| The U.S. Forest Service adopted ecosystem management as its official forest management approach in 1992, and required that ecosystem management be incorporated into all forest management plans. This study uses content analysis to analyze the U.S. Forest Service's forest plans to determine the extent to which ecosystem management is reflected in forest plans. Forest plans are compared to identify regional and other differences, and to identify relationships between ecosystem management levels and other variables. The study shows that the Forest Service has incorporated many ecosystem management aspects into its forest management plans, although this is inconsistent throughout the Forest Service and even throughout the forest plans themselves. The data show a general historical trend reflecting increasing levels of inclusion of ecosystem management in forest plans. Adoption or rejection of ecosystem management follows very few consistent patterns except that newer plans are more likely to reflect higher ecosystem management levels than older plans, and forests with higher timber sales revenues reflect lower ecosystem management levels. In the broadest sense, this study looks at paradigm change in environmental policy and natural resources management, analyzing the extent to which a new way of environmental thinking is adopted, and also the patterns of integration into policy planning. If adopted, ecosystem management is a promising tool for enhancing environmental democracy. |
