Chapter 8: Socioeconomic well-being and forest management in northwest forest plan- area communities

Given the need to conserve forest biodiversity and produce forest products, President Clinton’s vision for the Northwest Forest Plan (NWFP, or Plan) was that it would provide “a balanced and comprehensive strategy for the conservation and management of forest ecosystems, while maximizing economic and social benefits from forests” (USDA and USDI 1994: E-1). The Plan was expected to support the production of a predictable, sustainable level of timber and nontimber resources from federal forests to contribute to the stability of local and regional economies over the long term (Charnley et al. 2006a). The Plan also aimed to help rural communities affected by cutbacks in federal timber production by providing economic assistance programs to promote long-term economic development and diversification and minimize the adverse effects of job loss from reductions in timber harvesting (Dillingham 2006).