Adaptive management and the Northwest Forest Plan: rhetoric and reality
Abstract
Adaptive management represents a process to use management policies as a source of learning, which in turn can inform subsequent actions. However, despite its appealing and apparently straightforward objectives, examples of successful implementation remain elusive, and a review of efforts to implement an adaptive approach in the Northwest Forest Plan proves the point. Barriers include an institutional and regulatory environment that stymies innovation, increasing workloads coupled with declining resources that constrain learning-based approaches, and a lack of leadership. The time is right to learn from experiences and consider alternatives.
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River restoration and the management of endangered species and ecosystems have been criticized for insufficient monitoring, a lack of standardized approaches for evaluation, and complicated adaptive management plans the requirements of which are rarely fulfilled.
“River restoration and the management of endangered species and ecosystems have been criticized for insufficient monitoring, a lack of standardized approaches for evaluation, and complicated adaptive management plans the requirements of which are rarely fulfilled (Stankey et al. 2003, Jähnig et al. 2011, Morandi et al. 2014).”
From Evidence‐based evaluation of the cumulative effects of ecosystem restoration (2016) · cites this paper as Stankey et al. 2003
In “Learning How to Learn” and “What’s Next?” (pages unavailable), Stankey et al. report limited systematic documentation and a failure to implement rigorous adaptive management under the Northwest Forest Plan. They also call for better-defined monitoring and evaluation. The paper does not establish the broader claim about river restoration generally or say that complicated plan requirements are rarely fulfilled. (LLM, conf=0.84)
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Research works printed but not linked: 16
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Cited by
Sorted by citations
Evidence‐based evaluation of the cumulative effects of ecosystem restoration
Diefenderfer, H. L., Johnson, G. E., Thom, R. M., Buenau, K. E., Weitkamp, L. A., Woodley, C. M., Borde, A. B., & Kropp, R. K. (2016) · Ecosphere · doi:10.1002/ecs2.1242 · Cited by 49 · see citing works
- Authors
- Stankey, G. H., Bormann, B. T., Ryan, C., Shindler, B., Sturtevant, V., Clark, R. N., & Philpot, C.
- Affiliations
- US Forest Service (US)
- University of Washington (US)
- Oregon State University (US)
- Southern Oregon University (US)
- 7Forestry Consultant Sherwood, Oregon
- ORCID
- Ryan, C.
- Venue
- Journal of Forestry
- Published
- 2003-01-01
- Volume
- 101
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 40-46
- ISSN
- 0022-1201 (ISSN-L)
- 1938-3746
- OpenAlex
- W2467173215
- Cited by
- 173
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 8 · 2020: 2 · 2019: 10 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 4 · 2016: 7 · 2015: 6 · 2014: 8 · 2013: 18 · 2012: 12
- FWCI
- 9.93
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Forestry (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- U.S. Department of Agriculture
- University of Washington
- Oregon State University
- U.S. Forest Service
- Pacific Northwest Research Station
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Global and Planetary Change › Forest Management and Policy
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Global and Planetary Change › Sustainability and Climate Change Governance
- Social Sciences › Public Administration › Public Policy and Administration Research
- Keywords
- adaptive management, Northwest Forest Plan, forest management policy, implementation barriers, leadership
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