BUSH ADMINISTRATION SEEKS TO IMPROVE FOREST MANAGEMENT ON NATIONAL FORESTS

In December of 2004, the Bush Administration introduced new forest planning procedures for the 155 national forests that cover this country. The new planning regulations will seek to restore management decisions to the forest supervisors. North Carolina has four National Forests - The Pisgah, Nantahala, Uwharrie and Croatan. The four forests total 1,252,691 acres.

When combined with the amendment to the Clinton Roadless Rule, the Bush Administration is clearly trying to put forest management decisions back in the hands of the folks most impacted by them.

The new planning regulations will overhaul application of the 1976 National Forest Management Act, which set the basic rules for management of nation’s 191 million acres of forests and grasslands and protects forest wildlife.

The final plan gives regional forest managers more discretion to approve logging, drilling and mining operations without having to conduct formal scientific investigations known as environmental impact statements. Such analyses, which outline the impact of a proposed activity on plant and animal life, can take years to complete. The new rules envision a more flexible approach that could be completed in months.

Here are some highlights of the new planning regulations:

- The latest scientific knowledge will be incorporated into forest plans. There have been significant developments in forest science, adaptive management, and the concept of sustainability since the original 1982 regulations. Revisions to the regulations were needed to reflect this evolution in forest management. Forest planning will be based on state-of-the-art scientific information as the National Forest Management Act intended.

- The new regulation will save millions of dollars annually. The Forest Service estimates it spends more than 40% of its budget and personnel-hours on administrative and legal work, rather than in the forest. The 2000 regulations created more, not less, paperwork. The Forest Service estimated that their planning regulations would save more than $27 million annually over the 2000 regulations. These savings will allow land managers to get more accomplished on the ground. This is especially critical today, as our public lands face a grave forest health crisis and are in desperate need of active management to help restore them.

- The new regulation incorporates an internationally-tested and recognized Environmental Management Systems (EMS) approach. The Forest Service intends to adopt an international standard for EMS in forest planning that provides a framework for continuous environmental improvement. It will require development of goals and objectives, measure specific environmental aspects of their management, involve the public, and monitor implementation and results.

- The new regulation provides more meaningful public involvement in a timely manner. The EMS approach will provide many more opportunities for the public to review and respond to new information, changes in forest conditions, and needs of communities and the public. The previous processes wore the general public out, requiring involvement over years and years, leaving involvement to interest groups almost exclusively.

Forest Service officials say the new rules are designed to make forest planning more responsive to changing conditions by eliminating unnecessary paperwork and relying on assessments by local and regional managers.

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