Gary T. Green

Results From the 2014 National Wilderness Manager Survey

A national survey of managers was developed to support interagency wilderness strategic planning. The focus was on major challenges, perceived needs for science and training, and accomplishments of 1995 Strategic Plan objectives. The survey was administered to managers at the four federal agencies with wilderness management responsibilities: the Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and U.S. Forest Service. In spring 2014, responses were received from 368 managers. The highest ranking threat perceived was “lack of political and financial support for wilderness protection and management,” followed by “invasive species,” “disconnected urban audiences” and “adjacent land use and management.” The greatest need for science-based information was “public attitudes toward intervention to adapt to climate change influences” and “public attitudes toward ecological restoration activities.” The majority of managers commonly perceived no or only slight accomplishment of previous strategic plan objectives.

Sustaining outdoor recreation and forests in the United States.

The key words in forest management for the 21st century are “sustainable management”. In this paper we present an overview of the nature of outdoor recreation demand growth in the United States and its significance in light of the need to sustain the nation’s forests. We show that outdoor recreation demand is growing faster now than at any time in the last five decades. Accelerated management of forest settings to meet the rising demand for recreation will provide substantial benefits for American society. At the same time, unprecedented levels of demand may challenge our abilities as a nation to sustain forest health and productivity into thefuture, as we have not been challenged before. We identify hot spots in the United States where recreation demands are greatest, and hot spots where future recreation pressures are likely to intensify. These hot spots are the places where serious and prompt attention to planning the future of our forest resources is needed if we are tobe successful in sustaining them. Demand growth in other countries raises similar concerns about sustaining forests.