Science and collaborative decision-making: A case study of the Kew Study

Diverse stakeholders and land management agencies are increasingly working together in “forest collaborative” groups to meet ecological, economic, and social goals on Oregon’s public lands. Many collaboratives focus on science-based ecosystem restoration. One such group is the Deschutes Collaborative Forest Project (DCFP) in central Oregon, which seeks to increase forest resiliency and reduce wildfire risk on a 257,000-acre landscape. In 2014, the DCFP participated in a research project on the history and future management needs of mixed-conifer forests in central Oregon. This research is directly informing their dialogue and future agreements about mixed-conifer forest types. We provide a brief case study of this project, as other collaboratives, managers, and scientists may wish to consider lessons learned