Strategic Resource Planning

Sustainable Forest Management Planning Activity Area Expectations

FIA will fund activities that support sustainable forest management planning such as the development of objectives or indicators and targets for a management unit or subset (e.g. landscape unit or watershed).

Planning for Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) includes determination of forest management issues and objectives pertinent to the land base. These are assessed from completed resource plans, higher level plans, management unit and watershed level strategies or plans, and consultation with industry, government and scientific representatives who have knowledge of the land base. Recipients may also include public consultation in this phase.

From this research/consultation process – significant data gaps may be found. Surveys or inventories of social and economic factors may be required, which are considered eligible activities under this Activity Area (SFM Planning). Land based inventories may be necessary, which are eligible for FIA funds under the "Resource Inventories" and "Monitoring" Activity Areas of the Information Gathering and Management Component. Data collection is then followed by data analysis, and the development of strategies or plans that define how specific desired results can be obtained. The development of strategies and plans is an eligible activity under the "Developing Management Unit or Watershed Level Strategies Activity Area" of the Strategic Resource Planning Component.

The expectation is this background information can then be translated into a balanced planning document which is specific to the varied requirements of a particular forest area and contains a variety of indicators and targets which define a balanced future forest condition.