| Title: |
Creating Boundary Objects Supports Knowledge Co-development Processes: A Case Study Evaluation from the Colorado Front Range |
| Authors: |
Brown, Hannah L C; Cheng, Antony S; Clark, Nehalem C; Slack, Andrew W; Wolk, Brett H |
| Contributors: |
Southwest Forest Health and Wildfire Prevention Act; USDA; Colorado Forest Restoration Institute |
| Source: |
Journal of Forestry ; volume 122, issue 4, page 363-372 ; ISSN 0022-1201 1938-3746 |
| Publisher Information: |
Springer Science and Business Media LLC |
| Publication Year: |
2024 |
| Description: |
This qualitative case study evaluates manager and researcher perceptions of the impact of a place-based, collaborative knowledge co-development process and examines the outcomes of that co-development for changes to management approaches. The USDA Forest Service (Forest Service) Rocky Mountain Research Station General Technical Report 373 (GTR-373) is a codeveloped science synthesis that functions as a boundary object providing a framework for planning, designing, and implementing management action for restoration of ponderosa and dry mixed-conifer forests. The process of creating and socializing the GTR-373 framework fostered continual knowledge exchange and engagement between researchers and managers across different organizations and levels of decision-making. This built trust in the information, improved justification for management action, developed a common foundation for cross-boundary implementation, and increased communication. The framework has been applied across jurisdictions and has been used as a foundational tool for training staff and designing projects. However, adapting the GTR-373 framework across scales remains challenging. Study Implications: This qualitative case study evaluates a co-development process in which researchers and managers from multiple organizations and agencies collaborated to produce a science-informed restoration framework to support forest management on the Colorado Front Range (GTR-373). The process built trust, improved justification for management action, developed a common foundation for implementation, and increased communication. However, cross-boundary management across spatial scales remains challenging, and managers interpret information through organizational mandates and site-specific context. Sustained collaboration between researchers and land managers can help make science actionable and relevant at the appropriate scale for planning and management across expertise and jurisdictional boundaries. |
| Document Type: |
article in journal/newspaper |
| Language: |
English |
| DOI: |
10.1093/jofore/fvae010 |
| Availability: |
https://doi.org/10.1093/jofore/fvae010; https://academic.oup.com/jof/article-pdf/122/4/363/58377846/fvae010.pdf |
| Rights: |
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ |
| Accession Number: |
edsbas.4D53B67 |
| Database: |
BASE |