OCCFA’s 2017 Priorities

I.    Public Education and Outreach 
II.   Forest Management
III. Value-added Enterprise and Marketing
IV. Land Investment
V.  Organizational Development, Management and Capacity

                                        
I. Education and Outreach: 

The OCCFA will educate the public on the importance of community forest ownership, ecological forest management, and demonstrate that a diverse healthy forest can provide economic fairness and improved well being for the local community. We intend to continue to ensure we support a Triple Bottom Line approach: That is, we “Achieve the mutual goals of community well-being, economic vitality and environmental stewardship”.   For example with Forest Hill we  selectively remove material and jealously add retail value and engage local community members and provide custom, high quality  products for our Local Woods brand while moving Forest Hill towards old growth like conditions.

II.  Forest Management: 

We will manage forest lands consistent with ecologically sensitive forestry that strives to keep a forest a forest while producing timber and non-timber forest products that provide a fair benefit to the local  community and our Local Woods partners.

III.  Value-added Enterprise and Marketing: 

The OCCFA and small forest land owners will receive a fair return for forest products through OCCFA  partnerships, value-added facilities and an OCCFA managed e-commerce marketing system. 

IV.  Land Investment:  

The OCCFA will invest in properties to own in perpetuity and manage according to the principles of community benefit and ecological forestry.

V.  Organizational Development: 

We will build a highly effective organization with the capacity to service our education and outreach, land ownership, land management and value-added enterprise goals. 

Priority Areas & Goals 

I.  Education and Outreach:

The OCCFA will educate the public on the importance of community forest ownership, ecological forest management, and the benefits of local businesses adding value as we create forest products from our Local Woods Brand. 

Goal 1.  We will continue communication strategies to increase public awareness of the OCCFA organization, our mission and our programs and projects.

Approach: Explore and build  relationships within the community by coordinating our efforts with existing partners and using social media, an improved website and our evolving relationships with local artists, wood workers and under served small forest land owners. We will  focus on economic fairness and diversity in the community and create a lab of learning of how to also support a healthy diverse forest.

Goal 2.  We will continue to reach out to groups and communities in ways that leverage our work in education, forest management, value-added enterprise and forest land investment.

Approach: 
a) Continue our work with the City of Toledo on the  value added Walnut Tree project (. Toledo Library).
b) Expand our partnership with City of Newport on Forest Park. Explore educational opportunities/collaborations for also initiating a Learning Forest on Forest Hill. 
c) Continue to support View the Future with the conservation easement(s)we hold on their behalf and continue our Lincoln County Legacy partnership.
d)  Explore watershed health with local communities in Lincoln County. Specifically : Depoe Bay, Newport and Waldport

II.  Forest Management: We will manage forest lands consistent with ecologically sensitive forestry that strives to keep a forest a forest while producing timber and non-timber forest products that also connect and educate our under served youth with real forest land experiences.

Goal 1. Manage our recently acquired Forest Hill and create an FMP moving it toward old growth like conditions that also produces forest products and provides targeted outdoor educational opportunities.

Approach: 
a) utilizing our low impact “windfall” harvest approach the caretaker for Forest Hill will head up a committee to build a geo-located story archive for the Local Woods brand to tell the story of specific story trees. 
b) expand our partnership with the Ollalla Center to connect young people with traditional native forest wisdom. 
c) expand and build appropriate trails 
d) continue to develop an FMP that  selectively removes trees to supply the Local Woods warehouse while moving Forest Hill toward a diverse old -growth like condition!

Goal 2. Co-Manage Newport’s Forest Park as a mature forest for educational and recreational purposes. 

Approach:
a.  Develop a city approved management plan that follows up on the “Learning Forest” and addresses forest health, restoration needs and robustly engages in forest education opportunities.  

b.  Involve the public in Forest Park’s management through a OCCFA and City of Newport sponsored Forest Park Work Group.

Goal 3.  Collaborate with the City of Toledo and Trout Mt. to implement their Mill Creek stewardship plan.
Approach: Continue to communicate and coordinate with the city of Toledo and Trout Mt. on operations and possible synergies.

Goal 4.  Develop a cooperative forestry program that provides restoration and value added options in support of small woodland owners.

Approach: Reach out to local small woodland owners and support ecological efforts for restoration and good management. The focus is to build the value-added Local Woods brand. In particular continue support of Emory value added and “Wolf Tree” project and glean logs to build value from his forest land as is made available and of course continue efforts with the City of Toledo   

III.  Value-added Enterprise and Marketing: The OCCFA, Forest Hill and small forest land owners will receive a fair return for forest products through OCCFA owned value-added facilities and an OCCFA managed e-commerce marketing system.  

Goal 1.  Provide OCCFA’s Forest Hill and small forest land owners a conduit for marketing their forest products.

Approach: 
a)Continue to support South Beach Local Woods outlet and build a process and capacity to sell lumber and other value added items .

b) Continue to refine and expand the “fair share” program and build a mechanism that energizes fair reward and local opportunity within the community.

c) Educate and welcome small land owners to the Local Woods Outlet as appropriate. 

Goal 2.  We will advance the development of value-added operations.

Approach:
a) Explore partnerships that will support building a value-added process such as individual wood workers, artisans and builders  in Lincoln County. 

b) Stay engaged with the City of Toledo Mill Creek Harvest as it develops.

Goal 3.  Further the development of the Local woods brand by developing partnerships with local like minded community members to collaborate in utilizing our local wood products and use facebook and an e-commerce marketing system to promote these products and services.

Approach: 
a) market the  lumber milled from the Will Emory property 

b)partner with a small mill owner to generate more lumber supply 

c) partner with planing and re-saw wood workers to support the capacity to supply pursue more visibility for the Local Woods Brand. 

IV.  Land Investment: The OCCFA will invest in properties to own in perpetuity and manage according to the principles of community benefit and ecological forestry. 

Goal 1.  Solidify the Forest Hill investment and stay engaged in other parcel opportunities  in Lincoln County

Approach:
The goal to  invest in a small, centrally located, demonstration forest property by 2014 was completed in early 2015 but we are now in talks regarding another 20 acres near Agate Beach and will continue to explore this opportunity.

Goal 2.  Invest in large landscape appropriate forest properties as opportunities arise.

Approach:
1.  Simplify the vetting of possible forest land investments Two board members will serve on         forest land investments group. As potential properties arise a specific ad hoc group will be developed to evaluate those specific opportunities. The primary focus here is on municipal water supplies and view sheds.

2.  Continue to stay engaged in the Northwest Community Forest Coalition to explore possible areas of collaboration and expand and educate the awareness of Community Forest ownership.

                                                                                                                                                                       
V.  Organizational Development, Management and Capacity: We will maintain a highly effective organization with management capacity sufficient to service our land ownership, land management and value-added enterprise goals. 

Goal 1.  We will implement a program of membership development.

Approach:  Develop a mail list and use social media to communicate our  news. Create interest through events we schedule with our various partners and pursue building the Local Woods and Forest Hill membership opportunities

Goal 2.  Develop and execute a fund raising program for 2017.
                            
Approach: Build awareness of projects through the various value added venues and co-promote these events. Organize our 2nd annual Forest Hill open house event

Goal 3.  Identify and implement bests management practices throughout the organization.

Approach: Apply for grant or capacity building funds to support diversity and inclusion as we build our board out to be more vibrant and diverse as we seek to achieve our triple Bottom Line goal to  “Achieve the mutual goals of community well-being, economic vitality and environmental stewardship site.