Abstract
The United States’ implementation of the Montréal Process indicator of forest fragmentation presents a case study in the development and application of science within a criteria and indicator framework to evaluate forest sustainability. Here, we review the historical evolution and status of the indicator and summarize the latest empirical results. While forest cover fragmentation is increasing, the rate of increase has slowed since 2006. Most of the fragmentation in the western United States is associated with changes in semi-natural land cover (e.g., shrub and grass) while most of the eastern fragmentation is associated with changes in agriculture and developed (including roads) land covers. Research conducted pursuant to indicator implementation exemplifies the role of a criteria and indicator framework in identifying policy-relevant questions and then focusing research on those questions, and subsequent indicator reporting exemplifies the value of a common language and developed set of metrics to help bridge the gaps between science and policy at national and international scales.
Highlights
For nearly three decades, criteria and indicators (C&I) have been used to define forest sustainability and to monitor its change at local to international scales
The objective of this paper is to examine the United States’ implementation of the Montréal Process indicator of forest fragmentation and how it exemplifies the useful features of a C&I framework
The role of the Montréal Process as an impetus for developing policy-relevant lines of forest research is evidenced by institutional support for research that was targeted at improving the forest fragmentation indicator
Summary
Criteria and indicators (C&I) have been used to define forest sustainability and to monitor its change at local to international scales. Structured C&I allow us to move quickly between a general summary of forest conditions as they relate to sustainability on one hand, and focused technical discussion of specific indicators on the other. C&I help to bridge the perennial gap between science and policy in forest management. A C&I framework provides impetus for developing policy-relevant lines of forest research. The emphasis C&I place on concise, replicable measures helps focus research on the development of compact strategies for summarizing complex phenomena for broader public edification
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