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of the specific stress symptoms to target for a given application. Because we work
in various locations, we are rarely experts on the ecological specifics of a new study
area. Where can we find target species or stands in various stages of decline? What
key landscape features or characteristics should be covered in our calibration to best
inform management? We also may not be sure how the products we develop could
be most useful to land managers and practitioners. Would a classification product be
most useful, with simple “healthy vs. dead” groupings, or would a range of decline
condition be better? Do we need to develop a species map first to better target the
declining stands end users hope to find? Are they looking for potential healthy
“refugia” areas for conservation, newly declining stands for intervention, or highmortality stands for salvage? Knowing what they need will allow us to design our
modeling outputs to best suit their needs.
To maximize the impact of the products you develop, we suggest engaging a
range of stakeholders throughout the entire process, for example:
• Go beyond simply obtaining letters of support to include end users and other key
stakeholders in proposal development and experimental design from the outset
of a new project.
• Find practitioners in your study area to identify and visit potential field sites.
• Present at local and regional meetings with the specific intent to introduce the
project and solicit feedback on product format and delivery (prior to obtaining
results).
• Include stakeholders in fieldwork, training them in field methodologies and
learning from their expertise. Creating a sense of ownership or investment in a
project improves the chances that your final products will actually be used.
• Meet with potential users as products are developed to gauge if the format (metric scale/range, spatial resolution, file format, etc.) are useful and, if not, how you
might modify products to meet their needs.
• In addition to presenting your results at scientific meetings, target professional
meetings and workshops to reach end users.
• Make your data products easily discoverable and available. This may include
posting final products in online databases or web portals. Be sure the format is
not limiting. Google Earth provides a useful platform for users without ARC or
other proprietary geocomputing resources.
Including stakeholders in this way not only helps maximize the utility and impact
of your efforts but also builds bridges between scientific and management communities. Historically, there have been limited collaborations among land managers,
practitioners, decision-makers, and the RS scientific community. In some cases,
there has even been mistrust as products are promised but delivered on a scientific
timeline rather than a management timeline. But there has been a recent push to
include stakeholders in RS and modeling efforts, exemplified by the recent “Voices
from the Land” project led by researchers at Harvard Forest (McBride et al. 2017).
This stakeholder-driven approach used interviews with New Englanders to identify
key outcomes and likely scenarios for modeling. Such steps can build relationships
that can serve all communities interested in sustaining forested ecosystems.
J. Pontius et al.
of the specific stress symptoms to target for a given application. Because we work
in various locations, we are rarely experts on the ecological specifics of a new study
area. Where can we find target species or stands in various stages of decline? What
key landscape features or characteristics should be covered in our calibration to best
inform management? We also may not be sure how the products we develop could
be most useful to land managers and practitioners. Would a classification product be
most useful, with simple “healthy vs. dead” groupings, or would a range of decline
condition be better? Do we need to develop a species map first to better target the
declining stands end users hope to find? Are they looking for potential healthy
“refugia” areas for conservation, newly declining stands for intervention, or highmortality stands for salvage? Knowing what they need will allow us to design our
modeling outputs to best suit their needs.
To maximize the impact of the products you develop, we suggest engaging a
range of stakeholders throughout the entire process, for example:
• Go beyond simply obtaining letters of support to include end users and other key
stakeholders in proposal development and experimental design from the outset
of a new project.
• Find practitioners in your study area to identify and visit potential field sites.
• Present at local and regional meetings with the specific intent to introduce the
project and solicit feedback on product format and delivery (prior to obtaining
results).
• Include stakeholders in fieldwork, training them in field methodologies and
learning from their expertise. Creating a sense of ownership or investment in a
project improves the chances that your final products will actually be used.
• Meet with potential users as products are developed to gauge if the format (metric scale/range, spatial resolution, file format, etc.) are useful and, if not, how you
might modify products to meet their needs.
• In addition to presenting your results at scientific meetings, target professional
meetings and workshops to reach end users.
• Make your data products easily discoverable and available. This may include
posting final products in online databases or web portals. Be sure the format is
not limiting. Google Earth provides a useful platform for users without ARC or
other proprietary geocomputing resources.
Including stakeholders in this way not only helps maximize the utility and impact
of your efforts but also builds bridges between scientific and management communities. Historically, there have been limited collaborations among land managers,
practitioners, decision-makers, and the RS scientific community. In some cases,
there has even been mistrust as products are promised but delivered on a scientific
timeline rather than a management timeline. But there has been a recent push to
include stakeholders in RS and modeling efforts, exemplified by the recent “Voices
from the Land” project led by researchers at Harvard Forest (McBride et al. 2017).
This stakeholder-driven approach used interviews with New Englanders to identify
key outcomes and likely scenarios for modeling. Such steps can build relationships
that can serve all communities interested in sustaining forested ecosystems.
J. Pontius et al.