Bush Administration trying to gut National Forest planning rules The Bush administration released in late November revised National Forest Management Act (NFMA) rules to make forest plans voluntary and eliminate opportunities for public participation. The proposed revisions would essentially remove science and the public from the Forest Service’s decision-making process, jettison species protections and open the door to uncontrolled logging. This announcement is one of a string of decisions to rewrite National Forest management safeguards to benefit logging companies. “When the Bush administration rewrote the rules, they wrote the public out of the equation,” said Carl Pope, Sierra Club Executive Director. The regulations, first implemented under NFMA early in the Reagan Administration, were revised and updated in 2000 after significant scientific and public input. But after complaints from the timber industry, the Bush administration put the revised safeguards on the chopping block. The new NFMA directives would severely limit public participation in deciding how public lands are used. “Americans have a right to know if forest plans are going to allow for projects that harm the forests where they fish and hike, and they have a right to speak out against such destructive projects,” said Pope. These sweeping changes in forest management rules reflect the Bush administration’s continued efforts to undermine forest protections and reward timber industry contributors. The Roadless Area Conservation Act, which enjoyed overwhelming support with Americans but incited anger among timber companies, was the first victim of the new Administration’s logging craze. Then, after last summer’s forest fires, the administration tried to sell the public a carte blanche for the industry under the guise of “fuel reduction.” Undersecretary for Natural Resources and Environment Mark Rey, former lobbyist for the American Forest and Paper Association, has led the charge. Unremarkably, the NFMA changes mirror the timber industry “wish list” from the American Forest and Paper Association’s 2001 congressional testimony. The rewritten NFMA rules would: Allow timber sales and other projects even if they are inconsistent with the forest plan. Allow logging anywhere in the forest—even where it is prohibited by the plan—under the guise of “salvage logging” or “fuel reduction.” Abuse the “categorical exclusion” provision in the National Environmental Policy Act to exclude forest plans from meaningful environmental analysis. Eliminate the current requirements for maintaining native wildlife species on National Forests. Eliminate public appeals of forest plans. “Sending in the logging trucks is not how Americans envision the management of their National Forests. They want to see proactive solutions that protect communities, fish and wildlife and special places,” said Pope. This is the first time that significant changes would be made to the forest management regulations without independent scientific review. The text of the rule changes can be downloaded from the Forest Service website. Additional information is available here. The deadline for public comment is March 6. Send comments to USDA FS Planning Rule, Content Analysis Team, P.O. Box 8359, Missoula, MT 59807. Email, planning_rule@fs.fed.us, FAX: (406) 329-3556. Note on document: Planning Rule Comments. [ top of page ]

[an error occurred while processing this directive]