Community Stability , Rural Development , and the Forest Service

The Forest Service, the largest agency in the U.S. Department of Agriculture, has traditionally used the expression "community stability" to describe its rural development policy. That has meant growing and harvesting trees following principles of "sustained yield" so that local industries (and the employment they generate) can be supported over long periods of time. In recent years, however, environmentalists have questioned the value of timber harvesting in the national forests. As a result, the Forest Service now places greater emphasis on noncommodity uses of the national forests, such as recreation and wildlife, and is beginning to redefine its approach toward community stability.