Analysis Framework
Habitat management equipment in Congressionally designated wilderness. Section 4(c) of the Wilderness Act prohibits “installations” within wilderness unless the agency determines the installation is the minimum necessary for the preservation of wilderness character.
The Minimum Requirements Analysis Framework (MRAF)—like its predecessor, the Minimum Requirements Decision Guide (MRDG)—is the primary tool used to conduct the Minimum Requirements Analysis (MRA). The MRAF is intended to help managers: 1) evaluate actions proposed in wilderness involving a use otherwise prohibited by the Wilderness Act; and 2) consider appropriate choices about administrative actions they might take.
While the MRAF is intended for uses prohibited by Section 4(c) of the Wilderness Act, some agencies also require or encourage use of the MRA for non-prohibited uses in wilderness.
The MRAF is the result of an interagency working group tasked with maintaining the effectiveness of the MRDG while making it easier to use. This multi-year project yielded a range of improvements that make the process clearer and more intuitive. Improvements include:
Workbook
- Reduces the length of the workbook by almost two-thirds (from 50 pages to 18).
- Renames the document “Minimum Requirements Analysis Framework,” clarifying that it is a tool to help line officers make a decision, not a decision document itself.
- Provides numerous expandable “help sections” that offer abbreviated versions of the corresponding instructions.
- Step 1: Clarifies the criteria for determining the necessity of a proposed action. Rather than asking whether action is necessary to preserve wilderness character, Step 1 now asks which qualities of wilderness character are currently being degraded.
- Step 2: Removes the numerical rating system for evaluating and comparing alternatives in favor of a robust qualitative narrative description.
Instructions
- Improves overall clarity and specificity (e.g., gives detailed direction for providing a narrative analysis of the effects of an alternative on each quality of wilderness character).
- Provides real-world examples of issues managers are most likely to face.
MRAF Workbook - Note: The workbook is designed to operate using Microsoft Word and may lack full functionality if used with other another operating system. If you experience this issue, try accessing Word Online via Office 365 and/or using a different browser.
MRAF Instructions
Minimum Requirements Analysis Training Courses
These free online courses are available from the Carhart Center: