Forest Service Will Involve Public More in Managing Forests

October 1, 1999

USDA has issued proposed rules to manage the nation's forests. One goal is to involve the public more in defining the issues and goals of individual national forests. Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman calls it "a fundamental change in philosophy."

In addition to public involvement, the plan calls for ensuring the sustainable use of forests to protect the environment while fulfilling the country's economic, social and leisure needs; improving the use of science in planning and project decisions, and making forest planning "dynamic and responsive" to new information and opportunities.

The proposed regulation is based on a report prepared for the Secretary of Agriculture by a committee of scientists which was commissioned to review forest planning efforts to date. The committee held a series of meetings nationwide and drew many recommendations from public input and the Forest Service's own experiences.

How the national forests are managed has been a divisive issue in recent decades. Environmentalists' desire to preserve forest ecosystems undisturbed has regularly clashed with timber companies' logging needs and workers' belief that their jobs may be threatened if logging is cut back.

A 90-day public comment period will be provided. The proposed regulation will be published in the Federal Register. It was submitted to the Register Thursday. A series of public town meetings across the country also will be held to gather public reaction to the regulation; locations and dates will be published later.

More information about the proposed regulation is available through the USDA's Forest Service web page at National Forest Management Act Proposed Rule.