United States Department of Agriculture DRAFT National Report on Sustainable Forests – 2010 December 8, 2008 The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, or marital or family status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA’s TARGET Center at (202)-720-2600 (voice and TDD) To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (202)-720-5964 (voice and TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. ii Note to Reviewers This report is prepared to fulfill the United States’ commitments to the Montréal Process Working Group on Criteria and Indicators for the Conservation and Sustainable Management of Temperate and Boreal Forests (http://www.mpci.org). Membership in the Working Group is voluntary and currently includes 12 countries from both hemispheres, having a wide range in natural and social conditions. The member countries represent about 90 per cent of the world's temperate and boreal forests in the northern and southern hemispheres, amounting to 60 per cent of all of the forests of the world. This draft is the second national report prepared using the Montréal Process criteria and indicators. The initial report, National Report on Sustainable Forests—2003, is still available on the Forest Service website (http://www.fs.fed.us/research/sustain/2003SustainabilityReport ). The refinements to the indicators and the fresh data gathered since 2003 are described in detail in the draft report. We had several objectives in preparing this second report, beyond simply providing fresh data and refined indicators. Public comments on the 2003 report resulted in the following changes: • Increased emphasis on electronic, web-based reports rather than paper copies. Reviewers are encouraged to view this draft report online, and self-print hard copies for their personal use if needed. • More data and interpretations at the sub-national level. Much of that information is on the website and not in this document; and • Data on the tropical forests of the USA in addition to the Nation’s temperate and boreal forests. A companion report focusing on tropical forests is being prepared and will be available on the website soon. We are releasing this report now to obtain public review and comments on the content of the report and the supporting technical information on the 2010 report’s website (http://www.fs.fed.us/research/sustain/2010SustainabilityReport). Both general comments and technical comments are sought. Each chapter of the main report has been divided into numbered sub-sections. Reviewers are encouraged to identify the specific sub-section and page number for each of their comments to facilitate the revision process. A team of more than 20 people worked on this report, so providing the appropriate sub-section and page number for each comment will assure that your comments are forwarded to the individual responsible for that part of the report. The Forest Service will receive comments from the public on this report for 120 days, until April 10, 2009. Comments may be submitted using: • Email: [email protected] • Fax: 703-605-5131; Attn: 2010 Sustainability Report • Mail: USDA Forest Service Attn: Quantitative Sciences Staff, Dr. Guy Robertson 1621 North Kent Street , RPC4 Arlington, VA 22209-2137 If you have a question about the report or supporting technical documents, please send them via email or fax, above, or telephone 703-605-4188. iii [ This page intentionally left blank ] iv Content Note to Reviewers Chapter 1: Introduction 1.1 Introduction 1.1 Defining Sustainability 1.1 Pursuing sustainability across sector, scale and through time 1.3 Montreal Process Criteria and Indicators as a common framework 1.3 Development and Use of Criteria Indicators 1.4 International agreement on seven themes of sustainable forest management 1.4 Continuing to Work on the Indicators 1.5 The 2010 Reporting Cycle 1.6 National Report on Sustainable Forests: 2010 1.7 Associated Products 1.7 Data Foundations for the Report 1.7 Trends and Regional Differences 1.8 Summarizing Findings and Discerning Meaning 1.8 Chapter 2: Presentation of the Criteria and Indicators 2.1 Introduction, 2.01 Conceptual Framework, 2.02 Criterion 1: Conservation of Biological Diversity 2.08 Indicator 1.01-Area and percent of forest by forest ecosystem type, successional stage, age class, and forest ownership or tenure 2.10 Indicator 1.02-Area and percent of forest in protected areas by forest ecosystem type, and be age class or successional stage 2.12 Indicator 1.03-Fragmentation of forests 2.14 Indicator 1.04-Number of native forest-associated species 2.16 Indicator 1.05-Number and status of native forest associated species at risk, as determined by legislation or scientific assessment 2.18 Indicator 1.06-Status of on site and off site efforts focused on conservation of species diversity 2.20 Indicator 1.07-Number and geographic distribution of forest associated species at risk of losing genetic variation and locally adapted genotypes 2.22 Indicator 1.08-Population levels of selected representative forest-associated species to describe genetic diversity 2.24 Indicator 1.08-Population levels of selected representative forest-associated species to describe genetic diversity 2.26 Indicator 1.09-Status of on site and off site efforts focused on conservation of genetic diversity 2.28 Criterion 2: Maintenance of Productive Capacity of Forest Ecosystems, 2.28 Indicator 2.10-Area and percent of forest land and net area of forest land available for wood production, 2.30 Indicator 2.11-Total growing stock and annual increment of both merchantable and non-merchantable tree species in forests available for wood production, 2.32 Indicator 2.12-Area, percent, and growing stock of plantations of native and exotic species, 2.34 Indicator 2.13-Annual harvest of wood products by volume and as percentage of net growth or sustained yield, 2.36 Indicator 2.14-Annual harvest of non-wood forest products, 2.38 v Criterion 3: Maintenance of Forest Ecosystem Health and Vitality, 2.40 Indicator 3.15-Area and percent of forest affected by Biotic Processes and Agents (e.g. insects, disease, invasive alien species) beyond reference condition, 2.42 Indicator 3.16-Area and percent of forest affected by Abiotic Agents (e.g. fire, storm, and land clearance) beyond reference conditions, 2.44 Criterion 4: Conservation and Maintenance of Soil and Water Resources 2.46 Indicator 4.17-Area and percent of forest whose designation or land management focus is the protection of soil and water resources 2.48 Indicator 4.18-Proportion of forest management activities that meet best management practices or other relevant legislation to protect soil resources 2.50 Indicator 4.19-Area and percent of forest land with significant soil degradation 2.52 Indicator 4.20-Proportion of forest management activities that meet best management practices, or other relevant legislation, to protect water related resources such as riparian zones, water quality, quantity, and flow regulation 2.54 Indicator 4.21-Area and percent of water bodies or stream length in forest areas with significant change in physical, chemical, or biological properties from reference conditions 2.56 Criterion 5: Maintenance of Forest Contribution of Global Carbon Cycles, 2.58 Indicator 5.22-Total forest ecosystem carbon pools and fluxes 2.60 Indicator 5.23-Total forest product carbon pools and fluxes 2.62 Indicator 5.24-Avoided fossil fuel carbon emissions by using forest biomass for energy, 2.64 Criterion 6: Maintenance and Enhancement of Long-term Multiple Socioeconomic Benefits to Meet the Needs of Societies 2.66 Indicator 6.25-Value and volume of wood and wood products productions, including primary and secondary processing 2.70 Indicator 6.26-Value of non-wood forest products produced or collected 2.72 Indicator 6.27-Revenue from forest based environmental services 2.74 Indicator 6.28-Total and per capita consumption of wood and wood products in round wood equivalents 2.76 Indicator 6.29-Total and per capita consumption of non-wood products 2.78 Indicator 6.30-Value and volume in round wood equivalents of exports and imports of wood products 2.80 Indicator 6.31-Value of exports and imports of non-wood products 2.82 Indicator 6.32-Exports as a share of wood and wood products production and imports as a share of wood and wood products consumption 2.84 Indicator 6.33-Recovery or recycling of forest products as a percent of total forest products consumption investment in the forest sector 2.86 Indicator 6.34-Value of capital investment and annual expenditure in forest management, wood and non-wood product industries, forest-based environmental services, recreation and tourism 2.88 Indicator 6.35-Annual investment and expenditure in forest-related research, extension and development, and education 2.90 Indicator 6.36-Employment in the forest sector 2.92 Indicator 6.37-Average wage rates, annual average income and annual injury rates in major forest employment categories 2.94 Indicator 6.38-Resilience of forest-dependent communities 2.96 Indicator 6.39-Area and percent of forests used