Adopting Innovation at the US Forest Service: Read Our New Report!

As shifting climate risks strain our nation’s forests and rangelands, land managers at the Forest Service (USFS) need the capacity to anticipate—and adapt—to changing conditions. Adopting innovative data and tools to support the myriad decisions the agency faces every day will strengthen that capacity. In practice, that means improving how data and technology are used across the Forest Service in key mission support activities—from prioritizing fuel treatments, conducting NEPA reviews, and halting the spread of invasive species, to managing old growth forests.

Adopting innovation also means the Forest Service must be poised to leverage the energy and diversity of tech innovators across the public and private sectors—and to minimize missed opportunities for fruitful collaboration.To that end, the Environmental Policy Innovation Center (EPIC) just released a new report highlighting the barriers we see to adopting the innovative data and tools the Forest Service needs. 

To develop these recommendations, we conducted over forty interviews with a wide cross-section of Forest Service personnel at the regional and national levels, as well as with technology providers, nonprofit partners, and other federal agencies. Throughout the report, we make suggestions—and discuss findings and relevant examples—for how the agency might move toward a more connected and responsive approach to adopting technology.

What did we learn?

Think of adopting innovative data and tools like landing a plane—it's possible to do it safely and efficiently, but a lot has to go right in the process. At present, there are an increasing number of “planes taking off” for the Forest Service—interest among technology providers in working with the agency has never been higher—but precious few are landing. Why is that the case? Based on our interviews, we identified three key barriers:

1. Limited communication about technology across USFS units and sectors;

2. Missing pathways from experimentation to operations; and

3. Uneven foundations to support innovative technology adoption

Below, we unpack the report’s findings around these barriers, summarize insights, and trace the implications we see for future innovation efforts across the Forest Service.

Open and Proactive Communication

To continue the aviation metaphor, before, during, and after landing a plane, constant communication is happening all across the airport to make sure that it touches down safely, uses the right runways, and gets to the right gate—that means having a variety of communication channels for specific purposes. Adopting new data and tech at the USFS similarly benefits from proactive communication; to create broad awareness of how new datasets, technologies, and tools can or should work with existing systems, and to surface ideas for where new data and tools might be needed. To tackle this challenge we recommend: 

• More people in roles serving as “connective tissue”

  More dedicated roles that serve as “connective tissue” between different parts of the agency and outside technology providers. Like air traffic controllers, dedicated personnel need to be in communication with external partners, multiple technology-related teams, and USFS units to ensure that all parts are working toward the same goals.

• A system for soliciting—and acting on—innovative ideas.

  There is nothing more frustrating than having a great idea or a pressing need and no way to act on it. A radio system to “call for backup” can help the agency track, vet, and scale innovative ideas.

• More participation in open technology forums.

  The ability to communicate early and often with technology providers can go a long way to avoiding siloed approaches that frustrate users, tech providers, and USFS leaders alike. The USFS should use forums like a satellite communications system—to converse and organize well before the plane comes in for landing.

• More proactive market research.

  Proactive market research can function like a radar system for identifying new technologies relevant to the Forest Service, regardless of whether there is an established relationship with planes already en route. For example, think about the next wave of GenerativeAI tools and drone technology that might be applied to Forest Service work.

Establishing Pathways from Experimentation to Adoption

Planes don’t just rely on communications to land, of course—they need clear and visible pathways to get from the air to the terminal, or from experimentation to operations in the world of technology. For tech providers, this means understanding who to talk to at what stage of development, rather than casting about for anyone who will listen, as often happens in the Forest Service. It also means having a clear sense of how new tools will be evaluated by Forests, Regions, IT specialists, scientists, and others across the agency. Based on our interviews, there isn’t a clear framework in place in the Forest Service currently, and there are cases where people in different units—working on exactly the same problem—don’t know each other. Here’s what we think could help build those missing pathways:

• Define entry points and a framework for transitioning tools from experimentation to operations.

  Every airport has a robust set of lights marking the runway and lanes to allow travel from the runway to the gate—the USFS equivalent doesn’t currently exist for technology providers. This isn’t to say that all interaction should be funneled through a one-size-fits-all entry point or process—but rather, that entry points should be visible and connected.

• Evaluation based on clear criteria at different stages.

  Airlines have routine but robust standards for how they evaluate whether a plane is ready for passengers—some of those routines focus on customer service while others are technical or logistical, and they may differ somewhat based on the size or configuration of the aircraft. Similarly, clear criteria can help the Forest Service evaluate the tradeoffs of new tools (user interfaces, data quality, cost, etc.) quickly and consistently.

• Guidance and liaisons for tech providers.

  Pilots have to have some knowledge of the airport they are landing at—and even then they still rely on ground crews to help them get to the terminal. Technology providers, particularly external ones, don’t have guidance on the data standards and other requirements they need to “land” at the Forest Service.

• Strategy for open collaboration on data and tech.

  At some point, if airports want to accommodate more planes from new, far flung international destinations, they need new terminals with special features. Likewise, if the Forest Service wants to take advantage of ideas and tools from all sorts of innovators, it needs to use alternative strategies with low barriers to entry to reach them (e.g., prize competitions).

Building the Foundations for Successful Adoption

Taking a step back from the planes themselves, there are a set of enabling conditions that have a strong influence on the capacity of an airport to keep everything moving at a reasonable pace—and to make strategic investments. A keen understanding of information and technology use and future needs, savvy leadership and a trained workforce, and data to fuel tools all need to be part of the equation. This currently exists in pockets across the Forest Service, but is unevenly distributed and needs focused attention. Especially, we think, in these areas:

• Regular information and tech assessment for different business lines.

  An understanding of demand for air travel and how that matches up with existing facilities is crucial to making strategic decisions. In the context of tools at the Forest Service, that means understanding what tools are useful and which are used, and where the real gaps are. That knowledge should be the basis for adopting innovative new tools.

• Data integration sprints.

  Data is the fuel for decision support tools—but a lot of the data collected within the Forest Service stays siloed because it’s stored in all different ways and locations; sometimes on hard drives, sometimes in centralized systems. You wouldn’t store jet fuel in small, differently shaped containers scattered across an airport if you want to be equipped to refuel efficiently—it’s the same with data!

• Training for leadership.

  Airport managers don’t need to know how to fly a plane; but they do need to have a good idea of how much time it takes to unload and service planes, as well as how the systems for maintenance, logistics, and customer service fit together and reinforce each other. A similar level of understanding of technology is vital for leaders at the Forest Service to be able to ask the right questions and make informed decisions. Technology may not be in most leaders' job descriptions, but it will find its way in eventually—across mission-related efforts—based on our interviews.

• Staffing to avoid bottlenecks.

  Staffing at the appropriate levels and with the appropriate skill sets is critical to avoid flight delays—all it takes is one understaffed checkpoint to create long lines. Technology adoption can be similar, and so we encourage a holistic look at the staffing dimension of moving new tools from experimentation to adoption at the Forest Service, to avoid a stop-start situation that frustrates everyone.

Toward a Better Flying Experience

Our report is aimed at helping the many dedicated Forest Service staff and their partners navigate adoption and use of the technology they need to confront a changing climate and the wildfire crisis. Throughout our findings, we provide examples of where momentum already exists across the Forest Service around implementing our recommendations, or others with a similar spirit. We also highlight comparative examples drawn from other federal agencies and organizations that showcase similar challenges and actionable approaches—models we see as potential blueprints for USFS leaders interested in accelerating innovation. The common thread across all our recommendations and examples is a bias toward action pathways—steps that can enable a better “flying” experience for all involved in better technology adoption and use throughout the agency.

Looking ahead, we’re excited about the numerous opportunities we see to partner with the Forest Service, tech providers, other nonprofits, and federal agencies to leverage technology and build the adaptive capacity the Forest Service needs; and ultimately, to better realize outcomes for the nation’s forests and grasslands. 

Do you want to get involved or learn more about this work? See something we missed? We want to hear from you.