The Many Faces of Collaboration:The Many Faces of Collaboration:Lessons learned from stewardship Lessons learned from stewardship contracting in the Northern Rockiescontracting in the Northern Rockies

Effective collaboration:Effective collaboration:

Increases public Increases public understanding of understanding of federal land federal land management issuesmanagement issues

Often builds greater Often builds greater trust between trust between agencies and the agencies and the publicpublic

Can create positive Can create positive constituenciesconstituencies

Making it workMaking it work

The earlier collaboration starts, the betterThe earlier collaboration starts, the better It’s never too lateIt’s never too late Some people are good at it; some aren’tSome people are good at it; some aren’t Agency people who are should be trained, Agency people who are should be trained,

supported, rewardedsupported, rewarded Changing key players complicates and often Changing key players complicates and often

sets back the processsets back the process

Remember that:Remember that:

Expectations are Expectations are critical – They need to critical – They need to be put on the table in be put on the table in the beginning, and the beginning, and revisited periodicallyrevisited periodically

Collaboration will not Collaboration will not stop appeals and stop appeals and litigationlitigation

Trust is built slowly – Trust is built slowly – but can be destroyed but can be destroyed instantlyinstantly

Multiparty monitoringMultiparty monitoring Is the logical follow-on Is the logical follow-on

to collaborative to collaborative planning and planning and implementationimplementation

In the absence of up-In the absence of up-front collaboration, a front collaboration, a monitoring team is monitoring team is likely to take the lead likely to take the lead in ensuring that the in ensuring that the next next project is done project is done collaborativelycollaboratively

Using monitoring findings and Using monitoring findings and recommendationsrecommendations

Better mechanisms are Better mechanisms are needed to facilitate and needed to facilitate and encourage the timely encourage the timely sharing of information sharing of information and “lessons learned” and “lessons learned” among agency among agency personnel, contractors, personnel, contractors, and monitoring teams and monitoring teams region-wide and/or region-wide and/or nationwide. nationwide.

Low value materialsLow value materials

Are a significant Are a significant element of most element of most hazardous fuels hazardous fuels reduction projects and reduction projects and many ecosystem many ecosystem restoration projectsrestoration projects

Are frequently missed Are frequently missed or understated in or understated in agency cruises and agency cruises and volume estimatesvolume estimates

The volume and salability of fiber required to The volume and salability of fiber required to be removed under a stewardship prescription be removed under a stewardship prescription are critical factors in many projects’ are critical factors in many projects’ feasibility for both government and feasibility for both government and contractors. contractors.

Therefore:Therefore: Agencies need to greatly Agencies need to greatly

improve inventory and improve inventory and cruise methodologies and cruise methodologies and the quality of their data.the quality of their data.

Contractors need to be Contractors need to be better trained and take more better trained and take more responsibility for verifying responsibility for verifying agency-provided dataagency-provided data

Split pricing should be Split pricing should be considered for projects considered for projects including significant including significant amounts of low value amounts of low value materialmaterial

Multi-activity contractsMulti-activity contracts

More training is needed for More training is needed for bidders in:bidders in:

•Costing on a per acre basisCosting on a per acre basis•Qualifying and using Qualifying and using subcontractorssubcontractors•Dealing with unfamiliar Dealing with unfamiliar activitiesactivities

Designation by prescriptionDesignation by prescription

Has proven very useful Has proven very useful in implementing fuels in implementing fuels reduction and forest reduction and forest restoration projectsrestoration projects

Makes better use of the Makes better use of the skills and experience of skills and experience of forest workersforest workers

Delivered log contractingDelivered log contracting

Ensures that the contractor Ensures that the contractor has no economic interest in has no economic interest in the trees being removed as he the trees being removed as he works to achieve the desired works to achieve the desired end-result on the ground. end-result on the ground.

Helps alleviate concerns that Helps alleviate concerns that some critics of stewardship some critics of stewardship contracting have with the contracting have with the goods for services authority. goods for services authority.

BondingBonding

If smaller private If smaller private companies or non-profit companies or non-profit corporations are to be able corporations are to be able to bid on multiyear, to bid on multiyear, multifunction stewardship multifunction stewardship contracts, bonding contracts, bonding requirements will need to requirements will need to be structured so that those be structured so that those organizations can feasibly organizations can feasibly

meet themmeet them..

Collaboration and good Collaboration and good stewardshipstewardship

Can change thisCan change this

To thisTo this