in their respective states. Ten different current issues were reported, which included such diverse topics as the role of forests in the protection of water quality, regulation of timber harvesting practices, market development for the forest products industry, importance of urban forests, and fragmentation and development of the forest land base. Discussion among the group and ranking of the responses resulted in further narrowing the top issues into a statement expressing group consensus:

The interface between the traditionally urban and rural environments in the Northeast is expanding beyond customary distances from metropolitan centers. The increasing interest in life in a semi-rural environment is causing forestland values to escalate. The result is fragmentation and development of forestland and "open space." This transition has an effect on the land base, the owners of the land, the types of assistance these owners need from public and private foresters, and the sociopolitical environment in which professional foresters must work. The results of forest fragmentation and increasing population density are: (1) the impaired ability of the forest to provide multiple benefits, (2) public perception of forestry and foresters is poorly defined, (3) forest management practices are subject to increasing levels of state and local regulation, and (4) new approaches to nonindustrial private forest landowner assistance need to be explored.

Having ageed on this statement, a follow-up survey was done to identify current or contemplated programs in the different states that address this issue. This inventory specifically tried to identify target audiences, methods, and a description of specific programs, and the contact person responsible for each program. Six ongoing programs were identified from four different states, and seven contemplated programs in various levels of planning were identified from six different states. These programs ranged from a 4-H project designed to focus on the tradeoffs between developed land use and wildlife habitat to a workshop series on estate planning for woodland owners, whose heirs are likely to face an onerous inheritance tax burden based on the real estate value of their forestland. Such an inventory of programs addressing a commonly identified issue in the region is of obvious value. Forestry Extension specialists in states without programs can consider adoption of existing and successful programs from other states, or call on the expertise that established such programs.

In a time when Extension programming needs to strive for efficiency and cost-effectiveness, regional cooperation such as NEFREC is a valuable activity Extension specialists should consider.

1. S. H. Broderick and others, "Practicing Foresters Research Needs in the Northeastern U.S.," Journal of Forestry, LXXXIX (No. 8, 1991), 27-35.

2. J. R. Fazio and D. L. Gilbert, Public Relations and Communications for Natural Resource Managers, 2nd ed. (Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall/Hunt Publishing Co., 1986).