From paradigm to practice: Public involvement strategies for America's forests

Foresters and forest management have served well the needs of American society beginning in the early 20th Century. However, by the late 1900s, forest management became the focus of intense controversy because of a fundamental shift in social values. Increasingly, Americans preferred to protect rather than use forest resources, and a new forest management paradigm emerged. This paradigm, ecosystem management, affects the entire practice of forestry, to include the role of the public.;The purpose of this dissertation is to describe the purposes and practice of public involvement, focusing most directly on ecosystem management. I hypothesize that ensuring the continuing existence of America's forests, public and private, will depend on a better understanding and implementation of public involvement strategies because (a) the shift from a multiple-use paradigm to ecosystem management requires greater integration of biological information and social values because (b) the probability of developing accepted forest plans will depend on an understanding of public values.;To test this hypothesis three case studies are presented that illustrate different public involvement models, techniques, objectives and lessons learned. Two quality indices are developed to measure initial and long-term success of the three cases. A framework for public involvement is also presented to help forest managers' understand the public involvement process and to assist them in creating successful public involvement strategies.;The results of the case studies support the hypothesis that public involvement is necessary if forest managers hope to gain the public's acceptance of forest practices. Public involvement today includes a more diverse and actively involved public than in the past. No one model fits all management situations. However, public involvement provides managers with the tools and strategies to understand public values, to create positive collaborative planning environments, and to develop management plans based on the integration of both social and natural conditions. For managers, public involvement can serve as a lens that will bring public values into clear focus and increase the probability that agreement about forests can be achieved.