The SAA developed a process that was accessible to the public. All
meetings of science teams and the executive team were managed as public
meetings with advance notice and with mechanisms for discourse between
the interested public and scientists and analysts conducting the assessment.
This unprecedented approach to conducting the assessment’s activities also
served to build trust in the conduct of the assessment. Perhaps most importantly, it provided a platform for the discussion of complex resource issues
among a broad complement of interest groups.
4.5 Assessment Results
A project can be evaluated in terms of its products (i.e., the reports and
data sets) and its outcomes (i.e., perceptible changes in process, reductions
in conflict, and new approaches to on-the-ground decision making). Products are tangible and readily measured, while outcomes may be much more
difficult to pin down. In spite of being more difficult to measure, outcomes
are more substantive consequences of an effort like the SAA. While government reports have a propensity to gather dust, changes in institutions
and ways of doing business can have important and enduring effects on the
condition of land and resources.
4.5.1 Products
The initial product of the SAA was a five-volume set of documents
and several data sets addressing the specific questions in each of the four
theme areas (Southern Appalachian Man and the Biosphere Cooperative
1996a–e). The reports summarized existing knowledge regarding ecological
and social systems within the region, a synthesis of data, and a summary
of key findings. Five thousand copies of the four technical reports and nine
thousand copies of the summary report were produced and rapidly
disseminated. The reports were also made available in a downloadable form
on the World Wide Web. These products were subsequently used by both
public resource managers and public interest groups to address forestplanning issues on the region’s seven national forests.
It is implausible to provide a complete listing of the findings presented
in the technical documents. Resource conditions and trends were documented, and several emerging issues and concerns were identified. As a
sampling of these findings, consider that the SAA
1. Documented and quantified social demographic and attitude changes
in the region (SAMAB 1996d, pp. 17–70)
2. Documented changes in the economic structure of the region (SAMAB
1996d, pp. 71–76)
3. Identified the structure of timber supplies and demands (SAMAB
1996d, pp. 89–116)
4. Large-Scale Regional Assessments
77
meetings of science teams and the executive team were managed as public
meetings with advance notice and with mechanisms for discourse between
the interested public and scientists and analysts conducting the assessment.
This unprecedented approach to conducting the assessment’s activities also
served to build trust in the conduct of the assessment. Perhaps most importantly, it provided a platform for the discussion of complex resource issues
among a broad complement of interest groups.
4.5 Assessment Results
A project can be evaluated in terms of its products (i.e., the reports and
data sets) and its outcomes (i.e., perceptible changes in process, reductions
in conflict, and new approaches to on-the-ground decision making). Products are tangible and readily measured, while outcomes may be much more
difficult to pin down. In spite of being more difficult to measure, outcomes
are more substantive consequences of an effort like the SAA. While government reports have a propensity to gather dust, changes in institutions
and ways of doing business can have important and enduring effects on the
condition of land and resources.
4.5.1 Products
The initial product of the SAA was a five-volume set of documents
and several data sets addressing the specific questions in each of the four
theme areas (Southern Appalachian Man and the Biosphere Cooperative
1996a–e). The reports summarized existing knowledge regarding ecological
and social systems within the region, a synthesis of data, and a summary
of key findings. Five thousand copies of the four technical reports and nine
thousand copies of the summary report were produced and rapidly
disseminated. The reports were also made available in a downloadable form
on the World Wide Web. These products were subsequently used by both
public resource managers and public interest groups to address forestplanning issues on the region’s seven national forests.
It is implausible to provide a complete listing of the findings presented
in the technical documents. Resource conditions and trends were documented, and several emerging issues and concerns were identified. As a
sampling of these findings, consider that the SAA
1. Documented and quantified social demographic and attitude changes
in the region (SAMAB 1996d, pp. 17–70)
2. Documented changes in the economic structure of the region (SAMAB
1996d, pp. 71–76)
3. Identified the structure of timber supplies and demands (SAMAB
1996d, pp. 89–116)
4. Large-Scale Regional Assessments
77