Integrated Resource Management Plans IFMAT understands that the Integrated Resource Management Plan (IRMP) initiative still exists but is not being actively pursued by the BIA or the tribes due to program delivery issues by the tribes and funding constraints by the BIA. The lack of any new or updated IRMPs since the early 2010s is directly related to these issues. The BIA data reports that 41 forested reservations have an IRMP in 2019 (Table F.3). The majority of those (88 percent) were developed for Category 1 and 2 reservations. This is an increase from 24 forests with an IRMP reported in IFMAT III. Reliance on CFI for Management Plans The IFMAT IV review reveals that the BIA’s Continuous Forest Inventory (CFI) system is unable to answer all the planning and operational needs of modern-day forest management programs. The CFI is being pushed beyond its original intent, which is to measure forest change over time. Many issues arising on tribal forests cannot be answered either at all, or quickly enough to meet the needs of forest managers. Some issues identified during this assessment include: ■ A CFI does not help the manager plan or prioritize where to conduct management activities. ■ A CFI does not provide any useful information to the manager faced with managing allotments.
Table F.3. Progress of IRMP development on forested reservations. No Category 3 reservations had an IRMP.
2019 IRMP Counts by Region and Program Category Program Category
Region Alaska Eastern
Total
1 0 1 0 0 8 6 2 2 0 1 0
2 1 0 0 3 5 1 1 2 0 1 0
4 0 1 1 0 0 1 2 0 1 0 1
1 2 1 3
Eastern Oklahoma
Great Plains
Midwest
13
Northwest
8 5 4 1 2 1
Pacific
Rocky Mountain Southern Plains
Southwest
Western
Grand Total 7 Source: Status of Forest Management Inventories and Planning database (InFoDat, as revised) 2019. 41 20 14
■ On a 15-year remeasurement cycle, a CFI cannot help in guiding response to episodic insect and disease infestation or catastrophic fire. ■ A CFI does not provide the stand-based information needed to support forest planning that focuses on developing a mix of forest conditions in a spatially functional configuration. Many forests are implementing stand-based inventories to meet their needs for tactical and operational planning, but current FMIP policies are limiting the use of these inventories in development of the allowable annual cut during the planning process. Other tribes are asking for stand-based inventories but
are meeting roadblocks due to funding and staffing needs. Further reliance on the historic CFI needs to be evaluated. Forest inventory needs and forest inventory techniques are evolving. The BIA and tribal inventory programs should be encouraged to use new tools as they become available to help assist in the monitoring of the resources. IFMAT recommends that a joint BIA and tribal team of experts perform an in-depth analysis of the current and future inventory needs, not only for planning, but for operations management. The team sees the opportunity to have the CFI inventory program evolve into a trust monitoring tool while more appropriate tools are incorporated into the
“Management of timber is based off benefiting other resources.” —IFMAT IV focus group participant
126 Assessment of Indian Forests and Forest Management in the United States
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