Several communities in Oregon have bought portions of their surrounding forests to more directly manage their natural resources. The “community forest” model has been used to manage for wildfire risk, drinking water quality, recreation and more. The Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board recently awarded grants to six cities to protect forests around their drinking water sources. The funding allows them to purchase land, arrange for conservation easements and pay back debt on property they’ve already acquired within their watershed.

We’ll hear more from Ann Vileisis, mayor of Port Orford, which received one of the grants. We’ll also learn about community forests more broadly from Dylan Kruse, president of the conservation nonprofit Sustainable Northwest.