Survey the Lessons Learned About Managing Forests for Biodiversity and Sustainability Based on Practical Experiences

Project Overview:

THE GRANT

In June 2002, the National Commission on Science for Sustainable Forestry (NCSSF) awarded the Sustainable Forestry Partnership (SFP) an 18-month, $200,000 grant to identify, characterize, document, evaluate, and report the range of biodiversity indicator strategies now used to manage forest lands in the continental United States.

THE CHALLENGE

A major problem in sustainable forestry in the United States is that current information about the existence, scope, effectiveness, landowner attitudes, successes, and failures of forest biodiversity programs is extensive but scattered. A nationally oriented project is proposed for funding by NCSSF to document lessons learned about managing forest for biodiveristy.

OUR PROJECT

Our research includes four integrated phases to collect, summarize, simulate, and disseminate information on biodiversity programs to forest managers across the continental United States:

Phase I identifies and evaluated components of federal, state, and private programs for biodiversity conservation, at local, state, regional, and national scales, using key informant and regional expert panel data collection strategies;

Phase II develops and summarizes a database that compares findings from operational programs across the continental United States (Phase I) with existing standards for biological diversity defined in forest certification (e.g., FSC, SFI) programs and/or cited in broad-based (Montreal, North American Test) criteria and indicator systems;

Phase III uses landscape-level Geographic Information System (GIS) analyses to assess spatial/temporal changes in species and habitats that result from specific biodiversity management strategies and landowner responses identified in Phasae II; and

Phase IV organizes and presents the database, comparisons, simulations, and findings on forest biodiversity so that land managers, practitioners, regulators, scientists, policymakers, and the general public can readily use them.

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