Framework for the evaluation of social forestry initiatives
This page provides a framework for the evaluation of social forestry initiatives. Forestry Commission Scotland (FCS) encourages you, as a developer of a social forestry initiative, to follow this framework - particularly where FCS is the lead partner in the initiative. The framework is simple and is designed to: - improve the evidence base for the social benefits of forestry
- provide lessons on how to improve delivery.
Piloting this frameworkIn 2008/09 the framework is being piloted for selected health-related forestry initiatives, built into Woods in and Around Towns and Forestry for People Challenge Funds and various social forestry programmes. If you are developing a health-related initiative, we may make use of the framework a condition of our support. We will tell you if this is the case. What are social forestry initiatives?Social forestry initiatives are any project, policy, strategy or other activity that is discrete enough to be evaluated, that arises from the Community Development, Education and Lifelong Learning, and Access and Health sections of the Scottish Forestry Strategy 2006. Health-related initiatives arise from the Access and Health theme. What you need to doBefore you start work, and as part of planning the initiative, you should undertake evaluation planning. The flow chart at the foot of this page outlines the steps you should take for this. How to use the stages in the evaluation process flowchartInitial evaluation planningWritten responses to steps 1 – 6 should be included in your proposal, following the headings in the flow chart. You might like to use the text version of the evaluation framework process (.txt 2k) to assist you with this. For most initiatives we are looking for no more than a paragraph or two for each step. In some cases, it may be more appropriate to provide an outline of steps 1 to 6 with your proposal, with a commitment to undertake more detailed evaluation planning on approval and before starting work. Evaluating the completed initiativeA brief evaluation report that includes written responses to steps 7 – 9 with headings as shown should be supplied when the initiative is completed. The key question is "Has the investment of public resources resulted in an adequate return in the form of public benefit?" What will we do with your report and evaluation plan?Each evaluation plan and report will be published on this website. The site will also contain relevant briefings on lessons learned, trends, and other items of interest. View a text version of the evaluation framework process (.txt 2k) or a PDF of the evaluation flowchart (PDF 76k).
 Need help with planning?Subject to contract, we may be able to fund additional costs of evaluation planning and the evaluation report. These should be included in the costings for your initiative. View a short guide to creating an evaluation strategy for a health programme (PDF 45k). We also have some sample recommended indicators for health and access related initiatives. There is also useful information on the following websites: FCS can also provide advice on evaluating health and access related initiatives. For more details contact Kevin Lafferty. Email: kevin.lafferty@forestry.gsi.gov.uk or call 0131 314 6187. Finalising the frameworkWe will review the framework following the pilot stage and decide whether to roll it out to other areas of work.
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