Pacific Northwest Research Station

Title: Contributions of acid rain research to the forest science-policy interface: learning from the national acid precipitation assessment program.

Author: Peterson, Charles E.; Shriner, David S.

Date: 2004

Source: Scandinavian Journal of Forest Research. 19(Suppl. 4): 157-165

Description: During the 1970s, there was growing concern by scientists, policy officials and the general public in the USA over the possible effects of acid rain on human health and the environment (crops, forests, water, etc.). The lack of science-based information needed for policy and regulatory decisions led Congress to create an interagency task force in 1980 called the National Acid Precipitation Assessment Program (NAPAP 1991). By 1985, forest decline in Europe (Mayer & Ulrich 1978) had been widely reported, and concerns over similar symptoms of this decline were mounting in the northeastern United States (Johnson & Siccama 1983, McLaughlin 1985). The Forest Response Program was formed in 1985 under NAPAP to provide information that was scientifically credible, of high quality, and communicated in a timely manner. One central precept was to conduct research that was very focused on informing policy decisions (i.e., policy-relevant research), along with a firm expectation of achieving answers to those policy questions in 10 yrs.

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Citation

Peterson, Charles E.; Shriner, David S.  2004.  Contributions of acid rain research to the forest science-policy interface: learning from the national acid precipitation assessment program..   Scandinavian Journal of Forest Research. 19(Suppl. 4): 157-165