Malheur, Umatilla, and Wallowa-Whitman National Forests Land Management Plan Meeting

The Forest Service held a series of public meetings to discuss the Malheur, Umatilla, and Wallowa-Whitman National Forests Land Management Plans throughout the month of April. Most of the meetings were held on the eastern portion of the state, though there was one meeting held in Northeast Portland on April 28th.

The first part of the meeting utilized an open house format where individuals could tour different displays which outlined particular functions of the management plan (fish, timber, recreation, wilderness areas, riparian impact, etc.). The second half brought all the interested parties together for a PowerPoint presentation that covered the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process. We are currently at the beginning of a two-year long process of assessing the plan, with an anticipated implementation of the new forest plan to take place in the spring of 2012. One individual raised a question regarding the costs associated with doing such a review, and we learned that the review process costs approximately $2,000,000 (or $1,000,000 per year).

Several other individuals posed questions as well - some resulting in fairly spirited debates. In particular, the point was raised that though the Forest Service often takes existing land and designates it as a wilderness area, the opposite never happens (once land is designated wilderness, that designation will not be removed). The regional director of the Forest Service was available for explanation, and indicated that the mandate from Congress solely deals with recommending wilderness areas rather than the reverse. Additionally, there was a smaller discussion regarding riparian management. One individual had spent a fair amount of time surveying in the Malheur NF and consistently saw extreme riparian area degradation. Despite all recommendations and assessments urging fencing or other barriers to be put in place, little progress appeared to have been made.

These management plans are revised every fifteen years,so it will be interesting to see how final product utilizes scientific knowledge gained since the mid 1990s. It's reassuring to know that we can all help guide the management of our forests.