US Forest Service Publishes Notice of Intent to Amend Northwest Forest Plan
The US Forest Service has published a Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare an environmental impact statement on the proposal to amend 17 land management plans of the Northwest Forest Plan (NWFP) 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.
While the plan has guided important progress over the past three decades, changed ecological and social conditions are challenging the effectiveness of the plan. This action launches the public process of amending the Northwest Forest Plan with a 45-day public comment period.
The NOI 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 elements of the plan that are working well.
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 protect threatened and endangered species while also contributing to social and economic sustainability in the region.
