Reporter for The Canyon Weekly
The effort to amend the Northwest Forest Plan is in the home stretch.
A 20-member federal committee met Sept. 25-27 in Stevenson, Washington, and unanimously approved the 192 recommendations that have been put forward to amend the plan.
In the Stevenson meeting, the committee examined the Forest Service’s efforts to incorporate those recommendations into the required draft environmental impact statement.
The panel represents Tribes, local communities, environmental organizations, industry, and academia across the Northwest.
Forest Service officials said that they opted to revise portions of the pending draft environmental impact statement to better align with the committee’s consensus recommendations. Key topics addressed during the meeting, the sixth held by the advisory panel, included climate change adaptation, sustainable economic opportunities for rural communities, and greater Tribal inclusion in land management planning and implementation.
“The committee’s 192 consensus recommendations send a clear message to the Forest Service: the status quo isn’t working,” said Travis Joseph, co-chair of the committee and president of the American Forest Resource Council. “Modern, proactive stewardship is critical to addressing 21st-century challenges.
“We, like the public, are eager to review the draft and are committed to working with the agency to ensure this amendment results in meaningful change for Tribes, rural communities, and the health of our forests.”
The draft environmental impact statement is expected to be published in the Federal Register in November, initiating a 90-day public comment period. This will provide an opportunity for all interested parties to shape the future of forest management in the Pacific Northwest.
“Last week’s meeting was a critical step in our amendment process,” said Jacque Buchanan, regional forester for the Pacific Northwest region of the Forest Service. “By thoroughly discussing and interpreting the committee’s recommendations, we’re ensuring the draft reflects the needs of our forests, Tribes, and communities. “It is vital that we get this amendment right because it will guide the management of millions of acres of forest land for years to come.”
The Forest Service is amending the Northwest Forest Plan with a focus on five areas: wildfire resilience, climate change adaptation, Tribal inclusion, sustainable communities, and conservation of old growth ecosystems and related biodiversity.
The Forest Service said it is committed to preserving the elements of the plan that are working well while incorporating the latest science to help forests adapt to social, economic, cultural, and ecological changes.
More Information
The Northwest Forest Plan, adopted in 1994 during the Clinton administration, is a series of federal policies and guidelines governing land use on federal lands in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It covers 25 million acres within Western Oregon and Washington as well as part of Northern California. After nearly 30 years, the Northwest Forest Plan needs to be updated to accommodate changed ecological and social conditions. To view the current draft of the Northwest Forest Plan go to https://www.fs.usda.gov/r6/reo/.