Oregon State University

Awards Issued Prior to January 20, 2025, Were Funded Under Previous Administrations and May Not Reflect the Priorities and Policies of the Current Administration. 1. the Pacific Northwest (PNW) Faces Increasing Occurrence and Impacts From Wildfire, Intertwined With Forest Health Issues and the Effects of Climate Change.together, This Challenges Community Safety and Health, Effective Land Management and Restoration, and the Economic Conditions of the Forestry and Wood Products Sectors. Researchers Have Identified Extensive Needs for Climate-adapted Forest Management to Reduce Wildfire Risk and Restore WILDFIRE'S Ecological Roles in Order to Improve the Resilience of Forests and Communities. the National Cohesive Wildland Fire Strategy and Usda Forest SERVICE'S Wildfire Crisis Strategy Are Major Efforts in Response. Eight Crisis Strategy Landscapes Are Located in the PNW. These Needs Will Also Require a Large, Sustainable Trained Workforce That Can Act at the Scale Needed Before, During, and After Fires. the 2023 Report of the Federal Wildfire Commission Warned That the Scope and Scale of the Existing Workforce Was Insufficent for the Current Situation and That This Issue Will Only Escalate as Climate-driven Shifts in Wildfire Frequency and Severity Continue to Increase in Coming Years. One Reason Why This Workforce Is Unsustainable Is That It Relies on the Labor of Marginalized Populations and Does Not Consistently Provide Fair Wages, Safe Working Conditions, Opportunities for Career Advancement, or Recognitional Equity of Workers. There Is a Strong Need to Produce Innovations That Encourage Growth of a Skilled and More Equitable Workforce, and Support Land Managers in Utilizing This Workforce Strategically, in a Science-based and Community-supported Manner, at the Spatial and Temporal Scales at Which Climate-driven Disturbance Is OCCURRING.2. This Complex Issue Requires Novel Research, Education, and Extension That Is Interdisciplinary and in Collaboration With Community Partners. We Assembled a Diverse Team of Universities and Non-profit Partners to Work Together to Implement the Following Integrated Approaches to Build and Apply New Knowledge:research: We Will Use Secondary Data Analysis to Understand Trends in Forest Restoration and Fire Mitigation, Suppression, and Restoration Activities, Employment, and Labor. We Will Also Quantify Thescale and Spatiality of Needed Climate Adaptation in the Pacific Northwest by Developinga Set of Spatial Models of Major Forestry and Wildfire Contracting Activities Between 2000 and 2020. This Will Be Augmented by Qualitative Case Studies That Explore How Managers and Partners Can Most Effectively Work Together to Implement Resiliency Practices While Investing in a Sustainable and Equitable Workforce. We Will Also Survey Businesses to Update a Calculator Tool That Can Quantify the Economic Impacts of Wildfire Mitigation and Restoration Projects.education: We Will Build the Capacity of Educational Leaders to Support a Sustainable Forestry and Fire Workforce by Increasing Awareness Among Extension and Research/teaching Faculty So That They Can Better Address These,issues in Their Informal Adult Education and For-credit Campus Programs, and Investing in Two Existing Place-based Fire Education Programs for K-12 Students.extension: We Will Use Multiple Methods to Increase Safety, Equity, and Involvement of Workers in Decision Making. These Will Include 1) Expanding an Existing Promotora (community Health Worker) Program That Provides Direct Communication and Training to Workers, 2) Worker Trainingsand Bilingual Certified Burn Manager Trainings for Current and Future Entrepreneurs That Offer Climate Adaptation Skills Building and Peer Learning, 3) a Custom Phone App That Workers Can Use to Access Information About Available Legal Resources, Rights, and Training Opportunities Where They Are Located, 4) a New Coalition of Aligned Partners to Advance Application of Project Results to Increase Workforce Equity and Scale Climate Adaptation in Forestry, and a Toolkit for This Coalition to Use in Communicating Results and Shared Messages, and 5) a Worker Task Force to Increase Procedural Equity in Forestry/wildfire Collaboratives and Inform Project Evaluation, Which Will Include Latine Workers, Youths, and Formerly Incarcerated INDIVIDUALS.3. Through These Approaches, Our Ultimate Goal Is to Support a Sustainable and Equitable Economy That Ensures Functional Forest Ecosystems Are Resilient to Wildfire and Can Sustain the Myriad Goods and Services That the Forestry Sector Provides. Although Our Project Cannot Be Expected to Entirely Transform All System Challenges, We Hope to Achieve Several Meaningful Short and Medium-term Outcomes by Demonstrating and Scaling Specific Innovations in Landscape Prioritization, Engagement of Underserved Populations, and Climate Adaptation Practices, Leading to Longer-term Outcomes Aligned With AFRI'S Goals: a More Sustainable Forestry System Based in Equitable Economic Opportunity That Is Resilient to Climate Change and Supports Quality of Life for All Who Work in, Live in, and Rely on Forests. We Willgenerate New Knowledge About the Economy and Geography of Need for Wildfire Mitigation, Build Skills Among Workers and Businesses, and Increase the Overall Capacity of University and Nonprofit Partners to Work Together Towards Shared Goals of a Resilient and Equitable Climateadaptation Workforce. Our Integrated Approaches Together Are Intended to Support Reduction of Wildfire Risk and Increase Carbon Sequestration by Increasing a Workforce That Can Help Minimize Large, Severe Fires That Impair That Ecosystem Service in Forests; and Can Help Limit Losses to Timber, Recreation, Drinking Water Supplies, and Other Critical Values. This Project Also Aims to Improve the Long-term Sustainability of Forested Social-ecological Systems as Our Focus on Large Landscapes and Innovating Change With Public Land Managers Allows Us to Scale Our Impacts Within the PNW and Produce Implications Relevant for the U.s. West and Other Fire-prone Areas Across the Nation. as the PNW Is Home to a Concentration,of Businesses That Perform Wildfire Mitigation, Restoration, and Recovery Around the Entire U.s., How We Implement Workforce Solutions Has Implications Beyond the Region, Particularly for H-2B Program Use and Contracting Structures.