Over the past three decades, a branch of forestry has developed that differs from business as usual. It goes by many names and has many forms of practice- ecological forestry, new forestry, climate-smart forestry, restoration forestry, regenerative forestry, or responsible forestry.
Our clients choose to practice forestry with a wide range of responsibilities. These include responsibilities to:
- Provide reliable quantities of clean water
- Sequester carbon
- Create and protect habitat
- Build resilience in the face of climate change
- Support local jobs
- Provide sustainable wood products
- Improve knowledge through research
- Educate future generations
- And, provide a reasonable financial return
Over the past 15 years, we have worked to learn, develop, borrow, and apply management practices for western forests that meet these responsibilities across a wide range of ecosystems and ownership types. We benefit from an increasing body of research and practitioner community.
Springboard Forestry sits at the intersection of theory and application. We strive for excellence in stewardship and silviculture while also having a diesel mechanic on speed dial. We provide a full suite of forest management and stewardship services from planning to harvest.
What does this look like on the ground? There are a wide array of management decisions, both passive and active, that need to be made in any forest. In many cases, management interventions should be undertaken to increase diversity and complexity within the forest, or to mitigate a risk. These risks include everything from road erosion to invasive species. Active management can range from reforestation and road management, to harvests that will accelerate the development of large scale resilience. We work with landowners to analyze possible options, plan operations, implement the project, and provide ongoing management and monitoring. We also provide long-term management planning and modeling to support forest acquisition or stewardship.
There are a few rules of thumb though. Our planning horizon is 100+ years, and accordingly the trees grow older in the forests that we manage than average. These forests both store and sequester more carbon than the average forest in the Pacific Northwest, even when including harvested wood products. When harvested, the wood will typically be of a higher quality than the average sawlog and a high proportion of the fiber ends up as long-lived wood products. These forests are resilient in the face of extreme weather, and continue to provide an increasing array of ecological benefits over time. This is forestry for a healthier world.
While we work with all types of landowners, most of our clients are public, non-profit, or larger conservation landowners. If you are responsible for an ownership greater than 80 acres in Oregon or Southern Washington, or if our approach sounds appealing, please reach out.