Assessment of the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act (2006.) analyzes the outcomes of Titles II and III of the 2000 legislation that temporarily stabilized payments to forested counties for their roads and schools, and enabled citizen Resource Advisory Committees to recommend funding for forest and watershed restoration projects. The study is currently informing debates in Congress regarding reauthorization of the Act.
Farm Worker and Community Well-being in Response to Land Fallowing: Progress Report, Local Entity 2003-2005 (2006) (13 MB PDF)
In 2003, Southern California's Imperial Irrigation District and the San Diego County Water Authority reached the largest agriculture-to-urban water transfer agreement in US history. While the agreement holds promise for addressing environmental and human needs, it also means idle farmlands and lost jobs. This report reviews the third-party socioeconomic mitigation program and process.
Northwest Economic Adjustment Initiative Assessment, Final Report (2003) analyzes the effectiveness of the Initiative implemented under President Clinton's 1993 Forest Plan to help address the socioeconomic impacts associated with the changes in federal timber policies. The Sierra Institute conducted case studies of communities and evaluated the legislation and effectiveness of the $1.2 billion program.
Tribal Economic Development: Building with Strengths and Confronting Challenges (693 KB – PDF). The Intertribal Timber Council supported this report that examines six tribal communities and highlights key economic and community development lessons for Indian communities. The six case studies are drawn from the Sierra Institute’s assessment of the Northwest Economic Adjustment Initiative. An updated version of this paper by authors Beth Rose Middleton and Johnathan Kusel is forthcoming in Economic Development Quarterly.
Socioeconomic Characteristics of the Natural Resources Restoration System in Humboldt County: A partial view (2004) (293.9 KB - PDF) describes the restoration sector in Humboldt County, California and its contribution to the North Coast regional economy. It shows that Humboldt County is at the leading edge of restoration practices and serves as a model for how restoration work can be accomplished.
Against the Odds: (Re-)Building Community Through Forestry on the Hoopa Reservation (72 KB - PDF) describes a case study in community forestry on the Hoopa Indian Reservation in northwestern California.
The Integration of Community Wellbeing and Forest Health in the Pacific Northwest: A Case Study of the Columbia Pacific Resource and Conservation District Council (568 KB - PDF) describes how communities in southwestern Washington struggle with development that ties community wellbeing to forest health in a context of changing regional economies.
A Report on All-Party Monitoring and Lessons Learned from the Pilot Projects (1.3 MB - PDF) describes a process called all-party monitoring and summarizes three pilot projects selected to understand the potential and limitations of all-party monitoring.
The Westwood Community Survey 2000: A Report of Results (1 MB - PDF) surveys residents in an historically timber-dependent town about what they value and what they want for their community. The survey follows a precedent-setting land use initiative that divided the community and offered a foundation for discussion and constructive engagement concerning land-use decisions.
