Conservation Partnerships

Conservation Partnerships are a means through which CCS is able to work jointly with partners on shared conservation goals.

Currently, Conservation Partnerships include

Conservation Handbooks
A 2007 report from the Sustaining Family Forests Initiative revealed that family forest owners are more favorable to written information than any other media for information delivery. With this in mind, the Center has partnered with the Aldo Leopold Foundation to produce reader-friendly conservation handbooks in various target areas.

Through the publication of handbooks, the Center will reach additional family forest owners interested in conservation forestry. Current projects include a handbook for new forest owners in southwest Wisconsin, family forest owners in Arkansas, and a handbook for forest adaptation in Massachusetts.

Farm Bill Implementation
In 2008, the 110th Congress passed the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008, commonly referred to as the Farm Bill. The new Farm Bill includes strong programs for family forest owners. Through a partnership with the Environmental Defense Fund, the Center is working on-the-ground in key states to enlist interested family forest owners in stewardship activities.

The partnership involves five components: bolstering local partnerships, promoting forestry incentives to NRCS and state forestry agencies, developing outreach materials for landowners, enrolling landowners in incentive programs, and educating policymakers about the importance of family forests and forest incentives.