| Abstract: | Summary Community-based stewardship forestry (CBSF) on public lands in the United States is still a fledgling concept. Neither the number of projects completed nor the length of time that has passed since their initial implementation has been sufficient to draw definitive conclusions about the movement's success in improving economic, social, and environmental conditions in forest-dependent communities. What is of most concern now is whether the CBSF fledgling will have a chance to reach its full potential or will instead fall victim to organizational exhaustion, economic malnutrition, or political sniping. Experiences with stewardship collaboratives in northwest Montana have helped define 10 key factors CBSF groups must effectively address if they are to survive: (1) organizational burnout; (2) membership composition, expansion, diversification, and utilization; (3) change in organizational mission or focus; (4) financial viability; (5) responsiveness of federal decision makers to CBSF groups' legislative concerns; (6) continued skepticism among both industry and environmental communities; (7) movement from small demonstration projects to implementation on a larger scale; (8) need for procedural simplification; (9) outreach to the broader community; and (10) institutionalization of a meaningful role for communities in the natural resource policy making and management process. There are no simple solutions to these challenges, but the collective record of CBSF groups so far suggests a level of commitment and staying power sufficient to propel the fledgling through the transition and into full flight. |
