Background

In 1990, The Lands Council launched its Forest Watch Program in response to hundreds of timber sales in Inland Northwest national forests, which proceeded with little public scrutiny and without challenge. The Forest Watch program recruited, trained, and supported individuals and groups to provide on-the-ground oversight of Forest Service timber sales and other decisions. The Forest Watch Program has been highly successful, decreasing the cuts on individual National Forests from unsustainably high levels to the lowest levels since the 1950s.

The Forest Watch Program provides valuable input to national efforts – from education on fire ecology and defensible space planning, to advocating ecological restoration principles and old growth and wildlife protection.

The Forest Watch Program places an emphasis on coordinating our conservation campaigns with local, state, regional, and national conservation organizations, and serves as a critical link in the conservation movement.

The Lands Council has become a leader in efforts to collaborate with diverse coalitions of stakeholders to protect communities from wildfire, promote restoration, and advocate for enlightened approaches to forest management.


For more information contact our Forest Policy Director, Jeff Juel at (509) 209-2401, or at jjuel@landscouncil.org.