[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: 36CFR219.23]

[Page 50-51]
 
              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. 219.23  The role of science in assessments, analyses, and monitoring.

    (a) Broad-scale assessments. If the Forest Service is leading a 
broad-scale assessment, the assessment must be led by a Chief Scientist 
selected by the

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Deputy Chief of Research and Development. When appropriate and 
practicable, a responsible official may provide for independent, 
scientific peer review of the findings and conclusions originating from 
a broad-scale assessment. Independent, scientific peer review may be 
provided by scientists from the Forest Service, other federal, state, or 
tribal agencies, or other institutions.
    (b) Local analyses. Though not required, a responsible official may 
include scientists in the development or technical reviews of local 
analyses and field reviews of the design and selection of subsequent 
site-specific actions.
    (c) Monitoring. (1) The responsible official must include scientists 
in the design and evaluation of monitoring strategies. Additionally, the 
responsible official must provide for an independent, scientific peer 
review of plan monitoring on at least a biennial basis to validate 
adherence to appropriate protocols and methods in collecting and 
processing of monitoring samples and to validate that data are 
summarized and interpreted properly.
    (2) When appropriate and practicable, the responsible official 
should include scientists in the review of monitoring data and 
analytical results to determine trends relative to ecological, economic, 
or social sustainability.