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Partnership Agreement Signed with USDA Forest Service

NatureServe Assists Protection of National Forests

NatureServe and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service have signed an agreement to work together to conserve national forests and grasslands. A new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) furthers an ongoing partnership between the two organizations. The Forest Service and NatureServe have a successful 25-year history of working on a broad range of cooperative projects in areas such as species viability assessments, inventory for rare and endangered species, ecosystem classification and mapping, and forest planning.

"The Forest Service relies daily on the scientific data, information management tools, and conservation services provided by NatureServe and its affiliated state natural heritage programs," said Dale Bosworth, chief of the Forest Service. "Partnerships with organizations such as NatureServe allow the Forest Service to do more of the important conservation work that benefits the public."

The new MOU envisions several areas for expanded collaboration with the Forest Service by NatureServe and its natural heritage member programs:

• NatureServe's databases on the distribution and condition of species, together with its habitat classification and mapping capabilities, are particularly well suited to assessing the broader landscape context in which National Forest lands exist and are being managed.
• Meeting the needs of Forest Service planners, land managers, and researchers will also depend on deepening our knowledge by gathering additional data in both traditional areas—such as inventory, assessment, and mapping of species and ecosystems—and in new areas, like invasive species detection and monitoring.
• Innovative technologies for gathering, analyzing, and sharing biological information are essential for ensuring that Forest Service staffs have timely access to the data they need. Opportunities exist to advance and link data systems used by the Forest Service and NatureServe.

       Download 12-12-03 press release (PDF file, 291K)

       Download fact sheet on NatureServe - USDA Forest Service Partnership
        (PDF file - 207K)

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