Wildlife Ecology Unit

Species Protocol Development Guide

The Forest Service, through the Ecosystem Management Coordination staff, is undertaking a multi-year effort to improve the consistency of inventory and monitoring (I&M) throughout the agency. As part of this effort, protocols will be developed for all I&M activities at national and regional levels.

The Species Protocol Development Guide is being created to improve consistency in how protocols are developed for wildlife, fish, and rare plant species. The Guide is currently in preparation under a contract with Pacific Research Institute of Corvallis, Oregon. It describes all aspects of a protocol: setting objectives, selecting an indicator, developing a sample design, collecting data, analyzing data, storing data, and preparing reports. The Guide will be available in the fall of 2003. We'll keep you posted!