The U.S. Forest Service released its new Preferred Alternative of the Planning Rule on February 3. The preferred alternative emphasizes collaboration and strengthens the role of public involvement and dialogue throughout the planning process. It also would require the use of the best available scientific information to inform decisions.
“This rule is so important because it governs the way each national forest creates its long-term management plan,” explains Randy Welsh, Washington Office, Wild and Scenic River Program lead, and liaison to the NWSA Board. “These management plans lay out goals and objectives, desired future conditions, special management areas and the main focus of management direction for each forest. Wilderness is included as a management zone, so it’s part of the planning mix,” Welsh points out.
As local forests take up planning, wilderness stewards should definitely be involved in the planning process, according to Welsh.
“I would encourage stewards to work with Wilderness Managers on stewardship projects and, when the opportunity arises to engage in wilderness planning,” says Welsh. “One of the great things about our country and our public lands system is that each citizen can be involved in how their public lands are managed through the opportunity to provide public comment and to engage in workshops and other collaboration activities of forest planning.”
The new rule includes requirements to provide for ecosystem services, protect wilderness areas and wild and scenic rivers, and appropriately manage other designated areas. It continues the evaluative process for identifying wilderness and making wilderness recommendations to Congress, a process established with the Wilderness Act of 1964.
It’s been 30 years since the last forest planning rule was put in place to guide forest planning. The new Rule received nearly 300,000 public comments, prompting Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to dub it “the most collaborative rulemaking effort in agency history.” The final rule will be adopted by the agency after a 30 day public review period which ends in early March.