Clearwater and Nez Perce Forest Plan Revision

Background

What are Forest Plans?

The National Forest Management Act (NFMA) of 1976 required every national forest to develop a plan. These plans provide broad direction for managing the resources for the American people. The plans are programmatic in nature, meaning they cover a large geographic area and the direction is broad in scope. The plan must be consistent with environmental laws and regulations such as the Endangered Species Act and Clean Water Act.

The forests will be revising plans according to guidance published in the January 5, 2005, planning rule. This revised forest plan will consist of a vision, strategy and design criteria.

The vision provides management direction and explains the roles and contributions of national forest lands. It describes the desired conditions of the land, disturbance processes (e.g., fire, floods, insects-and-diseases, etc.), the benefits and experiences the land can supply and monitoring measures.

The strategy describes how the forests intend to achieve desired conditions. It includes a discussion of suitable uses and key objectives for the various uses and activities. Special area designations (e.g. wilderness, wild and scenic rivers, etc.) are included in this section. It also defines monitoring measures related to implementation.

The design criteria provide the technical and scientific specifications that must be met to create an acceptable project. They include standards and references to additional applicable guidance.

Why Do They Need to be Revised?

The Clearwater and Nez Perce National Forests both signed their original plans in 1987, nearly 18 years ago. Since this signing, there have been numerous social and resource changes. Scientific information and methodology has evolved. A few of these changes have been addressed in amendments to the original forest plans; many others have not been formally recognized and incorporated.

Why are the Clearwater and Nez Perce Forests Working Together?

When the Clearwater and Nez Perce Forests developed their Land and Resource Management Plans in 1987, they did so separately. This time they are being done together.

This makes sense for many reasons:

-Both plans were issued in 1987; both need revised.
-The Forests share similar issues, resources, and users.
-The Forests share tribal trust and treaty rights responsibilities.
-The Forests need to manage ecosystems across administrative boundaries.
-Combining revision efforts is more efficient and economical.

A single revision team located in Kamiah will oversee the effort. Many employees from both Forests will provide needed support and expertise.

We believe you will appreciate this revision combination. Our intent is to streamline the process as much as possible and to make it easy for you to comment about one or both national forests. If you, like many people, use both national forests, you can focus your participation on one effort instead of two separate ones.

How Can I Get Involved?

If you have an interest in national forest management in north-central Idaho, we need to hear from you. Please send management ideas or requests for information to Maple Stuivenga, Forest Plan Revision Team, Rt. 2, Box 191, Kamiah, ID 83536. They can be e-mailed to: cnpz@fs.fed.us.

Important Note: Names and physical and e-mail addresses submitted on this website, or in response to any request for comments, will be included in the project record for forest plan revision and may be released to the public if requested under the Freedom of Information Act.

USDA Forest Service - Clearwater Nez Perce Forest Plan Revision
Last Modified: Monday, 11 July 2011 at 18:15:49 EDT