{"id":19632,"date":"2015-04-09T23:45:28","date_gmt":"2015-04-09T23:45:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/162.217.168.59\/?p=19632"},"modified":"2023-03-22T13:43:51","modified_gmt":"2023-03-22T17:43:51","slug":"devastation-to-restoration-communities-for-healthy-forests","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forests.org\/fr\/devastation-to-restoration-communities-for-healthy-forests\/","title":{"rendered":"Devastation to Restoration: Communities for Healthy Forests Transforms Post\u00ad\u2010Fire Rehabilitation into Learning Experience for Students"},"content":{"rendered":"

Roseburg, OR<\/strong> \u2013 Today, Communities for Healthy Forests, Inc. (CHF), with support from the Sustainable Forestry Initiative Inc. (SFI), celebrated its second year of restoration on lands devastated by the Douglas Complex wildfire. An educational tree\u00ad\u2010planting field trip for 100 local fifth graders marked the anniversary.<\/p>\n

\u201cCommunities for Healthy Forests is going beyond forest restoration by building a community around the practice of sustainable forestry\u201d said Kathy Abusow, President and CEO of SFI Inc. \u201cToday\u2019s tree planting not only ensures healthy future forests, but also an engaged next generation of community leaders by taking kids out of the classroom and into the woods.\u201d<\/p>\n

Last spring, CHF launched a three\u00ad\u2010year restoration and education campaign, through support from the SFI Conservation and Community Partnership Grant program, to respond to the July 2013 Douglas Complex wildfires. These fires gripped the State of Oregon, threatening homes, and forcing evacuations and road closures.<\/p>\n

While firefighters successfully defended homes, lingering smoke following the wildfire posed a health risk. The Red Cross distributed 20,000 respiration masks to residents of southern Oregon. After only 11 days the Douglas Complex fire had burned 144,688 acres. The environmental impact was catastrophic, sterilizing the landscape and jeopardizing the future of the recreation and timber economy in the region.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven in fifth grade, these students understand how important it is to take action today, replanting the burned forest for the benefit of their grandchildren. In addition to all of the reading, writing and arithmetic, these teachers are doing a great job educating future leaders about sustainability,\u201d said Javier Goirigolzarri, Executive Director of CHF.<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s field trip had twice as many student participants as last year\u2019s spring event and hopes to have doubled the amount of trees planted. In addition to the 100 fifth graders from Fir Grove Elementary and Sunnyslope schools, SFI program participant Swanson Group, Douglas County, the Society of American Foresters<\/a> and Roseburg Forest Products<\/a> partnered with CHF to host the event.<\/p>\n

CHF also established photo\u00ad\u2010monitoring points at planting sites to track restoration progress over time. Throughout the summer, CHF and their partners will conduct educational field tours for community leaders and the public to showcase the importance of active post-\u2010fire forest restoration.<\/p>\n

To learn more about Communities for Healthy Forests, or inquire about future summer field tours please contact: Javier Goirigolzarri, CF, Executive Director, Communities for Healthy Forests at 541\u00ad\u2010957\u20109001.<\/p>\n

For more information visit the SFI Conservation Grant Program<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

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