FOREST
SERVICE REPRESENTATIVES • Tom Shore, Alice
Carlton and Ann King from the Forest Service speak
with the Juab County Commision about the forest
revision plan.
By Myrna Trauntvein
Times-News Correspondent
The Forest Plan provides
management direction for the many multiple uses of a
national forest.
Alice Carlton, Ann King and Tom
Shore, representing the Manti-La Sal National Forest met
with Juab County Commissioners to discuss the forest
revision plan.
"We came to talk about where we
are in the planning process," said Carlton. "We are
planning, about the third week of June, to release the final
plan."
The plan will be released by the
end of this week, in May, internally to employees and to
cooperatives, which includes the various county
commissions.
"There are no surprises," she
said. "Once the proposed plan is released in June, there
will be a 90 -day comment period and several public
meetings."
"We still don't have our
categorical exclusion," said Carlton. "We are in a kind of a
holding pattern."
The passage of the National
Forest Management Act (NFMA) began a new era in the Forest
Service in which most of the activities management by the
agency are governed through National Forest Land and
Resource Management Plans.
On June 15, at Price fairgrounds,
a meeting has been planned for all forest service personnel
and for all cooperatives.
"We have been able to plan a lot
better because of you and your colleagues, the other
cooperatives, gave during the process," she said.
One item which she said she
thought commissioners would find appealing was the
Wilderness recommendations. "We have no wilderness to
recommend on the entire forest," said Carlton.
Robert Steele, commissioner, said
that he thought there was already plenty of wilderness
designated land.
"It is a really sad thing what
they have done up Salt Creek Canyon (in the Ponderosa and
Bear Canyon) campgrounds," said Steele. "People should have
been allowed to cut and burn the dead wood there over the
years. It is a sad, sad mess."
"We are looking at heavier
management to clear out the risk of fire and fuels in the
Manti-La Sal area," said King. "i hope you continue to say
that we have managed well."
"Based on your input," said
Shore, "we left the Red Cliffs area for a trail."
"We heard you, over and over,"
agreed King.
"It was good to have your input,"
said Carlton.
Some research areas pre-dated the
forest revision plan, said Shore. Those areas were not new
and had not come to the forest through the
revision.
Such an area occurred in Sanpete
County where there was a stand of "tall forbes," a kind of
plant that used to be in the area in abundance. However the
sheep which grazed on the mountains foraged it out. There
was still a stand, however, that had escaped the intense
grazing. That was now a fenced research area.
"It is obvious that you have
listened to us," said Neil Cook, commission
chairman.
Commissioners expressed interest
in the maps. However, maps were not available for them to
keep because the finals are being prepared. They were to
show up on the web today, said Carlton.
"The maps should be on the web,"
said Carlton.
Those interested in viewing maps
or other materials may go to the website at:
http://www.fs.fed.us/r4/mantilasal/projects/projectsforestplan/forestplan_revision.shtml.
Draft Suitable Use Maps (Updated
3/22/06) for Manti/San Pitch Divisions which are available
are: Draft Desired Activity Layer; Oil and Gas; Rangeland
Capability; Existing Recreation Opportunity Spectrum (ROS);
Timber Suitability; Unroaded and Undeveloped Areas; Wetlands
and Riparian Areas; Existing Coal Leases
Draft Suitable Use Maps (Updated
3/22/06) for the La Sal Division which are available are:
Draft Desired; Activity Layer; Oil and Gas; Rangeland
Capability; Existing Recreation Opportunity Spectrum (ROS);
Timber Suitability; Unroaded and Undeveloped Areas; Wetlands
and Riparian Areas.
Under the mantle of the Forest
Service mission to "sustain the health, diversity, and
productivity of the Nation's forests and grasslands to meet
the needs of present and future generations," forest plans
are the primary documents that define how individual forests
and grasslands will be managed to achieve this mission, said
Carlton.
The process of revising or
amending a forest plan is only one step in a continuous
adaptive management process that includes assessment,
planning, implementation, monitoring, and
evaluation.
Desired conditions are the
foundation&emdash;the primary focus&emdash;of a forest plan.
Desired conditions are aspirations, are not commitments or
final decisions.
Objectives describe outcomes that
must be achieved to move a forest toward desired conditions.
Like desired conditions, objectives are aspirations and are
not commitments or final decisions approving projects or
activities.
Guidelines describe information
and guidance for project and activity
decision-making.
For most forest uses, decisions
must be made about whether an area is capable (can be used)
and whether that area is suitable (should be used) for a
given use. The challenge is to look at all uses and
management activities that might be "suitable" based on
desired conditions and the capability of the area to support
them.
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