The
following text is an excerpted and condensed version of an original Forest
Service document. Only material related to outdoor recreation or user-fees
has been provided. To view the complete document, click
here.
This document was created in 1995
and presents the "Background" "Current Position" and "Future Position"
of the US Forest Service on a number key policy topics. In many instances, the USFS
has already embarked upon implementing the changes necessary to achieve
the future positions stated here. The process is an ongoing one and is
far from completed.
What follows is a look at
the evolving direction of Forest Service management with respect
to recreation, user-fees and the role of private
partnerships.
Forest Service Key Policy Topics
The Key Policy Topics described in this appendix represent the major strategic
challenges faced by the Forest Service. They were selected to be national
in scope and broad in their potential impacts. The topics were selected
for their strategic importance by agency executives based on a broad array
of input from agency employees and public groups. Some public outreach
was specifically directed toward individuals and organizations that had
not traditionally been involved in the RPA. The development of these issues
was influenced by information from the RPA Assessment....
Background
Recreation Services
Throughout the Forest Service's history, the agency has recognized recreation
as one of several important uses of federal lands. As the Forest Service
strives to meet the public's demand for various forms of recreational settings
and services, aging facilities and limited financial resources present
challenges to the fulfillment of this objective. Some recreational areas
no longer meet the standard of quality necessary for their intended use.
As demand for certain kinds of recreational opportunities shift, new facilities
must be constructed and maintained, while others are comparatively underused.
In areas of increasing recreation, adequate facility maintenance, such
as trail reconstruction, is crucial to environmental protection.
Current Position
Some opportunities can be enjoyed by the public with only minimal management
involvement, but most opportunities require a high degree of management
to provide access for most of the public. The Forest Service currently
provides more outdoor recreation opportunities than any other public or
private institution. National forests provide more than 40 percent of all
recreation use on Federal public lands. The Service provides a variety
of recreational activities, such as backcountry hiking and camping, hunting,
and fishing. The agency presently has sites which are more developed for
those visitors whose interests center around recreational vehicle camping
and boating. The Forest Service plays a key management and leadership role
in continuing to supply outdoor recreation opportunities for the American
public and for foreign visitors via the national forests. The Forest Service
is currently working in collaboration with partners to help provide recreation
opportunities to meet public demand.
The Forest Service response to shifting demands has been to further
expand their Recreation Opportunities Spectrum (ROS) to increase the number
of developed sites, and to expand the definition of highly developed sites
by adding increased levels of experiences within these areas. Despite budget
increases, the Forest Service currently has a backlog of maintenance needs
for existing trails and facilities. The health of the public and their
safety is a number one priority, but limited funding prevents an appropriate
overall approach to addressing this issue. Crisis situations, such as poor
quality drinking water and hazardous campground conditions, are priorities
for funding.
Future Position
Most recreational opportunities require a higher degree of management to
help make them accessible to all people, increase the quality of recreational
experiences, protect public health and safety, enhance overall customer
satisfaction, and protect the resources for future generations. The Forest
Service is committed to providing high quality recreation opportunities.
The agency will focus on providing customers with a suitable setting for
recreation while maintaining desired ecosystem condition.
High quality recreation opportunities will be offered across the full
range of the recreation opportunity spectrum managed by the Forest Service.
One portion of the spectrum (e.g., primitive) will not be emphasized over
others. Though the agency will not offer some urban recreation opportunities,
such as golf courses and theme parks, it will offer a range of developed
opportunities up to and including sophisticated camping facilities. Interpretive
services will be provided across the opportunity spectrum, especially at
sites with significant heritage values. The Forest Service will provide
specific attention to the integration of universal design in all developed
recreation settings, to insure accessibility and enjoyment for a diversity
of visitors reflecting age, ability, and culture. The agency will conduct
research to assess the changing needs of society in the future.
Ecosystem condition will be a key factor influencing recreation management
decisions. Monitoring of ecosystem condition will be a high priority. In
cases where the condition has deteriorated to the point of impairing sustainability
of the resource or the enjoyment of the recreation opportunity, specific
remedies will be undertaken. Remedies might include resource restoration
and/or use restrictions. Research will play a key role in providing the
scientific underpinning for decisions on levels of acceptable resource
change and to better understand impacts of forest uses.
Forest Service provision of recreation opportunities will be evaluated
in the context of all public (federal, state, local) and private opportunities.
Higher level planning will be initiated to analyze total recreation supply
and demand for given market areas. This will require a much more collaborative
effort on the part of all recreation suppliers and will involve careful
listening to customers. Tourism will be a key consideration in deter-mining
the appropriate balance of recreation opportunities provided. Such an approach
will help ensure efficient and effective use of appropriated funds.
The Forest Service will strive to maximize the impact of appropriated
funds through the use of partnerships. Private sector partners will play
a major role in the operation and maintenance of existing developed facilities.
In these more developed areas, Forest Service employees will manage contracts
with private sector partners and regularly interact with the public through
interpretation and visitor information efforts. In the less developed areas,
the agency will also be involved in the more "hands on" activities, such
as fee collection and routine maintenance.
The Forest Service also will continue to utilize partnerships in making
investments necessary to improve existing facilities or develop new ones.
In both cases, a limited number of partnerships investing in highly developed
facilities will be pursued and carefully monitored. Special attention will
be paid to ensure that Forest Service standards for providing recreational
opportunities will be met. The Forest Service will expand to more private
sector investment if it proves to be efficient and beneficial to improving
recreation settings and serving the public.
The Forest Service will actively work to reduce the pool of deferred
maintenance needs on national forest lands. The agency will bring some
substandard facilities up to standard through the utilization of private
sector investment money. Some recreation areas will be operated at a reduced
service level and others will be closed due to poor conditions and inadequate
maintenance funding. The remaining areas with deferred maintenance needs
will be brought up to standard through investment of Forest Service appropriated
money. Decisions about which areas will have reduced levels of service,
which will be closed, or scheduled for investment, will be made in a comprehensive
master planning process. The Forest Service will develop an investment
rehabilitation strategy using appropriated funds to decrease this amount
of deferred maintenance.
Specially designated areas (e.g., National Recreation Areas) are unique
in the roles they play and will receive increased attention in the future.
Research on these areas will increase understanding of their special attributes
and the public's expectations for their management. Forest Service recreation
policy will highlight these areas and identify the funding necessary for
appropriate management.
Background
Alternative Financing
Increasing competition for limited federal financial resources necessitates
continual examination of viable new approaches to financing Forest Service
programs. Throughout its history, the Forest Service has financed operations
through various means including receipt collections, user fees, and general
appropriations. As management of National Forest lands and other programs
has expanded and public interest in forest management have grown, so have
the complexity and constraints in the budget process.
Financing Forest Service programs is a case of allocating increasingly
limited resources among competing demands. The competition for resources
is as intense between programs within the Forest Service as it is among
federal agencies. To achieve maximum efficiency in program delivery and
meet public expectations, reexamination of current financing processes
and examination of new approaches to financing programs and land management
plan objectives are necessary.
Current Position
The Forest Service relies largely on congressional appropriations to carry
out its activities. Notable exceptions include the use of volunteers and
in-kind contributions, especially in recreation wildlife and fish programs.
The focus of these contributions is on local programs to maintain and build
trails, construct facilities for the physically challenged, and to provide
volunteer hosts at Forest Service campgrounds. Over the past decade, alternative
funding sources and innovative partnerships have been developed to supplement
federal funding sources and to accomplish work that would have been delayed
or not accomplished at all. The Forest Service is at this time both exploring
and pursuing authority for recreation fees, and the allowing of corporate
contributions. Extensive volunteer efforts are presently invaluable, and
development of existing and new partnerships will continue to be important.
The private sector currently contributes extensive capital through a wide
variety of activities such as ski areas, hydro-electric projects, and communications
sites.
Future Position
In this period of increasing competition for scarce Federal financial resources,
no single financing source will be sufficient to meet all of the public
expectations from the Forest Service. Within applicable legal authorities,
the Forest Service will increase efforts to supplement congressional appropriations
with funding from other sources. Due to anticipated budget constraints,
and the need for flexibility during periods of change, the agency will
consider a broad range of funding alternatives. The search for alternatives
will focus on the following four sources: the National Forest Foundation,
cooperative initiatives, return of revenues, and retention of cost savings.
The Forest Service will continue to strengthen partnerships and develop
initiatives to advance the mission and objectives of the agency. Supplemental
funds and work sup-port, through specific cooperative agreements, will
expand efforts necessary to more effectively address all dimensions of
our ecosystem management strategy. Examples of these partnerships include
the National Forest Foundation, various associations, volunteer assistance,
and other government agencies. Licensed patents resulting from Forest Service
technology development will continue to generate income to support agency
activities.
The Forest Service will seek additional authorities to retain a portion
of revenues from goods and services. The agency will pursue appropriate
legislative and administrative authority to expand the amount of existing
revenues sources (e.g. recreation receipts) which are available for use
in the agency. Similarly, the Forest Service will seek to expand revenues
from promising non-traditional revenue sources, such as special forest
products (e.g. morels, pine cones, etc.). Efforts to achieve return of
revenue to the agency will focus on covering the total cost of providing
services.
Background
Resource Pricing
Public lands offer a variety of opportunities for resource use, such as
hiking, camping, timber harvesting, minerals development, and use of communications
sites. User fees can affect the amount of resource use, the degree of equity
among users and non-users, the revenue returned to the U.S. Treasury, the
economic health of local communities, the viability of related private
enterprise, and the commitment of land and resources.
Public concern regarding resource pricing on federal lands has been
increasing, especially as federal government revenue continues to fall
short of spending. Some charges for use of resources, especially for livestock
grazing and timber, have been the subject of widespread debate for years.
The existence and amount of charges have become controversial as competition
for the use of National Forest System lands has increased.
Current Position
The Forest Service currently charges fees for timber removal, developed
recreation site use, grazing permits, and other products and services.
Fees charged by the agency vary, and are not currently based on any single
pricing philosophy. There are inconsistencies in current laws, regulations,
and policies that affect pricing of the goods and services available from
National Forest System lands. Some fees are established by law, while others
are set administratively by the agency. In spite of a long history of discussions,
many research and administrative studies, and legislative efforts, contentious
debate concerning resource use charges on National Forest System lands
continues. As new products and services are desired from National Forest
lands, the need for a consistent approach to pricing increases in importance.
The Forest Service has consistently led efforts to gain authority for increasing
grazing fees as well as for introducing fees for additional uses.
Future Position
For goods and services for which fees are charged, the Forest Service will
continue to work toward a system in which fees are based on the fair market
value and the cost of production. The amounts of goods and services supplied
will be limited to levels that are sustainable over the long term.
Unless otherwise directed by legislation, resource prices will reflect
the fair market value or cost of resources. The Forest Service will continue
to operate with a business-like approach where costs are recovered as completely
as possible. If production costs exceed fair market value, the price will
be set to recover production costs. The agency will strive to decrease
production costs to the lowest possible level. However, the Forest Service
will not infringe on the private sector by providing resources at discounted
prices. When current laws prevent the Forest Service from charging fees
at the higher of the two amounts, fair market value or cost, the agency
will propose new legislation.
Background
Infrastructure
Forest Service infrastructure is comprised of facilities and improvements
which benefit people and protect and enhance resource conditions. Agency
infrastructure provides for the sustainable use and protection of resources,
access to and through the national forests, recreation, and research support.
Infrastructure, such as roads, buildings, and campgrounds, forms the basic
foundation for the agency's capability to accomplish its mandates.
Forest Service infrastructure represents a multibillion dollar investment
in tangible assets, whose condition has been declining for several decades.
In many cases, assets have deteriorated to the extent that reconstruction
or obliteration are the only options. In other cases, routine maintenance
is far behind schedule, putting these assets at risk of loss as well. Recent
and current funding for maintenance has been insufficient to maintain agency
infrastructure and the tremendous investment it represents.
Current Position
Maintenance of facilities is presently prioritized locally, with maintenance
allocations being made primarily on a historical basis coupled with region,
area, and station re-quests. Present funding is inadequate for fully maintaining
to the current standard, so the infrastructure is in some cases deteriorating
to conditions that will require restoration or reconstruction. Capital
improvements (reconstruction or construction) continue to be funded even
though maintenance funding for their upkeep is not ensured, thus adding
to the maintenance/restoration backlog.
Future Position
New installations or new construction will be limited on any unit and linked
to progress in clearing maintenance backlogs. Thereafter, the rate of disinvestment,
and the ability of the unit to provide maintenance at least through the
expected life of the installation, will determine the rate of new additions
to the infrastructure. However, in some specific situations new infrastructure
will be built before disinvestment, restoration and maintenance of existing
infrastructure are completed. This may occur when the Forest Service works
with partners outside of the agency to support infrastructure requirements.
Recreation user groups may help build and maintain recreation facilities
(campgrounds, buildings, roads, trails); State and local fire departments
may join with the Forest Service in building and maintaining fire related
facilities; cooperators and commercial users would contribute to upkeep
of the transportation facilities. These types of activities presently exist,
but expanding these partnerships will receive increased emphasis.
Background
Wildland/Urban Interface
Rapid urban expansion in and adjacent to forests and rangelands, or the
"wildland/urban interface," poses a significant challenge to conventional
government policies and services, as well as to other natural resource
managers and urban planners. Population growth in wildland/urban interface
areas increases risks of wildfires, as well as the associated risks to
people, homes and businesses. The focus of traditional public land management,
on protecting and maintaining natural resources, conflicts with or inadequately
serves the expectations of people moving into the interface. Some residents
expect urban service levels in a wildland area, including development of
public and private services such as recreation and shopping. Addressing
these expectations presents challenges in many areas, including protection
of water quality, wildlife, forest health, and the public health and safety.
Current Position
Current Forest Service direction is to emphasize improved communication
and cooperation with adjacent landowners and land managers and with state
and local governments to promote voluntary, mutually acceptable adjustments
that make management of intermingled lands more complementary.
Future Position
The Forest Service also recognizes that societal needs are changing. Forest
Service Research, in addition to National Forest System and State and Private
Forestry, will investigate the nature of interface issues and explore solutions
related to the approaches described below. Through the implementation of
the techniques below, the agency will respond to the changing social character
of the wildland/urban interface areas.
The Forest Service will seek to create cooperative forums for addressing
wildland/urban interface topics, including the use of the following techniques:
Broader Joint Planning: Forest Service representatives would
participate in community planning sessions and community planners will
be invited to take part in forest planning in order to coordinate planning
efforts.
Interface Compacts/MOU's: The Forest Service will pursue public/private
collaborative compacts to inform, educate, and take action to address interface
issues. These agreements will be tailored to the specific situations and
objectives in individual communities, with explicit roles and responsibilities
for the participating organizations.
Partnerships With Not-For-Profit Associations: Not-for-profit
associations supported by private sector dollars from sources such as insurance
companies and other interested corporations will be agency partners for
activities in the interface. The Forest Service and its public agency partners
will create the centralized project management structure and provide direction
for the associations' activities. The Forest Service and other public agency
employees will provide educational and informational tools to assist the
not-for-profit association partners.
Background
Natural Resource Conservation Education
Public interest in environmental issues has grown and led to rising demand
for information and education regarding natural resource conservation.
People of all ages, from school children to senior citizens, have shown
a desire to learn more about the natural world, ranging from the small
ecosystems near their home to global climate issues. Also, since much of
the interest in environmental issues centers on public lands, education
regarding natural resource management in these areas has received much
attention. The opportunities to provide natural resource conservation education
and the related challenges have multiplied, as the size and diversity of
the nation's population have grown.
Current Position
Through its work with partners, the Forest Service supports conservation
education efforts which reach out beyond national forest boundaries. Partnerships
with other federal, state, and local agencies, conservation organizations,
private corporations and others help the Forest Service bring conservation
education to a wide variety of people. The agency encourages innovative
and promising conservation education efforts by other organizations through
financial and technical assistance to specific projects.
Future Position
The Forest Service will aggressively pursue a natural resource conservation
education program which takes advantage of opportunities for cooperation
with partners, including educational and environmental organizations, state
and local agencies, Indian Tribes, and other collaborators. This pursuit
will consist of two broad efforts. First, there will be continuing cooperation
with partners in bringing basic environmental education that encourages
life-long learning to a large spectrum of people, especially children.
A key focus will be on urban areas and the linkage to the agency's mission
in urban and community forestry. Second, the Forest Service will encourage
more intensive resident experiences and study tours focused on learning
about ecosystem management on national forests and surrounding lands. In
all natural resource conservation education efforts, National Forest System,
State and Private Forestry and Forest Service Research will work together
in an integrated way to provide information and perspectives to participants.
The agency will use investments and partnerships throughout the Forest
Service to provide a comprehensive view of natural resources. Conservation
education programs will be linked to existing efforts such as Minerals
Showcase, Watchable Wildlife and Project Learning Tree.
Basic Environmental Education: The Forest Service will continue
to work with its partners to give children from diverse backgrounds a foundation
in ecology and natural resource conservation. Through blending "environmental
literacy" with basic life skills training, children will gain knowledge
useful in all aspects of their lives. The agency will give special emphasis
to linking its mission in urban and community forestry with environmental
education for community residents of all ages. Where possible, field trips
to national forests will help residents identify the relationships between
their community forestry activities and the broader ecosystems in the region.
Intensive Ecosystem Management Learning: This aspect of Forest
Service environmental education will use national forests as a living classroom
for learning about ecosystem management. Working with partners such as
the National Forest Foundation, the Forest Service will sponsor children's
camps on several national forests, providing a one- or two-week immersion
course in the principles of ecosystem management. Cooperation with the
Department of the Interior and state and private landowners will provide
participants with a view of the ecosystem across ownerships. These experiences
will help spark interest in natural resource careers and will contribute
to an informed citizenry in the future. Working with partners in universities,
conservation organizations and others, the agency will encourage similar
programs for adults in the form of study tours.
This document was prepared by
Wild Wilderness. To
learn more about ongoing industry-backed congressional efforts to
motorize, commercialize, and privatize America's public lands,
contact:
Scott Silver, Executive Director,
Wild Wilderness
248 NW Wilmington Avenue, Bend OR 97701
Phone (541) 385-5261 E-mail:
ssilver@wildwilderness.org