2012 Planning Rule

While some of us were vacationing, the alert Charles Pekow published this.

From the Federal Register Notice here.

In accordance with the provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee
Act (FACA), as amended (5 U.S.C. App. 2) and with the concurrence of
the General Services Administration (GSA), the Secretary of Agriculture
intends to establish the National Advisory Committee for Implementation
of the National Forest System Land Management Planning Rule. The
Committee will be a discretionary advisory committee. The Committee
will operate under the provisions of FACA and will report to the
Secretary of Agriculture through the Chief of the Forest Service.
The purpose of the Committee is to provide advice and
recommendations on implementation of the planning rule. The Committee
will be asked to perform the following duties or other requests made by
the Secretary of Agriculture or the Chief of the Forest Service:
1. Review the content of and provide recommendations on directives
related to implementation of the planning rule;
2. Offer recommendations on implementation of the planning rule,
based on lessons learned and best practices from on-going or completed
assessments, revisions, and monitoring strategies;
3. Offer recommendations on new best practices that could be
implemented based on lessons learned;
4. Offer recommendations for consistent interpretation of the rule
where ambiguities cause difficulty in implementation of the rule;
5. Offer recommendations for effective ongoing monitoring and
evaluation, including broadscale monitoring, for implementation of the
planning rule;
6. Offer recommendations on how to foster an effective ongoing
collaborative framework to ensure engagement of Federal, State, local
and Tribal governments; private organizations and affected interests;
the scientific community; and other stakeholders; and
7. Offer recommendations for integrating the land management
planning process with landscape scale restoration activities through
implementation of the planning rule.

Advisory Committee Organization

This Committee will be comprised of not more than 21 members who
provide balanced and broad representation within each of the following
three categories of interests:
1. Up to 7 members who represent one or more of the following:
a. Represent the affected public at-large
b. Hold State-elected office (or designee)
c. Hold county or local elected office
d. Represent American Indian Tribes
e. Represent Youth
2. Up to 7 members who represent one or more of the following:
a. National, regional, or local environmental organizations
b. Conservation organizations or watershed associations
c. Dispersed recreation interests
d. Archaeological or historical interests
e. Scientific Community
3. Up to 7 members who represent one or more of the following:
a. Timber Industry
b. Grazing or other land use permit holders or other private forest
landowners
c. Energy and mineral development
d. Commercial or recreational hunting and fishing interests
e. Developed outdoor recreation, off-highway vehicle users, or
commercial recreation interests
No individual who is currently registered as a Federal lobbyist is
elegible to serve as a member of the Committee.
The Committee will meet three to four times annually or as often as
necessary and at such times as designated by the Designated Federal
Official (DFO).
The appointment of members to the Committee will be made by the
Secretary of Agriculture. Any individual or organization may nominate
one or more qualified persons to serve on the National Advisory
Committee for Implementation of the Planning Rule. Individuals may also
nominate themselves. To be considered for membership, nominees must
submit a:
1. Resume describing qualifications for membership to the
Committee;
2. Cover letter with a rationale for serving on the committee and
what you can contribute; and
3. Complete form AD-755, Advisory Committee Membership Background
Information.
Letters of recommendation are welcome. The form AD-755 may be
obtained from Forest Service contact person or from the following Web
site: http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/

For those of you who don’t want to look at the whole hearing..from GardenNews.biz here.

US Forest Service Chief Testifies On New Direction For Forest Planning

WASHINGTON, – U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell testified before Congress on the strengths and efficiencies of the agency’s draft new Planning Rule that, when finalized, will provide a framework for how all of the 193 million acres of national forests and grasslands will be managed in the future.

“We need a planning rule that has less process and costs less, with the same or higher level of protections,” said Tidwell.

In his testimony before the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands, Tidwell discussed how the new rule will decrease the costs of forest planning while delivering better protections for forests, wildlife and water resources and supporting ecosystem services and multiple uses of the National Forest System. The new rule would update planning procedures for 155 national forests and 20 grasslands that have been in place since 1982.

“What started as a very strong proposed rule will now be even better thanks to the hundreds of thousands of constructive comments we received from people and groups across the country,” Tidwell said. “We firmly believe the final rule will deliver an efficient planning process that will reduce costs, facilitate the restoration and management of our forests and watersheds, safeguard natural resources and help deliver a sustainable flow of benefits to the American people.”

Tidwell noted that the new rule will greatly reduce the amount of time required by individual forests and grasslands to revise a plan, which will ultimately save time and money at the ground level. The proposed rule would direct plans to conserve and restore watersheds and habitats and would strengthen community engagement and collaboration during the development and implementation of individual plans.

“Ultimately, the new rule will help forests and grasslands get work done on the ground, producing social, economic and environmental benefits for local communities,” Tidwell said. “The proposed rule also places strong emphasis on the importance of recreation such as hunting, fishing, motorized and non-motorized uses.”

The 1982 planning rule procedures have guided the development, amendment, and revision of all existing Forest Service land management plans. However, Tidwell noted that since 1982, much has changed in the understanding of how to create and implement effective land management plans. He also said that planning under the 1982 rule often takes five to seven years to be revised on average, with some plan revisions taking a decade. The new rule, in contrast, would create a more adaptive planning process that helps units respond to changing conditions, so they can better focus their efforts on the most important work facing their unit.

Under the new rule, Tidwell said that planning would emphasize collaboration, assessment, and monitoring activities. Plan revisions would take less time because the new rule would eliminate many complex and outdated analysis requirements present. The emphasis on collaboration would also help resolve issues at earlier stages in the planning process with the goal of reducing costly litigation.

The Forest Service received around 300,000 comments on the proposed rule and the draft environmental impact statement during the 90-day comment period held earlier this year. The agency has sought public participation to help develop a final rule that will have broad support and endure over time.

Tidwell also noted that the Forest Service had announced yesterday the intention to form a Federal Advisory Committee that will provide advice and recommendations to the Secretary of Agriculture on the implementation of the new Planning Rule.