US Forest Service begins process to update, amend nearly 30-year-old Northwest Forest Plan

PORTLAND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- The USDA Forest Service published a Notice of Intent Friday to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement on the proposal to amend the 17 land management plans of the Northwest Forest Plan that provide direction for the management of those national forests and grasslands.

The process will be informed by robust engagement with stakeholders across all affected geographies to address urgent land management concerns including wildfire resilience, climate change adaptation, and greater tribal inclusion in the plan.

While the plan has guided important progress over the past three decades, changed ecological and social conditions are challenging the effectiveness of this plan. This action launches the public process of amending the Northwest Forest Plan with a 45-day public comment period. 

The Notice of Intent identifies changed conditions that are driving the need to amend the plan. The process will focus on five key areas:  wildfire resilience, climate change adaptation, tribal inclusion, sustainable communities, and conservation of old growth ecosystems and related biodiversity. Amending or otherwise strengthening the effectiveness of the Northwest Forest Plan can incorporate the latest science and help forests adapt to social, economic, cultural, and ecological changes. The Forest Service intends to preserve the elements of the plan that are working well.

Earlier this year, the Secretary of Agriculture appointed a Federal Advisory Committee to advise the agency on updating the Northwest Forest Plan. The committee brings together diverse perspectives representing the experiences of communities, experts, tribes, and other interested parties across the Northwest Forest Plan landscape.

The committee will inform ways that forest management can effectively conserve key resources while considering social, ecological, and economic conditions and needs. This committee has already met and offered input on the focus areas, issues to be considered, possible and approaches.

The Northwest Forest Plan covers 24.5 million acres of federally managed lands in western Oregon and Washington, and northwestern California. It was established in 1994 to address threats to threatened and endangered species while also contributing to social and economic sustainability in the region. After nearly 30 years, the Northwest Forest Plan needs to be updated to accommodate changed ecological and social conditions.

Additional information about Northwest Forest Plan: www.fs.usda.gov/detail/r6/landmanagement/planning/?cid=fsbdev2_026990 

More about the USDA Forest Service:

• Pacific Northwest Region: www.fs.usda.gov/r6
• Pacific Southwest Region: www.fs.usda.gov/r5

Additional Background: The Forest Service is required by law to develop plans that guide the long-term management of public lands. The Forest Service will amend the Northwest Forest Plan in accordance with the 2012 Planning Rule, using public input and other public, private and nonprofit organizations and governments. Land management plans establish priorities and provide strategic direction for how the plan area is to be managed. 

Amendments to this plan will be informed by findings in the Bioregional Assessment and Science Synthesis as well as input from the Federal Advisory Committee and a range of other interested organizations and individuals. This effort builds on the agency’s Northwest Forest Plan work, including information gathers via monitoring, listening sessions and bioregional Assessment.