Forest planning to be based on new set of rules

The Daily Inter Lake

Most national forests in Montana, including Flathead and Kootenai forests, will use new rules to revise their long-term forest management plans, Northern Regional Forester Gail Kimbell has announced.

Seven out of eight national forests in the agency's Northern Region will use the national planning rules that were finalized on Jan. 5.

"I took extra time to examine the value of using both the old and new planning rules and consulted with forest supervisors, our specialists, the chief's office and others before arriving at this conclusion," Kimbell said. "Protections remain in place for following the Endangered Species Act, the National Forest Management Act, Clean Air and Water Acts, and the National Environmental Policy Act."

The Beaverhead-Deer Lodge National Forest is the only forest that will use rules adopted in 1982 for its forest plan revision, largely because that forest is mostly through the process and is ready to print a draft version of the revised plan.

The Bitterroot, Clearwater, Flathead, Idaho-Panhandle, Kootenai, Lolo and Nez Perce national forests are in earlier stages of their forest plan revisions and will use the new rules.

"The valuable information already gathered from the public will definitely be used as we move ahead with this process," Kimbell said. "We will build on that information as well as on the extensive specialists' field data and additional public input to craft the new plans."

The Northern Region includes 13 national forests and grasslands in northern Idaho, Montana and North Dakota. Eight of the thirteen are currently engaged in forest plan revisions.

which is supposed to begin 15 years after a plan is adopted.

The Dakota Prairie Grasslands has already completed its revision process. The remaining four forests will use the 2005 planning rules when they initiate revision.