Protecting old growth and other non-timber values in Idaho's state forests: A comparative ecological and financial risk analysis

Managing old growth forests on state trust lands in Idaho requires an integrated policy sciences approach that balances the Constitutional mandate to maximize revenues while upholding social and environmental obligations.  Understanding all of the social, political, ecological, and economic factors associated with the management of trust lands has allowed us to develop a systematic framework for prioritizing old growth forests on state lands in Idaho.  Prioritization maps were developed utilizing geographic information systems (GIS) to visually display the utility of the maps.  The prioritization maps illustrate the need for the Idaho Department of Lands (IDL) to update their forest inventory to more accurately reflect the landscape, as well as provide a baseline for monitoring social, environmental, and economic performance measures. Additionally, a set of management strategies were developed using the Landscape Management System (LMS) that incorporate IDL’s economic requirements, as well as their social and environmental obligations.  Furthermore, the policy sciences approach to natural resource management has allowed us develop a set of policy alternatives that reflects the array of management options available to managers that is adaptable to any political agenda.