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Search Sustainability Reporting
 Did you know? The Montreal Process Criteria and Indicators (MP C&I) characterize the essential components of sustainable forest management, and they provide a framework for describing the value and condition of forests. These internationally agreed-upon criteria and indicators were developed collaboratively with other Montreal Process member countries as a shared response to the pressing need for sustainable forest management.
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    Sustainability Reporting
                            Updates and Coming Soon!Indicators coming soon: 1.7,1.8,2.14,6.31Newly released: 6.26, 6.29, 6.36Check out the National Report on Sustainable ForestsThe mission of the Forest Service is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the nation's forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations. This site provides data and analysis describing current forest conditions as they relate to the ecological, social, and economic dimensions of forest sustainability. We use the Montréal Process Criteria and Indicators, an internationally agreed upon set of sustainability measures, to organize this information. Individual reports for each of the Montréal Process's 54 indicators are provided, covering topics ranging from biodiversity conservation to forest fires to the many benefits we derive from forests. Summaries and topical reports are also available for download, and the site also provides access to information about other forest sustainability efforts underway in the U.S. and elsewhere. Over 20 Forest Service scientists contributed to this effort.Criteria and Indicators for Forest SustainabilityThe Montreal Process Criteria and Indicators (MP C&I) characterize the essential components of sustainable forest management, and they provide a framework for describing the value and condition of forests. These internationally agreed-upon criteria and indicators were developed collaboratively with other Montreal Process member countries as a shared response to the pressing need for sustainable forest management. The current status for each of the 54 indicators of forest sustainability in the United States is presented in PDF format below on a rolling basis. New briefs will be posted to this page when they become available.Criterion 1: Conservation of Biological DiversityDescribes the types of forest found in the United States, the area they inhabit, and the diversity of plants and animals found within them. All documents in this criterion were updated in 2022 unless otherwise noted.Ecosystem DiversityIndicator 1.01: Area and percent of forest by typeIndicator 1.02: Area and percent of forest in protected areasIndicator 1.03: Fragmentation of forestsSpecies DiversityIndicator 1.04: Number of native forest-associated speciesIndicator 1.04.1: SupplementalIndicator 1.05: Number and status of native forest associated species at riskIndicator 1.06: Status of onsite and offsite efforts focused on conservation of species diversityGenetic DiversityIndicator 1.07: Number of forest associated species at risk of losing genetic variation (2011)Indicator 1.08: Population levels of selected representative forest-associated species to describe genetic diversity (2011)Indicator 1.09: Status of onsite and offsite efforts focused on conservation of genetic diversityCriterion 2: Maintenance of Productive Capacity of Forest EcosystemsDescribes the capacity of our forests to produce products that are valued by society. All documents in this criterion were last updated in 2021 unless otherwise noted.Indicator 2.10: Area and percent of forest land available for wood productionIndicator 2.11: Total growing stock and annual increment available for wood productionIndicator 2.12: Area, percent, and growing stock of plantations of native and exotic speciesIndicator 2.13: Annual harvest of wood productsIndicator 2.14: Annual harvest of non-wood forest products (2011)Criterion 3: Maintenance of Ecosystem Health and VitalityDescribes the health or our forests and the various disturbance processes that occur in them. All documents in this criterion were last updated in 2020.Indicator 3.15: Area and percent of forest affected by biotic processesIndicator 3.16: Area and percent of forest affected by abiotic agentsCriterion 4: Conservation  and Maintenance of Soil and Water ResourcesDescribes the condition of soil and water in our forests and the steps we are taking to sustain these resources. All documents in this criterion were last updated in 2020.Protective FunctionIndicator 4.17: Area of forest whose management focus is the protection of soil or waterSoilIndicator 4.18: Management activities that meet best management practices to protect soilsIndicator 4.19: Area and percent of forest land with significant soil degradationWaterIndicator 4.20: Management activities that meet best management practices to protect waterIndicator 4.21: Area of water bodies in forest areas with significant change in conditionsCriterion 5: Maintenance of Forest Contribution to Global Carbon CyclesMeasures the amount of carbon stored in our forests and in long-lasting wood products, and the amount of carbon emissions avoided through the use of wood for energy. All documents in this criterion were last updated in 2021.Indicator 5.22: Total forest ecosystem carbon pools and fluxesIndicator 5.23: Total forest product carbon pools and fluxesIndicator 5.24: Avoided fossil fuel carbon emissions by using forest biomass for energyCriterion 6: Maintenance and Enhancement of Long-Term Multiple Socioeconomic Benefits to Meet the Needs of SocietiesDescribes the various social and economic aspects of forests in the United States, including (1) production and consumption of forest outputs; (2) investments in forests and the forest sector; (3) employment and forest communities; (4) recreation and tourism; and (5) the cultural and spiritual values associated with forests. Most documents in this criterion are from 2011 unless otherwise indicated.Production and ConsumptionIndicator 6.25: Value and volume of wood and wood products productionIndicator 6.26: Value of nonwood forest products produced or collectedIndicator 6.27: Revenue from forest-based environmental servicesIndicator 6.28: Total and per capita consumption of wood and wood productsIndicator 6.29: Total and per capita consumption of nonwood forest productsIndicator 6.30: Value and volume of exports and imports of wood productsIndicator 6.31: Value of exports and imports of nonwood productsIndicator 6.32: Exports and imports of wood products as a share of production and consumptionIndicator 6.33: Recovery or recycling of forest productsInvestment in the Forest SectorIndicator 6.34: Capital investment in forest management, forest-based industriesIndicator 6.35: Annual expenditure in forest-related research, extension, and educationEmployment and Community NeedsIndicator 6.36: Employment in forest products sectorIndicator 6.37: Average wage and injury rates in major forest employment categoriesIndicator 6.38: The resilience of forest-dependent communities (Last updated - 2021)Indicator 6.39: Area and percent of forests used for subsistence purposesIndicator 6.40: Distribution of revenues derived from forest managementRecreation and TourismIndicator 6.41: Area and percent of forests available and managed for public recreation and tourism (Last updated - 2021)Indicator 6.42: Number of visits attributed to recreation and tourism and related to facilities available (Last updated - 2021)Cultural, Social and Spiritual Needs and ValuesIndicator 6.43: Area of forests managed primarily to protect cultural, social, and spiritual needs and valuesIndicator 6.44: The importance of forests to peopleCriterion 7: Legal, Institutional, and Economic Framework for Forest Conservation and Sustainable ManagementDescribes the laws, policies and institutions that help determine forest management in the United States. Please note that these indicators have been revised and reduced since the 2010 report. All documents in this criterion were updated in 2018 unless otherwise noted.Indicator 7.45: Legislation and policies supporting the sustainable management of forestsIndicator 7.46: Cross-sectoral policy and program coordinationIndicator 7.47: Taxation and other economic strategies that affect the sustainable management of forestsIndicator 7.48: Clarity and security of land and resource tenure and property rightsIndicator 7.49: Enforcement of laws related to forestsIndicator 7.50: Programs, services, and other resources supporting the sustainable management of forestsIndicator 7.51: Development and application of research and technologies for the sustainable management of forestsIndicator 7.52: Partnerships to support the sustainable management of forestsIndicator 7.53: Public participation and conflict resolution in forest-related decision makingIndicator 7.54: Monitoring, assessment and reporting on progress towards sustainable management of forests (2022)
      
                    
    
    














      Publications
                            		
        							
        					Kathleen  McGinley, Lara  Murray, Guy  Robertson, Eric M. White.         2023. National report on sustainable forests, 2020
                    Guy Robertson, Peter Gaulke, Ruth McWilliams, Sarah LaPlante, Richard Guldin.         2011. National Report on Sustainable Forests--2010
                    USDA Forest Service.         2004. National Report on Sustainable Forests - 2003
                    Guy Robertson, Andy Mason.         2016. Assessing the Sustainability of Agricultural and Urban Forests in the United States
                    Kathleen McGinley, Guy Robertson, Kathleen Friday, Constance Carpenter.         2017. Assessing Forest Sustainability in the Tropical Islands of the United States
                    Kathleen McGinley, Fredrick W Cubbage.         2020. Legal, Institutional, and Economic Indicators of Forest Conservation and Sustainable Management in the United States: Analyzing Criterion 7 of the Montréal Process Criteria and Indicators Framework
                    Tara M. Barrett, Guy C. Robertson.         2021. Disturbance and sustainability in forests of the Western United States
                            Last updated February 12, 2024
	

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