The Irland Group

The Society of American Foresters recently published this essay in a large volume reviewing programs and policies of the US Froest Service. Irland, 2018. Changing Gospels: Defining Efficiency and Effectiveness for the National Forests. In, Steve Wilent, ed. 193 Million acres: toward a healthier and more resilient US Forest Service. Bethesda, MD: So... c of Amer. Foresters. Pp. 293-316. The introductory paragraph is here: Americas national forests emerged during an era, roughly 1890 to 1910, when evidence of land abuse was visible on every hand. Thoughtful people knew change was needed. Scientists were prominent in calling for reforms; leading business people and elected officials added their voices. At various times in the past, the goals for national forests were at least widely understood, if not strongly supported by all parties and in every detail. For example, when federal agencies were cutting back grazing allotments in order to recover range productivity and reduce erosion, such steps were strongly opposed locally. Recent events in the West show that the resulting heritage of bitterness persists. This heritage of ambiguous social goals and ambivalent support for national forest management has led to weak interest in the efficient management of those forests. However, given the scarce resources of the national forests, and the even scarcer government funds for their management, operational efficiency has become increasingly important. Today, however, the range of goals and of divergent group interests has become so wide that the very meaning of efficiency for the system as a whole has become elusive and perhaps not even useful any longer (Fedkiw 1989, Cubbage et al. 2017). This essay traces the development of this conundrum, reflecting on various attempts made to find definitions and metrics of efficiency with which to appeal for budgets, to identify needs and advocate programs, and to measure progress. Picking up on a well-known book about the early conservation movement (Hays 1972), I describe these ...Read More