1. INTRODUCTION

In 2003, the first National Report on Sustainable Forests reported on the state of forests inthe United States of America (US) and the indicators of national progress toward the goal of sustainable forest management. It also provided examples ofcurrent actions and identified challenges to assessingthe sustainability of forests (http://www.fs.fed.us/research/sustain/). The current report is the second in the series, and continues to track our nation’s progress. While the primary purpose of this report remains the same, there are notable differences in its content and structure relative to 2003. Through many consultations with partners and stakeholders, our collective understanding of ‘sustainability’ has evolved, as has the portfolio of values derived from the Nation’s forests. As the sustainability concept has been refined, and the list of values grown, it is natural that this document has evolved.

The National Report on Sustainable Forests: 2010 provides factual information along with some context to inform and inspire dialogue about sustainability and our Nation’s forests. Improvements in inventory and monitoring programs, fresh research developing new data and analysis methods, and emerging partnerships are providing new and more relevant information, which is reflected in the indicator reports found in Chapter 2. As this is the second report in this series, Chapter 3 begins to track some of the significant data trends through time for individual criteria and indicators. Beyond progress at the conceptual level, such as the development of new indicators and revision of others, there has also been progress at the practical level. New activities informed by and/or incorporating the Montréal Process criteria and indicators (MP C&I) have been undertaken at all geographic scales: county, State, regional, and national. Chapter 4 explores some of these activities and explains how they are helping to broaden and deepen our nation’s commitment to sustainability.

Though the total area of forests in the United States has been relatively stable since 2003, the pressure on these lands from competing uses has intensified. These diverse and sometimes rival uses call for candid dialogue within the broad community of interests that value forests. To the extent that such dialogue can lead to broader and deeper shared support for policies and programs aimed at improving conservation and sustainable management of our forests, it will also benefit our society, economy, and natural environment. Chapter 5 makes some initial suggestions about how to convert this dialogue into action that will improve the condition of our forests.

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National Report on Sustainable: 2010