林美社區2003年起參與社區林業迄今，透過人力培訓、資源調查、綠美化、環境解說規劃、自然步道及森林資源之認養管理，甚至生態旅遊之操作均有初步成果，經社區幹部深度訪談結果，在社會層面：社區已累積社造經驗，組織訂有章程，重視老人及學生福利，藉活動融入學校資源並傳承社區文化，以民主機制解決問題；在經濟層面：資源回收、解說服務、風味餐及金棗產品等是社區主要的經濟來源；在生態層面：社區86%之山林地帶，擁有豐富的生態資源，自然步道啟用後，啟發社區正確的保育觀念，並進行遊客宣導。依觀察紀錄與問卷調查，估計林美石磐步道遊客每年約有29萬餘人，男性略多於女性，來自北部地區之青壯年居多，以車程一日遊為主，平均每人在地方消費約1,500元，若依年遊客量，則林美社區帶給地方產值年約4億餘元；遊客對於景觀維護、解說設施、觀景平台及步道以生態工法使用自然材料之滿意度高；在生態旅遊認知上，遊客多數同意自然步道實施動態總量管制，且71%願付費，付費額度20元~30元，此顯示大多數遊客已重視自然保育及永續發展。

Since the year of 2003, Lin-Mei community has been involving in community forestry through manpower training, resource investigation, green landscaping, environmental interpretation planning, nature trails, the forest resource management, and even the operation of ecotourism. There are the preliminary results so far for all works above mention. Through in-depth interview on community leaders, on the societal level: Community has accumulated experience in community building, the organization has clear regulation, and pay attention to the welfare for the elderly and students. The community hold activities with the school resources nearby to inherit community culture, and they solve any problem by way of democratic institutions. On the economic level: the main source of community income are from resource recycling, interpretation service, style meals, and kumquat products, etc. On the ecological level: there are 86% of forest area in the community which have abundant ecological resources. When the nature trail were to start using, the concepts of correct conservation were inspired in community, and stared to make advocacy for visitors in the meanwhile. After observation records and a questionnaires survey, the outcome showed about 29 million tourists visiting the Nature trail in Lin-Mei community in a year. It also showed that men are slightly more than women, and mostly young adults from the northern region among the tourists. The consumption there averages 1,500 NT dollars per person for one day ride. If according to the amount of annual visitors, Lin-Mei community produces local value about 400 million. Tourists respond their high satisfaction in landscape maintenance, interpretation facilities, viewing platforms and trails with ecological engineering methods by using natural materials. With regard to the ecotourism cognition, most visitors agree to implementing dynamic total mass control for nature trail, and around 71% of them are willing to pay within 20 NT dollars to 30 NT dollars. This shows that most tourists have perceived the importance of nature conservation and sustainable development.