Interior Columbia Basin Ecosystem Management Research Articles

Social Science Constructs in Ecosystem Assessments: Revisiting Community Capacity and Community Resiliency

This article explores the development of sociological constructs in community assessment components of large-scale ecosystem assessments. We compare the conceptual and operational development of the constructs of community capacity and community resiliency used in three community assessments in the western United States: the Forest Ecosystem Management Assessment Team, the Sierra Nevada Ecosystem Project, and the Interior Columbia Basin Ecosystem Management Project. The policy mandates, research goals, and methodologies of the assessments are considered in order to better understand the evolution of these constructs. We compare the constructs and find them similar in concept but slightly different in application. We suggest further conceptual refinement of community capacity and resiliency by distinguishing foundational assets from mobilizing assets. We present several methodological and theoretical challenges that, if overcome, may increase the effectiveness and relevance of community capacity or community resiliency as constructs in social science research and social assessment projects.

Forest Plans and ad hoc scientist groups in the 1990s: Coping with the Forest Service viability clause

The National Forest Management Act (NFMA) of 1976 requires U.S. National Forests to develop Forest Plans every 15 years to guide their actions on the forest. The 1982 NFMA implementation regulations require the Forest Plans to provide for “species viability.” Throughout the 1980s, plans were written to meet this charge. In the Pacific Northwest, many plans were subsequently challenged on their ability to provide for species viability; ad hoc science groups were then commissioned to assess the plans relative to the viability standard. The ad hoc groups universally concluded that the plans provided inadequate species protection, and recommended major management changes based primarily on decreases in timber production. The Northwest Forest Plan and the Interior Columbia Basin Ecosystem Management Plan were both developed, in part, from ad hoc science teams' recommendations. Through interviews and an examination of numerous Forest Plans, we explore how two such divergent outcomes could result from the same set of planning regulations. Four propositions are discussed: (1) The planners and ad hoc science groups characterized risk differently. (2) The ad hoc science groups raised the bar relative to what was needed to ensure protection. (3) The agency was not able to introduce change into its own organization. (4) Changing social values and increased appeals to the court system forced a change in the agency's priorities.

Effects of spatial scale on the perception and assessment of risk of natural disturbance in forested ecosystems: Examples from Northeastern Oregon

The perception and measurement of the risk of natural disturbances often varies depending on the spatial and temporal scales over which information is collected or analyzed. This can lead to conflicting conclusions about severity of current or past disturbances or the risk of future ones. Failure to look across scales also complicates local implementation of policies developed from broad-scale perceptions of risk because perception of risk is relative and depends on context. Methods that help policymakers, managers, and the public look across spatial and temporal scales can improve their understanding of the long-term dynamics of disturbances like wildfire and insect outbreaks. This capability provides a foundation for prioritizing restoration management activities, especially in forest types prone to frequent or severe disturbances. Although techniques for estimating risk over increasingly large spatial scales are becoming more widespread, the connection of risk assessments from broad to fine scales is not well established. We use a synthesis of five existing analyses to illustrate how scale affects the perception and interpretation of risk as information, models, and findings are stepped down from broad scale (interior Columbia basin) to mid scale (parts of a river basins) to fine scale (watersheds). We present results from the Interior Columbia Basin Ecosystem Management Project (ICBEMP) and the Interior Northwest Landscape Analysis System (INLAS) efforts that compare wildfire risk and other resource attributes. Our findings compare action and no-action alternatives to illustrate the use of multiple-scale “step-down” analysis for understanding the relation of broad-scale policy to the feasibility and impact of local management.

Communication in ecosystem management: a case study of cross-disciplinary integration in the assessment phase of the interior Columbia Basin Ecosystem Management Project.

Effective communication is essential to the success of collaborative ecosystem management projects. In this paper, we investigated the dynamics of the Interior Columbia Basin Ecosystem Management Project's (ICBEMP) cross-disciplinary integration process in the assessment phase. Using a case study research design, we captured the rich trail of experience through conducting in-depth interviews and collecting information from internal and public documents, videos, and meetings related to the ICBEMP. Coding and analysis was facilitated by a qualitative analysis software, NVivo. Results include the range of internal perspectives on barriers and facilitators of cross-disciplinary integration in the Science Integration Team (SIT). These are arrayed in terms of discipline-based differences, organizational structures and activities, individual traits of scientists, and previous working relationships. The ICBEMP organization included a team of communication staffs (CT), and the data described the CT as a mixed group in terms of qualifications and educational backgrounds that played a major role in communication with actors external to the ICBEMP organization but a minor one in terms of internal communication. The data indicated that the CT-SIT communication was influenced by characteristics of actors and structures related to organizations and their cultures. We conclude that the ICBEMP members may not have had a sufficient level of shared understanding of central domains, such as the task at hand and ways and timing of information sharing. The paper concludes by suggesting that future ecosystem management assessment teams use qualified communications specialists to design and monitor the development of shared cognition among organization members in order to improve the effectiveness of communication and cross-disciplinary integration.

Broad-scale consequences of land management: Columbia basin example

Integrating management actions to consistently achieve broad ecological and socioeconomic goals is a challenge largely unmet. The presumed or real conflict between these goals establishes a forum for debate. Broad measures are needed to describe tradeoffs, trends in conditions under varying management scenarios, and a transparent science underpinning. The Interior Columbia Basin Ecosystem Management Project in the northwestern United States provides a useful example where scientists, managers, and the public have explored these issues in depth. From a science perspective we conclude that a successful strategy for broad-scale land management will need the ability to do the following: maintain long-term sustainability of resources and ecosystems; maintain socioeconomic resiliency; continually assess results of management activities; manage risks and opportunities through consistent approaches at multiple scales; expand our knowledge base; and adaptively manage for new knowledge and assessments of resource conditions/capabilities.

Estimating ecological integrity in the interior Columbia River basin

The adoption of ecosystem-based management strategies focuses attention on the need for broad scale estimates of ecological conditions; this poses two challenges for the science community: estimating broad scale ecosystem conditions from highly disparate data, often observed at different spatial scales, and interpreting these conditions relative to goals such as sustainability. The Interior Columbia Basin Ecosystem Management Project (ICBEMP), estimated relative composite ecological integrity by clustering conditions among proxy variables representing three component integrity ratings (forestland, rangeland, and aquatic integrity). Composite ecological integrity provides an estimate of relative system condition within the interior Columbia River basin assessment area that is responsive to changes in broad scale land management practices. Broad-scale measures can be used to assess progress toward land management goals or as an aide for managers in selecting or prioritizing areas (watersheds) for treatment. Currently, federal land managers are using estimates of current composite ecological integrity and trends in ecological integrity to prioritize management activities and understand effects of management actions.

Roles of research scientists in natural resource decision-making

The issues surrounding natural resource decision-making in the present day are complex, varied and debated frequently and contentiously by the public. The complexity of the issues poses new challenges for scientists who are being asked to actively engage in this debate. This raises questions about what is credible scientific information and how such information is used in often emotionally or politically laden natural resource management decisions. One result has been an uncomfortable partnership among scientists and natural resource managers. Scientists are being asked to frame their research in ways that maintains scientific independence yet is responsive to management questions, at scales that often challenge existing scientific knowledge and under severe time constraints. Resource decision-makers are challenged to clarify their management goals, to fully understand and use the science, and to explicitly identify the level of acceptable risk. Using the Interior Columbia Basin Ecosystem Management Project as an example, lessons learned from the interaction among scientists and natural resource decision-makers is discussed and propositions for appropriate roles are presented. When properly generated, presented, and accountably used, science facilitates discussion among competing interests by helping to define the range of available choice and focusing discussions on consequences of social choice. By expanding and revealing the range of possible outcomes, scientists increase the likelihood that management decisions are understood and that those decisions can endure.

Evaluating the effects of ecosystem management alternatives on elk, mule deer, and white-tailed deer in the interior Columbia River basin, USA

Elk ( Cervus elaphus), mule deer ( Odocoileus hemionus), and white-tailed deer ( Odocoileus virginianus) are highly valued for their game, aesthetic, and spiritual qualities by sportsman, wildlife enthusiasts, and Native Americans in North America. As part of the Interior Columbia Basin Ecosystem Management Project (ICBEMP) of the US Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management, we: (1) defined key habitat associations of those species that could be used for a broad-scale (58 million hectares) analysis of management practices and (2) determined how three ecosystem management alternatives of a supplemental draft environmental impact statement (SDEIS) might affect the regional distribution of habitat for those species across the Basin over the next 100 years. For the three species, we developed a Bayesian Belief Network model that used available SDEIS datasets to estimate historical, current, and future habitat capability under the management alternatives in each of the 7467 subwatersheds (mean 8000 ha) in the study area. The model quantified “inherent habitat capability” as a function primarily of forage habitat capability, with cover as a minor influence. Forage habitat capability was a function of the percentage area of rangeland and early seral forest community types, and the qualitative influences of livestock overgrazing, wildfire, and prescribed fire. For the current and future periods, an “adjusted habitat capability” was estimated by adjusting inherent habitat capability for the negative effects of poor security from human disturbance. Open road density, cover area, and a terrain relief index were used to estimate the security effect. Habitat capability was reported by 15 ecological regions within the study area as mean subwatershed capability. Under all management alternatives, habitat capability increased about 5% for all three ungulate species over the next 100 years. Limitations of the coarse analysis scale restrict application of the model to large-scale assessments. Lacking regional population data, verification of model output was not feasible at the scale of analysis. However, the model was considered useful for tracking regional changes given the available habitat data and regional-scale objectives of the effort.

Science and ecosystem management in the interior Columbia basin

Significant changes over the past 150 years in aquatic, terrestrial, landscape, and socioeconomic systems have altered biophysical systems in the interior Columbia basin. Changes and conflict in public policy concerns, such as resource use vs. restoration vs. conservation are especially evident in more than 34% of total forest and rangeland in the United States that are federally administered. In the last decade, design and implementation of complex land management strategies has become an issue for public land managers. In turn, the scientific community is often challenged to develop approaches for management of complete ecosystems. This paper discusses the use of science in the assessment and evaluation phases of one large-scale (multi-region) ecosystem management effort on federal lands in the Columbia river basin, the Interior Columbia Basin Ecosystem Management Project (ICBEMP), and briefly describes the evaluations of three alternative management strategies which are detailed by other papers in this issue. This paper contends that understanding the context of land management decisions is essential to defining the veracity or applicability of alternative land management strategies. Evaluating the alternatives is a complicated science process, which requires understanding the effects of each set of direction over both the short and long term, projecting the effects of those directions, making assumptions about pieces not yet developed, and modeling resource change.

Effects of land cover change on streamflow in the interior Columbia River Basin (USA and Canada)

An analysis of the hydrological effects of vegetation changes in the Columbia River basin over the last century was performed using two land cover scenarios. The first was a reconstruction of historical land cover vegetation, c. 1900, as estimated by the federal Interior Columbia Basin Ecosystem Management Project (ICBEMP). The second was current land cover as estimated from remote sensing data for 1990. Simulations were performed using the variable infiltration capacity (VIC) hydrological model, applied at one-quarter degree spatial resolution (approximately 500 km2 grid cell area) using hydrometeorological data for a 10 year period starting in 1979, and the 1900 and current vegetation scenarios. The model represents surface hydrological fluxes and state variables, including snow accumulation and ablation, evapotranspiration, soil moisture and runoff production. Simulated daily hydrographs of naturalized streamflow (reservoir effects removed) were aggregated to monthly totals and compared for nine selected sub-basins. The results show that, hydrologically, the most important vegetation-related change has been a general tendency towards decreased vegetation maturity in the forested areas of the basin. This general trend represents a balance between the effects of logging and fire suppression. In those areas where forest maturity has been reduced as a result of logging, wintertime maximum snow accumulations, and hence snow available for runoff during the spring melt season, have tended to increase, and evapotranspiration has decreased. The reverse has occurred in areas where fire suppression has tended to increase vegetation maturity, although the logging effect appears to dominate for most of the sub-basins evaluated. Predicted streamflow changes were largest in the Mica and Corralin sub-basins in the northern and eastern headwaters region; in the Priest Rapids sub-basin, which drains the east slopes of the Cascade Mountains; and in the Ice Harbor sub-basin, which receives flows primarily from the Salmon and Clearwater Rivers of Idaho and western Montana. For these sub-basins, annual average increases in runoff ranged from 4·2 to 10·7% and decreases in evapotranspiration ranged from 3·1 to 12·1%. In comparison with previous studies of individual, smaller sized watersheds, the modelling approach used in this study provides predictions of hydrological fluxes that are spatially continuous throughout the interior Columbia River basin. It thus provides a broad-scale framework for assessing the vulnerability of watersheds to altered streamflow regimes attributable to changes in land cover that occur over large geographical areas and long time-frames. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Public Comment on the ICBEMP Process

Abstract More than 83,000 citizens and interested parties heeded the Interior Columbia Basin Ecosystem Management Project's call for public comment; the content of their letters has been compiled by analysts not involved in the project itself. For every issue raised there were both proponents and critics. Nevertheless, the ICBEMP scientists will seek to incorporate the information and opinions in the final environmental impact statements due next year.

A Framework for Ecosystem Management in the Interior Columbia Basin

Abstract A framework was developed to set forth the relationship of science to management for the Interior Columbia Basin Ecosystem Management Project. It incorporates a general planning model that has four iterative steps: monitoring, assessment, decisionmaking, and implementation. In this effort we recognized that people are part of ecosystems and that stewardship must resolve the challenge of how to meet multiple demands with finite resources. Science helps decisionmakers choose among options for dynamic systems, but the real challenge is determining whose values will influence land management.

ICBEMP: Social and Economic Systems

Abstract The social and economic assessments conducted for the Interior Columbia Basin Ecosystem Management Project characterized social and economic conditions and trends. The basin has a robust economy that is growing, diversifying, and reducing the importance of traditional resource industries. Even so, there remain many places that are not sharing in this prosperity or easily adapting to the changes to traditional rural lifestyles that growth brings.

Rural Communities in the Interior Columbia Basin: How Resilient Are They?

Abstract An assessment of rural communities in Inland Northwest forests, completed for the Interior Columbia Basin Ecosystem Management Project, reveals that although their populations and economic base are changing, many towns are less dependent on natural resources than their citizens believe. Economic diversification is one measure of resilience to change, and towns whose leaders are preparing for future change have the best chance of expanding opportunities for their residents.