FOREST MANAGEMENT PLANNING ON PRIVATE LANDS: A CASE STUDY OF THE SPATIAL ANALYSIS PROJECT IN THE NORTH CENTRAL UNITED STATES

摘要

In 2004, the US Forest Service launched the Spatial Analysis Project (SAP) to determine whether lands enrolled in the Forest Stewardship Program meet state stewardship objectives. Within each state, SAP used an aggregate analysis to categories all land available for the FSP as - low, medium, or high stewardship potential. We characterized differences in land classified by the SAP in the study area, and determined if states have been effectively enrolling lands in the high category. Results indicate that while states are enrolling high stewardship potential lands (p<0.0001), prioritising among forest lands is difficult because nearly all of it is classified as high or medium stewardship potential. We suggest prioritising forested areas using ranking criteria that are more closely associated with state forestry priorities, a strategy that could be adapted to increase the impact of limited public forest stewardship resources outside of the region as well.