This study presents a modified transactive planning process intended to improve communication and cooperation between public sector resource managers and private sector businesses that serve visitors to an outdoor recreation resource. The elements of the transactive planning process are illustrated and applied in a case study approach with the U.S. Forest Service and commercial outfitters adjacent to a forest recreation area. Outcomes of the planning process indicate that public managers and private businesses share many of the same management goals and concerns. They also agree they can and should address these concerns cooperatively. Results of the study indicate that this transactive process: (1) can promote cooperation and improved communication between public managers and private sector service businesses, and (2) can be effectively integrated into the implementation phase of the traditional allocative planning model on which most public resource agencies rely. Strengths and weaknesses of the transactive planning process are discussed
