Forest Health Monitoring 



GOAL 



A Forest Health Monitoring Program is eventually 

 established nationwide, and provides information on 

 forest condition and trends for formulation of 

 national policy. 



RATIONALE 



Large-scale, subtle changes in forests, such as those that might be 

 caused by atmospheric deposition, soil nutrient loss, global warm- 

 ing, and some pests, are difficult to detect and could easily be 

 overlooked until serious or irreversible. Monitoring of forests to 

 describe their condition and identify changes that are occurring 

 provides a factual basis for public policy and private ownership 

 decisions. 



The Forest Sen'ice, in partnership with the U.S. Environmental 

 Protection Agency (EPA) and the State Foresters, has implement- 

 ed the Forest Health Monitoring Program in 12 Eastern States 

 and 2 Western States since 1990. The program participants are 

 technically capable of expanding the program nationwide over 

 the next few years. This program has already produced data 

 showing that a much-feared regional decline of sugar maples is 

 not occurring. Similar national monitoring programs are well 

 established in Canada and over 30 European coimtries, offering 

 the opportunity to compare forest health trends across the 

 Northern Hemisphere. 



ACTIONS 



The following actions should be taken to continue implementa- 

 tion of the Forest Health Monitoring Program: 



• Continue joint implementation of the Forest Health 

 Monitoring Pro-am. In cooperation with the State 

 Foresters, other Federal land management agencies, 

 and the EPA's Environmental Monitoring and Asses- 

 sment Program (EMAP), continue joint implementa- 

 tion of the Forest Health Monitoring Program as 

 funds become available, with the goal of full imple- 

 mentation nationwide. Establish a national steering 

 committee for the Forest Health Monitoring Pro- 

 gram and cany out the other recommendations re- 

 sulting from the national review conducted in 1992. 



Healthy Forests for America 's Future — A Strategic Plan 33 



