Summary

The Forest Service Activity Tracking System (FACTS) tracks forest activity, as the official USFS record for many types of activities such as timber sales, National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) decisions, trust fund plans, hazardous fuels reduction treatments, invasive species mitigation, and some range activities. activities. Also, it is the official System of Record for upward reporting for the National, Regional, Forest, and District Forest Service offices.

The Pacific Southwest Region of the Forest Service, known as Region 5, wanted FACTS support for the eighteen Forests in the region. The support focused on improving data quality, stewardship, and activity tracking relative to various national initiatives. 

Problem and Solution

Natural Resource Manager (NRM) data for various forests within Region 5 was incomplete and below the desired reporting standards. Xentity used the Geospatial Interface (GI) Tool and queries in NRM to identify missing or incomplete entries in FACTS data. The results of the data analysis were shared and discussed with forest data stewards. In doing so, they understood high-priority areas and errors within each forest. Also, the Xentity team worked closely with data stewards from each forest. They did so for tabular and geospatial data correction of existing data in the NRM database. Additionally, Xentity assisted with the entry of new data that had not yet been entered into the NRM database. All data edits and newly created data were reviewed and accepted by forest technical point(s) of contact(s). 

Outcome and Benefit

The Xentity team reduced the amount of existing errors and gaps in forest FACTS data. This improved Region 5 NRM reporting as a whole. Knowledge and best practices obtained from FACTS training and experience were shared with forest and region contacts. This promoted best practices in data entry and creation. Ultimately, the work that was performed and the guidance that was shared with forest data stewards will continue to grow the Region 5 FACTS program in the right direction.