TITLE 1400 - CONTROLS
5/85 R-1 SUPPLEMENT 9
CHAPTER 1460 - COOPERATIVE FORESTRY ASSISTANCE REVIEWS
Cooperative forestry assistance reviews closely follow the policies and procedures outlined for internal Forest
Service reviews. When conducting cooperative reviews, all reviewers will use the mutual evaluation and
problem solving approaches and techniques described in FSM 1410 and FSM 1410--R-l.
1461 -LEVELS OF REVIEW
1461.1 -Cooperative Management Review (CMR). Cooperative Management Reviews enable the Regional
Forester and State Forester to review the status of the Region's cooperative programs and to discuss
problems/opportunities of mutual interest.
In Region 1, cooperative management reviews will be conducted by a review team consisting of the State
Forester, the Regional Forester and/or the Deputy Regional Forester, the Director of the Cooperative Forestry
and Pest Management Staff, and at least one other person mutually selected by the State Forester and the
Regional Forester.
Regional Foresters must complete a cooperative management review in each State at least once every 5
years. In Region 1, one cooperative management review will usually be scheduled each year; since the
Northern Region encompasses three States, this frequency provides the Regional Forester with the an
opportunity to jointly evaluate once every 3 years cooperative programs with each State Forester.
Successful cooperative management reviews require substantial coordination and staff work. The Regional
Forester will, therefore, designate a Review Coordinator to help plan cooperative management reviews and to
coordinate the review process. State Foresters may also designate a coordinator within their own organizations.
People designated as Review Coordinators should refer to FSM 1462.11 for review requirements and
guidelines.
1. Scope. Review plans should include:
a. Indicators of need and issues/topics to be considered for each of the approved review objectives.
b. Strategy and itinerary.
c. Background. 1462 -PLANNING AND ORGANIZING REVIEWS
1.
Frequency of and Need for Reviews. All reviews will be made on an "as needed" basis, except that
cooperative management reviews must be conducted at least once every 5 years in each State.
2. Scheduling of Reviews. Proposed cooperative forestry assistance reviews are initiated through the Region's
annual review scheduling process (FSM 1412.1--R-l). The Administration Staff (Administrative
Management Group) begins the process each July by collecting, coordinating, and presenting a summary of
all proposed reviews to the Regional Forester.
Proposals will include:
a. Type of review proposed.
b. Unit(s) and/or geographic area involved.
c. Indicators of need for proposed review and tentative objectives.
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d. Suggested timing.
In August, the Regional Forester will consider all review proposals. Based on factors contained in each proposal,
the Regional Forester will send each concerned State Forester a tentative schedule of cooperative reviews. After
coordination and review by the appropriate State Forester, the Regional Forester will approve a schedule of
cooperative reviews.
By October the approved cooperative review schedule and staff assignments for the development of review
plans will be published and distributed.
1462.1 -Review Plan (See guidelines contained in FSM 1412.3--R-l.)
Detailed review planning should begin as soon as practical after the Regional Forester has approved the annual
review schedule and assigned a person to coordinate each review with the appropriate State Forester.
Review plans must be approved at least 30 days prior to the start of the review. Only after a review plan is
approved by both the State Forester and the Regional Forester does the review become certain.
1. Content of review plans. The review plan should contain the following information:
a. Type of review - Cooperative management review or cooperative program review.
b. Objectives - An efficient and effective review depends upon a clear understanding of review objectives by
everyone involved with the review. Objectives are best developed by considering staff suggestions and advice
during face-toface meetings. For cooperative management reviews, the meeting should include the State Forester
and the Regional Forester.
Tentative issues and/or topics should be developed for each objective; this step expedites the review process
because it: (1) increases understanding of the objective(s) and provides a clear starting point for the review;
(2) suggests needed/useful prework; and, (3) helps with the development of fact-finding approaches and the
review itinerary.
c. Approach - The proposed approach to the fact-finding portion of the review, including the type and degree of
sampling, should be determined by the objectives and scope of the review.
d. Specific agendas, individuals who will be contacted, and itineraries should be developed to the extent possible
at the time the plan is prepared.
e. Proposed dates for making the review.
f. Specific tasks, such as the assignment of staff to prepare prework and/or problem analyses for team discussion.
1. Consideration of Title VI, Civil Rights Act . (See requirements and guidelines contained in FSM 1462.11 of
the parent text.)
2. Selection and Role of Review Team Members . Selection of review team members should be deferred until
the State Forester and Regional Forester approve the review objectives; this helps to insure that the
objectives determine the subject-matter specialists who should be on the team rather than vice versa.
1463 -CONDUCTING REVIEWS (See guidelines contained in FSM 1413--R-l.)
1464 -REVIEW REPORTS (See parent text and guidelines contained in FSM 1413.1--R-l.)
1464.2 -Review Report Schedules. Review team leaders will: (1) leave a draft report containing preliminary
review findings with the State Forester immediately upon completion of the team's fact-finding and evaluation
activities; (2) circulate the draft report to and collect comments from appropriate Regional Office Staff
Directors and Forest
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Supervisors; and, (3) after receiving comments and suggested actions from the State Forester, submit a final
report to the State Forester and Regional Forester. The final report will include suggested actions for
consideration by the State Forester and the Regional Forester. If possible, the Regional Forester and State
Forester should meet within 45 days from the date of the draft report to complete the action planning sequence
(FSM 1465).
1465 -ACTION PLANS (See guidelines contained in FSM 1414--R-l.)
Action plans reflect the State Forester's and the Regional Forester's response to the alternatives contained in the
review team's final report. Preparation of the action plans for cooperative management and other cooperative
forestry assistance reviews will be a joint State/Forest Service effort.
Action plans will be signed by both the Regional Forester and the State Forester. The signed action plan is a
written record of joint decisions made by the State Forester and the Regional Forester; as such, the action plan is
considered to be a contract between the State and the Forest Service.
Reviews are not considered "complete" until all actions in approved action plans are accomplished. Previously
approved actions can only be modified or cancelled with the mutual agreement of the State Forester and the
Regional Forester. Generally, all actions should be completed within 1 year from the date on which the action
plan is approved.
If approved action plans are not completed within 1 year, they should be reviewed annually. For cooperative
management reviews, the annual review will usually be accomplished during a meeting between the State
Forester and the Regional Forester. While face-to-face meetings are desirable, annual reviews of action plans or
other types of cooperative forestry assistance reviews can be handled by correspondence.
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