Perceptions of Forest Health among Stakeholders in an Adaptive Management Project in the Sierra Nevada of California

Abstract

Forest health," a term broadly used in US forest management, has been described as a normative term that implies one ecological state is better than another and as a positive goal for forests that stakeholders can rally around. The definitions stakeholders brought to a participatory adaptive management program in central California may be thought of as reflective of mental models shaped by experience and culture. Perceptions of forest health and the potential link to ideas about management were assessed through 42 in-depth interviews of individuals concerned about forests in the study area. Four views of forest health emerged, characterized here as oriented to biodiversity, ecological processes, history, and management. These were not clearly linked to divergent opinions of what participants consider appropriate forest management tools. Definitions were not mutually exclusive or rigid, revealing opportunities for reconciliation and social learning. Working to establish unified ecological goals has been suggested as a first step for collaborative and participatory projects. Longer-term participants tended to espouse the process-oriented view of forest health, perhaps reflecting the development of a hybrid culture of shared meanings, norms, and expectations about team processes fostered through the social learning that is key to adaptive management.

Science synthesis to support socioecological resilience in the Sierra Nevada and southern Cascade Range

“…In addition, discussions of valued services can facilitate stakeholder recognition of benefits they may not be aware of or value . Dialogue with stakeholders also reveals perceptions of what characterizes different attributes of a healthy forest and management actions required to achieve it (Sulak and Huntsinger 2012). Over time, these dialogues may result in shared meanings among participants surrounding forest health, as seen in an adaptive management process in the Sierra Nevada (Sulak and Huntsinger 2012).…”

UC plays a crucial facilitating role in the Sierra Nevada Adaptive Management Project

“…Shared understandings. The development of shared norms and understandings is argued to be key to successful teamwork among participants with divergent perspectives (Sulak and Huntsinger 2012). The goal is to deconstruct polarizing issues (Arnold et al 2012) and create a hybrid culture with a common language (Sulak and Huntsinger 2012).…”

“…The development of shared norms and understandings is argued to be key to successful teamwork among participants with divergent perspectives (Sulak and Huntsinger 2012). The goal is to deconstruct polarizing issues (Arnold et al 2012) and create a hybrid culture with a common language (Sulak and Huntsinger 2012). To these ends, well-structured and -organized meetings that respect diverse sources of knowledge are important; they can create an environment conducive to developing such shared understandings (Arnold et al 2012).…”

“…The response options were based on earlier interviews with a broad spectrum of participants conducted as part of the research approach (Sulak and Huntsinger 2012). The interview research conducted by the public participation team at the project outset found that definitions of forest health could be clustered around four general themes, though they do overlap: building biodiversity, matching historical conditions, promoting ecological processes, and emphasizing active management (Sulak and Huntsinger 2012). The email survey responses agreed most strongly with promoting ecological processes and building biodiversity, with fire and fire resistance as part of those processes ( fig.…”

Scientometrics of Forest Health and Tree Diseases: An Overview

“…Our understanding of forest health is also developing due to the availability of new tools to study the microbiome of forest trees and its role in maintaining forest health despite human activities and other health despite human activities and other biotic disturbances [24][25][26]. Just as importantly, there is increasing recognition of the role that various stakeholders play in shaping how societies react to new challenges to forest health [27][28][29]. [30][31][32].…”