Sources of Information for Assessing Social, Cultural and Economic Conditions

This page contains links referred to from Forest Service Handbook FSH 1909.12, Chapter 10 – The Assessment, Section 13.25. Direction for conducting an assessment for a plan, plan revision or plan amendment is contained in that handbook. This page contains links to additional information resources and will be updated periodically.

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.