The
Cooperative Forest Ecosystem Research program, commonly referred
to as CFER, was formed in 1995 to facilitate management of forest
ecosystems on public lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management
(BLM) in western Oregon. The BLM is a federal land-management agency
that oversees millions of acres of forested land within the western
United States, including about one-quarter (about 2,330,000 acres)
of the federal lands in the range of the northern spotted owl in
western Oregon. Founding cooperators of CFER are the Oregon State
Office of the BLM; the U.S. Geological Survey's Biological Resources
Division, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center; and two
colleges at Oregon State University (OSU), the College of Forestry
and the College of Agricultural Sciences. The purpose of the program
is to facilitate management of forested ecosystems in the Pacific
Northwest, with special emphasis on providing information to the
BLM and other cooperators in western Oregon. These intentions are
identified explicitly by the program's mission statement, goals,
and objectives.
Mission
The CFER program will work closely with resource managers, researchers
and decision-makers to develop and convey information needed to
successfully implement ecosystem-based management at forest stand
and watershed scales, especially on lands dominated by young forests
and fragmented by multiple ownership.
Goals
The primary goals of CFER are to provide forest managers with new
information to evaluate current and proposed strategies and practices
associated with management of forest ecosystems, and to facilitate
development of sustainable forest practices. This will be accomplished
with team-oriented, integrated research.
Objectives
The Objectives of the CFER program are to:
- Further the understanding of ecological relationships
in forest ecosystems with special emphasis on biodiversity and
its management in young forest stands and riparian zones; and
- Deliver information to cooperators, forest managers,
and the general public in a timely and responsive manner.
This long-term strategic plan describes general
steps to be taken as the CFER program accomplishes its objectives
and moves toward attainment of the program's mission and goals.
The geographical emphasis associated with the CFER program is founded
within the historic context of the program and the forest management
issues confronting the BLM. The emphasis is on that portion of Oregon
west of the crest of the Cascade Mountains, simply referred to as
western Oregon. That said, it also is expected that many aspects
of the program will result in research activities and information
relevant to management of all lands within the scope of the Northwest
Forest Plan. The Northwest Forest Plan was adopted in 1994 to implement
management of forest ecosystems on a regional scale and, because
of the issues that were pivotal in its development, provides guidelines
for managing forested federal lands within the range of the northern
spotted owl. That range extends from northern California to the
Canadian border, and from the Pacific coast to the Cascade Mountains.
CFER Program|Background|Research
Direction|Program Structure|Program
Duration|Funding|Program
Review & Oversight|Reporting
Program Progress|References
