By GARRET JAROS/YachatsNews
The U.S. Forest Service has scheduled a series of public meetings across Oregon, Washington and northern California – including one in Corvallis — to discuss proposed amendments to the Northwest Forest Plan.
Amendments to 30-year-old plan could bring changes to the 630,000-acre Siuslaw National Forest that stretches along the central Oregon coast. For years the coastal forest has been managed to protect older trees that harbor fish and wildlife threatened with extinction while allowing thinning of younger trees from timber plantations.
The meeting to discuss the Siuslaw National Forest is at 5:30 p.m., Feb. 11 in Corvallis at the Siuslaw National Forest Supervisor’s Office, 320 S.W. Jefferson Way.
The plan was enacted in 1994 to protect the northern spotted owl and the old-growth forests it relies upon for survival. The owl, an indicator species for the overall health of those forests, was listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act in 1990. At that time, overlogging was identified as the primary cause for the owl’s rapidly decreasing numbers.
A series of policies and guidelines comprise the plan, which governs 24.5 million acres of federal lands in Oregon, western Washington and northwestern California – including 19.5 million acres on 17 national forests.
With the goal of protecting the long-term health of forests, wildlife and water, a multidisciplinary team of scientists in the early 1990s identified management alternatives to meet applicable laws and regulations for endangered species, clean water, forest management and land use.
The plan also had to account for a 1960 law that directs the U.S. Department of Agriculture to manage national forests by providing a sustained yield of timber and non-timber forest products without “impairment of the productivity of the land” while equally providing for recreation.
The Northwest Forest Plan was eventually broadened to protect more wildlife and its associated habitat — including the endangered marbled murrelet and threatened and endangered coho salmon – and was intended to last 100 years.
Evolving “ecological and social conditions” are challenging the effectiveness of the plan, the agency said when announcing the amendment process in December.
Collaborating to draft the amendment is a Federal Advisory Committee tasked with integrating scientific studies, assessments and monitoring reports compiled over the last 30 years. The committee is supposed to consider climate change, fire danger, conservation of mature forests and riparian habitats, Indigenous knowledge, and timber and non-timber forest resource sales that help sustain rural communities.
The public meetings will provide information on the proposed amendment, which aims to address wildfire resilience, economic opportunities, improved forest stewardship, adapting to a changing climate, and tribal inclusion. Topics of discussion will include an introduction to the Northwest Forest Plan, an overview of the proposed amendment to land management plans, key details about the proposed action and alternatives outlined in the draft statement, and information on how to engage during the 120-day public comment period.
Sessions will be hosted by federal forest managers and members of the planning team will be available to answer questions.
Comment Policy