Our Work
Umpqua Private Land Oak Restoration
Oak woodland. Credit: Alicia Christiansen
Our Working Lands Initiative seeks to bring Umpqua Oak Partnership partners and landowners together to discuss ways to preserve the basin’s agricultural heritage while emphasizing oak habitat-friendly practices. Our strong agricultural community is largely based on generational family farms and a proud culture of independence. We focus on bringing resources and information to landowners and the community on how to better manage oak habitats while reducing wildlife fire risk.
The Natural Resource Conservation Service
The Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) has multiple programs available in Douglas County including the UOP Oakland Phase Conservation Project to help Douglas County landowners. NRCS programs provide financial and technical assistance to help farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners address natural resource concerns such as invasive species removal, forest thinning, woody brush removal, and much more.
Environmental Quality Incentive Program
A core program in Douglas County, the Environmental Quality Incentive Program helps farmers maintain or improve production while conserving natural resources. The program aims to promote agricultural production, forest management, and environmental quality as compatible goals. This cost-share program typically covers around 50% or more of the cost of conservation practices. These "practices" consist of contracted actions that are carried out on the property to progress towards a certain goal such as to improve tree health, livestock forage, water quality, soil health, or even wildlife habitat. Participants receive payments as they implement each practice.
Conservation Stewardship Program
Another program offered by the NRCS is the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP). This is another cost-share program geared towards landowners who have been employing conservation actions on their property and are looking for guidance on how to further improve their stewardship practices. This program provides technical and financial assistance to help the landowner assess, plan, and reach their objectives. Payments are received annually and are correlated to the quantity and type of practice employed for your contract.
Learn more about the UOP Oakland Phase Conservation Project
Learn more about other NRCS Programs available in Douglas County
Learn more about the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP)
Oregon State University Extension
Oregon State University Extension Forestry and Natural Resource Agents and Specialists work every day to learn about the latest techniques in natural resource management, and then, through educational programs and materials, transfer this knowledge to many different client groups. OSU Extension serves a wide breadth of community members such as forest owners, foresters and other natural resource managers, Educators (PreK-12), Christmas tree growers, loggers, and forest workers. In Douglas County, landowners can connect through multiple community-based groups, such as the Women Owning Woodlands Network and Master Woodland Manager programs. These landowner groups are for those who value Oregon’s forests and communities and provide an environment where members can learn from each other. The OSU Extension Fire Program, Tree School, and Ties to Land succession planning programs are all tailored to help landowners keep their property safe from wildfire, insect, and disease outbreaks, or to build a legacy for future generations. OSU Extension in Douglas County also offers a forest management series, tours focused on topics of local importance, and many other educational offerings and publications through the OSU Extension Catalog.
To learn more about Douglas County’s OSU Extension Forestry and Natural Resource services please contact Alicia Christiansen at alicia.christiansen@oregonstate.edu
Partners for Fish and Wildlife (PFW) Program
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's (USFWS) Partners for Fish and Wildlife (PFW) Program offers free technical and financial assistance to landowners in Douglas County and elsewhere to improve wildlife habitat on their land, focused on supporting the recovery of species of greatest conservation concern, habitat connectivity and functionality, and advancing habitat resiliency. The PFW Program is a voluntary, incentive-based program that focuses on private and tribal lands, offering technical assistance and financial assistance. Field biologists work with landowners to plan, implement, and monitor projects. They also help identify partners and funding sources and provide permitting guidance.
The Wildlife Habitat Conservation and Management Program
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife’s The Wildlife Habitat Conservation and Management Program is a cooperative effort involving state and local governments and other partners to help private landowners voluntarily conserve native wildlife habitat. The Oregon Legislature created the habitat program to offer an incentive for private landowners who want to provide wildlife habitat on their properties in addition to farming, growing timber, or other land uses. Under the habitat program, land subject to an approved wildlife habitat conservation and management plan receives a wildlife habitat special assessment, where property taxes are assessed at the relatively low value that would apply if the land were being farmed or used for commercial forestry.
To learn more please contact ODFW’s Roseburg Umpqua Watershed District Office at 541-440-3353