APPLICATION - LLI Status Report 2008
An indicator is a measureable attribute of a condition or outcome that can provide an objective insight into the state of the forest, or the degree to which a goal or objective is being met under a specific management strategy. There are two types of indicators: activity indicators and state indicators.
Activity indicators give us a measure of the degree to which certain activities have taken place. Such indicators are often relatively easy to measure, and provide indirect assessments of progress towards environmental management goals. For example, the number of people attending an informational open house provides an indirect measure of public participation in decision-making.
State indicators, on the other hand, are direct measurements of some environmental, economic, or social condition. Two examples of state indicators are grizzly bear population status, and timber harvest relative to annual allowable cut. Ideally, indicators are integrative, in that they are able to measure performance against more than one goal.
Criteria and indicators are tools for characterizing the state of forests and for providing information on how forest lands and uses are changing. By comparing these changes against goals, people with an interest in sustainable forest management can draw conclusions with regards to forest management, and forest resource managers can make more informed decisions.