Related Information
What is a RPA Assessment 2010 RPA Assessment Assessment Products FS / RPA Regions Key Contacts Links of Interest RPA Assessment Home

Research & Development - RPA Assessment

The Resources Planning Act (RPA) Assessment reports on the status and trends of the Nation’s renewable resources on all forest and rangelands, as required by the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service has conducted natural resource analyses for over a century. The 1974 RPA legislation established a periodic reporting requirement and broadened the coverage to all renewable resources on U.S. forests and rangelands. The RPA Assessment includes analyses of forests, rangelands, wildlife and fish, biodiversity, water, outdoor recreation, wilderness, urban forests, and the effects of climate change upon these resources.

2010 RPA Assessment

The 2010 RPA Assessment provides a snapshot of current U.S. forest and rangeland conditions (all ownerships), identifies drivers of change for natural resource conditions, and projects the effects of those drivers on resource conditions 50 years into the future.  Past RPA Assessments typically focused on one “business as usual” or “most likely” future.  In contrast, this Assessment uses a set of future scenarios that influence the resource projections, allowing us to explore a range of possible futures for U.S. renewable natural resources. Alternative future scenarios were used to analyze the effects of human and environmental influences on our forests and rangelands, including population growth, domestic and global economic growth, land use change, and climate change.

The information in the 2010 RPA Assessment is supported by a variety of publications, including Forest Service General Technical Reports (GTRs) and journal articles. The supporting GTRs are posted on the RPA website as they become available.

The scientific peer review has been completed and the public comment period has ended for the Draft 2010 RPA Assessment. The Draft Assessment is currently being revised to respond to comments. If you would like to be notified when the 2010 RPA Assessment is finalized and made available, please add your name and email here.

Contacts: Linda Langner llangner[at]fs.fed.us
              Margaret Connelly mconnelly[at]fs.fed.us

US Forest Service
Last modified October 04, 2011
http://www.fs.fed.us