As human populations increase in size, extent, and diversity, natural resource planners and policymakers must address growing concerns about a wide range of environments.  To make the best decisions – for people and for nature – they need information about how people and natural environments influence each other in rural and urban areas and everywhere in between. That is the focus of the People and Their Environments research unit.

Staffed with social scientists from a wide range of backgrounds, People and Their Environments is one of only a few Forest Service research work units that studies the human component of natural resource stewardship and management. Our expertise ranges across the social science disciplines: economics, psychology, sociology, and related fields like planning and futuring.

We research how people perceive, use, benefit from, steward and value natural environments across the landscape. Our findings help natural resource managers, policymakers, stakeholders, and landowners make informed decisions in planning, designing, and managing places with people in mind.