Date:
November 14, 2000
Greetings:
I would like to inform you about two recent announcments that affect the Hoosier
National Forest:
1. On November 9, 2000, Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman announced a new planning
rule to guide management of America's national forests and grasslands. The rule, proposed
in October 1999 and now finalized, rewrites the Forest Service's requirements for
developing projects and land management plans for all 175 of our national forests and
grasslands. The new planning process rule will better protect the environment, improve
public participation in forest activities, and integrate science more effectively into
Forest Service decisions. The new rule is consistent with other ongoing Forest Service
rule-making efforts and policies, including the proposed roadless area conservation
policy. Under the final planning rule, the Hoosier National Forest will evaluate whether
roadless areas need additional protection when we revise our Forest Plan. The final
planning rule is available on the web at http://www.fs.fed.us/forum/nepa/rule/
2. On November 13, 2000, Forest Service presented Secretary Dan Glickman with its
preferred plan for protecting nearly 60 million acres of roadless areas in national
forests. Glickman will decide on a final plan in December. The Forest Service's preferred
plan, one of several alternatives contained in a final environmental impact statement,
would --
· prohibit most road construction and reconstruction in 49.2 million acres of
inventoried roadless areas, increasing to 58.5 million acres in April 2004 when the
Tongass National Forest would be included;
· prohibit timber harvesting except for defined stewardship purposes in these same areas;
and
· allow road construction when necessary for public safety and resource protection.
One area in Indiana is affected by the proposed roadless rule and environmental impact
statement. It is the 8,000-acre Mogan Ridge area in Perry County. The four-volume
environmental impact study is available on the web at http://www.roadless.fs.fed.us/. Printed copies
are available for review at all Forest Service offices and 10,000 public and municipal
libraries nationwide.
For more information on the two announcments, contact Regis Terney, Forest Planner at
812-275-5987. Thank you for your continued interest in the Hoosier National Forest.
Sincerely,
/s/ Kenneth G. Day
KENNETH G. DAY
Forest Supervisor
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