Southwestern Crown of the Continent Collaborative Long-Term Monitoring Plan

This document describes the long-term monitoring program of the Southwestern Crown of the
Continent Collaborative (SWCC) developed as part of the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration
Program (CFLRP). It explains the goals, principles, organizational structure, and monitoring approach of
the SWCC. It was developed by the members of the SWCC Monitoring Committee during 2011/2012 and
was reviewed by the full SWCC. It represents a common vision for evaluating and improving forest
restoration efforts in western Montana. The document is organized around the objectives of the Forest
Landscape Restoration Act (FLRA) and the SWCC’s goals for forest restoration in the region.
The SWCC identified a strong monitoring program as vital to the success of the project and recognized
several goals for monitoring including:
 Determining the effects of fuels and forest restoration efforts conducted under the CFLRP;
 Validating or improving management approaches to achieve treatment objectives (i.e. through
adaptive management);
 Determining how the interaction of various forest treatments can generate landscape level
effects that move the Southwestern Crown landscape toward a more resilient, high integrity
ecosystem;
 Setting a national example for monitoring the effects of forest management activities; and
 Complying with FLRA.
Goals for ecological, social, and economic monitoring for the SWCC were initially articulated within
FLRA, associated FLRA Field Guide, and the SWCC proposal and landscape strategy.