Cow Creek Umpqua and U.S. Forest Service Sign Shared Stewardship Agreement to Protect Forest Health

ROSEBURG, OR. — In a ceremony in the nation’s capital, the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians and the U.S. Forest Service signed a groundbreaking shared stewardship government-to-government agreement to accelerate wildfire mitigation and forest health treatments across 155,000 focus acres of the Umpqua National Forest and Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest. The partnership marks a historic recognition of Tribal sovereignty and an acknowledgment of the Cow Creek Umpqua Tribe’s proven capacity, as first stewards of these lands, to play an active role in strengthening forest resilience in Southern Oregon.

With wildfire continuing to pose the greatest threat to Oregon’s future, the partnership establishes a framework for how the two governments will prioritize and approach ground-level, scalable projects that, with time, will build a more resilient forest to catastrophic wildfire, disease, and insects. Projects will be prioritized based on wildfire risk and the potential for landscape changes to benefit the public, wildlife, and nearby cultural and spiritual sites sacred to the Cow Creek Umpqua.

“For the Cow Creek Umpqua, these forests are not just natural resources to be managed. They are cultural resources, and part of who we are. Since time immemorial, the Cow Creek Umpqua have lived within these forests, have been sustained by them, and stewarded them with care and reverence,” said Carla Keene, Chairman of the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians. “Our ancestors understood what we know today: that healthy forests require active management, cultural knowledge, and a commitment that extends far beyond any one generation. This agreement doesn’t only mark an important moment in our Tribal history, but for anyone in Oregon who wants fewer wildfires, less smoke, and healthier forests.”

Over the last decade, nearly one million acres within the Cow Creek Umpqua’s ancestral lands have burned. Devastating fires threaten not only forests but also communities, water quality, cultural resources, and public health. The agreement enables the Tribe to once again exercise its expertise in forest management to protect cultural lands that its ancestors successfully managed for thousands of years, and to improve the health of Oregon’s forests for the communities in Southern Oregon.

“Shared stewardship is about cross-boundary landscape-scale forest management. The challenges we face, including wildfire risks, forest health, and rural economic stability, are too big,” said U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz. “I’m grateful to the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians for their leadership, stewardship, and friendship. This agreement reflects mutual respect, trust, and shared purpose. I look forward to the tangible results that we can deliver.”

The partnership will develop rolling multi-year plans focusing on landscape-scale fuel reduction, forest health treatments, and watershed protection while safeguarding cultural resources and improving public access for recreation, hunting, and fishing. All projects will undergo the required environmental review under NEPA and other environmental review requirements, cultural resource protections, and all Forest Service policies, with full public notice and comment opportunities.

The Cow Creek Umpqua Tribe has stewarded these forests since time immemorial, developing sophisticated ecological knowledge passed down through generations. Today, the Tribe owns and manages approximately 49,000 acres of land and has a proven record of implementing forest management projects at scale.

In 2025 alone, Tribal Forestry and Cow Creek Tribal Fire Management teams eliminated 900 slash piles across Tribal lands, demonstrating their proven capacity and commitment to proactive forest management. The Cow Creek Umpqua Tribe is currently working with the Forest Service on fuels reduction treatments within the Tiller Ranger District and has at least three co-stewardship projects in active planning within the identified focus area.

The Cow Creek Umpqua Tribe was one of the first Native Tribes in the West to sign a treaty with the United States in September 1853. This new agreement represents a significant recognition by the federal government that the Tribe has the proven track record and capacity to do big things in Southern Oregon’s public forests. The partnership acknowledges that wildfire risk is Oregon’s greatest threat and that Tribes are the strongest partners the federal government could have in managing forests and preventing risk.

For more information on today’s release, please contact Communications Director Lindsay Campman, (541) 529-9159, lcampman@cowcreek-nsn.gov