State & Private Forestry in Hawai’i & the U.S. Affiliated Pacific Islands
The USDA Forest Service collaborates with American Samoa, Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, Hawaiʻi , Marshall Islands, Northern Mariana Islands and Palau to conserve forests. Find out more about our current work:
Pacific Islands Workforce Analysis Project
This project is a Forest Service collaboration with our partners Forest Solutions, Inc., the University of Guam, and Micronesia Conservation Trust. The goal of the project was to assess the natural resource management workforce of the Pacific Islands, including those working in forestry, conservation, agriculture, biosecurity, and related fields.
Through the project’s Developing a Curriculum (DACUM) process, over 50 professionals across the region participated in workshops to discuss and define the real-world duties, skills, knowledge, and competencies of their natural resource positions.
The findings offer a shared understanding of current workforce conditions and a practical starting point for coordinated action. With this completed analysis, local governments, nonprofit organizations, and partner agencies like the Forest Service are better equipped to support both the natural resources and the people who manage them across the Pacific Islands.
Explore the reports and toolkit below to learn more.
DACUM Phase I Synthesis Report
This report summarizes the infrastructure assessment and occupational analysis. This provided the project's foundational background before DACUM workshop implementation.
Final DACUM Summary Report
DACUM-Informed Workforce Development Framework for Pacific Islands Natural Resource Management
This report provides a detailed summary of the DACUM workshop methodology, findings, and the full Workforce Development Framework. It outlines the eight core duties, competency domains, professional development modules, and the broader regional workforce readiness model.
Partner-Ready Toolkit
Pacific Islands Natural Resource Workforce Development Toolkit
This toolkit translates the framework into ready-to-use tools. It includes career navigation and early-career readiness guidance, onboarding checklists, performance expectations matrices, a knowledge-transfer planning guide, and proposed professional development modules, including curriculum examples.