It is with a great sense of pride that we share the story of the Selway-Middle Fork Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration (CFLR) project as a testimony to what can be accomplished when people work together to achieve a common goal.
In 2009 Congress provided the opportunity for the Forest Service to implement ten large-scale restoration projects throughout the nation. It further specified that the projects be “…developed and implemented through a collaborative process….”
The Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests, Clearwater Basin Collaborative and other partners came together to develop a comprehensive restoration strategy for the 1.4-million-acre Selway-Middle Fork ecosystem. Why the Selway-Middle Fork?
- Through a variety of assessments, the area had been identified as a high priority for restoration.
- Restoration work could begin immediately because many activities had already been cleared through National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) analyses.
- The infrastructure and workforce to accomplish restoration activities was intact.
- The Forest Service had a history of working collaboratively with the Clearwater Basin Collaborative and many other diverse partners within the area.
Since receiving CFLR funds, the Forests have made significant progress implementing NEPA-cleared activities to reduce fuels, improve watersheds and restore forest health. As these smaller-scale vegetative treatments are being completed, and the Forests are on the verge of completing environmen-tal analyses that will result in significant landscape-scale restoration activities that will occur over the next five years.
The partners who have worked to make this proposal a reality are proud to share these accomplishments with you and look forward to many more successes as collaboration paves the way for restoration activities that will benefit the land and people.
