In 2006, the Tonto National Forest began the process to revise its management plan by gathering information and meeting with organizations, other agencies, Indian tribes, officials, and individuals. In 2007, because of a lawsuit, the planning rule under which the process was operating was enjoined by the courts causing a delay in plan revision. During this time, work continued as forest planners continued to gather and verify information and strategize future efforts. Simultaneously, Forest Service headquarters rewrote the planning rule and went through various procedures to comply with the court requirements. In early 2008, a new planning rule was finalized allowing the Tonto NF to begin formal plan revision once again. However, the Tonto NF needed to build a new planning team before formally beginning plan revision, further delaying the planning process.

Since that time, much has changed. The Tonto NF is rebuilding its planning team and has a new Forest Planner and will soon have additional team members. The 2008 planning rule was also invalidated by the US District Court for the Northern District of California, and forests working on plan revisions are now doing so in a rule neutral manner. This means that the Tonto NF continues to gather and review information on ecological, social, and economic conditions and trends, and identify what needs to change from current management for forest resources. The Tonto is committed to working with interested parties and revising its plan as quickly and efficiently as possible. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact us.

Background

The National Forest Management Act (NFMA) requires every national forest to prepare a management plan for the lands and resources contained within it. Periodically these plans need to be updated. The Tonto National Forest has embarked on the process to update its plan.

Documents

Read the latest released documents, or peruse our archive of essential references.

Current: Tonto NF Land Management Plan

Tonto NF Land Management Plan (1985)

Tonto NF Land Management Plan FEIS (1985 pdf)

Tonto NF Land Management Plan ROD (1985 pdf)

Revision Team Organizational Chart

A planning "Core Team" will be dedicated to the plan revision process while other teams of specialists andmanagers provide professional analysis and oversight.

Contact Us

Your involvement in this process is important. Here's how to contact us and submit your comments.

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