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time consuming to accomplish agency consultations associated with 

 tnese forest plan amendments. 



The need for these types of assessments is increasing and we are 

 committed to learning better and more efficient ways to conduct 

 these analyses. What we learn from our experience with the three 

 regional assessments that are the subject of this hearing will be 

 applied to future assessments. 



Assessment Comparison 



Although the Southern Appalachian Assessment, Interior Columbia 

 River Basin Ecosystem Management Project assessment and Sierra 

 Nevada Ecosystem Project assessment are different in many ways, 

 they all represent a common approach to analyze major issues of 

 concern. They are all large in scale and cover a mix of land 

 ownerships and political boundaries. They are different in how 

 t.^ey were chartered, in the amount of research data collected, 

 and when and how the the assessments are to be used in the 

 management of National Forest System lands. Through monitoring 

 these processes, we will adapt any future assessments based on 

 what we learn. 



All three assessments are examples of interdisciplinary studies 

 conducted to provide information on and enhance understanding of 

 the physical, biological, social and economic aspects and 



