Summary

In the fall of 2016, the Rangelands Partnership, with the University of Arizona as lead institution, was awarded a grant to review and update the 2012-2016 RREA Strategic Plan. The Steering Committee was composed of regional representatives from rangeland and forestry Extension, as well as librarians and information technology (IT) experts.

The overall goal of this project is to provide RREA with a new strategic plan that will document current and emerging issues faced by private forest and rangeland managers and the actions Extension Programs will undertake to address them. The primary audiences for the project’s tools and resources are Extension directors and Extension educators, specifically those working in the area of forestry and rangeland management on public and private land. This audience was reached during this project period primarily through a national survey to forestry and rangeland Extension professionals. The objective was to understand current and future trends in outreach priorities and activities. 

The Renewable Resources Extension Act (RREA) is administered by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). RREA is unique among the capacity programs at NIFA in that it is a blended program of capacity and competitive funding. The goal of the program is to enhance the sustainability of the nation’s forest and rangeland resources through the development of innovative programs that can be delivered at regional and national scales. These projects maximize the capacity, reach, and impact of the Cooperative Extension System – Extension Forestry and Rangeland Programs and result in Extension programs that span state boundaries in order to share expertise to address common problems. 

• Executive Summary: Strategic Plan 2018-2022
• Policy Makers Summary: Strategic Plan 2018-2022
• Stakeholder Summary: Strategic Plan 2018-2022