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Abstract
Since 2008, Sierra Forest Legacy, a nonprofit conservation organization, has increased its participation in the design of projects on national forest lands in the Sierra Nevada. Our interest has been to engage scientists, managers, and other stakeholders in the design of projects that integrate the best available scientific information. Our second interest has been to explore the possibilities for "up-front" collaboration between these parties to bridge disagreements over the scope of natural resource impacts. We have observed, and, in some cases, actively participated in, the application of principles outlined in U.S. Forest Service General Technical Report GTR 220, "An Ecosystem Management Strategy for Sierran Mixed-Conifer Forests," (North et al. 2009) in approximately 12 project-level planning efforts since its 2009 publication. These projects included various levels of collaborative efforts between land managers, scientists, and stakeholders grounded in GTR 220 principles. Previously, questions about "whose science," where to take risks, and with what resources have sometimes been settled in the courtroom. The value of GTR 220 for all groups is its provision of a conceptual model to use as a starting point for fresh dialog after a decade of conflict.
Parent Publication
Citation
Thomas, C. 2012. Chapter 8: Using GTR 220 to build stakeholder collaboration. In: North, Malcolm, ed. 2012. Managing Sierra Nevada forests. Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-GTR-237. Albany, CA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station. pp. 89-93.
