Eastern Gila Forest and Community Restoration Project

Monitoring team and economist measure progress in study plots

gilaranchers — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 19:48:54 +0000

Documenting study plot tree sizes.

Monitoring team in study plot.

: Timing study plot cuts with monitoring team and economist.

Cutting the first 20 acres

gilaranchers — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 19:29:53 +0000

Preliminary walk through 10-08

economic analysis study plot marked in orange cutters work around the plots.

Limbing and Bucking

Monitoring Team Meeting and Photo’s

gilaranchers — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 18:52:25 +0000

Robert and Nick measure range plots

: Ryan measures tree diameter on forestry plot

The Range Club from New Mexico State University conducted preliminary monitoring on the Eastern Gila Forest and Community Restoration Project’s CFRP location last weekend. A good time was had by all and a lot of work was done setting up range monitoring and forest inventory monitoring transects to collect pre treatment baseline data.

Thanks Tammy, Ryan, Robert, Michele, Nick, and Doug

House Bill 520 A Note from Naomi at www.NMFIA.org

gilaranchers — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 19:27:30 +0000

Please see the email below from Brent Racher regarding House Bill 520 currently at the State Legislature.

In addition to HB 520 (Chasey;

http://www.nmlegis.gov/lcs/_session.aspx?chamber=H&legtype=B&legno=%2052

0&year=09), other Bills of interest to our industry include the

following.

1. SB 237 (Cisneros): Renewable Energy Tax Credit

(http://www.nmlegis.gov/lcs/_session.aspx?chamber=S&legtype=B&legno=%202

37&year=09)

Note: We (NMFIA) are working to modify this bill to include biomass

2. HB 405 (Lujan): Renewable Energy Production Tax Credit Caps

(http://www.nmlegis.gov/lcs/_session.aspx?chamber=H&legtype=B&legno=%204

05&year=09)

3. HB 7 (Lujan): Development Training Funding

(http://www.nmlegis.gov/lcs/_session.aspx?chamber=H&legtype=B&legno=%20%

20%207&year=09)

4. SB 315 (Keller): Renewable Energy Portfolio Deadlines

(http://www.nmlegis.gov/lcs/_session.aspx?chamber=S&legtype=B&legno=%203

15&year=09

If you have any questions about these bills, please let me or Brent Racher know.

Thanks,

Naomi

Naomi Engelman, Executive Director

New Mexico Forest Industry Association

PO Box 32191

Santa Fe, NM 87594

www.nmfia.net

Organized for and by its members, the New Mexico Forest Industry Association (NMFIA) seeks to create, strengthen, and support a business climate that ensures the needs of all constituents are aligned in the development and growth of a healthy, sustainable New Mexico forest industry.

From: Brent Racher

Sent: Thursday, February 05, 2009 2:18 PM

All,

I want to bring to everybodies attention a piece of legislation that

could potentially affect most things we do on private and state land. A synposis of the House Bill 520 is below, but the really short version is that it requires NEPA-like analysis (EA or EIS) of all project with state funding OR permits. This would harm the ability to move projects forward efficiently and increase the costs significantly(exponentially for small projects).

Review and talk to your legislators to let them know how you feel.

Brent Racher

pdf-bill-upload-egfcrp Synopsis HB 520 please read

CFRP annual meeting

gilaranchers — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 12:15:34 +0000

Santa Fe Community College
January 27-28-29

Analysis of proposed project site begins with Cooperator and USFS field trip

gilaranchers — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 23:21:09 +0000

Eastern Gila Forest and Community Restoration Project

gilaranchers — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 21:29:43 +0000

Many western National Forest System lands are currently in degraded ecological condition due to densities of woody material far exceeding their historic range of variability. Concurrently, many small rural communities throughout the West and Southwest have suffered severe setbacks in their local economies due to a reduction in the procurement of renewable resources from public forests. Within the scientific community there is a general recognition that mechanical treatment or removal can improve watershed function, reduce the threat of severe wildland fire behavior, permit re-introduction of prescribed fire, improve understory diversity and productivity, improve timber productivity, and improve foraging habitat for both wild and domestic ungulates. While there is no shortage of need for restoration projects in the West, many of the small diameter treatments have not been economically self-sustaining. Obstacles blocking additional entrepreneurial investment in forest restoration are an incomplete understanding of the market forces at work, and lack of infrastructure. We, the Gila National Forest Permittees Association representing Eastern Gila National Forest stakeholders, propose to 1) establish a local community forest restoration cooperative from which to conduct forest restoration, and 2) simultaneously conduct an economic analysis to scientifically assess the successes and roadblocks to fiscally sustainable forest restoration – a need highlighted in the recent 2005 CFRP Effectiveness Review. The operational aspects of the forest restoration process will serve as a case study for the economic analysis, and the results of this economic analysis will become part of the NM Forest Restoration Series available on-line at the NM Forest and Watershed Restoration Institute. The final products will include 1) a sustainable community forest restoration cooperative in the Eastern Gila; 2) a feasibility analysis for establishing different types of wood production facilities and their associated cost, supply, and demand constraints; and 3) a series of desk guides to assist entrepreneurs and future CFRP applicants in the decision making process concerning the development of a forest restoration-based business in remote locations and the key questions related to making forest restoration projects self-sustaining. Currently, there are no other community based forest restoration projects operating in this region of the Gila National Forest

Pre Proposal meeting

gilaranchers — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 22:46:13 +0000

RITF & NMFWI representatives, Rancher Gene Whetten and Matt Schneberger discuss ideas prior to proposal.