Forest Health Monitoring (FHM) is a national program designed to evaluate the status, changes, and trends in forest health conditions on an annual basis across all land ownership. The United States Forest Service is working cooperatively with state natural resource entities, as well as other federal agencies and universities, to implement FHM at four principal levels:
- Detection Monitoring
- Evaluation Monitoring
- Intensive Site Monitoring
- Research on Monitoring Techniques.
The purpose of this initial Utah Forest Health Monitoring report is to highlight the prominent forest health issues in the state and to provide a baseline summary of field plot and survey activities associated with Detection Monitoring. If unexplained changes are detected Evaluation Monitoring may be activated to investigate the extent and severity of changes. Intensive Site Monitoring involves a national network of sites for research on ecological processes related to elements of change in specific ecosystem types. Finally, Research on Monitoring Techniques is responsible for developing reliable forest health indicator measurements.
FHM reports forest-related health issues on a large scale. The principle levels of reporting are state, regional, and national/international. Local or special evaluations, surveys, and reports augment FHM data as necessary and are produced as issues arise and where FHM data sets are appropriate for the area of consideration.