Northeastern Area

Forest Sustainability and Planning

Database of Sustainability/C&I (criteria and indicators) Efforts

Overview

In cooperation with the Northeastern Forest Resource Planners Association (NAFP), in 2001 the USDA Forest Service Northeastern Area, Sustainability Program evaluated 60 sustainability/C&I efforts being implemented across the nation and the Northeastern Area. The efforts address forest sustainability, sustainable development, or environmental/ecological indicators. Efforts of every geopolitical scale were considered, including international, national, regional, state, and local. However, for the regional, state, and local scale efforts, research emphasis was placed on those occurring within the 20-state region of the Northeastern Area.

This summary provides valuable information for agencies and organizations interested in developing and using criteria and indicators of sustainability.

Thirty-nine of the efforts had developed indicators, which were entered into a linked database and studied further, including an analysis crosswalking each indicator to the Montreal Process C&I. The review included similarities and differences in definitions among projects, the variety of hierarchical structures adopted by various efforts, the number of indicators used, most and least common indicators used, and existing linkages to the Montreal Process C&I.

• List of Sustainability/C&I Efforts with Links
• Look at the Sourcebook on Criteria and Indicators of Forest Sustainability in the Northeastern Area (CH IV and Appendix G) for more a more complete evaluation of existing sustainability/C&I efforts.

For more information contact:
Sherri Wormstead
Sustainability Specialist
swormstead@fs.fed.us or 603-868-7737