2024 Biennial Forum
Northwest Community Forest Coalition
Photo: Wallowa East Moraine Community Forest, Leon Werdinger
The Northwest Community Forest Coalition Biennial Forum is a multi-day event, open to all registrants involved or interested in community forest work. The forum brings practitioners, funders, and policymakers together to share and collaborate on opportunities which support community forests across the region.
Photo: Nisqually Community Forest, WEC Rachel Lee
Join us!
Date & Times: 2:00 PM, Tuesday, May 7 - 12:00 PM, Thursday, May 9
Where: Main Event Located Enterprise, Oregon at Cloverleaf Hall
Field Tours: Mount Emily Recreation Area (La Grande, OR) and East Moraine Community Forest (Joseph, OR)
Tickets include:
attendance to all forum panels, listed below
field tours to two regional community forests, Mount Emily on Tuesday & Wallowa East Moraine on Wednesday morning
a Welcome Dinner on Tuesday night
If you are unable to attend in person, there is a Zoom option for all forum panels available to ticket holders.
If you are planning on joining in person, there is a room block reserved at the Best Western— SureStay Plus Hotel in Enterprise for the evenings of Tuesday, May 7 and Wednesday, May 8. This rate is available through April 7th.
To reserve a room, call (541) 426 2700 and reference the Code EV10000313748G to qualify for the Group Rate.
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For ticket pricing and registration, click here.
To receive 2024 Forum updates, join the Coalition’s email list.
Featured Forum Panels
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How Regional Environmental Organizations Support Locally Led Community Forest Efforts
Learn how regional and national conversation organizations engage with communities around the creation and management of community forest projects. The panel will highlight different NGO approaches to engagement on community forests located in California, Oregon, and Washington. Including:
Context around The Nature Conservancy - Washington's Central Cascades Effort.
Details around the Trust for Public Land's Approach to Supporting Community Forests in the Region.
A Case Study From Western Rivers on how they Supports Local Priorities in Conservation Efforts Through Their Partnership with the Yurok Tribe, in Northern California's Klamath River Basin
Photo credit: Sustainable Northwest — Prescribed Fire
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Balancing Hunting, Recreation, and Public Access Priorities
Learn about he role hunting can play around public access and recreation planning on community forests. Regional experts will share experiences on how hunting programs have been implemented on community forest properties, and offer approaches to balance hunting, recreation, and other ecological priorities.
This Panel will Feature Local and Regional Expertise from:
Bill Richardson, Director of Conservation with Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation.
Jon Paustian, Wildlife Biologist, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
Jim Atkenson, Former Senior Conservation Director, Oregon Hunters.
This Panel will be Moderated by Erin McKay, Senior Natural Resource Specialist, Chelan County.
Photo: Valley View Forest - Washington Association of Land Trusts
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Financing Approaches to Increase Pace and Scale of Community Forests in the Region
To this point, funding acquisitions for Community Forest Projects have taken many unique and different approaches. While there are often
The goal of this panel is to advance a dialogue around the need to dramatically expand access for Community Forest’s to the breadth of conservation finance tools within the context of what has worked, what hasn’t and what needs to happen for community forest project developers and managers to earn a seat at this table.
This conversation will include experts in the conservation finance field and will be moderated by Jay McLaughlin, Director of Mt. Adams Resource Stewards.
Photo: Arch Cape Community Forest, Clatsop County, Oregon.
Field Tours & Place Based Presentations
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Mount Emily Recreation Area
2pm, Tuesday, May 7th
On your way into town, join the coalition for a tour of Mount Emily Recreation Area (MERA) and learn how a Community Forest Effort is able to balance recreation (motorized and non-motorized), harvest, and ecological goals.
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Wallawa East Moraine Community Forest
8:30am, May 8th
The first full day of the forum will begin with a field visit to the East Moraine Community Forest. Here, we will have an opportunity to ask questions and get some insight into a local community forest.
Photo: Rick McEwan
