Rapid Forest Assessment: A New Tool to Assist Citizen Science Efforts

Hosted by the National Forest Foundation:

Multiparty monitoring efforts often rely upon citizen scientists gathering data to help answer a collaborative group’s questions. The challenge can be gathering that data in ways that are consistent, unbiased and repeatable. Restoration scientists involved in the Southwestern Crown of the Continent and Four Forest Restoration Initiative CFLR (Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration) projects have worked together to develop a new tool called “Rapid Forest Assessment” to help multiparty and citizen monitoring efforts. The RFA was supported in part through a National Forest Foundation peer mentorship between Travis Belote of The Wilderness Society and Matt Williamson of the Grand Canyon Trust, with additional help from Cory Davis at the University of Montana. The group even tested the use of the Rapid Forest Assessment technique this past summer with high school students to determine its effectiveness. We hope you can join us for this peer learning session to learn about the tool, which could have a big impact on multiparty monitoring efforts in forested ecosystems.   

To participate in this peer learning session, you will need an internet connection and a phone line.