The Impact of Administrative Partitioning on the Regional Effectiveness of Forest Pest Management in Protected Area-Centered Ecosystems

Research Highlights: Forest pest outbreaks that cross jurisdictional boundaries pose particular challenges, since both ecological and social factors influence the effectiveness of management responses. This study found that difficulties emerge from the misalignment of management objectives and policies that deter collaboration. The sharing of resources and collaborative responses to outbreaks may improve management outcomes. Background and Objectives: This study examines if and how boundaries influence the effectiveness of forest pest management within the protected area-centered ecosystems of Rocky Mountain National Park and Grand Canyon National Park, USA. Materials and Methods: Using semi-structured interviews and a survey distributed to forest managers, we explored how partitioning affects pest management effectiveness and identified barriers to and strategies for managing outbreaks that cross boundaries. Results: Cross-boundary outbreaks are uniquely challenging due to federally mandated policies, agency mission misalignment, a lack of formal collaboration, and a lack of public support for timber management programs. Strategies that may improve outcomes include reevaluating problematic policies; ensuring messaging is consistent across agencies; and developing a preventative cross-boundary forest insect outbreak management team. Conclusions: Measures to increase collaboration in multi-jurisdictional landscapes will help managers prepare for future forest pest outbreaks, which are expected to increase in frequency with climate change.