Evaluation of the Use of Scientific Information in Developing the 1997 Forest Plan for the Tongass National Forest.

摘要

The Tongass National Forest is the largest remaining relatively unaltered coastal temperate rain forest in the world. The Forest consists of 16.9 million acres of land distributed across more that 22,000 islands and a narrow strip of mainland in southeast Alaska. The Forest contains abundant timber, wildlife, fisheries, mineral, and scenic resources. The authors participated as scientists on the Tongass Land Management Planning Team from 1995 to 1997. We joined the planning team as full members but maintained separate and distinct roles from National Forest System members. We were asked to assure that credible, value-neutral, scientific information was developed independently without reference to management decisions. We also displayed the likely levels of risk to resources and society associated with various management options.