Stewardship Contracting

A flexible approach to implementing natural resource stewardship projects on Federal lands, the use of stewardship end-results contracting is helping to accelerate the pace and scope of forest restoration activities. Congress permanently authorized stewardship contracting authorities through the 2014 Farm Bill, affording the USDA Forest Service (USFS) and USDOI Bureau of Land Management (BLM) a valuable tool to address resource concerns and the needs of communities.
 

For over a decade leading up to permanent authorization the Pinchot Institute has been involved in developing, testing, and establishing federal legislative authority for stewardship contracts and stewardship agreements. From 1999 - 2004, the Pinchot Institute employed a multiparty monitoring and evaluation program to assess the 84 stewardship contracting pilot projects. Since 2005, the Forest Service and BLM have turned to the Pinchot Institute to annually monitor and evaluate the role that local communities and other non-agency stakeholders play in the development and implementation of stewardship contracts and agreements. Annual Programmatic Monitoring and Evaluation reports are available below.
 

For an overview of stewardship contracting see: A Landmark Policy for Restoring Federal Forests: Permanent Authorization of Stewardship Contracting in the Farm Bill
 

• 2017: Stewardship Contracting Case Studies
  • FY 2017 Programmatic Monitoring Report to the USDA Forest Service
  • National Virtual Meeting (YouTube recording of webinar)
     
• 2016: Stewardship Contracting Case Studies
  • 2016 National Virtual Meeting (YouTube recording of webinar)
  • FY 2016 Programmatic Monitoring Report to the USDA Forest Service 
  • Collection of case studies 2014-2016
     
• 2015: Stewardship Contracting Case Studies
  • 2015 National Virtual Meeting (YouTube recording of webinar)
  • FY 2015 Programmatic Monitoring Report to the USDA Forest Service Executive Summary 
  • FY 2015 Programmatic Monitoring Report to the USDA Forest Service
     
• 2014: Stewardship Contracting - A Collaborative Forest Restoration Model
  • 2014 National Virtual Meeting (YouTube recording of webinar)
  • FY 2014 Programmatic Monitoring Report to the USDA Forest Service 
  • FY 2014 Programmatic Monitoring Report to the US Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management
     
• 2013: Improving the Ecological Health of Our Forests and the Economic Health of Forest-Dependent Communities
  • 2013 National Virtual Meeting (Webinar presentation PDF)
  • FY 2013 Programmatic Monitoring Report to the USDA Forest Service 
  • FY 2013 Programmatic Monitoring Report to the US Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management
     
• 2012: The Role of Communities in Stewardship Contracting
  • FY 2012 Programmatic Monitoring Report to the USDA Forest Service 
  • FY 2012 Programmatic Monitoring Report to the US Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management
     
• 2011: Programmatic Monitoring of the Role Local Communities Play in Developing Stewardship Contracts: FY 2011
  • Press Release 
  • FY 2011 Programmatic Monitoring Report to the US Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management 
  • FY 2011 Programmatic Monitoring Report to the USDA Forest Service 

• 2010: Community Involvement in Stewardship Contracting Yields Jobs, Resilient Forests, and Good Government in Rural America  
  • Press Release
  • FY 2010 Programmatic Monitoring Report to the US Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management
  • FY 2010 Programmatic Monitoring Report to the USDA Forest Service 

• 2009: The Role of Communities in Stewardship Contracting: A Programmatic Review of Forest Service Projects: FY 2009 Report to the USDA Forest Service
  • More information on the 2009 analysis 
  • Report to the Forest Service [Download full report] [Download Exec Summary]
  • Report to the Bureau of Land Management [Download full report] [Download Exec Summary]
     
• 2008: Programmatic Monitoring of the Role Local Communities Play in Developing Stewardship Contracts: FY 2008 Report to the USDA Forest Service [Download pdf] 

• 2007: Programmatic Monitoring of the Role Local Communities Play in Developing Stewardship Contracts: FY 2007 Report to the USDA Forest Service [Download pdf]
   
• 2006: Programmatic Monitoring of the Role of Communities in Stewardship Contracting: Final Report to the USDA Forest Service FY2006. Appendix A. Appendix B. [Download pdf] 

 

• 2005: For the FY 2005 report on community involvement in stewardship contracts, visit the Forest Service's FY 05 Implementation Report (the Pinchot Institute's contribution is Chapter 4.) 

• 2004: The Role of Communities in Stewardship Contracting: A Programmatic Review of Forest Service Projects. FY 2004 Report to the USDA Forest Service [Download pdf] 

• Summary (1999-2003): Stewardship Contracting: A Summary of Lessons Learned from the Pilot Experience [Download pdf]