[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: 36CFR219.21]

[Page 49-50]
 
              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. 219.21  Social and economic sustainability.

    To contribute to economic and social sustainability, the responsible 
official involves interested and affected people in planning for 
National Forest System lands (Secs. 219.12-219.18), provides for the 
development and consideration of relevant social and economic 
information and analyses, and a range of uses, values, products, and 
services.
    (a) Social and economic information and analyses. To understand the 
contribution national forests and grasslands make to the economic and 
social sustainability of local communities, regions, and the nation, the 
planning process must include the analysis of economic and social 
information at variable scales, including national, regional, and local 
scales. Social analyses address human life-styles, cultures, attitudes, 
beliefs, values, demographics, and land-use patterns, and the capacity 
of human communities to adapt to changing conditions. Economic analyses 
address economic trends, the effect of national forest and grassland 
management on the well-being of communities and regions, and the net 
benefit of uses, values, products, or services provided by national 
forests and grasslands. Social and economic analyses should recognize 
that the uses, values, products, and services from national forests and 
grasslands change with time and the capacity of communities to 
accommodate shifts in land uses change. Social and economic

[[Page 50]]

analyses may rely on quantitative, qualitative, and participatory 
methods for gathering and analyzing data. Social and economic 
information may be developed and analyzed through broad-scale 
assessments and local analyses (Sec. 219.5), monitoring results 
(Sec. 219.11), or other means. For plan revisions, and to the extent the 
responsible official considers to be appropriate for plan amendments or 
site-specific decisions, the responsible official must develop or 
supplement the information and analyses related to the following:
    (1) Describe and analyze, as appropriate, the following:
    (i) Demographic trends; life-style preferences; public values; land-
use patterns; related conservation and land use policies at the state 
and local level; cultural and American Indian tribe and Alaska Native 
land settlement patterns; social and cultural history; social and 
cultural opportunities provided by national forest system lands; the 
organization and leadership of local communities; community assistance 
needs; community health; and other appropriate social and cultural 
information;
    (ii) Employment, income, and other economic trends; the range and 
estimated long-term value of market and non-market goods, uses, 
services, and amenities that can be provided by national forest system 
lands consistent with the requirements of ecological sustainability, the 
estimated cost of providing them, and the estimated effect of providing 
them on regional and community well-being, employment, and wages; and 
other appropriate economic information. Special attention should be paid 
to the uses, values, products, or services that the Forest Service is 
uniquely poised to provide;
    (iii) Opportunities to provide social and economic benefits to 
communities through natural resource restoration strategies;
    (iv) Other social or economic information, if appropriate, to 
address issues being considered by the responsible official 
(Sec. 219.4).
    (2) Analyze community or region risk and vulnerability. Risk and 
vulnerability analyses assess the vulnerability of communities from 
changes in ecological systems as a result of natural succession or 
potential management actions. Risk may be considered for geographic, 
relevant occupational, or other related communities of interest. 
Resiliency and community capacity should be considered in a risk and 
vulnerability analysis. Risk and vulnerability analysis may also address 
potential consequences to communities and regions from land management 
changes in terms of capital availability, employment opportunities, wage 
levels, local tax bases, federal revenue sharing, the ability to support 
public infrastructure and social services, human health and safety, and 
other factors as necessary and appropriate.
    (b) Plan decisions. When making plan decisions that will affect 
social or economic sustainability, the responsible official must use the 
information analyses developed in paragraph (a) of this section. Plan 
decisions contribute to social and economic sustainability by providing 
for a range of uses, values, products, and services, consistent with 
ecological sustainability.

                       The Contribution of Science