This document was developed as a joint project between the U.S. Forest Service, American Forests, and Sustainable Measures, Inc. It was developed as part of the Linking Communities to the Montreal Process Criteria and Indicators project, a three-year project, begun in 2001, to advance understanding of how local, regional, and national efforts to develop sustainability criteria and indicators can be connected. Information and lessons from the project were used to provide feedback in the preparation of the 2003 report on the sustainability of U.S. forests based on the application of the Montreal Process Criteria and Indicators (MP C&I).
 
This document is intended to serve as an indicator 'tool kit' for forest-based communities that are working on maintaining and enhancing their natural resources as a basis for long-term economic, social and environmental health. A key component of the tool kit is the Montreal Process Criteria and Indicators - a framework, which helps assess ecological, economic and social aspects of forest resources. Although originally developed to evaluate national progress toward sustainable forests, the framework can be adopted at local level. Three communities tested this tool kit as part of the three-year pilot project, funded by USDA Forest Service. Appendix D describes the process each community went through and some of the key lessons learned.
 
As with any tool kit, the tools themselves do not do the work, rather they are implements that can support communities' efforts to better manage their natural resources for present and future generations.

If you would like to access the entire Indicator Toolkit as a PDF file click here. (Note: This is a very large PDF file - 206 pages - so it may take a while to download depending on your connection speed.)