Outreach for a Forest Restoration Framework: Summary of efforts, successes, and lessons learned during publication and communication of the GTR-373 restoration framework

Abstract

Science communication and delivery seeks to bridge the gap between academic research and practice on the ground, and bring new science into the field to inform how forested lands are managed. Successful scientific outreach, and subsequent integration of new knowledge into land management, is a continuous, iterative process that can serve to improve communication and relationships across agencies and organizations for the long term. When successful, this exchange also informs and improves academic research capacity to better address pertinent management and policy practitioner needs. A key goal of science outreach is to improve outcomes on the ground. During the writing and publication of the forest restoration framework outlined in Rocky Mountain Research Station General Technical Report 373: Principles and Practices for the Restoration of Ponderosa Pine and Dry Mixed-Conifer Forests of the Colorado Front Range (Addington et al., 2018; hereafter GTR-373) a committed team of authors, land managers, and members of collaborative groups formed an outreach team to make sure that the anticipated report was relevant, applicable, and well circulated to on-the-ground forest restoration practitioners. This paper outlines the extensive development, publication, and outreach process that surrounded GTR-373, and presents lessons learned to enhance science communication strategies and outreach for similar publications and landscape restoration frameworks.

Citation

Brown, Hannah L. C.; Clark, Nehalem; Mattor, Kathie. 2021. Outreach for a Forest Restoration Framework: Summary of efforts, successes, and lessons learned during publication and communication of the GTR-373 restoration framework. CFRI-2109. Fort Collins, CO: Colorado State University, Colorado Forest Restoration Institute, Department of Forest and Rangeland Stewardship. 14 p.