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Abstract
As part of the Integrated Landscape Assessment Project, we developed a methodology for managers to include potential community benefits when considering forest management treatments. To do this, we created a watershed impact score that scores each watershed (potential source of wood material) with respect to the communities that are likely to benefit from increased wood supply. The communities we consider are census county subdivisions that correspond to all rural places in four states (Arizona, New Mexico, Oregon, and Washington). Incorporated into the watershed impact score are indices of community characteristics that may be of concern (indicators of socioeconomic well-being, business capacity, and effects of forest policies) and potential biomass supply. A gravity index combined the watershed-level biomass supply with the community-level information and weighted it by the distance between watershed and community, producing an impact score that indicated the potential of each watershed to supply material to communities. Our process allows managers to consider the potential for community benefits when choosing where on the landscape to act.
Parent Publication
Keywords
Landscapes,
state-and-transition modeling,
vegetation mapping,
fuels,
wildfire hazard,
treatment costs,
biomass,
wildlife habitat,
decision support,
climate change,
watersheds,
community economics,
all ownerships,
geographic information systems,
landscape assessment
Citation
Crandall, Mindy S.; Harrison, Jane L.; Montgomery, Claire A. 2014. Chapter 6: Incorporating rural community characteristics into forest management decisions. In: Halofsky, Jessica E.; Creutzburg, Megan K.; Hemstrom, Miles A., eds. 2014. Integrating social, economic, and ecological values across large landscapes. Gen.Tech. Rep. PNW-GTR-896. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station: 147- 174.
