Evaluating Risk to Forest Health and Sustainability with the Montreal Process Criteria and Indicators

Kenneth W. Stolte

USDA Forest Service Southern Research Station

The Montreal Process Criteria and Indicators (MPCI) are a platform for the collection, analyses, and interpretation of data that directly affects the health and sustainability of forest ecosystems. Even with a focused list of Criteria and associated Indicators to address health and sustainability, it can be difficult to define key words or phrases, and difficult-to-impossible to obtain all desired datasets to fulfill information needs.  It can be conceptually problematic for land owners and land managers facing an array of 67 Indicators within 7 Criteria, but can be clarified by the development of models of the interaction of MPCI Criteria, and models of Indicators within Criterion (C). This paper presents a systems model for understanding the primary relationships among the seven Montreal Process Criteria, and a systems model for understanding the relationships among the 3 Indicators of Criterion 3 (Forest Health and Vitality).  Terminology of the 3 Indicators had to be clarified and defined, and approaches for analyses constructed, so that available but disparate data sets could be analyzed to determine the area and percent of forests affected in the U.S. by an array of stressors. Criterion 3 (C3) was found to be the interface between human society (Criteria 6 and 7) and forest ecosystem attributes (Criteria 1, 2, 4, and 5), because Criterion 3 contains new human-induced stressors and exacerbated natural stressors (Indicators 1 and 2 of C3) and the initial effects on forest ecosystem processes or continuity (Indicator 3 of C3).  Forest Productivity (C2) and Soil and Water Conservation (C4) were the primary attributes of forest ecosystems affected by significant changes in ecological processes, closely interacting with each other and the major constituents of Carbon Cycling (C5).  Biological Diversity (C1) is essentially the living component of C5 and the ultimate endpoint or recipient of Criteria 2-to-7 interactions. 

Monitoring Methods Session - Tuesday Afternoon

corresponding author:

Kenneth W. Stolte
USDA Forest Service
Southern Research Station
3041 E. Cornwallis Road
Research Triangle Park, NC 27709
919.549.4022
kstolte@fs.fed.us