See the forest for the trees: examining best practice collaboration in forest management planning processes

In 2012, the US Forest Service created a new planning rule for land management that included the use of collaborative methods and public involvement. Planning rules impact the Forest Service Management Plans for individual National Forests. The 2012 Planning Rule provides a very broadly defined version of collaboration. This thesis seeks to define collaboration using six characteristics of collaboration frequently mentioned in literature. This research also examines documents produced at the federal level of the Forest Service as well as two individual case studies of National Forests that are undergoing the plan revision process using the six factors of best practice collaboration to analyze the documents. Finally, this analysis concludes with recommendations to the Forest Service for better incorporation of best practice collaboration in land management planning.