Staff on the Entiat Ranger District of the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest in Washington state partnered with researchers to develop a strategy to improve the sustainability of the district’s recreation program. The need to pursue a sustainable recreation strategy came about in response to a series of severe wildfires that damaged recreation infrastructure and altered natural resource conditions. Concurrent to those wildfires was continued limited funding for infrastructure maintenance and recreation management. Researchers worked with Entiat Ranger District staff to develop and implement social and biophysical assessments of recreation interests and recreation resource conditions. The assessments informed a sustainable recreation strategy document that included site-specific and districtwide recommendations. This work was guided by national and regional U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service frameworks for sustainable recreation planning, and we incorporated the concept of resilience. This report describes the development of a sustainable recreation strategy for the Entiat Ranger District, which can serve as an example for other units in developing a sustainable recreation plan at a local level.
One of the greatest challenges for land managers is to maintain a multitude of ecosystem services while reducing hazards posed by wildfires, insect outbreaks, and other disturbances accelerating due to climate change. In response to limited available resources and improved technical abilities, natural resource managers are increasingly using geospatial data to plan and evaluate their management actions. Large amounts of public resources are invested in research and development to improve geospatial datasets, yet there is limited knowledge about the specific data types and data characteristics that clients (e.g. land managers) prefer. Our overall objective was to investigate what geospatial data characteristics are preferred by natural resource professionals to monitor and manage forests and fuels across large landscapes. We performed an online survey and collected supplemental data at a subsequent workshop during the 2020 Operational Lidar Inventory meeting to investigate preferred data use and data characteristics of data users of the Pacific Northwest. Our online survey was completed by 69 respondents represented by managers and natural resource professionals from tribal/state, federal, academic, and industry/consulting entities. We found that metrics related to species composition, total biomass/timber volume, and vegetation height were the most preferred attributes, yet preference differed slightly by employment type. From the workshop we found that metric preferences depend upon which management priorities are central to the management application. There was preference for data with Landsat pixel-level (30 m) spatial resolution, annual temporal resolution, and at regional spatial extents. To maintain viable ecosystem services in the long term, it is important to understand the metrics and their data characteristics that are most useful. We conclude that our study is a useful way to understand (a) how to improve the data utility for the users (clients) and (b) the development and investment needs for the data developers and funders.
Natural area management and sustainability in cities is ever more reliant on civic environmental stewardship. Many conservation organizations sponsor stewardship programs that enlist volunteers to care for the land and restore urban ecosystems. Stewardship program success depends on alignment of individuals’ and sponsoring organizations’ goals. We conducted surveys with a sample of 165 volunteers across natural areas stewardship events in metropolitan King County (Washington, U.S.). An adapted Volunteer Functions Inventory framework was used to understand volunteers’ motivations, satisfactions, and volunteering history. Our findings confirmed the multidimensional dynamics of volunteerism, as stewardship volunteers were motivated and expressed satisfaction for practical altruism, social interactions, experiential learning and a sense of positive impact. High frequency volunteers expressed higher values across all satisfactions outcomes. People who participated in stewardship events closer to home indicated higher event-related social esteem and personal efficacy. Overall, volunteers were generally of greater education attainment, more affluent, and culturally identified as white at a higher rate than the region’s populace, suggesting the need for program innovations to improve stewardship participation diversity. Findings that differ from more general volunteer studies indicate volunteers’ concerns for other people and the environment, in the near term and as legacy for the future. Stewardship organizations’ programs are guided by goals and values. A systematic approach to knowledge building about volunteer motivations can inform more successful volunteer engagement, such as recruitment and retention.
Wildfire is an influential driver of social and ecological change that calls for adaptive governance on federal lands. We identify supporting and limiting elements of adaptive governance in the context of wildfire management on the Deschutes National Forest (DNF). We use key findings to propose actions and leverage points to increase the US Forest Service’s ability to engage in adaptive governance. Our research suggests that key supporting elements of adaptive governance within the Forest Service are generally found at the local scale. These supportive elements can be tapped to shed national-scale rigidity traps that lock the Forest Service into actions that have had problematic outcomes. The governance framework we used could be helpful in other research that aims to explore supporting and limiting elements of adaptive governance and identify high leverage points for change.
Social media platforms represent a potentially cost-effective solution to obtaining stated preference data. We use data from a representative sample and a sample of convenience to investigate how willingness to pay (WTP) for increased cultural (recreational) use of an ecologically unique site differs across the two groups. We find mixed evidence of differences in WTP estimates between the two samples depending on the survey attribute. Where differences exist, the most effective selection correction mechanism is the ordered probit with weights. Our results suggest caution about extrapolating results to the general population from samples of conveniences without correcting for sample selection.
Research suggests that social cohesion partially mediates the health benefits of being exposed to the natural environment. However, past studies have relied on self-reported measures of social cohesion that have well documented limitations. Therefore, we evaluate the impact of tree planting on social cohesion using voter turnout data as an objective metric of social cohesion. Our study area is the 141 Census tracts in Multnomah County, Oregon that fall within (>50% area) the City of Portland. We used biennial primary and general-election turnout data from 2002 to 2020, and tree-planting data from the Portland based non-profit Friends of Trees. We estimated mixed models of voter turnout including tract-level random effects and controlling for socioeconomic status. Voter turnout and tree planting may be codetermined, so lagged tree-planting variables were used in all regression models. We found that each tree planted 10–11 years before an election was associated with a 0.020% (95% CI: 0.013–0.027) increase in general election turnout and a 0.016% (95% CI: 0.0089–0.023) increase in primary turnout. As the length of the planting lag decreased, the association between tree planting and voter turnout, in both primary and general elections, declined in significance and magnitude. Our results add to the body of evidence suggesting that social cohesion partially mediates the health benefits of exposure to the natural environment.
The Great American Outdoors Act (AGOA) fully and permanently funds the Land and Water Conservation Fund for the first time since it was created in 1964. This is a boon for purchasing conservation lands, but equally important, the act provides funding to address massive federal agency recreation infrastructure backlogs. The last major overhaul of the U.S. parks and outdoor recreation system was over 50 years ago, during the era of Mission 66 and related programs. Since that time, a host of environmental and societal changes necessitates new approaches for updating conservation and recreation opportunities. In addition to acquiring critical park and conservation lands, and developing and updating facilities, new park and recreation goals include increasing public use and visitor diversity and advancing environmental justice, public health, and large-scale conservation goals. Integrated systems analyses are needed to address these diverse concerns across landscapes, regions, and jurisdictions, and new interagency and interdisciplinary approaches will be needed. This is a bureaucratic crossroads: for the first time in decades we can truly advance public access, human health, and social equity values of public lands; the GAOA is a critical process step toward, but not the culmination of, this goal.
Recreation opportunities exist as a system at multiple scales. They are offered by a variety of public and private recreation providers sometimes with different objectives. Incremental and disparate planning across providers can lead to mismatched supply and demand, inefficient use of resources, and difficulty responding to emerging trends. Furthermore, traditional recreation supply and demand studies haven’t systematically integrated many recreation land management benefits including biodiversity and wildlife conservation, ecosystem services, human health, and environmental justice. Historically, the supply of outdoor recreation and conservation lands was assembled by different governmental and tribal agencies, non-governmental organizations, or private organizations with little systematic coordination. The USGS Protected Area Database (PAD-US) has emerged as a model for coordinated inventories of public lands. This program has developed a standardized data set with consistent protocols and methodologies for data collection to ensure consistency of inputs and future updates. Demand assessments are currently conducted by federal and state governmental agencies, industry associations, and universities. These studies are independently conducted, rarely comparable, and largely inconsistent across scales and locations. Initiated in 1960, what became the National Survey of Recreation and the Environment (NSRE) collected consistent public recreation demand data for state and national level analysis. Many recreation planners used these data until it was discontinued in 2014. While there has been coordination and standardization of recreation supply data collection, no similar actions have occurred for demand. Following the PAD-US supply-side model, we identify opportunities to coordinate and standardize the collection of recreation demand data to be useful for all agencies, across ownerships, and scales. A publicly available national recreation demand database with standardized protocols and methodologies could serve as a comprehensive and authoritative inventory of recreation demand. A new integrated and holistic NSRE and new standardized baseline demand portion of all Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plans could recurrently contribute to the national database. A holistic systems approach could help to link local recreation supply and demand opportunities, frame recreation access and participation with health and equity data, and gauge supply and demand for wildlife and biodiversity conservation and other ecosystem services on recreation lands.
The percentage of American adults who are obese has more than doubled in 30 years, inciting warnings of an obesity epidemic. The dramatic increase in rates of obesity and inactivity raises critical health concerns, many of which can be mitigated by physical activity.
Mission
We explore the interactions of humans with natural resources in order to inform policy and improve management of forests and rangelands.
Our Value
We create knowledge of the effectiveness, efficiency, and fairness of government policies, management, decision making processes, and programs. We help policymakers, managers, and the public understand the variety of available options and the ways people interact with and manage natural resources.
Our Focus
Improve knowledge of fundamental social and economic processes and their interactions with the natural environment
Examine roles of policies, programs, and other institutions in interactions between people and natural resources
Describe and analyze the implications of changing demographics, socioeconomics, and technology on natural resources and their management
Describe the capacity of dynamic landscapes to provide for evolving human wants and needs
Conduct and use integrated multidisciplinary research to support development of management approaches that account for interactions among socioeconomic, ecological, and physical factors
Our Expertise
Agricultural Economics
Atmospheric Science
Biological Conservation
Ecological Modeling
Environmental Policy
Tourism
Wood
How We Work
Our researchers work from Alaska, Washington, and Oregon to improve understanding of the effectiveness, efficiency, and fairness of government policies, management, decision-making processes, and programs. We examine how socioeconomic factors (such as income, population, technology) and social characteristics (such as traditions and beliefs) influence perceptions and values, with a focus on their resulting impacts on recreation, forest and range management, and economic opportunities in rural places.
Oregon has at least 24 collaborative groups engaged with all 11 national forests in the state. As efforts increase to expand policies that encourage collaborative activities statewide; there is a need to better understand them.
Mission
We explore the interactions of humans with natural resources in order to inform policy and improve management of forests and rangelands.
Our Value
We create knowledge of the effectiveness, efficiency, and fairness of government policies, management, decision making processes, and programs. We help policymakers, managers, and the public understand the variety of available options and the ways people interact with and manage natural resources.
Our Focus
Improve knowledge of fundamental social and economic processes and their interactions with the natural environment
Examine roles of policies, programs, and other institutions in interactions between people and natural resources
Describe and analyze the implications of changing demographics, socioeconomics, and technology on natural resources and their management
Describe the capacity of dynamic landscapes to provide for evolving human wants and needs
Conduct and use integrated multidisciplinary research to support development of management approaches that account for interactions among socioeconomic, ecological, and physical factors
Our Expertise
Agricultural Economics
Atmospheric Science
Biological Conservation
Ecological Modeling
Environmental Policy
Tourism
Wood
How We Work
Our researchers work from Alaska, Washington, and Oregon to improve understanding of the effectiveness, efficiency, and fairness of government policies, management, decision-making processes, and programs. We examine how socioeconomic factors (such as income, population, technology) and social characteristics (such as traditions and beliefs) influence perceptions and values, with a focus on their resulting impacts on recreation, forest and range management, and economic opportunities in rural places.
With little access to natural gas; many rural Alaskans depend on fuel oil to meet their heating needs. Alaska is the highest per-capita consumer of petroleum in the country; which makes Alaskans particularly vulnerable to high oil prices; price spikes; and delivery interruptions.
Mission
We explore the interactions of humans with natural resources in order to inform policy and improve management of forests and rangelands.
Our Value
We create knowledge of the effectiveness, efficiency, and fairness of government policies, management, decision making processes, and programs. We help policymakers, managers, and the public understand the variety of available options and the ways people interact with and manage natural resources.
Our Focus
Improve knowledge of fundamental social and economic processes and their interactions with the natural environment
Examine roles of policies, programs, and other institutions in interactions between people and natural resources
Describe and analyze the implications of changing demographics, socioeconomics, and technology on natural resources and their management
Describe the capacity of dynamic landscapes to provide for evolving human wants and needs
Conduct and use integrated multidisciplinary research to support development of management approaches that account for interactions among socioeconomic, ecological, and physical factors
Our Expertise
Agricultural Economics
Atmospheric Science
Biological Conservation
Ecological Modeling
Environmental Policy
Tourism
Wood
How We Work
Our researchers work from Alaska, Washington, and Oregon to improve understanding of the effectiveness, efficiency, and fairness of government policies, management, decision-making processes, and programs. We examine how socioeconomic factors (such as income, population, technology) and social characteristics (such as traditions and beliefs) influence perceptions and values, with a focus on their resulting impacts on recreation, forest and range management, and economic opportunities in rural places.
Burning a wood-coal mix to fuel power plants; rather than 100-percent coal; is one way to use woody residues and reduce fire risk if the woody residues come from fuel-reduction activities.
Mission
We explore the interactions of humans with natural resources in order to inform policy and improve management of forests and rangelands.
Our Value
We create knowledge of the effectiveness, efficiency, and fairness of government policies, management, decision making processes, and programs. We help policymakers, managers, and the public understand the variety of available options and the ways people interact with and manage natural resources.
Our Focus
Improve knowledge of fundamental social and economic processes and their interactions with the natural environment
Examine roles of policies, programs, and other institutions in interactions between people and natural resources
Describe and analyze the implications of changing demographics, socioeconomics, and technology on natural resources and their management
Describe the capacity of dynamic landscapes to provide for evolving human wants and needs
Conduct and use integrated multidisciplinary research to support development of management approaches that account for interactions among socioeconomic, ecological, and physical factors
Our Expertise
Agricultural Economics
Atmospheric Science
Biological Conservation
Ecological Modeling
Environmental Policy
Tourism
Wood
How We Work
Our researchers work from Alaska, Washington, and Oregon to improve understanding of the effectiveness, efficiency, and fairness of government policies, management, decision-making processes, and programs. We examine how socioeconomic factors (such as income, population, technology) and social characteristics (such as traditions and beliefs) influence perceptions and values, with a focus on their resulting impacts on recreation, forest and range management, and economic opportunities in rural places.
