US Forestry and Policy Review Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering core definitions, process models, and legislative acts in US forestry and public policy.

Forest Land

A land use category that includes areas at least $120\,\text{feet}$ wide and at least $1\,\text{acre}$ in size with at least $10\%$ covered by live trees, including land that formerly had such tree cover and will be naturally or artificially regenerated.

Trees

Woody plants having an erect perennial stem capable of achieving at least $3\,\text{inches}$ in diameter at breast height, or $5\,\text{inches}$ in diameter at root collar, and a height of $16.4\,\text{feet}$ at maturity in situ.

Woodland

A land use category including areas at least $120\,\text{feet}$ wide and at least $1\,\text{acre}$ in size with sparse trees capable of achieving $16.4\,\text{feet}$ in height with a canopy cover of $5\%$ to $10\%$ combined with shrubs at least $6\,\text{feet}$ in height to achieve an overall cover greater than $10\%$ or woody vegetation.

Policy

A relatively stable, purposive course of action or inaction followed by an actor or set of actors in dealing with a problem or matter of concern.

Public Policy

Policy made by government officials such as legislators, governors, agency directors, and judges that commits the authority of the government to a course of action or inaction over time.

Private Policy

Firm or market decisions that may be internal or directed toward public benefits.

Polity

The decision-making forum that defines who and where policy decisions are made.

Politics

The decision-making process involving values, morals, emotion, passion, irrationality, self-interest, shortsightedness, and raw power that determine policy.

Institutionalism

An approach to economics, anthropology, and other fields that focuses on the role of organizations and institutions in shaping the world in various ways.

Policy Process Model

A sequential model outlining the stages of policy creation: problem formation, policy agenda, policy formation, policy adoption, policy implementation, and policy evaluation.

Problem Formation

The initial stage in the policy process model where a problem or issue is perceived and demands for action are made.

Policy Agenda

The stage in the policy process model where demands are recognized and problems are placed on the agenda for action by a public organization and decision-maker.

Policy Formation

The stage in the policy process model where an acceptable course of action is developed to deal with a perceived problem.

Policy Adoption

The stage in the policy process model where a policy is selected and made into an official policy statement.

Policy Implementation

The stage in the policy process model where a policy statement is carried out by a government agency, subject to legislative oversight or judicial review.

Policy Evaluation

The final stage in the policy process model involving formal or informal assessment of effectiveness, along with suggested improvements.

Sustainability

Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs, as defined by the United Nations in $1987$.

Weak Sustainability

A sustainable development framework portraying economic, environmental, and social components as three separate pillars, where sustainability exists only in the limited area where all three overlap.

Strong Sustainability

An enhanced sustainable development model recognizing that the economy, society, and environment are interdependent, with the economy nested within society, and society nested within the environment.

Forest Reserve Act (1891)

An $1891$ law that established the first federal forest reserves in the United States.

Weeks Act (1911)

A $1911$ legislative act enabling the federal government to buy back eastern forest lands.

Multiple Use-Sustained Yield Act (1960)

A $1960$ act mandating that national forests be managed for multiple resources including timber, wildlife, recreation, and watersheds.

National Environmental Policy Act (1970)

A $1970$ federal act requiring environmental impact reviews for major federal actions.

National Forest Management Act (1976)

A $1976$ law mandating comprehensive planning for the management of national forests.

The Capper Report (1923)

A $1923$ report addressing concerns over timber species loss, quality decline, and public harvest regulation.

The Copeland Report (1933)

A $1933$ report calling for public acquisition of $224\,\text{million acres}$ of private land, including $177\,\text{million acres}$ in the East.

Clarke-McNary Act of 1924

A $1924$ federal act establishing cooperative responses for forest management and fire protection.

Land Divestiture

The permanent disposal, transfer, or sale of real estate or land holdings by an entity or government.