Abstract:
The federal government is the largest landowner in many western communities. It can contribute
to local socioeconomic vitality by providing opportunities for businesses and partners to perform
land management activities and process natural resources. However, little is known about how the
Forest Service engages nonprofit partners to accomplish this work and produce community benefits.
We examined how formal agreements between the Forest Service and community based-organizations
under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) in 2009-2010 created social and livelihood
benefits. We found that different kinds of agreement structures can make these benefits possible.