Blue Mountain Forest Plan moves forward again
By Terry Murry on Monday, October 7th, 2024 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
MALHEUR, UMATILLA, WALLOWA-WHITMAN – The preliminary report for the Blue Mountain Forest Plan is ready for public comment. The assessment for the plan that will set the rules for land management on the three forests into the future was scratched once and sent back to the drawing board. There were vast differences between the vision of environmentalists and forest users like recreationists, the timber industry, and ranchers. Several county officials also opposed the proposal.
The National Forest Service says that it will take two to three years to formalize the plan. Feedback on things that need to change in the current assessment will be taken from Oct. 8 through Nov. 7. Here is the news release that was issued by the Umatilla National Forest regarding the process as well as how to access the proposed reports and make comments:
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service is revising the Land Management Plans for the Malheur, Umatilla, and Wallowa-Whitman National Forests (Blue Mountains National Forests) and has released the Final Summary Assessment and Final Assessment Reports, a significant early step in the Blue Mountains Forest Plan Revision process. These documents present existing conditions about the Blue Mountains National Forests. Input gathered from the feedback period, and the eight public meetings held in April 2024, reflected local knowledge about existing conditions, concerns and perceptions regarding social, economic, and ecological systems, and was used to revise the draft Assessment and produce the Final Assessment Summary and Final Assessment Reports.
As the revision process begins to transition from the Assessment Phase to the Plan Development Phase, the public is invited to review the draft Preliminary Need to Change and provide input. The draft Preliminary Need to Change document will be open for public feedback from October 8th until November 7th, 2024. Feedback will be used to refine the Need to Change, which establishes the framework for the development of plan content. The Need to Change and the Preliminary Draft Land Management Plan (proposed action) will be released with the Federal Register Notice of Intent (NOI) to revise the Land Management Plans and prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) in early 2025, beginning the Plan Development Phase.
Public feedback on the draft Preliminary Need to Change can be submitted using the online database CARA (Comment and Analysis Response Application) or sending physical mail to the address listed at the bottom of this news release. Public input can be provided by recommending feedback or edits to the draft Preliminary Need to Change statements or identifying other needed changes to the current 1990 Forest Plans. Public feedback on the draft Preliminary Need to Change is not formal and does not provide standing for objection.
Plan revision is still in an early stage and steps that provide standing will occur further into the process. The first step providing standing will be the Plan Development Phase in early 2025, which will be marked by a Federal Register NOI initiating a formal comment period. The Forest Service will be hosting public meetings the first two weeks of December 2024 to provide the full details of this important step. More information about the public meetings will be available in the coming weeks.
The Forest Service is using the 2012 planning rule for the Forest Plan Revision, which includes robust external engagement. Looking ahead to the Plan Development Phase, marked by the Federal Register NOI in early 2025, information will be released for public input including: the Preliminary Draft Land Management Plan, the potential list of Species of Conservation Concern (SCC), social and economic contributions of the planning area on surrounding communities, lands that may have wilderness characteristics as defined in the Wilderness Act, and wild, scenic, and recreational rivers flowing wholly or partially on National Forest.
The Blue Mountains National Forests look forward to public input, insight, and knowledge, which will help the Forest Service better understand the local conditions on the ground. By the end of this robust ten-step process, each Forest Supervisor will sign a separate decision for their respective Land Management Plan and begin plan implementation and monitoring. This path forward enhances opportunities for local engagement and contributions as the decisions will be made at the local level.
The Forest Service aims to complete the Land Management Plans for the Malheur, Umatilla and Wallowa- Whitman National Forests within 2-3 years. These Land Management Plans will be comprehensive documents that provide vision, strategy, guidance, and constraints. They are intended to balance multiple uses and sustained yield of forest resources. They will set forth a vision for land management, describe the desired conditions within each Forest, and lay out specific objectives, standards, and guidelines for how to achieve those desired conditions. These documents will be strategic in nature and will not approve individual projects or actions on National Forest lands. Current and future individual projects or actions are required to go through their own unique review processes and are separate from plan revision.
Information about the Forest Plan Revision process, public engagement opportunities and tools, the Final Assessment Summary, the Final Assessment Reports, and the draft Preliminary Need to Change can be found on the Blue Mountains Forest Plan Revision website: https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/umatilla/home/?cid=fseprd1188541
Blue Mountains Forest Plan Revision Physical Mailing Address:
Umatilla National Forest Supervisor’s Office
Attn: Blue Mountains Forest Plan Revision
72510 Coyote Road
Pendleton, OR 97801
