PROGRAM ELEMENTS AND STRATEGIES
o Identify Priority Oak Habitat Sites: We map out and inventory key locations of oak habitats throughout our region in an effort to identify priority habitats for restoration and protection.
o Develop Restoration Funding Sources: We work with agency and non-profit partners to create funding mechanisms that bring long-term support for oak restoration.
o Collaborative Habitat Conservation and Restoration: Our work is done in collaboration with State and Federal agencies, Native American Tribes, private landowners and other non-profit organizations.
o Restoration Project Planning: We develop oak management stewardship plans, treatment prescriptions, prescribed fire burn plans and operational strategies to inform and guide oak restoration implementation.
o On-the-Ground Restoration: Through an innovative ecological adaptive management approach, we implement holistic restoration practices for oak habitats.
o Prescribed Fire Applications: As an important ecological agent and restoration element we reintroduce low-intensity fire into oak landscapes.
o Restoration By-products: We utilize forest materials generated as a result of oak restoration such as saw logs, firewood, posts and poles, special forest products, and woody biomass. The by-products of our restoration work support local timber mills and wood processing facilities.
o Ecological Monitoring: Working in collaboration with agencies, conservation partners and landowners, we develop strategies for long-term evaluation and research to measure the effectiveness of our restoration treatments.
o Eco-cultural Restoration: Through partnerships with native tribes, we collaborate to support the efforts of regional indigenous people by incorporating traditional ecological knowledge in the design of oak restoration and other treatments. Under the direction of native people, our restoration efforts support eco-cultural practices including the renewal of oak landscapes and cultural resources such as acorns.
o Community Engagement and Education: We strive to educate and bring awareness to the public about oak ecosystems and the need for restoration by developing educational materials and organizing field trips, public forums and workshops.
o Student and Youth Education: Engaging students and teachers in hands-on oak restoration ecology education through the adoption of restoration sites for long-term stewardship.
o Workforce Training: We develop oak restoration training programs for restoration workers and contractors providing both in-class and on-the-job training in oak restoration.
o Job Creation: Hundreds of skilled workers and numerous timber operators, forestry contractors and consultants are employed as a result of our oak restoration projects.