[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 36, Volume 2]
[Revised as of July 1, 2002]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 36CFR219.11]

[Page 42-44]
 
              TITLE 36--PARKS, FORESTS, AND PUBLIC PROPERTY
 
          CHAPTER II--FOREST SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
 
PART 219--PLANNING--Table of Contents
 
 Subpart A--National Forest System Land and Resource Management Planning
 
Sec. 219.11  Monitoring and evaluation for adaptive management.

    (a) Plan monitoring strategy. Each plan must contain a practicable, 
effective, and efficient monitoring strategy to evaluate sustainability 
in the plan area (Secs. 219.19-219.21). The strategy must require 
monitoring of appropriate plan decisions and characteristics of 
sustainability.
    (1) Monitoring and evaluation of ecological sustainability. The plan 
monitoring strategy for the monitoring and evaluation of ecological 
sustainability must require monitoring of:
    (i) Ecosystem diversity. Monitoring must be used to evaluate the 
status and trend of selected physical and biological characteristics of 
ecosystem diversity (Sec. 219.20(a)(1)). The plan monitoring strategy 
must document the reasons for selection of characteristics to be 
monitored, monitoring objectives, methodology, and designate critical 
values that will prompt reviews of plan decisions.
    (ii) Species diversity. Monitoring must be used to evaluate focal 
species and species-at-risk as follows:

[[Page 43]]

    (A) The status and trends of ecological conditions known or 
suspected to support focal species and selected species-at-risk must be 
monitored. The plan monitoring strategy must document the reasons for 
the selection of species-at-risk for which ecological conditions are to 
be monitored, including the degree of risk to the species, the factors 
that put the species at risk, and the strength of association between 
ecological conditions and population dynamics.
    (B) In addition to monitoring of ecological conditions, the plan 
monitoring strategy may require population monitoring for some focal 
species and some species-at-risk. This monitoring may be accomplished by 
a variety of methods including population occurrence and presence/
absence data, sampling population characteristics, using population 
indices to track relative population trends, or inferring population 
status from ecological conditions.
    (C) A decision by the responsible official to monitor populations 
and the responsible official's choice of methodologies for monitoring 
selected focal species and selected species-at-risk may be based upon 
factors that include, but are not limited to, the degree of risk to the 
species, the degree to which a species' life history characteristics 
lend themselves to monitoring, the reasons that a species is included in 
the list of focal species or species-at-risk, and the strength of 
association between ecological conditions and population dynamics. 
Monitoring of population trend is often appropriate in those cases where 
risk to species viability is high and population characteristics cannot 
be reliably inferred from ecological conditions. The reasons for 
selection of species, monitoring objectives, and methodologies must be 
documented as part of the plan monitoring strategy. Critical values that 
will prompt reviews of plan decisions must be designated in the 
monitoring strategy.
    (iii) Monitoring effectiveness. As a part of the plan monitoring 
strategy, the responsible official must evaluate the effectiveness of 
selected characteristics of ecosystem diversity and species diversity in 
providing reliable information regarding ecological sustainability.
    (2) Monitoring and evaluation of social and economic sustainability. 
The plan monitoring strategy for the monitoring and evaluation of social 
and economic sustainability should provide for periodic review of 
national, regional, and local supply and demand for products, services, 
and values. Special consideration should be given to those uses, values, 
products, and services that the National Forest System is uniquely 
poised to provide. Monitoring should improve the understanding of the 
National Forest System contributions to social and economic 
sustainability. The plan monitoring strategy must require the 
responsible official to evaluate the effectiveness of information and 
analyses described in Sec. 219.21(a) in providing reliable information 
regarding social and economic sustainability.
    (b) Monitoring of site-specific actions. The decision document 
authorizing a site-specific action should describe any required 
monitoring and evaluation for the site-specific action. The responsible 
official must determine that there is a reasonable expectation that 
anticipated funding is adequate to complete any required monitoring and 
evaluation prior to authorizing a site-specific action.
    (c) Monitoring methods. Unless required by the monitoring strategy, 
monitoring methods may be changed to reflect new information without 
plan amendment or revision.
    (d) Use of monitoring information. Where monitoring and evaluation 
is required by the plan monitoring strategy, the responsible official 
must ensure that monitoring information is used to determine one or more 
of the following:
    (1) If site-specific actions are completed as specified in 
applicable decision documents;
    (2) If the aggregated outcomes and effects of completed and ongoing 
actions are achieving or contributing to the desired conditions;
    (3) If key assumptions identified for monitoring in plan decisions 
remain valid; and
    (4) If plan or site-specific decisions need to be modified.

[[Page 44]]

    (e) Coordination of monitoring activities. To the extent 
practicable, monitoring and evaluation should be conducted jointly with 
other federal agencies, state, local, and tribal governments, scientific 
and academic communities, and others. In addition, the responsible 
official must provide appropriate opportunities for the public to be 
involved and utilize scientists as described in Sec. 219.23.
    (f) Annual monitoring and evaluation report. The responsible 
official must prepare a monitoring and evaluation report for the plan 
area within 6 months following the end of each fiscal year. The report 
must be maintained with the plan documents (Sec. 219.30(d)(5)), and 
include the following:
    (1) A list or reference to monitoring required by the plan; and
    (2) A summary of the results of monitoring and evaluation performed 
during the preceding fiscal year and appropriate results from previous 
years. The summary must include:
    (i) A description of the progress toward achievement of desired 
conditions within the plan area; and
    (ii) A description of the plan area's contribution to the 
achievement of applicable outcomes of the Forest Service national 
strategic plan.

                Collaborative Planning for Sustainability