What We Do
What is Forest Restoration?
Forest Restoration is actions to re-instate ecological processes, which accelerate recovery of forest structure, ecological functioning, and biodiversity levels towards those typical of a late successional forest.
- Forest restoration is an inclusive process dependent on collaboration among a wide range of stakeholders including the local community in Ashland, government officials, non-government organizations, scientists, and funding agencies.
- Thinning out crowded trees helps to fund the restoration activities and protects the community from the threat of fire. A century of fire suppression has created conditions which require tree density management.
- Restoring fire to the land is a key process to help forests regenerate naturally.
The Ashland Forest Resiliency Stewardship Project is a partnership of four organizations: The City of Ashland, the Lomakatsi Restoration Project, the US Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest, and The Nature Conservancy. The AFR Partners are implementing a ten-year stewardship project designed to reduce the risk of severe wildfire in the watershed and to protect water quality, older forests, wildlife, people, property, and quality of life.
What Education Opportunities Are Available?
The AFR Partners work in the community using guidance from the Community Engagement Plan (PDF). Each partner works together to support stewardship of the Ashland Watershed through education.
- Join us for public events, tours, and educational presentations.
- Lomakatsi Restoration Project Youth Ecological Training and Employment Program is held each summer.
- Volunteer to work in the watershed for citizen science and help us collect data.
Why Controlled Burns?
Each year our fire-prone region experiences severe wildfires which cost millions of dollars to suppress. AFR Partners address this challenge by working with nature to introduce low-intensity controlled burns (PDF) under mild conditions.