Background

This project leverages the Small Forest Landowner Database to assist new and beginning forest owners in the state. The database, in combination with updated parcel records to identify changes in ownership and forest cover data to identify restoration opportunities, will enable project partners to identify specific needs of new forest owners and address those needs in training sessions, site visits, and market assistance.

Our Work

We are creating outreach maps and lists from forest cover, survey, and parcel data to ensure that training programs are targeted to and designed for best opportunities for enhancing sustainability among new woodland owners. This process will update and analyze the Washington Small Forest Landowner Database for 11 counties in southwest Washington, and then use the database results to create targeted outreach maps and lists. For each county, this process will involve three steps:

1. Data acquisition – This sub-task will involve contacting county assessor offices, arranging for data acquisition and transfer, and resolving any data compatibility issues involved in transfer. This step will also involve obtaining the latest GNN data from the LEMMA group at Oregon State University. These data hint at forest inventory information, which can potentially highlight where thinning operations can be both economically viable and ecologically beneficial.

2. Data analysis – This sub-task will involve analyzing the data to identify forest parcels where ownership has changed in the past 10 years, and where there are clusters of forest parcels where thinning, stewardship, or restoration opportunities exist.

3. Map and list creation – The final sub-task for each county will be generating a map showing new forest owners and clusters of restoration opportunities, as well as outreach lists for mailing workshop and site visit announcements to new forest owners.

Results

Deliverables