Welcome to the 2023 US Forest Sector Grand Challenges Survey

 
 

Purpose

The purpose of this survey is to identify the most important problems facing the forest sector at all scales. Survey results will be published in a national report and used to inform political leaders, research funding agencies, and forest researchers where to direct more resources toward solving the most important problems limiting the success of forest management in the U.S.

Background

In 2020, a national advisory team oversaw a virtual summit that consisted of multiple focus groups representing Universities, Industry, State and Federal Government, Private Landowners, and Environmental NGOs. The goal was to understand why Forestry and Forest Products Research and Development (R&D) capacity had eroded, what conditions were enabling successful R&D, and whether consensus could be reached across groups as to current R&D priorities for the nation. Priorities were remarkably similar across these disparate groups, which included R&D producers, consumers, or a combination of both. We concluded, however, that a national survey was needed to capture more voices and actually represent the many perspectives in this sector.

Who should take this survey?

Anyone who’s work focuses on forested systems and the many ecosystem services and products that come from forests. We encourage you to share this survey as broadly as possible, particularly to any voices who may not be adequately represented in national discussions of Forestry problems and solutions.

What to expect:

This survey has 9 questions about your job and organization, and one question about your perceptions of the grand challenges facing the forest sector. We anticipate it will only take 5-10 minutes of your time. Results from the open-ended question will be coded and sent back to participants who provide contact information for a second round of ranking which will only take 1-2 minutes. The deadline to take the survey is May 5.