The USDA Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station's Biodiversity Initiative seeks to determine the types of science tools needed by natural resource professionals to meet diverse and complex biodiversity goals. During the scoping phase of this Initiative, we asked a broad cross-section of people whose work involves managing for biodiversity, from state and federal agencies to private forestry companies and environmental groups, what their priority needs, challenges, and concerns were for the region's biodiversity conservation. We report here the results of our scoping phase and discuss how we intend to address the issues raised. The main biodiversity management challenges included a lack of a common definition of biodiversity, lack of standardized policy to implement biodiversity management objectives, uncertainty about disturbance effects, lack of a monitoring framework, conflicting social and economic values, and difficulty in finding relevant data and information. The products most frequently requested included a central clearinghouse for biodiversity information and resources, various information products, quantification of social and economic values of biodiversity, monitoring guidance, and computer models. By including the viewpoints of diverse clients and emphasizing collaboration, the Biodiversity Initiative supports informed natural resource management for the long-term sustainability of a wide range of resources.