Pacific Northwest Research Station

Northwest Forest Plan Research and Monitoring To Be Shared During 2-Day Conference

H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest Field Trip Highlights NWFP Research

USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station

Contact:

Sherri Richardson Dodge, (503) 808-2137, srichardsondodge@fs.fed.us
Rex Holloway, (503) 808-2241, rholloway@fs.fed.us
Chris Strebig, (503) 808-6003, chris_strebig@or.blm.gov

PORTLAND, Ore. April 13, 2005. About 25 million acres in the range of the northern spotted owl were placed under the Northwest Forest Plan (NWFP) in 1994. The plan was implemented on land managed by the Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, and other federal agencies. Much has been learned since that time.

A conference, Science and the Northwest Forest Plan: Knowledge Gained Over a Decade, is scheduled for April 19-20 in Portland to examine what has been learned. The session will be held at the Jantzen Beach Red Lion Hotel on the River (formerly Doubletree Hotel).

Agency scientists and managers will describe advances in the state of knowledge over the last decade, develop an understanding of science information from the NWFP monitoring program status and trends report, and explore policy and management implications surrounding the science findings.
To register for the conference, contact the outreach education office at Oregon State University at (541) 737-2329 or http://outreach.cof.orst.edu/nwforestplan/index.php

Copies of the draft monitoring reports can be found at http://www.reo.gov/monitoring/10yr-report/old-growth/final-report.html. The final reports will be published in fall 2005.

A field trip for journalists is scheduled for Thursday, April 21 at the H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest. Field trip topics include the spotted owl, thinning in plantations, aquatic conservation strategies, and alternative landscape approaches as they relate to NWFP science. To register for the field trip please contact Sherri Richardson Dodge at srichardsondodge@fs.fed.us or (503) 808-2137. To learn more about the experimental forest go to http://www.fs.fed.us/pnw/exforests/hjandrews.shtml.

An informal discussion among managers, scientists, and reporters is scheduled for Wednesday, April 20 from 5 to 5:30 p.m. The host federal agencies are also sponsoring several college students to attend the conference. A special evening event for students to interact with managers and scientists is planned for Tuesday, April 19 from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m.

The cosponsors of the conference are the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Indian Affairs, National Park Service; U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; Environmental Protection Agency; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Natural Resources Conservation Service; U.S. Geological Survey; and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.