492
mostly privately held. The Northern Forest Lands
Council efforts also focused on this multistate scale
but, under the Northern Forest Resource Inventory,
the assessment occurred at the substate level, concentrating on the area of the state within the Northern Forest region.
33.3.2 Extent
Northern Forest Lands Study
Many issues were studied and each was reviewed
to the extent possible, given the resources available
and the time frame allowed for the project. Several
examples illustrate the issue of extent. The review
of the patterns of land ownership, utilizing data primarily from the USDA Forest Service's Forest Inventory and Analysis and privately collected data,
the assessment virtually covered every acre of the
26 million-acre region, yielding sufficient delineation to show how many acres were owned by industry and how many by nonindustrial owners and
how much was in the public sector.
On another issue, that of the extent to which forest acreage in the Northern Forest was changing in
use by development and other scenarios, the Study
was only able to undertake a minimal case study
of several counties and towns to attempt to demonstrate the changes taking place. The results here
were speculative at best, but provided an insight
into issues not previously analyzed due to the large
multi state area involved.
Northern Forest Lands Council
The Council's charge was to build on and further
the work developed through the Northern Forest
Lands Study. For the base data provided by the
Study, such as the patterns of land ownership, the
extent of data collected was adequate. On other areas, most particularly the changing land uses study,
the Council's work broadened the extent of analysis considerably. A separate town by town analysis of changing land uses for the years 1980 to 1991
of all parcels over 500 acres in size was initiated,
and a less vigorous review of existing data on
changing uses on smaller parcels was also included.
Additionally, the Northern Forest Lands Council furthered work begun in the Study phase once
it was identified as important to the results of the
effort. The extent of analysis of the following areas was broadened through the Council assessment:
federal taxes, property taxes, biodiversity, recreation and tourism, and the forest-based economy of
the Northern Forest.
Northern Forest Lands Case Study
Private Lands Issue
The Northern Forest Lands Study and Council
processes' assessments looked primarily at private
forest land issues. As a result, many data sources
were inadequate. Good data on the hundreds of
thousands of private forest owners and their lands
in the Northern Forest is simply not available. In
some cases, such as the work accomplished to analyze the changing land uses in the Northern Forest, primary data were ultimately collected because
the issue was so fundamental to the effort. On others, such as a review of the forest harvesting practices taking place relative to water resources in the
Northern Forest, a recommendation for further
study was all that resulted. Private forest land information and data availability ultimately limited
the extent of the assessments in both phases.
33.4 Major Types of Data and
Information Used in
the Assessment
Both public and private data sources were tapped
for the multitude of research studies and case studies completed for the Northern Forest Lands Study
and Council efforts. As can be expected, existing
data and information were always the first source.
For a number of issues, a simple literature search
of existing data or information was as far as the
process went. This was done for research under the
conservation strategies issue area of the Northern
Forest Lands Council, as well as others. In the other
extreme, raw data were collected by a research contractor under the Northern Forest Lands Council's
land conversion issue area to determine how much
actual land conversion had occurred in the Northern Forest. Primary data were also collected
through a written landowner survey in the current
use assessment study completed by a contractor for
the Northern Forest Lands Council Property Taxes
issue area subcommittee.
33.4.1 Published Data Sources Utilized
Many public data sources were tapped for the Study
and Council process. The most well known sources
were the USDA Forest Service's Forest Inventory
and Analysis (FIA); this included the multitude of
related reports on landowners, the forest products
industry, and other topics; state-based Natural Heritage Inventory data, threatened and endangered
species information along with natural communi-
mostly privately held. The Northern Forest Lands
Council efforts also focused on this multistate scale
but, under the Northern Forest Resource Inventory,
the assessment occurred at the substate level, concentrating on the area of the state within the Northern Forest region.
33.3.2 Extent
Northern Forest Lands Study
Many issues were studied and each was reviewed
to the extent possible, given the resources available
and the time frame allowed for the project. Several
examples illustrate the issue of extent. The review
of the patterns of land ownership, utilizing data primarily from the USDA Forest Service's Forest Inventory and Analysis and privately collected data,
the assessment virtually covered every acre of the
26 million-acre region, yielding sufficient delineation to show how many acres were owned by industry and how many by nonindustrial owners and
how much was in the public sector.
On another issue, that of the extent to which forest acreage in the Northern Forest was changing in
use by development and other scenarios, the Study
was only able to undertake a minimal case study
of several counties and towns to attempt to demonstrate the changes taking place. The results here
were speculative at best, but provided an insight
into issues not previously analyzed due to the large
multi state area involved.
Northern Forest Lands Council
The Council's charge was to build on and further
the work developed through the Northern Forest
Lands Study. For the base data provided by the
Study, such as the patterns of land ownership, the
extent of data collected was adequate. On other areas, most particularly the changing land uses study,
the Council's work broadened the extent of analysis considerably. A separate town by town analysis of changing land uses for the years 1980 to 1991
of all parcels over 500 acres in size was initiated,
and a less vigorous review of existing data on
changing uses on smaller parcels was also included.
Additionally, the Northern Forest Lands Council furthered work begun in the Study phase once
it was identified as important to the results of the
effort. The extent of analysis of the following areas was broadened through the Council assessment:
federal taxes, property taxes, biodiversity, recreation and tourism, and the forest-based economy of
the Northern Forest.
Northern Forest Lands Case Study
Private Lands Issue
The Northern Forest Lands Study and Council
processes' assessments looked primarily at private
forest land issues. As a result, many data sources
were inadequate. Good data on the hundreds of
thousands of private forest owners and their lands
in the Northern Forest is simply not available. In
some cases, such as the work accomplished to analyze the changing land uses in the Northern Forest, primary data were ultimately collected because
the issue was so fundamental to the effort. On others, such as a review of the forest harvesting practices taking place relative to water resources in the
Northern Forest, a recommendation for further
study was all that resulted. Private forest land information and data availability ultimately limited
the extent of the assessments in both phases.
33.4 Major Types of Data and
Information Used in
the Assessment
Both public and private data sources were tapped
for the multitude of research studies and case studies completed for the Northern Forest Lands Study
and Council efforts. As can be expected, existing
data and information were always the first source.
For a number of issues, a simple literature search
of existing data or information was as far as the
process went. This was done for research under the
conservation strategies issue area of the Northern
Forest Lands Council, as well as others. In the other
extreme, raw data were collected by a research contractor under the Northern Forest Lands Council's
land conversion issue area to determine how much
actual land conversion had occurred in the Northern Forest. Primary data were also collected
through a written landowner survey in the current
use assessment study completed by a contractor for
the Northern Forest Lands Council Property Taxes
issue area subcommittee.
33.4.1 Published Data Sources Utilized
Many public data sources were tapped for the Study
and Council process. The most well known sources
were the USDA Forest Service's Forest Inventory
and Analysis (FIA); this included the multitude of
related reports on landowners, the forest products
industry, and other topics; state-based Natural Heritage Inventory data, threatened and endangered
species information along with natural communi-