Escaping the National Forest Planning Quagmire: Using Public Participation GIS to Assess Acceptable National Forest Use

Abstract

The appropriate role of the in the planning and management of national forests in the United States is both statutorily vague and socially dynamic. Should forest management be consistent with public values and preferences for these lands? And, how should be defined and evaluated? In 2012, a public participation geographic information systems (PPGIS) study was completed for the Chugach National Forest (CNF) in Alaska (United States) that measured public values and preferences to assist future forest plan revision. Place-based public preferences were assessed for consistency with existing CNF national forest plan (2002) prescriptions and to identify areas of potential conflict over forest management direction. Public use preferences were largely consistent with forest plan prescriptions but with some exceptions. Larger-scale analysis of PPGIS preference data provides more detailed information about potential forest conflict and indicates that large-area forest management prescriptions may be too general to guide place-specific forest planning needs. We discuss the use of PPGIS methods for future forest plans, given the release of a new regulatory planning rule for the USDA Forest Service in 2012.