IS THE FOREST SERVICE KEEPING UP WITH THE TIMES - INTEREST GROUP AND FORESTRY SCHOOL PERCEPTIONS OF POST-NFMA CHANGE IN THE UNITED-STATES FOREST-SERVICE

Interest groups involved in the Forest Service's 1990 Resources Planni ng Act (RPA) forest planning process and representatives from accredit ed forestry schools were surveyed via a written questionnaire on their perceptions of change within the Forest Service since 1976. Responden ts felt that the agency had changed, particularly during the late 1980 s and early 1990s. Consumptive users perceived the change to be negati ve, while non-consumptive user groups and forestry schools felt it was somewhat positive, although they still felt the Forest Service had mu ch further to go in this direction before achieving these groups' desi red priorities for National Forest management. These results indicate that the agency is undergoing a net shift bz direction towards increas ed emphasis on non-commodity forest uses. In general, external forces, such as Congress and the courts, were seen as having a greater impact on agency change than were sources of change within the agency itself Forestry schools agreed most often with non-consumptive users, indica ting that these programs may be undergoing a change away from their tr aditional focus on timber production. In addition to providing valuabl e insights on the subject of change in the Forest Service, these surve y results locate areas of agreement and disagreement, and provide valu able feedback to the agency regarding its constituent groups' views ab out its performance in managing the National Forests.