242 



Background i 



I 

 All three ecosystem assessments presented today are unique in the ' 



size of the assessment area, issues addressed and procedures 



used. Ecosystem analysis has been one of the agency's tools to 



address the increasing complexity and scope of issues which have 



broadened the context of resource considerations from Che site 



and local level to the landscape and regional level. It has | 



become evident that large scale assessments of the status and 



function of ecosystems or ecosystem components are sometimes 



needed to consolidate information to support resource management 



planning. 



It should be noted that a large number of ecosystem euialyses 



occur at the smaller Icmdscape level (tens of thousands of acres i 



I 

 in size) rather than the ecoregional level (millions of acres in I 



size). Examples of "landscape level" analyses include watershed ' 

 assessments that are currently being used in the Northwest for ' 

 project planning. Field managers determine the objectives for 

 ecosystem analysis as well as the scale of analysis required ' 

 based on resource issues and future planning needs. { 



I 



All of these ecosystem assessments provide the frameworlc or i 

 context for subsequent decision making. Information from these 

 assessments can be used in Forest Plan and site-specific level 

 National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) decision documents. 

 Assessments are one way to collect and organize information that j 



