2012 National FIA-User-Group Meeting
Baltimore, Maryland
March 7-8, 2012
Broad Scale Monitoring and Assessment Efforts on Public and Private Lands
Photograph courtesy of NRCS
Tony Tooke, USDA Forest ServiceDirector, Ecosystem Management Coordination
Discussion Outline
Background Current Situation Developing a Strategy for Improvements Collaborative Opportunities and Next Steps
2
System Improvement Effort
The Forest Service is using a collaborative approach to improve broad and national scale inventory, monitoring, and assessment (IM&A) activities across a gradient of landscapes.
The improved system should be integrated, aligned, effective, and efficient in supporting priority business requirements of the Forest Service and partners.
3
IM&A System Improvement: Why Now?
Lack of a comprehensive system for managing IM&A activities
Environmental threats and evolving “business requirements”
Increasing need for collaboration and transparency.
Available resources are not likely to increase.
There is a need to be more proactive in assessing and managing risks and impacts.
4
Desired Condition of the IM&A System
IM&A information, technology and/or processes:– Use the best available science (scientific credibility).– Are accessible and accurate.– Support an all-lands approach.– Are collaborative, transparent, timely, and useful.– Are based on national standards and processes
developed with partners.– Are adaptive and responsive to changing conditions and
business requirements.
5
Broad Scope of the IM&A System
Address priority business requirements such as:– New Planning Rule (broad-scale monitoring)
– Ecosystem / watershed health and sustainability
– Adapting to a changing climate – Climate Change Scorecard
– Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program
– National & broad scale FS and partner assessments
– Sustainable forest management using Montreal Process indicators
6
Monitoring in Proposed Land Management Planning Rule
7
1982 Rule Preferred AlternativeUnit monitoring and evaluation required
Unit and broad scale monitoring required
Some courts said MIS monitoring applied to plans and projects.
Monitoring requirements apply to plan, not projects.
Focuses on measuring actual outputs vs. expected
Requires monitoring of certain ecological and social/economic conditions.
36 CFR Part 219 National Forest System Land Management Planning
Framework in Proposed Land Management Planning Rule
8
Collaboration is required throughout all phases of the framework
Approach Define priority business requirements of the
Forest Service and those shared with partners.
Identify the associated core management questions.
Improve the IM&A system to focus on delivering the information that answers those core management questions.
9
10
.
What we’ve learned We are successfully using collaborative learning
approaches to identify core monitoring questions.
We are encouraged by the degree of common information needs across a diverse range of social, economic, and ecological conditions.
The journey, taken together, is as important as the destination.
11
IM&A System Improvement Strategy The Journey
Where we’ve been and where we are:
Sensing questionnaire and leadership interviews
Roundtable: Internal and external partners
Steering Committee and Core Team
Case Studies
Briefing and feedback sessions
IM&A Strategy
12
Draft IM&A StrategyThree Goals
1. INCLUDE all lands and all partners
2. Provide CREDIBLE information.
3. Effectively RESPOND and ADAPT.
13
IM&A Case Studies
Purpose: To help identify system-wide IM&A improvements, implementation actions, and “early wins.”
Initial Focus Areas: Critical loads of air pollution
Aquatics inventory and monitoring
Vegetation status and trends
Carbon assessment and management
Land management plan (LMP) broad-scale monitoring 14
Working with Partnersand Stakeholders
Photos courtesy of NRCS and the Alliance of Aquatic Resource
Monitoring, Dickinson College 15
Next Steps IM&A Strategy review and refinement Implementation Actions
– High priority– Early wins
Measuring progress
16
Collaboration with partners will continue as we move through implementation
Questions
17