The initial comment period for the US Forest Service's Northwest Forest Plan concluded February 2nd. The Forest Service had been accepting comments on a Notice of Intent that the agency will prepare an Environmental Impact Statement to evaluate the effects of proposed amendments to the plan.
More than 9,000 comments were received from the public which are now being analyzed to refine the proposed action, identify initial concern, and explore potential alternatives and environmental impacts.
Using that information, a Draft Environmental Impact Statement will be created, posted and available for public viewing and additional comments in the coming months. In addition to public comments, the Forest Service has been actively engaging state and local leaders, tribes, community-based organizations and others.
Jacque Buchanan, Regional Forester for the Pacific Northwest, said the goal of this process is to contribute to sustainable, climate-adapted and wildfire-resilient landscapes designed to protect endangered and threatened species while also contributing to social and economic sustainability in the region.
The proposed amendment will affect the land management plans of 17 national forests and grasslands across 24.5 million acres of federally managed lands in western Oregon and Washington and northwest California.
The Northwest Forest Plan was established in 1994. After nearly 30 years, the plan needs to be updated to accommodate changed ecological and social conditions.
