Directives

Social, Cultural, and Economic Conditions

Forest Service information resources include:

1. Economic Profile System - Human Dimensions Toolkit for general condition and trend data on employment, income, demography, and so on for counties, regions, or States. Free software created under a contract and owned by the Service is available at Headwaters Economics: EPS-HDT: SOCIOECONOMIC PROFILES. Forest Service employees may access the software on the Forest Service intranet on the Ecosystem Management Coordination (EMC) EPS-HDT web page (http://fsweb.wo.fs.fed.us/em/HD/eps_hdt.htm).
2. Resources Planning Act assessment data and reports.
3. National Report on Sustainable Forests.
4. IMPLAN (IMpact analysis for PLANning) to identify economic and social conditions (including jobs and income) affected by contributions of the plan area such as grazing, recreation, timber, and restoration.
5. Other social science or economic analysis from local research stations.
6. Information on specific uses of the plan area described elsewhere within section 14 of this Handbook such as information specific to the timber and recreation programs
   (sec. 13.3 and 13.4, respectively).

External information resources include:

1. Reports produced or data evaluated by collaborative partners or special use permittees.
2. Local governments or non-governmental organizations for reports on social and economic relationships between plan-area management and local communities.
3. Federal agency, state, county, or community economic assessments and reports.
4. Plans and associated documents of local counties and communities.
5. University publications or other similar academic studies.
6. Indian Tribes, inter-tribal organizations, or Alaska Native Corporations for information on social, economic, and cultural conditions, local land use, and forest-tribal relations.
7. Relevant analysis or information offered for consideration by the public about social, economic, and cultural conditions.

Range

Forest Service information resources include:

1. NRM database system.
1. IWEB (within Infra) for summary, monitoring, and riparian condition data as well as role of plan area in context or broader landscape.
2. Rangeland Inventory and Monitoring.
2. Assessment reports, either broadscale or finescale, that evaluate range conditions.
3. Monitoring information about range conditions or management of rangelands.
4. Completed National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) analyses.
5. Summarized information from,
1. 2210 – Range Allotment Management Plan folders, and
2. 2230 – Permit Case File folders.
6. Local research station reports or analysis.

External information resources include:

1. Information describing rangeland and grazing conditions.
2. The conditions and trends in availability and balance of seasonal grazing on private and public lands and its social and economic role.
3. Community, county, and State agricultural and ranching economic assessments and reports.
4. Relevant analysis or information offered for consideration by the public about range conditions or management of grazing.

Timber

Forest Service information resources include:

1. Forest inventory data.
2. GIS data on forest cover type, forest health, fuels, or fire activity.
3. Forest Management Forest Products reports.
4. Watershed analyses or broad-scale assessments or data from the Watershed Condition Framework or Terrestrial Condition Framework.
5. Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Act proposals or data.
6. Forest health data such as insect and disease hazard maps.
7. The assessment of ecological conditions as described in sections 12.1 through 12.15c.
8. NRM, including Timber Information Manager for stewardship contracts and special forest product permits, special uses, grants and agreements, FS Veg, and FS Veg Spatial.
9. Research station reports on topics such as historical and current forest condition, forest resistance and resilience, restoration priorities, inventory and requirements of local sawmills, or forest health conditions.

External information resources include:

1. State or private reports on timber market and harvest trends on public or private lands near the plan area.
2. Reports on restoration opportunity, capacity, or obstacles.
3. State forestry reports or data on forest health.
4. Data on mill capacity and balance of supply to mills from private and public lands.
5. Relevant analysis or information offered for consideration by the public about forests or timber production.

Watersheds

Forest Service information resources include:

1. NRM and other data management systems.
1. Water Rights and Uses database.
2. Watershed Condition Classification and Tracking database – indicators, priority selection rationale, and watershed restoration action plans.
3. Infra – Dams, Water Systems, and Wastewater Systems databases.
4. Range database – stockwater.
5. Special Uses Data System – permits involving water withdrawals.
6. National Information for Conservation Education database – project wet, fishing derby.
7. Wildlife, Fish and Rare Plants Management System – National Fishing Day, fishing derby, water fowl hunting.
8. National Visitor Use Monitoring Results – non-motorized water use (rafting, canoeing, swimming, and so forth), motorized water use, and fishing.
9. Groundwater-Dependent Ecosystems: Level I and II Inventory database
2. Designated Municipal Watersheds under FSM 2542.
3. The State and Private Forestry "Forests to Faucets" assessment.
4. Research and Development publications on water use, water withdrawals, visitor use, and so forth.

External information resources include:

1. Recent national water use assessments published by the U.S. Geological Survey every 5 years.
2. Federal agency data on power generation and flood control from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), Bureau of Reclamation (BOR), and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE).
3. State agency data on fishing, hunting, boating, and swimming uses of water bodies.
4. State agency data on water withdrawals from groundwater and surface water.
5. Non-governmental organizations and academic publications on uses of water and recreation activities related to water.
6. Other relevant analysis or information offered for consideration by the public about water resources used or enjoyed by the public.

Fish, Wildlife and Plants

Forest Service information resources include:

1. Natural Resource Manager.
1. National visitor use monitoring.
2. NRM Wildlife Fish and Rare Plants database.
2. Publications from -Research on the use and enjoyment of species on the national forests and grasslands.

External information sources include:

1. National Fish Habitat Action Plan (FWS) and species or habitat-specific assessments or action plans developed by other public agencies.
2. Migratory Bird Data Center (FWS) (https://migbirdapps.fws.gov/mbdc/databases/db_selection.html).
3. Federal fisheries management plans (NOAA-Fisheries) and multi-state coastal fisheries management plans (for example, Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission).
4. ESA-related documents, for example, biological opinions, critical habitat designations, and recovery plans (FWS, NOAA-Fisheries).
5. State Wildlife Action Plans.
6. State Division of Natural Resources (Fish and Game).
7. NatureServe.
8. Reports of organizations focused on the needs of particular species enjoyed by the public (Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Wild Turkey Federation, Trout Unlimited, and State native plant societies).
9. Conservation Success Index.
10. Center for Plant Conservation.
11. USFWS National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife Associated Recreation
12. Other relevant analysis or information offered for consideration by the public about fish, wildlife, and plant resources used or enjoyed by the public.

Recreation and Scenery

Forest Service information resources include:

1. Natural Resource Manager.
1. National visitor use monitoring.
2. Wilderness and wild and scenic rivers.
3. Infra (for information on trails, cultural properties, and recreation sites).
4. Heritage.
2. Recreation Opportunity Spectrum (ROS) Refer to FSM 2310 for more information on the Recreation Opportunity Spectrum.
3. Scenery Management System (SMS) Refer to FSM 2380 and Landscape Aesthetics – A Handbook for Scenery Management (Agriculture Handbook 701) for more information of SMS.
4. Motor vehicle use map and travel management plan.
5. Recreation facility analysis.
6. Travel and tourism reports.
7. Local research station reports or analyses.
8. US National Survey on Recreation and the Environment.
9. Management plans for congressionally designated areas and trails.

External information sources include:

1. State comprehensive outdoor recreation plans.
2. State or county land management planning and strategy documents.
3. National, state and regional surveys on recreation such as the Outdoor Industry Association Participation Survey.
4. Volunteered data from special use permittees.
5. USFWS National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife Associated Recreation.
6. Public, online resources maintained by local, regional or national recreation organizations or recreation communities.
7. Analysis or information offered for consideration by the public about recreation or scenic character.

Renewable and Nonrenewable Energy Resources, Mineral Resources and Geologic Hazards

Forest Service information resources include:

1. Natural Resource Manager databases.
1. Minerals and geology information.
2. Abandoned mine inventories.
3. Locatable minerals information.
4. Mineral materials (salable minerals) information
2. Local analyses including research station reports and analyses.
3. Programmatic or activity-level mineral resource analyses.

External information sources for Renewable and Nonrenewable Energy and Mineral Resources and Geologic Hazards include:

1. U. S. Geological Survey (USGS) reports on mineral presence trends, or hazards.
2. DOE information,
3. BLM data on mineral-related authorizations and rights-of-way.
4. State mineral or geology reports, data or information.5. Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement data (coal and abandoned mine lands)
5. Production and revenue reports from Office of Natural Resources Revenue
6. Permits, monitoring and production reports from state agencies that regulate mining and mineral activity
7. Mining or oil and gas industry information
8. Utility company information on the need for utility corridors
9. Volunteered private reports and data, or
10. Relevant analysis or information offered for consideration by the public about energy and mineral resources.

Infrastructure

Forest Service information resources include:

1. NRM databases such as Infra Engineering, Roads, Bridges, Buildings, Dams, Developed Recreation, Trails, Facilities, and Real Property Management.
2. The travel analysis report developed in support of the travel management rule, Subpart A.
3. Motor vehicle-use maps (products of the Travel Management Rule (36 CFR 212), Subpart B).
4. Unit recreation facility analysis report.
5. Watershed Condition Framework

External information sources include:

1. Non-governmental organization reports on access, proposed utility corridors, facility use, or the condition or sustainability of the infrastructure.
2. Comprehensive plans of Indian Tribes, States, counties or cities or plans of these governments focused on recreation, infrastructure, or transportation.
3. Federal highway plans and projects.
4. Relevant analysis or information offered for consideration by the public about social, economic, and cultural conditions.

Areas of Tribal Importance

External information sources include:

1. Volunteered tribal reports;
2. Traditional ecological knowledge;
3. Relevant scientific analysis or relevant analysis or information offered for consideration by the public about areas of tribal importance; or
4. Tribal Forest Protection Act projects and documents may serve as a source of information for natural resources and areas of tribal importance.
5. Sacred sites
6. Sites associated with national historic trails.

Cultural and Historic Resources

Forest Service information resources include:

1. NRM Heritage database.
2. Heritage Program Plans (described in FSM 2362.3) and Historic Property Plans (FSM 2362.4) developed for the plan area or for individual cultural and historic resources within the plan area. A cultural resources overview is one element of a Heritage Program Plan.
3. Published and unpublished papers, cultural resource survey reports and other information by a local professional archaeologist or historian contracted or employed by the .
4. Historical records, including maps, photographs, drawings, oral history recordings and/or transcripts, hard copy cultural resource site records, and other materials kept on file at local offices.
5. Memorandums of understanding, memorandums of agreements, programmatic agreements, management plans, or other agreement documents with State historic preservation offices or the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation.

External information sources include:

1. State Plans developed by State Historic Preservation Offices for the plan area..
2. Traditional knowledge formal and informal Tribal consultation regarding the plan areas, and existing Tribal consultation documentation..
3. Official Heritage Area Management Plans
4. Local knowledge offered for consideration by the public about cultural and historic resources and uses.
5. Knowledge and information offered for consideration by state and/opr regional professional archaeological or historical organizations, universities, non-profits, tourism boards, and other federal, state or local government agencies.
6. The relevant published documents from refereed journals, books edited volumes and historical societies.

Land Status and Ownership, Use, and Access Patterns

Forest Service information resources include:

1. Infra lands database of NRM;
2. Automated Lands Project (ALP)
3. Lands Status Records System (LSRS)
4. Transportation atlas, records, and analysis;
5. Travel management plans;
6. Motor vehicle use maps;
7. The Economic Profile System-Human Dimensions Toolkit government and land use reports created under a contract and owned by the Service (see Headwaters Economics: EPS-HDT: SOCIOECONOMIC PROFILES);
8. GIS layers of land ownership, status, use or access; and
9. Information from the Resources Planning Act assessment.

External information sources include:

1. Plans, reports, or other information from Indian Tribes, Bureau of Indian Affairs, states, counties, or other local governments on land ownership, status and use, access, or transportation. This may include spatial data or maps maintained by these governments.
2. Relevant analysis or information offered for consideration by the public about land ownership, status and use, access or transportation.