More than the sum of their parts: regional forest assessment tools work better together
The Forest Service and its partners have produced many regional assessments that provide information about conserving habitats, clean water, timber and non-timber resources, and other ecosystem services. Renewed collaboration with National Forests in the Southeast is enabling approaches that pull together information from these many sources to give a full picture of forest landscapes, the threats they face, and how best to conserve the many benefits they provide.
Ecological assessment is a key tool for understanding the role of forests in providing a wide variety of benefits to society. A wide variety of large-scale assessments have been produced by scientists within and beyond the Forest Service. But while many ecosystem services and threats exist in any landscape, assessments are often focused on only one or a few of these. Synthesis can help capture the complexities of whole landscapes while providing clarity to decision-makers when multiple values and management goals are at stake. Further, ecosystem services and the threats they face are experienced in common across land ownerships—stewarding forest lands therefore calls for information about whole landscapes.
The Landscape-Level Integration and Shared Stewardship initiative is a collaborative effort between the Forest Service’s Southern Region and Southern Research Station to enhance the use of best available science in adaptive landscape management. Scientists engaged in this effort are developing tools that integrate existing assessments to aid in large-scale ecosystem management decision-making. These tools will be available not only to National Forests, but also for partners across the Southeast. Preceding efforts include programs like the Landscape Conservation Cooperatives, in which regional partners work together to define values and goals, then integrate information sources to better plan for resource sustainability.
Pictured: A variety of forest management tools are used in Southern landscapes to help achieve a variety of goals. These tools have different impacts, and applying them well depends on rich ecological and societal information. Integrating multiple forest assessment approaches into planning can help in applying the right tools to achieve the best outcomes. USDA Forest Service image.
