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Tongass
Save the Tongass National Forest
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Sign our Petition
Ask the Forest Service to protect our national forests
Consisting of more than 193 million acres, our national forests are the crown jewel of America’s natural heritage. They provide critical wildlife habitat for endangered and threatened species, as well as clean drinking water and recreational opportunities for millions of Americans. The U.S. Forest Service is now drafting new rules for their management. Please urge Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to give our national forests the strongest possible protection.Note: This action is for U.S. residents only. Please do not attempt to take action without a U.S. mailing address.
Your message will be sent to:Tom Vilsack, Secretary of Agriculture
Subject line:
Adopt strong rules for our national forests
I am writing to ask that you adopt strong, conservation-oriented and science-based rules for our national forests. I appreciate your commitment to preserving and restoring this key piece of America’s natural heritage, and applaud the spirit in which the proposed management rules have been drafted.
The final rules must deliver and improve upon the intent of the draft version. A core function of these rules must be to produce good outcomes for national forests and to help ensure that local managers don’t make the kinds of mistakes that have degraded too much of our public forest estate already. That will require much stronger guidance in several key areas.
First and foremost, it is critical that these rules fully protect the species that depend on national forests for their survival. The final rules must ensure that management choices don’t contribute to wildlife and other species disappearing from parts of their ranges. Local extirpations of plants and animals strip national forests of some of their most cherished elements and weaken ecosystems, increasing vulnerability to climate change and putting added pressure on surrounding lands.
Second, the rules must include numeric standards to protect streams, wetlands, and other water bodies. Please make sure that the rules specify a minimum buffer zone around all national forest waters of at least 100 feet, where all management has to promote aquatic health.
Third, consistent with President Obama’s commitment to scientific integrity across the federal government, the Forest Service needs to be guided by the best available science. I’m concerned that as drafted, the rules only direct the agency to “take account” of the science. The final rules need to require that it rely on the best available science, not just consider and then ignore it.
And finally, I am quite concerned that the public have a fully meaningful opportunity to raise concerns about management decisions with top officials in the agency. Under the rules that now apply, citizens have 90 days to appeal local planning decisions to supervisors. It’s crucial that we have at least that much time for decisions that have been years in the works, fill multiple volumes, and rely on thousands of documents.
Thank you very much for considering my concerns. I share your interest in the welfare of these wonderful forestlands and in passing them on, unimpaired, to future generations. I look forward to management rules that will ensure that outcome.
I’m particularly interested in the “science” paragraph:
Third, consistent with President Obama’s commitment to scientific integrity across the federal government, the Forest Service needs to be guided by the best available science. I’m concerned that as drafted, the rules only direct the agency to “take account” of the science. The final rules need to require that it rely on the best available science, not just consider and then ignore it.
According to my count, that’s Science/Scientists as drivers of land management:
NY Times 1
Wilderness Society 1
Graduate student in ecology 1
NRDC 1
I found the comments to be very interesting as well
Noted, but not resident of US, so could not sign.
If something isn’t done to save what we have it would be a travesty!
“They took all the trees and put’em in a tree museum, and charged a dollar and a half just to see ’em” Joni Mitchell 1970
Forty one years ago they were singing songs about the environment, why has it taken so long? Why did it get to be a worse problem??
What do you think? How should the FS consider comments from people who click buttons based on info they read online?