Through funding to OSU and the Long-Term Ecological Research Program at the H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest, the National Science Foundation is a major participant in the Center. The Center works cooperatively with the Olympic Natural Resources Center, Blue Mountain Natural Resource Institute, the Consortium on Social Values for Natural Resources, and the Forest Service New Perspectives Program. Our focus is on meeting social goals consistent with ecosystem productivity and diversity. Adaptive management recognizes the need to rapidly integrate new knowledge into management strategies. Our goal is to frame specific questions that need to be addressed, and then gain information by research, public discussion, and monitoring.
New information is used to continually adapt management approaches.
The Cascade Center functions in three broad stages on a continuing, cyclic basis. Research projects are designed to produce scientifically reliable and statistically valid answers to critical questions. Monitoring projects are designed to answer questions about the effectiveness of management plans and actions, and to provide valuable data for research projects. These stages overlap, and feedback from one stage may drive another stage as new information leads to refined questions or to new questions altogether. The Cascade Center for Ecosystem Management is a partnership of the Pacific Northwest Research Station, Oregon State University, and the Willamette National Forest for developing and testing new approaches to management of forests and stream systems.