Forest Service Proposing Changes To Northwest Forest Plan Guiding Land Management Of 24.5 Million Acres, Could Boost Harvest In Some Areas
The U.S. Forest Service is proposing an amendment to the land management plans guiding parts or all of 17 national forests within the Northwest Forest Plan areas of Oregon, Washington and Northern California.
The proposed changes that impact some 38,000 square miles, or 24.5 million acres, of federal lands overseen by the Forest Service could boost harvest in some of the areas by around 33 percent, while providing improved forest stewardship, addressing wildfire resilience as climate changes and providing economic opportunities for local communities, says the agency.
“Much has changed in society and science since the Northwest Forest Plan was created nearly 30 years ago,” said Jacque Buchanan, regional forester for the Forest Service’s Pacific Northwest Region. “We’re amending the plan to address today’s challenges in ways that honor the plan’s original goals, while adapting to changing conditions and enhancing wildfire resilience.”
The Northwest Forest Plan was established during the Clinton Administration in 1994. However, changes in ecological and social conditions are challenging its effectiveness, the Service says. It was established to address threats to threatened and endangered species, such as the spotted owl, while also contributing to social and economic sustainability in the region.
“After nearly 30 years, the Northwest Forest Plan needs to be updated to accommodate changed ecological and social conditions,” the agency says.
The Forest Service released a draft Environmental Impact Statement for this amendment in the Federal Register Nov. 15, initiating a 120-day public comment period. “This will provide an opportunity for the public to share input on how these forests will be managed for decades to come,” the agency said in a news release.
“In recent years, large, high-severity wildfires have resulted in losses of mature and old-growth forests, eliminating gains achieved during the first 25 years of implementation,” the draft EIS says. “Research on climate change and on the effects of past forest and fire management regimes indicates that large wildfires and other disturbances will increase in frequency and extent throughout the area covered by the NWFP. Further, Tribes were not included in the development of the 1994 NWFP, and the Forest Service seeks to uphold its trust responsibility to Tribes through honoring treaty and other protected tribal rights.”
See the Draft EIS for the amendment here: https://usfs-public.app.box.com/v/PinyonPublic/file/170045483683
The draft EIS outlined four alternatives, none of which has been deemed by the Forest Service as a preferred alternative. The No Action Alternative leaves the NWFP unchanged and with timber harvest also unchanged, which over the past decade has been about 445 million board feet of lumber, according to a recent Associated Press article.
Alternative B is designed to improve the consistency and reliability of timber harvest and forest restoration and resiliency projects that support local job opportunities, businesses, and economies, the draft EIS says. It would include objectives, standards, guidelines, and management approaches that would affect the area where forest stewardship treatments for different purposes could occur. For example, it would raise the age threshold for treatments in moist forests in Late Successional Reserves from 80 to 120 years, and would provide more opportunities to accelerate the development of late-successional and old-growth characteristics. It would also restrict harvest of older stands in moist forests and would preserve trees older than 150 years old.
Alternative C would employ more restrictive limits on the use of commercial timber logging for vegetation management and ecological restoration and would reduce active forest management relative to Alternative B, the EIS says. It would reduce the number of acres in active management, particularly in northern spotted owl habitat, and would prohibit both salvage and timber harvest in moist LSR stands older than 80 years.
Alternative D responds to public comments supporting more flexibility in active forest restoration and wildfire risk reduction activities, and increased predictability of timber outputs. This alternative also responds to comments and recommendations to provide additional opportunities for tribal co-stewardship and use, the EIS says.
Key themes outlined in the draft EIS, according to the Forest Service, are:
Wildfire Resilience: Recognizing the increasing threat of severe wildfires, the proposed amendment provides guidance on managing Northwest forests, which includes the use of hazardous fuel treatments, like mechanical thinning and prescribed fire to reduce dense vegetation to lower wildfire risk and impacts on communities, critical infrastructure and forests, while maintaining and improving overall forest health across the landscape.
Economic Opportunities: Supports rural economies by promoting what the Forest Service says is “a predictable commercial timber supply through sustainable forest restoration and timber production activities.” This can create local jobs, provide training in forest management and build economic resilience in communities that depend on forest resources, the Service says.
Improved Forest Stewardship: The agency says the proposed amendment would bolster the commercial timber supply, while at the same time support species, natural resources and community safety. It will improve on the original Northwest Forest Plan by “providing clearer, more specific guidance that distinguishes between moist and dry forest types and between young and old forests. It also provides direction to use ecological forestry practices that promote landscapes to be more resilient to fire, retain old growth conditions to support at-risk species, and restore non-forest habitats such as meadows and huckleberry patches where they naturally belong.”
Adaptation to a Changing Climate: The proposed amendment draws on the latest science to help forests and communities adapt to the effects of climate change, such as the increasing frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, including droughts and wildfire. The draft EIS recommends creating connected habitats to support species migration and refugia for vulnerable species, as well as promoting species better adapted to dry conditions in post-fire landscapes.
Tribal Responsibilities: “The proposed amendment emphasizes the Forest Service’s commitment to honoring its trust responsibilities to tribal governments and communities by involving them in land management planning and implementing forest management practices,” the Service says. “This approach integrates tribal knowledge, values and perspectives into land stewardship.”
The public is encouraged to submit comments on the draft plan during the 120-day comment period.
“We want to work together to steward our public lands for social, economic and ecological sustainability,” said Jennifer Eberlien, regional forester for the Pacific Southwest Region. “Input from tribes, the public and the Federal Advisory Committee has been invaluable in reaching this stage, and now we need to hear from as many voices as possible during the comment period.”
Comments can be submitted at https://cara.fs2c.usda.gov/Public//CommentInput?Project=64745. The Forest Service will review and incorporate feedback to develop a final environmental impact statement, anticipated in 2025.
Additional information about the Northwest Forest Plan is available at www.fs.usda.gov/goto/r6/nwfp
For background, see:
— CBB, March 7, 2024, STUDY SAYS COOLER, WETTER PACIFIC NORTHWEST FORESTS -THE WESTSIDE – TO SEE BIGGEST INCREASES IN FIRES AS CLIMATE WARMS, HTTPS://COLUMBIABASINBULLETIN.ORG/STUDY-SAYS-COOLER-WETTER-PACIFIC-NORTHWEST-FORESTS-THE-WESTSIDE-TO-SEE-BIGGEST-INCREASES-IN-FIRES-AS-CLIMATE-WARMS/
— CBB, March 17, 2022, OREGON APPROVES ‘PRIVATE FOREST ACCORD’ AIMED AT FISH, CLEAN WATER PROTECTIONS ON 10 MILLION ACRES OF PRIVATE FORESTLAND, HTTPS://COLUMBIABASINBULLETIN.ORG/OREGON-APPROVES-PRIVATE-FOREST-ACCORD-AIMED-AT-FISH-CLEAN-WATER-PROTECTIONS-ON-10-MILLION-ACRES-OF-PRIVATE-FORESTLAND/
— CBB, February 8, 2019, RESEARCH ON NORTHWEST FOREST PLAN SHOWS BIRD SPECIES STRUGGLING 25 YEARS LATER, HTTPS://COLUMBIABASINBULLETIN.ORG/RESEARCH-ON-NORTHWEST-FOREST-PLAN-SHOWS-BIRD-SPECIES-STRUGGLING-25-YEARS-LATER/
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