Untrammeled Quality

The objective of monitoring the Untrammeled Quality is to assess whether management of a wilderness is trending over time toward more or less human manipulation of plant communities, fish and wildlife populations, insects and disease, soil and water resources, and fire processes. This monitoring focuses on both authorized actions and unauthorized actions that intentionally control or manipulate “the earth and its community of life” within wilderness.

Section 2(c) of the Wilderness Act defines wilderness as “an area where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man,” that “generally appears to have been affected primarily by the forces of nature” and is an area “retaining its primeval character and influence.” The American Heritage dictionary (1992) defines the term untrammeled as “allowed to run free,” and synonyms include unrestrained, unrestricted, unhindered, unimpeded, unencumbered, and self-willed. In his testimony at the Wilderness Act’s final Senate hearing, Zahniser (1963) stated that in the bill’s definition of wilderness, “…the first sentence [on untrammeled] is definitive of the meaning of the concept of wilderness, its essence, its essential nature…The first sentence defines the character of wilderness.” In this technical guide, measures under the Untrammeled Quality monitor the extent to which wilderness is unhindered and free from the intentional actions of modern human control or manipulation.

The Untrammeled and Natural Qualities are closely related, though they differ in a key way—the Untrammeled Quality monitors the number of actions (including persistent structures1) that intentionally control or manipulate ecological systems inside wilderness, whereas the Natural Quality monitors the effects on these systems from actions taken inside wilderness or from external forces. Separating actions from effects offers a clearer understanding of the trends in each, and a more effective analysis to improve wilderness stewardship. For the Untrammeled Quality, a single monitoring question provides the broad context and two indicators provide the structure for this monitoring (as summarized in table 1.2.1).

Table 1.2.1—Monitoring question, indicators, measures, and measure type for the Untrammeled Quality.

Untrammeled Quality
Monitoring Question: What are the trends in actions that intentionally control or manipulate the “earth and its community of life” inside wilderness?
Indicator	Measure	Measure type
Actions authorized by the Federal land manager that intentionally manipulate the biophysical environment || Number of authorized actions and persistent structures designed to manipulate plants, animals, pathogens, soil, water, or fire || Required
Actions not authorized by the Federal land manager that intentionally manipulate the biophysical environment || Number of unauthorized actions and persistent structures by agencies, organizations, or individuals that manipulate plants, animals, pathogens, soil, water, or fire || Required

2.1 Monitoring Question

A single monitoring question is used in monitoring the Untrammeled Quality: What are the trends in actions that intentionally control or manipulate “the earth and its community of life” inside wilderness?

The monitoring question for the Untrammeled Quality examines actions that intentionally control or manipulate the components or processes of ecological systems inside wilderness. In this context, intentional manipulation means an action that deliberately alters, hinders, restricts, controls, or manipulates “the earth and its community of life.” This includes actions that affect plants or animal species, insects and disease pathogens, physical resources (e.g., water or soil), or biophysical processes (e.g., fire) inside a designated wilderness.

When monitoring the Untrammeled Quality, all trammeling actions are counted the same regardless of the area, intensity, frequency, or duration of their effects. This is because the Untrammeled Quality focuses closely on whether a particular decision to manipulate “the earth and its community of life” is made, not on the magnitude of that decision. In other words, taking any trammeling action degrades the Untrammeled Quality, regardless of its scope and scale. For practical reasons, however, this technical guide considers magnitude when questions arise as to whether a seemingly inconsequential action truly manipulates “the earth and its community of life” and should be included under a measure (see section 2.1 in part 2 for further discussion of this topic).

Actions that degrade the Untrammeled Quality are typically the result of decisions by the agency. However, intentional activities by other federal and state agencies, non-governmental organizations, and the public that are not authorized by the Forest Service may also affect this quality. For this reason, two indicators are used to understand the monitoring question—one that addresses intentional manipulations that are authorized by the agency and another that addresses intentional manipulations that are not authorized by the agency.

2.2 Indicator: Actions Authorized by the Federal Land Manager That Intentionally Manipulate the Biophysical Environment

This indicator focuses on actions and persistent structures authorized by the Forest Service that intentionally manipulate the biophysical environment, including those explicitly allowed under the Wilderness Act or subsequent wilderness legislation. Intentional manipulations taken by other federal, tribal, and state agencies; nongovernmental organizations; and private citizens are included under this indicator if the Forest Service authorized those actions.

This indicator illustrates whether the agency, as a steward of wilderness, is controlling and manipulating wilderness or is exercising restraint to allow wilderness to persist in its untrammeled condition. The focus on actions (including persistent structures) rather than authorizations allows managers to track trends in the number of manipulations that actually occur; in contrast, a single authorization may be used to justify a recurring series of actions occurring over multiple years, or alternatively may never be implemented.

2.2.1 Measure: Number of Authorized Actions and Persistent Structures That Manipulate Plants, Animals, Pathogens, Soil, Water, or Fire

This measure assesses the 3-year rolling average of authorized trammeling actions, based on an annual count of authorized actions and persistent structures intended to manipulate any component of the biophysical environment within wilderness (including vegetation, fish, wildlife, insects, pathogens, soil, water, or fire). This measure includes discretionary and non-discretionary actions required to uphold Federal law, as well as other actions authorized through SUPs or other instruments (e.g., research actions, state fish and wildlife management actions). Part 2, section 2.1 provides additional information on how to determine what may or may not be a trammeling action.

The measure was selected to assess whether Forest Service management of a wilderness is trending over time toward more or less human manipulation of plant communities, fish and wildlife populations, insects and disease, soil and water resources, and fire processes.

This measure is required for all Forest Service wildernesses. A 5-percent or greater change in the 3-year rolling average number of trammeling actions will result in a change in trend for this measure. Once there are five measure values, the threshold for meaningful change will switch to regression analysis, and statistical significance will determine the trend in the measure. An increase in the average number of unauthorized trammeling actions corresponds with a degrading trend.

Refer to part 2, section 2.2.1, for detailed guidance on data sources and compilation protocols, analysis, data adequacy, and interpreting the threshold for meaningful change.

2.3 Indicator: Actions Not Authorized by the Federal Land Manager That Intentionally Manipulate the Biophysical Environment

This indicator focuses on the range of actions not authorized by the agency that intentionally manipulate plants, animals, physical resources, or biophysical processes in wilderness. Other federal, tribal, and state agencies; non-governmental organizations; or private citizens may make unauthorized, intentional manipulations.

These unauthorized trammeling actions are fundamentally different from those authorized by the wilderness managing agency. While most authorized manipulations undergo a review process to determine their impacts on the various components of the wilderness resource, unauthorized manipulations are often undertaken with little to no consideration for the effect on the broader ecosystems within wilderness or on the other qualities of wilderness character. Although unauthorized actions may not currently be an issue in some wildernesses, this indicator captures an important type of trammeling action that can have a large impact on wilderness character.

2.3.1 Measure: Number of Unauthorized Actions and Persistent Structures by Agencies, Organizations, or Individuals That Manipulate Plants, Animals, Pathogens, Soil, Water, or Fire

This measure assesses the 3-year rolling average of unauthorized trammeling actions based on an annual count of known actions not authorized by Forest Service taken by other federal and state agencies, organizations, or individuals that are intended to manipulate any component of the biophysical environment within wilderness (including vegetation, fish, wildlife, insects, pathogens, soil, water, or fire). Actions taken by other federal and state agencies or non-governmental organizations with the knowledge and approval of the Forest Service through a SUP or cooperative agreement are counted under the measure Number of Authorized Actions and Persistent Structures Designed to Manipulate Plants, Animals, Pathogens, Soil, Water, or Fire (see section 2.2.1). Actions taken by states or other government agencies with the knowledge of the Forest Service but without explicit approval through a SUP or another instrument are counted under this measure. Part 2, section 2.1 provides additional information on how to determine what may or may not be a trammeling action.

The measure was selected to assess how unauthorized actions within a wilderness are trending over time toward more or less human manipulation of plant communities, fish and wildlife populations, insects and disease, soil and water resources, and fire processes.

The ability to monitor unauthorized actions under this measure depends on a combination of the amount of effort spent to find unauthorized actions and incidental, chance encounters. It may not be feasible to reliably gather all applicable data, and knowledge of some unauthorized actions may rely on incidental, chance encounters.

This measure is required for all Forest Service wildernesses. A 5-percent or greater change in the 3-year rolling average number of trammeling actions will result in a change in trend for this measure. Once there are five measure values, the threshold for meaningful change will switch to regression analysis, and statistical significance will determine the trend in the measure. An increase in the average number of unauthorized trammeling actions corresponds with a degrading trend.

Refer to section 2.3.1 in part 2 for detailed guidance on data sources and compilation protocols, analysis, data adequacy, and interpreting the threshold for meaningful change.