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Inventory Conditions

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Inventory Conditions

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  1. This document is contained within the Visitor Use Management Toolbox on Wilderness.net. Since other related resources found in this toolbox may be of interest, you can visit this toolbox by visiting the following URL: http://www.wilderness.net/index.cfm?fuse=toolboxes&sec=vum. All toolboxes are products of the Arthur Carhart National Wilderness Training Center.

  2. Inventory Conditions Tim Eling Daniel Boone National Forest

  3. The Nine-Step LAC Process 1. Identify area issues & concerns 2. Define & describe opportunity zones 3. Select indicators of resource & social conditions 4. Inventory resource & social conditions 5. Specify standards for both 6. Identify alternative opportunity zone allocations 7. Identify management actions for each alternative 8. Evaluate & select a preferred alternative 9. Implement actions & monitor conditions

  4. What level of impact are we willing to accept?

  5. What is Limits of Acceptable Change? • LAC is a process to define: • What kind of Resource conditions and • What kind of Social conditions are acceptable? and • To prescribe Actions to protect or achieve those conditions.

  6. You cannot determine what the actions are to protect and achieve desired conditions until you obtain baseline inventory data and then monitor for changes over time

  7. There are three LAC steps prior to the inventory: Step 1 - Identify area issues & concerns Step 2 - Define & describe opportunity zones Step 3 - Select indicators of resource & social conditions

  8. Indicators from Step 3 will help guide the inventory process: • Indicators are things we can measure which tell us if desired resource & social conditions are changing from human use.

  9. Step 4 is “Inventory resource and social conditions” • What is out there and what is its condition?

  10. Once you get an inventory of resource & social conditions you can move on to setting standards (Step 5) Step 1 - Identify area issues & concerns Step 2 - Define & describe opportunity zones Step 3 - Select indicators of resource & social conditions Step 4 - Inventory resource & social conditions Step 5 - Specify standards for resource & social conditions

  11. Step 4 - Inventory Existing Resource & Social Conditions • You must obtain baseline data before you can set standards • Indicators from Step 3 guide the Inventory process.

  12. What data do you already have collecting dust? • Old campsite surveys? • Old wilderness ranger visitor use logs? • Maps • Trail counter data • Visitor surveys

  13. Inventory is a BIG step • Time consuming • There will never be enough data collected • Inventory includes resource conditions and social conditions • Funding and staffing challenges

  14. Example of an inventory process • We are inventorying recreation impacts • We will follow corridors of use such as system trails & user created trails • As recreation impacts are encountered, we will document its location and assess its condition: • Campsites • Climbing areas • Destination Points (vistas, waterfalls, rappel areas) • Rockshelters

  15. What equipment? • If possible, use GPS units and incorporate data into GIS system • Gather maps • Any guidebooks • Old inventory

  16. FS Designated System Trails (red)

  17. A sample survey of user-created trails (blue)

  18. A sample survey of user-created campsites

  19. When inventorying recreation related impacts, look for a variety of impacts

  20. Graffiti

  21. Where are user created trails and what level of impact is associated with them? User-created trails

  22. Campsites – where are they and what is the level of impact (damaged trees, bare soil, human waste, etc)

  23. Bolts and chalk from climbing activities

  24. Do visitors feel crowded? Are there conflicts between user groups? Don’t forget to inventory social conditions!

  25. Inventory Social Conditions • Visitor surveys through universities • Trail counters • Visitor counts • Develop a visitor use sampling plan

  26. Groups greater than 10

  27. Do you have non-recreation related inventory information? ologists often have this information

  28. Where are the sensitive resources like T&E species and cultural sites?

  29. Do you have access to water and air quality monitoring?

  30. So, how can you possibly do all this inventory work? • Existing staff (probably not enough) • Volunteers – LAC Task Force participants, volunteer interns, Student Conservation Association, other interested groups • Universities – recreation ecologists, social scientists • Get help from other resource areas – wildlife, hydrology, soils, archaeology etc… • Be ready for unexpected opportunities

  31. Now, how to pay for all this stuff? • Start early working on obtaining funding (don’t wait until Step 4) • Get line officers support • Think of other funding areas besides wilderness and recreation (Inventory & Monitoring funding) • Grants

  32. Summary of Inventory Conditions • Inventory existing resource & social conditions • Step 4 of LAC process • Guided by the indicators selected during Step 3 of LAC process • Be organized in the way you gather spatial data -- and have a reason for the data gathered • Find out what data is already available • Prioritize data needs - i.e. gaps • There is never enough information available (accept it & do best you can)

  33. Questions?

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