David N. Bengston

Title: Research Forester
Unit: People and Their Environments: Social Science Supporting Natural Resource Management and Policy
Previous Unit: Social & Economic Dimensions of Ecosystem Management
Address: Northern Research Station
1992 Folwell Ave
St. Paul, MN 55108
Phone: 651-649-5162
E-mail: Contact David N. Bengston

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Education

• University of Minnesota, Ph.D. Forest Economics, 1986
• University of Minnesota, M.S. Agricultural and Applied Economics, 1983
• University of Minnesota, B.S. Future Studies, 1980

Civic & Professional Affiliations

International Association for Society and Natural Resources
International Union of Forestry Research Organizations (IUFRO), Coordinator of Unit 6.11.05, "Ecological Economics in Forestry."

Current Research

My current research includes three main areas:

1. Listening to Neglected Voices: I analyze the natural resource related needs, concerns and perspectives of racial and ethnic minority communities, including American Indians, Latinos, and Hmong Americans. These studies use focus groups and/or content analysis to listen to groups that have often been neglected by natural resource managers and policy makers.
2. Forest Values: I analyze the nature and structure of the values linking social systems to forest ecosystems and their implications for planning, management, and policy making. We need an understanding of the nature of forest stakeholder values, how forest values are changing, and what these changes imply for forest management and policy.
3. Monitoring the Social Environment: I develop and test new methods to continuously monitor the social environment for forest planning, management, and policymaking. Traditional social science methods for monitoring the social environment (e.g., surveys, focus groups) are slow and expensive, and often produce results long after they were needed. Innovative approaches are needed. I serve as the leader of a team developing a web-based system for monitoring key forest policy issues. The website will enable planners, managers, policymakers, public affairs officers, communications officers, policy analysts, and others to monitor the public discourse on key Forest Service issues expressed in news media discussion, blogs, and a variety of other forums.

Why is This Important

Listening to Neglected Voices: The communities served by public forestry agencies are becoming more racially and ethnically diverse. Racial and ethnic communities often differ from the general population in their environmental attitudes and values and in their needs and concerns related to public land management. An important challenge for land management agencies is responding to an increasingly diverse society in ways that ensure that the views of all citizens are included in management and policy. My research on the needs and concerns of minority communities will help ensure these often neglected voices are heard.

Forest Values: We have found evidence that we are currently in a period of rapid and significant change in forest values. Some have argued that managing forests in ways that are responsive to diverse and changing values is the main challenge faced by forest managers. We need an understanding of: the nature of forest stakeholder values, how forest values are changing, and what these changes imply for forest management and policy for sound decision making.

Monitoring the Social Environment: Forest managers and policymakers need to monitor and assess both the biophysical and social environment. By monitoring the environment, we can make decisions that are responsive to the changing conditions and needs of the natural environment and society. We have already made progress in monitoring the biophysical environment. But traditional methods for monitoring the social environment, such as surveys, are slow and expensive, and often produce results long after they were needed. Innovative approaches to developing social information and monitoring systems are needed.

Future Research

Valuing and Conserving Forest Ecosystem Services: The goods and services provided by forest ecosystems are vital to human well-being. But few ecosystem services have clearly established economic values. My research on forest ecosystem services will focus on (1) developing innovative, transdisciplinary methods for valuing the life-supporting services of forests, and (2) developing and evaluating innovative public policies, including market-based approaches, to conserve ecosystem services.

Featured Publications

Additional Online Publications