Manager’s Guide to the Integrated Ecological Framework

TRB’s second Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP 2) S2-C06-RW-4: Manager’s Guide to the Integrated Ecological Framework is designed to provide a basic understanding of the Integrated Ecological Framework (IEF), a nine-step process for integrating ecological and transportation planning. It presents information about the relevant stakeholders and types of expertise needed to help ensure positive transportation infrastructure and conservation outcomes.  

The guide also includes updates to earlier documents developed for the C06 project. The guide is available in electronic format only.

The guide is part four of a four-volume set. Other volumes in the set include:

• An Ecological Approach to Integrating Conservation and Highway Planning, Volume 1 summarizes the research approach and major findings of a project designed to help transportation and environmental professionals apply ecological principles early in the planning and programming process of highway capacity improvements to inform later environmental reviews and permitting.
• An Ecological Approach to Integrating Conservation and Highway Planning, Volume 2 is a summary of the approach and outcomes of a partner project, Integration of Conservation, Highway Planning, and Environmental Permitting through Development of an Outcome-Based Ecosystem-Scale Approach and Corresponding Credit System.
• The third volume, Practitioner’s Guide to the Integrated Ecological Framework, describes the IEF and outlines a way to integrate the conservation and restoration needs and objectives of multiple entities.

A supplemental report, Integrated Ecological Framework Outreach Project, documents the techniques used to disseminate the project's results into practitioner communities and provides technical assistance and guidance to those agencies piloting the products.

Each step of the IEF is supported by a database of case studies, data, methods, and tools. The IEF is available through the Transportation for Communities – Advancing Projects through Partnerships (TCAPP) website. TCAPP will be re-launched at a future date as “PlanWorks” by the Federal Highway Administration.