In 1993, Congress requested a scientific review of the remaining old growth in the National Forests of California and a study of the entire Sierra Nevada ecosystem by an independent panel of scientists. With major funding from the U.S. Forest Service, the study was managed by the University of California and conducted by a team of 38 scientists from UC, other universities, private consultants, and state and federal agencies. The final report to Congress of the Sierra Nevada Ecosystem Project (SNEP) was released in June 1996. The emphasis of SNEP was to assemble and assess comprehensive data necessary to assist Congress and others in making important policy decisions for future management. Additionally, SNEP examined alternative management strategies to help meet the broad goal of maintaining the health and sustainability of the ecosystem while providing resources for human needs.

Many Sierra Nevada problems result from the impacts of an exploding human population estimated to become 2 million in the Sierra Nevada by 2040 (triple the 1990 population). Many ecosystem declines reflect institutional incapacities to capture and reinvest true resource values. Live and dead fuels are more abundant than in the past. Timber harvest practices, fire suppression, and other factors in this century have increased fire severity. Foothill, riparian, and aquatic habitats are especially altered, thus leaving many of their associated plant and animal species threatened. Structural complexity of forests is greatly reduced. Most of the remaining late successional forests are in the National Parks. Severe impacts of historic grazing still exist although current trends show some improvements. Air quality of the middle and southern range suffers from Central Valley sources. Most of the problems of the Sierra can be solved, although the time scale and degree of solution will differ depending on the problem. Society must now decide the goals and strategies to address the these problems.

The report is contained in an Executive Summary, Volume I (critical findings, assessment summaries, and management strategies), Volume II (technical assessments, case studies, and the scientific basis of strategy development), Volume III (commissioned reports, additional technical assessments), Addendum (additional papers received late), and a computer based catalogue of data, maps and other digital information (http://alexandria.usd.ucsb.edu or http://ceres.ca.gov/snep). Copies of individual volumes or the entire report may be ordered from the UC Centers for Water and Wildland Resources, University of California, Davis 95616 (phone: 916-752-8070), or viewed on the ceres web site noted above.