funding and opportunities arise. Over the past decade the number of cross boundary projects that tribes have been engaged with has increased. Most cross- boundary projects tended to span multiple years. Unfortunately, in many cases the pandemic impacted the ability to maintain face to face relationships and regular dialogue waned during this time. Why: Shared goals often included promoting forest resiliency, job training and human resource development as well as educational or demonstrational that helped revitalize cultural practices. IFMAT found that tribal council and tribal leadership were supportive of tribes working with partners on landscape level type of restoration projects. The most common motivation tribes mentioned when working with their partners was the goal of preventing fire trespass and
the BIA will continue to expand partnerships and collaboration on RTRL landscapes. The development of additional RTRL collaborative projects—in which tribes collaborate with non-tribal landowners to improve resiliency and reduce wildfire risk to tribal resources—respects tribal sovereignty and enhances tribes’ capabilities to address their priorities off existing reservation lands. RTRL projects also provide opportunities to meet the needs of all partners, including tribal, federal, state, and local entities. In FY 2021, over 20,250 acres were treated that met tribal and collaborator priorities. Similarly, the BIL authorizes the expenditure of up to $10 million by BLM over five years to expand the Tribal Forest Protection Act (TFPA). The TFPA supports tribally proposed stewardship contracting or other projects on Forest Service or BLM lands that are adjacent to tribal lands with the goal of protecting those lands from wildfire risk or other threats. IFMAT found various BIA regions, and tribal lands within them, had commonalities in forested landscape pattern and goals. Furthermore, the predominant forest health related issues were similar within individual BIA regions. At the time of writing this report, the BIA, BLM, and Intertribal Timber Council were beginning discussions that would coordinate ecosystem restoration projects with many different tribal nations. Combined with RTRL projects, this encouragement for shared stewardship across multiple landscapes positions all partners well to use multiple authorities and address wildfire risk across the landscapes adjacent to tribal lands.
other forest-health related concerns from adjacent owners. Additionally, it was commonly noted that the ability to combine tribal timber resources with timber resources from non- trust lands helped support collaborative efforts, workforce development and regional forest restoration infrastructure (e.g., roads, trucking, mills, and power facilities etc.). How: There are several legal authorities that discuss or promote shared stewardship and landscape scale forestry projects. These include but are not limited to the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program (CFLRP), Good Neighbor Authority (GNA), the Tribal Forest Protection Act of 2004, 638, the Reserved Treaty Rights Land (RTRL) program as well as biomass demonstration projects. Through Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) funding,
In northwest New Mexico the Pueblo of Acoma reservation shares a northern boundary with the USDA Forest Service Cibola National Forest. They have partnered together on several woodland projects to restore native grasslands and improve forage for big game species and livestock that support tribal enterprises. PHOTO CREDIT: SERRA HOAGLAND
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