What is F2F?

The U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities, Inc. awarded the Virginia Department of Forestry (VDOF) a $400,000 grant to specifically study the link between urban water consumers and rural landowners. The program will provide funds to landowners to improve water-resources related stewardship practices. To provide program support, Conserv has been awarded a 3 year contract from VDOF to provide services for this groundbreaking initiative.

The pilot project will study the link between rural landowners’ financial interests and their forestland management practices in the South Fork Rivanna River (SFRR) Reservoir watershed to municipal water consumers in the City of Charlottesville and the Urban Areas of Albemarle County. The intent of the initiative is to examine the long-term costs and benefits of water resource related stewardship practices on the health of the area’s water supply.

The three-year project will create a Forests to Faucets (F2F) Advisory Council comprised of business, environmental, city, and rural area stakeholders from the area. The F2F Council will offer technical and policy support to VDOF and Conserv. A series of applied projects will be completed to compare the costs and benefits of maintenance and enhancement of watershed health through constructed engineering solutions vs. the costs and benefits of natural infrastructure provided by healthy forests.

For more information, click on the F2F Brochure below or contact VDOF forester David Powell at 434-220-9179.

See a Dateline 29 News Story for an overview of the Initiative.

Image courtesy of the University of Virginia Geostat Center.