Abstract:
This report examines socioeconomic changes that took place between 1990 and 2003
on and around lands managed by the Mount Hood National Forest in Oregon to assess
the effects of the Northwest Forest Plan (the Plan) on rural economies and communities
there. Three case communities were studied: the Greater Estacada Area, the Upper Hood
River Valley, and the Villages of Mount Hood from Brightwood to Rhododendron. The
report characterizes the region and its history, discusses management changes on the
forest under the Plan and how they were perceived, describes socioeconomic change in
the communities and how they were linked to the Plan, and evaluates how well Plan
socioeconomic goals were met by the Mount Hood National Forest.