ANALYSIS OF STANDARDS AND GUIDELINES IN A GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION-SYSTEM USING EXISTING RESOURCE DATA

Using data from the Hayden Ranger District, Medicine Bow National Forest, methods for analyzing spatially explicit standards and guidelines within a geographic information system were developed. Only 19% of the standards and guidelines were described in a spatially explicit manner. Methods were developed for buffer analyses, neighbor analyses, Patton edge index analyses, and geographic distribution analyses. The low number of spatially explicit standards and guidelines indicates there is a need to begin thinking in spatial terms in resource management.