U.S. Department of Agriculture
Forest Service
Pacific Northwest Research Station
A New Conceptual Framework
Incorporating Ecosystem Services Into Forest Management
The concept of ecosystem services provides more than just a shorthand expression for the multiple values provided by forests and rangelands. It can help the
Forest Service fulfill its vision of providing and sustaining a wide range of benefits
to the public. An ecosystem services framework can also help the agency articulate the rationale for its decisionmaking processes and communicate management
outcomes. The Pacific Northwest Research Station has formed a groundbreaking
collaboration with the Deschutes National Forest to explore how an ecosystem
services approach could be used to organize and enhance forest stewardship
activities in central Oregon.
This placed-based application in a management context provides a working demonstration of the ecosystem services approach for policymakers, managers, and
forest stakeholders. Using the Deschutes National Forest as an example, the project
examines how various management actions support the provision of goods and
services and assesses the relationship between supply and demand for services,
as well as strategies for sustaining flows over time.
In addition, the ecosystem services concept creates a meaningful opportunity
to build partnerships with stakeholders who benefit from the goods and services
forests provide. The project involves over a dozen diverse collaborators, such as
The Nature Conservancy, the Oregon Water Resources Department, the Deschutes
Land Trust, and the Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council, among others.
In summary, the project creates a pathway for a nontraditional, all-lands approach
to ecosystem services conservation that protects drinking water sources, informs
management decisions, and enhances biodiversity. It has gained recognition as
a model for building similar partnerships to enhance environmental restoration
benefits.
Ecosystem services provided
by national forests are diverse
and abundant. This project lists
and classifies goods and services
coming from the Deschutes
National Forest. These include
biodiversity, community economic
development, enough fresh water
to supply half of the city of Bend’s
drinking water requirements, and
soil nutrient cycling. In addition, the
Deschutes National Forest is one
of the most highly used national
forests for recreation in the Pacific
Northwest. Forest management
activities have the potential to
greatly affect goods and services
like these, but careful stewardship
can enhance them for all to enjoy.
Project leads:
Robert Deal, Nikola Smith, Jeff Kline,
Dale Blahna, Trista Patterson, and
Thomas Spies.
For more information:
Robert Deal
Pacific Northwest Research Station
620 SW Main Street, Suite 400
Portland, OR 97205
503-808-2015, rdeal@fs.fed.us
Reference:
Smith, Nikola; Deal, Robert; Kline,
Jeff; Blahna, Dale; Patterson, Trista;
Spies, Thomas A.; Bennett, Karen.
2011. Ecosystem services as a framework for forest stewardship: Deschutes
National Forest overview. Gen. Tech.
Rep. PNW-GTR-852. Portland, OR:
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest
Service, Pacific Northwest Research
Station. 46 p.
Ecosystem Services Team
Portland, Oregon
Contact: Robert Deal,
503-808-2015, rdeal@fs.fed.us