A social and economic profile is a key element of a social assessment. A social and economic assessment or profile is used by line officers, planning staff social scientists, and others to inform both forest planning activities and project-level work. It is important to discover how planning and management decisions made by National Forest System staff will affect social and economic conditions in communities surrounding the forest. Since the writing of this technical guide, the 2005 Planning Rule 36 CFR 219.6 has been released. The new rule again requires that social assessments (evaluations) be done as part of plan activities. Page 41 of the rule, which addresses evaluations and documentation, specifies that the plan document or set of documents will include reports on current social and economic conditions and trends. These evaluation reports are expected for all plan revisions and must be made available to the public.

Originally published in 1983, Governmental Interventions, Social Needs, and the Management of U.S. Forests aims to advise government and non-government managers about the issues around forestry in the United States. This report emphasises the management of forest lands in relation to the welfare of society touching on issues such as forest service planning, the effect of state regulations on private forest investments and the adequacy of timber resources. This title will be of interest to students of Environmental Studies and professionals.