*Comment period extended through Dec. 15

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The deadline for reviewing and commenting on the NFS National Monitoring Policy draft directive has been extended to Dec. 15. Please help us share this comment opportunity with those in your communities of practice and others across the agency. Please do not share the draft directive outside the agency. This is an internal agency review period only. We want to validate our work internally first and will then seek review by the Chief’s Office and the Department.

Employees can comment on the proposed policy directive by accessing the Comment Analysis and Response Application comment form (internal website) via the National Monitoring Policy SharePoint site. When commenting, please keep in mind that the directive is a high-level, overarching umbrella policy for FSM zero code. You won’t see how-to guidance in the proposed manual policy. We expect to develop a Forest Service Handbook and/or other technical and support resources to supplement the policy. It would be helpful if, when commenting, you provided specific wording changes to the draft text in addition to broader feedback and, it is most valuable if your comments are unambiguous, clear, and direct.

Why a new NFS monitoring policy?
Monitoring across the NFS could be more coordinated and integrated. We want to promote doing the right monitoring work - in the right places at the right time and for the right reasons. A new monitoring policy in the zero code of Forest Service Manual 2000 (FSM 2040) by fall/winter 2022—followed by supplement resources such as a handbook and implementation guides—will help provide the framework needed.

What does the new policy aim to do?

• Reduce monitoring commitments by eliminating redundancy and prioritizing monitoring with the greatest utility.
• Reduce the burden of monitoring on the field by investing in technology that streamlines data entry, extraction, and reporting and by engaging with R&D and partners.
• Design monitoring that meets needs of decision makers by asking questions that support adaptive management and decision making, connecting our efforts to the broader scale, and defining and coordinating processes to follow when using monitoring data.
• Improve monitoring quality by investing in robust protocols, processes and training.

How will the new policy help employees?
The new policy will help employees get their jobs done and make a difference on the ground by developing integrated monitoring protocols and databases, providing employees with monitoring training, professional development, and mentoring, leveraging our partners and citizen scientists, and using a monitoring prioritization process to streamline and keep monitoring commitments using existing staff and funds.

Where can I learn more about National Forest System monitoring policy?

• Visit the National Forest System monitoring policy SharePoint site (internal link) to learn more about the status of policy development and to leave a comment.
• We are distributing a bulletin through GovDelivery. Please contact Madelyn Dillon to be added to the mailing list.

To date, hundreds of staff and line officers have had opportunity to shape the draft policy through engagement webinars, an online survey and focus groups, with nearly 60 employees from all levels of the agency participating directly in drafting the policy as part of our project team.