1. One Size Does Not Fit All BUT … Inventory Needs, Purposes and Applications of the National Forests FIA User Group Meeting March 7, 2012 Baltimore, MD

2. Huffington Post Carbon Canopy: A Model for Solving Problems by Protecting Rather Than Destroying Our Natural Resources By Robert J. Cabin, Professor of ecology and environmental science, Brevard College Posted: 03/ 1/2012 6:25 pm http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-j-cabin/carbon- canopy_b_1284470.html

3. Forest Cover Loss “… At present, however, Carbon Canopy is focusing their efforts on the carbon services provided by forests in the Southern U.S. This is because although this region is home to the most biologically diverse forests in North America, it is also home to the world's most extensive industrial logging operations. In fact, although the Southern U.S. contains only 2 percent of the earth's forests, it supplies 20 percent of the world's wood and paper products and is the main reason why the U.S. has the highest percentage of forest cover loss on the planet.”

5. Forest Service Issues Expanding Expectations – Water and Wood – Multiple Uses – Ecosystem Restoration ? Climate and Carbon Limited and Shrinking Budgets Anticipating Major Workforce Changes – “Retirement Tsunami” – Widely distributed reductions

6. Expectations - Inventory and Monitoring Forest Conditions and Trends to Identify Management Needs – Long Range and Local Immediate Assessing and Monitoring Sustainability – Forests, Productivity, Habitats, Ecosystems, Species, Communities, Uses, Values Identifying Risks and Impacts of Forest Threats Responsive to the Issues-of-the-Day

7. Many Forest Service I&M Programs Because One Size Does Not Fit All Needs Hand full of National Programs Huge number of Individual National Forest Programs – Most consistency has developed through corporate databases Limited number of Regional Programs SHOULD WE TRY FOR MORE CONSISTENCY IN I&M PROGRAMS?

8. Regional Systems Different approaches Different funding priorities Different staffing

9. Region 5 - California Conducted by the R5 Remote Sensing Lab Mid-scale existing vegetation GIS maps Land use, land cover and vegetation structure change Augmented FIA with plots on all vegetation types

10. Region 6 – Washington and Oregon Numerous interagency and local level approaches LiDAR consortia serve many I&M needs Northwest Forest Plan Monitoring, Late- Successional & Old Growth Mapping and Reporting Current Vegetation Survey (CVS) transitioned to FIA + intensification between 2001 - 2011

11. Region 1 – Montana and Idaho Multilevel Vegetation Classification, Mapping, and Inventory (R1-CMI) 1. FIA – broad level 2. Landscape level intensifications 3. Stand Exams *All Condition Inventory *Post-Fire Remeasurement

12. Region 3 – Arizona and New Mexico Mid-Scale Vegetation Mapping Program Mapped three forests per year over four year period – 2004-2007 Involved active participation of selected knowledgeable forest staff members in the mapping effort

13. Regions 8 and 9 – Eastern US Initiated Joint Vegetation Inventory and Monitoring Program in 2008 FIA + Intensifications for Broad level needs Additional landscape level intensifications are being done on a very limited basis Working on classifications and mapping standards One Analyst is dedicated to support the 22 eastern national forests

14. Challenges and Needs Non-forest and Non-tree data Data management Follow-through and Continuity for long term monitoring Learning together from varied experiences Skills and staffing needs are beyond capabilities of individual forests (and sometimes regions)

15. Opportunities Changes are coming – we can determine how these changes will affect us – good or bad. Expanding Expectations are coming from cultural shifts that affect resource management overall, not just public land management. Information resources are abundant and growing – we control how vital our information base is in the public view and among professionals of many disciplines.

16. Helena Independent Record Common ground in forest project worth defending By Keith Olson and Tom France, Your Turn Posted: Tuesday, March 6, 2012 12:00 am http://helenair.com/news/opinion/common- ground-in-forest-project-worth- defending/article_16ae89ec-675c-11e1-830b- 0019bb2963f4.html

17. Behind Every Good Project … The lawsuit over the Colt Summit Restoration and Fuels Reduction Project near Seeley Lake has an unfamiliar twist: Those conservation groups, timber interests and government foresters? Those one-time adversaries? They’re all are on the same side. They are united in defense of a project that will improve habitat for wildlife and fish, reduce fire danger, bolster a local economy and help create a healthier forest for future generations.