CASE STUDIES: Strategy Development
US Forest Service, Southwestern Region
Facing unprecedented change—from global environmental impacts and rapid technological shifts to social unrest and the pandemic—the Southwestern Region of the USDA Forest Service recognized the need for a new way forward. To meet this moment, the Region invested leadership time in defining a strategic direction equal to the future ahead, engaging RRC to design and manage the process.
The Southwestern Region of the USDA Forest Service spans Arizona’s lower Sonoran Desert at 1,600 feet above sea level to northern New Mexico’s 13,171-foot Wheeler Peak. The Region lies within the homelands of 55 Tribes and Pueblos, whose long-standing relationships with these lands and climates reflect generations of knowledge, stewardship, and lived experience. The Region hosts an abundance of wildlife, with some of the highest numbers of threatened and endangered species in the nation and unique creatures found nowhere else. The southwest’s aridity means both water and fire play unique and powerful roles. The unique nature of the Region, as characterized by landscape, people, wildlife, and elements, as well as the breadth of the Forest Service's multi-use mission, made for a rich plan development experience.
The resulting Plan—the first comprehensive regional strategic plan in many years—established a clear, shared direction for the Southwestern Region, positioning it to navigate complexity, honor its diverse landscapes and communities, and meet the challenges of a rapidly changing future.
The Southwestern Region’s Strategic Plan was developed using RRC's strategic planning model.
Facing unprecedented change—from global environmental impacts and rapid technological shifts to social unrest and the pandemic—the Southwestern Region of the USDA Forest Service recognized the need for a new way forward. To meet this moment, the Region invested leadership time in defining a strategic direction equal to the future ahead, engaging RRC to design and manage the process.
The Southwestern Region of the USDA Forest Service spans Arizona’s lower Sonoran Desert at 1,600 feet above sea level to northern New Mexico’s 13,171-foot Wheeler Peak. The Region lies within the homelands of 55 Tribes and Pueblos, whose long-standing relationships with these lands and climates reflect generations of knowledge, stewardship, and lived experience. The Region hosts an abundance of wildlife, with some of the highest numbers of threatened and endangered species in the nation and unique creatures found nowhere else. The southwest’s aridity means both water and fire play unique and powerful roles. The unique nature of the Region, as characterized by landscape, people, wildlife, and elements, as well as the breadth of the Forest Service's multi-use mission, made for a rich plan development experience.
The resulting Plan—the first comprehensive regional strategic plan in many years—established a clear, shared direction for the Southwestern Region, positioning it to navigate complexity, honor its diverse landscapes and communities, and meet the challenges of a rapidly changing future.
The Southwestern Region’s Strategic Plan was developed using RRC's strategic planning model.
New Mexico State Forestry, EMNRD
New Mexico’s Governor called for a statewide plan to articulate a comprehensive forest health strategy and placed the responsibility for convening the planning process with the State Forester.
The State Forester hired RRC to aid in fully scoping the planning process and then to manage and implement the 18-month effort. RRC also conceived and managed a pre-planning assessment to aid in framing the issues, authored the planning document and incorporated the iterations of comments and revisions, and oversaw all outreach efforts, including a two-day workshop of 275 participants and four public meetings held in locations throughout the state.
New Mexico’s Plan has been recognized both regionally and nationally as being on the vanguard of work being done in ecological restoration, particularly for its landscape-scale approach, and provides a model for Western States.
The planning effort involved more than 400 stakeholders from federal, state, tribal, and local governments, as well as private landowners, academics, environmentalists, and representatives from industry and public interest groups. One key outcome of RRC’s involvement was the expansion of the plan to include watersheds for a more holistic approach to landscape restoration and management. The planning process brought together all of New Mexico’s departments responsible for environmental issues, including Public Health and Environment, Agriculture, Water, Natural Resources, and Minerals. The Plan was signed by all of the principals involved and was formally accepted as the State Plan with the Governor’s signature in March 2005. As a result of the plan development, the state now has a Forest and Watershed Health Office under State Forestry.
Visit New Mexico's Forest and Watershed Health Office or download the Plan directly here.
New Mexico’s Governor called for a statewide plan to articulate a comprehensive forest health strategy and placed the responsibility for convening the planning process with the State Forester.
The State Forester hired RRC to aid in fully scoping the planning process and then to manage and implement the 18-month effort. RRC also conceived and managed a pre-planning assessment to aid in framing the issues, authored the planning document and incorporated the iterations of comments and revisions, and oversaw all outreach efforts, including a two-day workshop of 275 participants and four public meetings held in locations throughout the state.
New Mexico’s Plan has been recognized both regionally and nationally as being on the vanguard of work being done in ecological restoration, particularly for its landscape-scale approach, and provides a model for Western States.
The planning effort involved more than 400 stakeholders from federal, state, tribal, and local governments, as well as private landowners, academics, environmentalists, and representatives from industry and public interest groups. One key outcome of RRC’s involvement was the expansion of the plan to include watersheds for a more holistic approach to landscape restoration and management. The planning process brought together all of New Mexico’s departments responsible for environmental issues, including Public Health and Environment, Agriculture, Water, Natural Resources, and Minerals. The Plan was signed by all of the principals involved and was formally accepted as the State Plan with the Governor’s signature in March 2005. As a result of the plan development, the state now has a Forest and Watershed Health Office under State Forestry.
Visit New Mexico's Forest and Watershed Health Office or download the Plan directly here.
USDA Forest Service, Region 8
The Southern Region of the USDA Forest Service (Region 8) manages 13 million acres of federal land in 13 states and Puerto Rico. The region's leadership body is comprised of 45 Regional Directors and Forest Supervisors, headed by the Regional Forester. The Regional Forester wanted to advance his team, and hired RRC to identify development objectives, and design and implement the process to achieve them.
RRC conducted an assessment that highlighted opportunity to improve the team's ability to collaboratively lead the region and to strategically manage their business. RRC then designed and facilitated four team meetings over an 18-month period to transform the way the team thought about their leadership role and how they implemented it for the benefit of the region.
The results were a first-ever Leadership Team Charter, an enhanced Leadership Structure to support collaborative and strategic decision-making among all 45 members, and a Strategic Framework of regional priorities and direction to guide field activities and resource allocation. The Regional Leadership Team described their strategic framework this way:
The framework is intended to “guide, not decide;” each unit will use the framework to guide their work to support the region’s shared vision. The framework is a living document that will evolve over time to respond to a changing world and serve as an anchor during those times of change.
A decade later, the Region's core areas of focus developed with RRC are still being used. Visit the USDA Forest Service, Region 8 website or download the Strategic Framework document directly here.
The Southern Region of the USDA Forest Service (Region 8) manages 13 million acres of federal land in 13 states and Puerto Rico. The region's leadership body is comprised of 45 Regional Directors and Forest Supervisors, headed by the Regional Forester. The Regional Forester wanted to advance his team, and hired RRC to identify development objectives, and design and implement the process to achieve them.
RRC conducted an assessment that highlighted opportunity to improve the team's ability to collaboratively lead the region and to strategically manage their business. RRC then designed and facilitated four team meetings over an 18-month period to transform the way the team thought about their leadership role and how they implemented it for the benefit of the region.
The results were a first-ever Leadership Team Charter, an enhanced Leadership Structure to support collaborative and strategic decision-making among all 45 members, and a Strategic Framework of regional priorities and direction to guide field activities and resource allocation. The Regional Leadership Team described their strategic framework this way:
The framework is intended to “guide, not decide;” each unit will use the framework to guide their work to support the region’s shared vision. The framework is a living document that will evolve over time to respond to a changing world and serve as an anchor during those times of change.
A decade later, the Region's core areas of focus developed with RRC are still being used. Visit the USDA Forest Service, Region 8 website or download the Strategic Framework document directly here.
