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  1. The limits of acceptable change process: modifications and clarifications

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    Author(s): David N. Cole; Stephen F. McCool
    Date: 1997
    Source: In: McCool, Stephen F.; Cole, David N., comps. Proceedings - limits of acceptable change and related planning processes: progress and future directions: from a workshop held at the University of Montana's Lubrecht Experimental Forest. Gen. Tech. Rep. INT-GTR-371. Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station: 61-68
    Publication Series: General Technical Report (GTR)
    Station: Intermountain Forest Experiment Station
    PDF: View PDF  (71 KB)
    Note: This article is part of a larger document. View the larger document

    Description

    Limits of Acceptable Change (LAC) was originally formulated to deal with the issue of recreation carrying capacity in wilderness. Enthusiasm for the process has led to questions about its applicability to a broad range of natural resource issues—both within and outside of protected areas. This paper uses a generic version of the LAC process to identify situations where LAC can usefully be applied and situations where it cannot. LAC’s primary usefulness is in situations where management goals are in conflict, where it is possible to compromise all goals somewhat, and where planners are willing to establish a hierarchy among goals. In addition, it is necessary to write standards for the most important (constraining) goals—standards that are measurable, attainable, and useful for judging the acceptability of future conditions.

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    Citation

    Cole, David N.; McCool, Stephen F. 1997. The limits of acceptable change process: modifications and clarifications. In: McCool, Stephen F.; Cole, David N., comps. Proceedings - limits of acceptable change and related planning processes: progress and future directions: from a workshop held at the University of Montana''s Lubrecht Experimental Forest. Gen. Tech. Rep. INT-GTR-371. Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station: 61-68

    Keywords

    Limits of Acceptable Change (LAC), models, planning, natural resource management

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