Rebarrow Community Stewardship Project
The Rebarrow community stewardship project began in 1993. Two-hundred acres of the forest were divided into plots of approximately 10-acres each. Advisory board members publicized the project to local groups and solicited participants for the stewardship program. Schools, churches, professional organizations and non-profit clubs and organizations with natural resource interests were contacted. Interested groups met at the forest and selected the plots of land that they wished to manage. Participants represented a wide spectrum of age, experience, and political bent. Despite many philosophical differences, and many differing ideas about how best to proceed, the participants were united by their common desire to restore health to the forest, and a productive partnership developed. Groups were assured that their plot ownership would be long-term and they were encouraged to make long-range plans for their plot management.
A stewardship council was created with representatives from each group. The stewardship council began meeting several times per year to coordinate projects on the forest. Each group was required to submit a management plan to the council. The council reviewed the plans, made suggestions for improvement, and voted on plan acceptance. The only restrictions on management plans were those that were stated in the original land bequest. Groups were allowed to remove live or dead trees for fiber or fuel wood if their management plans called for such action.
In addition to reforestation, a second goal of the project was to provide educational opportunities in forest management. Several of the participating stewardship groups did not have previous experience with forest management. Therefore, resource specialists were recruited to assist the groups with development of their reforestation strategies. These specialists were volunteers from the university and community with expertise in a wide variety of natural resources management. They included a botanist, a wildlife biologist, a soil scientist, a small wood lot owner, and a state forester. In addition to acquiring information from the resource specialists, the groups turned to each other for help. Several of the stewardship groups included individuals with experience in forest management.
By allowing groups to formulate their own management plans, a mosaic of different strategies has emerged. Rebarrow has now become an outstanding demonstration area for showing off different management techniques. Fifteen stewardship groups have been involved in management of 20 plots. Management plans ranged from doing nothing and letting natural processes of regeneration proceed to harvesting all standing and fallen timber and then replanting. Two groups took an experimental approach and set up trial areas within their plots to discover which tree planting techniques and which conifer species would be most successful. Several groups have sought to enhance wildlife habitat and water quality.
The community stewardship project is meeting its goals of restoring health and providing educational opportunities to the university and the larger community. Together, the stewards have completed some significant projects. Over 14,000 trees have been planted, 150 nesting boxes have been installed, the riparian zone has been enhanced, meeting areas have been built, and a perimeter fence has been constructed.
Restoring health to a forest such as Rebarrow will necessarily be a long-term commitment. We anticipate that the stewardship program will continue to develop and change as the needs of the forest change.