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“The Bears Ears proposal comes amid Rep. Rob Bishop’s regional land-use planning initiative and a growing sense that if Utah doesn’t do something to protect threatened public lands such as Cedar Mesa, President Barack Obama could be persuaded to declare another national monument in the state before he leaves office.”

A connection I hadn’t made before.

This also got me to look at Rep. Bishop’s website on his “Public Lands Initiative,” which describes a county-based approach to negotiating some land use decisions.  Pretty thorough, with lots of partners, but does this process include any kind of effects analysis (especially where it’s not obvious that wildlife concerns are well-represented).

In a decision that should surprise no one who has been paying attention, a D.C. federal district court judge has tossed out the timber industry’s lawsuit challenging the 2012 NFMA planning rule. Industry alleged a potpourri of substantive claims against the planning rule, but won’t get a chance to argue them. The judge dismissed industry’s complaint on standing grounds; thus, she did not rule on the merits of industry’s claims.

As to standing, her decision is simplicity itself and flows directly from the Supreme Court’s Ohio Forestry ruling, which found the Sierra Club could not challenge a forest plan’s timber management regime because the plan doesn’t decide to cut any particular trees. Actual tree cutting decisions are made in subsequent site-specific project decisions.

Similarly, the 2012 planning rule doesn’t decide to log or to protect from logging any particular national forest acre. The tree cutting and forest protecting decisions are made in subsequent forest plans and projects. Whether more or fewer trees will be cut under the 2012 planning rule is pure conjecture, says the judge, and thus cannot be the cause of the various injuries the timber industry claims. Industry had claimed that the 2012 planning rule will mean fewer trees cut, injuring it economically. And that less logging would mean more fires, injuring the recreational interests of off-road vehicle users. The judge wasn’t buying it.

Greenwire has this item today:

BLM: Draft plans will dictate timber harvests on 2.6M acres in western Ore.

The new plans to be released by BLM will identify late-successional reserves designed to promote the old-growth forest ecosystem favored by owls, in addition to protected areas along streams and “harvest land base.”

The draft EIS tentatively adopts alternative “B,” which would split the harvest lands into zones for uneven-aged timber management as well as low- and moderate-intensity timber areas with regeneration harvest with varying levels of tree retention. The alternative would also designate 114 areas of critical environmental concern, where mineral development, off-highway vehicle use and other activities would be restricted.

If you’re looking for something to watch on date night, you might enjoy “Seeing the Forest,” an FSEEE-produced 30-minute documentary released on-line today.

The movie chronicles the Siuslaw National Forest’s path to a fish and watershed restoration mission. It’s a sequel to “Torrents of Change,” which recounted how the 1996 flood helped galvanize and reinforce the Siuslaw’s on-going transformation. Now, 20 years later, “Seeing the Forest” picks up the story-line.

Jazz Timber Sale appeal by enviro group Bark – 9th Circuit ruling.

The video is fascinating: Video of 9th Circuit hearing.

And an article, 9th Circ. Nixes Enviro’s Appeal Of Ore. Forest Thinning Project

An essay in Evergreen magazine by Barry Wynsma: The “Single Use Sustained Yield Act”: A Thoughtful Proposal.”

“I believe there is a better way to free the shackles of the Forest Service foresters and allow them to get busy managing a portion of our National Forests. I’d like to propose that Congress enact a new environmental law titled the “Single Use Sustained Yield” Act. “SUSY,” for short.

“SUSY” would designate 25 per cent of every National Forest for sustained yield timber management. These areas would be exempt from the project level NEPA process, and exempt from Endangered Species Act (ESA) and National Forest Management Act (NFMA) sensitive species considerations including critical habitat designations. The lands would be managed solely for sustained yield timber production, meaning harvest would never exceed annual growth.”

This short film on the Rim Fire and the need for active management is very well done:

<a href=”https://vimeo.com/122811230″>”The Fire Next Time”</a>

Description:

“In this 13-minute film, filmmakers Stephen Most and Kevin White examine how problematic policies, fuel build-up, and climate change have endangered America’s forests. When the Rim Fire burned 256,000 acres of the Stanislaus National Forest and Yosemite National Park in 2013, it exposed the impacts that high intensity wildfires are having on watersheds, wildlife, and carbon storage. It also forged a coalition of environmentalists, loggers, scientists, officials, and land managers who are responding to this megafire and recognize the need to forestall the next one. “The Fire Next Time” is a precursor to Filmmakers Collaborative’s feature-length work-in-progress, “MEGAFIRE at the Rim of the World.” For more information, visit megafirefilm.org.”

Some interesting EARLY history!

Somewhat lighter fare than Sharon’s “lessons learned from the Northwest Forest Plan,” but notable in their own way:

They may be selling state forests in Oregon, but Washington is buying.

A new species may be endangered by logging:  trees.

A way to make money from the national forests (do the math).

Agency press release from yesterday….

Release No. 0087.15
Contact:
Office of Communications (202)720-4623

U.S. Forest Service Partnership Effort Improves Health of America’s Forests

Program has supported 4,300 jobs per year, improved 1.45 million acres of America’s forests since 2010

WASHINGTON, April 7, 2015 — The U.S. Forest Service announced today that 1.45 million acres of America’s forests and watersheds – an area larger than Delaware – are healthier as a result of collaborative partnerships to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires.

Authorized for 10 years through the 2009 Omnibus Public Land Management Act, the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program (CFLRP) was created to emphasize partnerships between government and local forest workers, sawmill owners, conservationists, businesses, sportsmen, outdoor recreationists and others to improve forest health and promote the well-being of local communities.

“Collaboration is working. CFLRP demonstrates that we can bring together forest industry, environmentalists, local communities and others to produce healthier forests while producing a sustainable timber supply for local mills,” said Agriculture Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment Robert Bonnie. “This long-term investment gives our partners the confidence to fully engage in restoration activities. The collaboratives expand Forest Service resources – generating over $76.1 million in matching funding from partners in the past five years, and with continued support we expect this number to grow over the next five years.”

“The Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program is a groundbreaking approach to improving our nation’s forests, making communities safer and bolstering local economies,” said Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell. “The Forest Service is anchoring projects across the country with more than 200 local partners to restore our forests and support our local economies.”

Since 2010, the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program has brought local communities and timber companies together to improve forests conditions across 23 high-priority project sites, from Florida, to Missouri, to Washington State and places in-between. The coordination with local partner organizations is essential to getting substantial work done.

The program’s restoration activities have resulted in part:

• More than 1.45 million acres of forest more resilient to the effects of catastrophic wildfire,
• More than 1.33 million acres of wildlife habitat improved,
• More than 84,570 acres of forest lands treated through timber sales,
• More than 73,600 acres treated for noxious weeds and invasive plants,
• Supporting 4,360 jobs in local communities each year.

Under Secretary Bonnie said the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program is improving the health of forests and rural communities by exceeding five-year targets for production of forest products. The Forest Service set a five-year goal for CFLRP projects of 1 billion board feet of timber sold and has exceeded that by nearly 25 percent.

“The restoration challenge is significant. We are making a difference in the forests and in surrounding communities,” said Chief Tidwell.

“This program demonstrates the value the Forest Service places on collaboration and on-the-ground achievements,” said Steering Committee member Dylan Kruse of Sustainable Northwest. “The last five years have proven that listening to diverse interests and providing smart investments pays off for measurable improvements across the landscape.”

More information on the five-year report and links to project factsheets can be found athttp://www.fs.fed.us/restoration/CFLRP/index.shtml.

The mission of the Forest Service, part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the Nation’s forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations.

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