Using the Criteria and Indicators in the US

Roundtable participants want to stay informed about how the MP C&I are being used in the United States as a common framework for sustainable forest management.  What it means to use the MP C&I as a framework is perhaps best revealed through experiences. 

Examples of using the MP C&I as a framework for broadening and deepening commitments to sustainability at national and sub-national scales are highlighted in the draft National Report on Sustainable Forests—2010 (http://www.fs.fed.us/research/sustain/2010SustainabilityReport).  Additional insights about some examples in the report as well as others follow using a standardized format for information sharing purposes. 

Roundtable participants and other forest practitioners are invited to submit new examples or updates to existing ones already listed.  The procedure for doing so follows the examples. 

List of Examples

National Scale:

• Sustainable Forests Partnership [PDF 79k] – The university-based Sustainable Forests Partnership is developing state-specific educational materials for private forest landowners using the National Association of State Foresters’ Stewardship Handbook and the Montreal Process Criteria & Indicators framework.

Multi-State Regional Scale:

• Forest Service Northeastern Area State & Private Forestry [PDF 73k] – US Forest Service and 20 States in Northeast/Midwest are in the process of deploying an indicator system for measuring forest sustainability.
• Great Lakes Forest Alliance [PDF 60k] – Great Lakes Forest Alliance helps lay strong foundation for assessing sustainable forest management across state and country borders.

Statewide Scale:

• Cornell University Webinars on Forest Sustainability [PDF 209k] – A webinar series was developed to assist forest landowners and forestry professionals foster an enhanced understanding of sustainable forestry concepts and practices; and how they might be applied in forest management planning and decision-making.
• Maryland Department of Natural Resources [PDF 107k] – Maryland's Strategic Forest Lands Assessment provides information and GIS tools to identify strategic forests and support strategic land management planning and land use decisions needed to protect forests and the State’s green infrastructure.
• Oregon Department of Forestry [PDF 59k] – State of Oregon has adapted the Montreal Process  Criteria to develop forest policies, strategies, and actions as way to talk about all forests in the State and to measure progress.
• Oregon Stewardship Handbook [PDF 222k] – Three supplements to the National Association of State Foresters' 2005 "A Stewardship Handbook for Family Forest Ownerships: A Handbook for Planning, Managing, and Protecting Your Woods, Your Investment, and Your Environment" provide locally relevant information to help Oregon families create a forest stewardship plan that is based on the Montreal Process Criteria & Indicators framework.
• Pennsylvania Stewardship Principles [PDF 204k] – The Pennsylvania State University, as part of the Sustainable Forests Partnership, developed a Pennsylvania-specific stewardship principles brochure and series of articles using the National Association of State Foresters' Stewardship Handbook and the Montreal Process Criteria & Indicators framework.
• Virginia Guidebook for Forest Owners [PDF 257k] – Virginia Tech; Virginia State University, a historically minority-serving institution; Virginia Department of Forestry; and Federal natural resources agencies developed a guidebook to assist forest owners in pursuing sustainable forestry investments and hosted an associated series of discussion-based meetings for underserved audiences across Virginia's Southside Tobacco Region.
• Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources [PDF 87k] – Wisconsin’s Forest Sustainability Framework lays out blueprint for gathering data to assess the sustainability of forests in Wisconsin.

Multi-County Regional Scale (to be added as examples are identified)

Local (including Forest Management Unit and county) Scale:

• Baltimore County, Maryland [PDF 80k] – Baltimore County, through its Forest Sustainability Program, increases understanding, organizes information, sets goals, and takes action to assess forest health, protect forests, strategically reforest, and enhance landowner stewardship.
• Mt. Hood National Forest [PDF 224k] – Mt. Hood National Forest employs a systems approach to sustainability including scientific, policy, operations, and market-based efforts informed by principles of sustainability and Montreal Process Criteria & Indicators.
• Yakama Reservation Forest [PDF 229k] – Montreal Process Criteria & Indicators inspired the Yakama Nation to assess policies and practices for sustaining cultural resources.

Procedure for Submitting Examples

Sharing examples via the Roundtable’s website is one way to stay informed about activities underway at multiple scales.  The Roundtable’s Communications & Outreach Work Group is using a standardized format, or template, to gather information.

Download this template [DOC 42k] which has been created as a Word document. When completed, e-mail it to Shawn Walker at info@sustainableforests.net.  Please note the examples should be no more than one page in length. 

Each submission will be assigned to a member of the Communications & Outreach Work Group for review and follow-up.  The Work Group member will recommend whether or not the submission is appropriate to post on the Roundtable’s website as an activity using the MP C&I as a framework for advancing sustainable forest management in the United States.