Forest Service

Issues Related to Managing National Forests for Multiple Uses Gao ID: T-RCED-96-111 March 26, 1996

The Forest Service is required to manage its lands for multiple uses, including timber, livestock forage, recreation, fish and wildlife, wilderness, and water supply. To carry out this mandate, the Forest Service uses a decisionmaking process that includes developing management plans, commonly called forest plans, and reaching decisions on implementing these plans. GAO's work on the Forest Service during the past several years has underscored the lack of (1) adequate scientific and socioeconomic data to make the necessary trade-offs among various values and concerns, (2) adequate coordination within the Forest Service and between federal agencies to address matters that transcend the boundaries of ownership and jurisdiction, and (3) incentives for federal and nonfederal stakeholders to cooperate in resolving their differences.



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