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FOREST PLAN REVISION

INYO NATIONAL FORESTMARCH 11 AND 13, 2013

Meeting Goals

• Review the forest plan revision process

• Gather information on:• Current forest conditions • Trends in conditions • Drivers of forest change

What is a Forest Plan?• Required for all national

forests/grasslands• Provides broad, integrated

management direction• Programmatic, not site-

specific

• Ten to fifteen year planning period

• All uses of the forest need to conform with plan direction

The Inyo’s Forest Plan• Inyo’s Forest Plan was completed in

1988; multiple amendments • Established management direction

for forest resources such as wildlife, recreation, and timber

• Delineated geographic management areas and prescriptions

• All forest projects and activities need to conform with 1988 plan direction

Why is the Plan being revised?• A lot has changed since 1988!• Need to develop improved

management direction based on new information and changing conditions

• Use results of 24 years of project implementation, other information• Carry forward management direction

that is still effective / valid; revise what is not

What will the revised Plan include?• Five required plan components:

• Desired Conditions• Objectives• Suitability of Uses• Standards • Guidelines

• Other plan content such as:• Distinctive Roles and Contributions• Management Areas - Zones - Geographic Areas• Recommended Areas (e.g., Wilderness, Wild &

Scenic Rivers)• Priority Watersheds• Monitoring Program

What won’t the Plan include?• Site-specific decisions or

actions, such as: • Construct 5 miles of new trail

from Bluebird Lake to Feather Falls

• Close Road #12S34 to motor vehicle use from April 1 – June 1 each year

• Conduct forest thinning on 125 acres immediately adjacent to the community of Forest Hill

Assessment

Plan Revision

Monitoring

Three Phases to Revise a Forest Plan

Multi-year process

2012• Develop

Inyo NF Collabor-ation Plan

2013

• Bioregional Assessment

• Inyo NF Assessment

• Begin identifying Need for Change

2014

• Complete Need for Change

• Develop and analyze Proposed Plan

2015 to 2016

• Public review of draft Plan and EIS

• Approve revised Plan

• Monitoring

First Phase: Assessment

Social Conditions

Economic Conditions

Ecological Conditions

Assessment Report• What is an assessment?

• Provides a source of information and context for plan revision

• To be conducted rapidly, using readily available information and existing data

• Identify knowledge or information gaps

• Conducted at two scales: forest-level and bioregional• Draft Bioregional assessment to be available May 2013, final by

August 2013

• Draft Forest-level assessment by October 2013, final by December 2013

Assessment Topic Papers• Resource “topic paper” chapters will form the foundation

of the Inyo NF Assessment ReportCh. 1: Ecosystem Condition (Terrestrial, Aquatic, Riparian Ecosystems)

Ch. 2: Air, Soil, and Water Resources

Ch. 3: System Drivers and Stressors (wildfire, climate change, insects and disease, etc.)

Ch. 4: Carbon stocks

Ch. 5: At-risk wildlife and plant species

Ch. 6: Social, Cultural, and Economic Conditions

Ch. 7: Ecosystem Services and Benefits (introduction only)

Ch. 8: Multiple Uses (Water, Range, Timber, Hunting/Fishing/Plant Collection)

Ch. 9: Recreation and Scenic Character

Ch. 10: Renewable and Nonrenewable Energy and Mineral Resources

Ch. 11: Infrastructure (roads, recreation facilities, public utilities, etc.)

Ch. 12: Areas of Tribal Importance

Ch. 13: Cultural & Historic Resources

Ch. 14: Land Status and Ownership

Ch. 15: Designated Areas (wilderness, wild and scenic rivers, research natural areas, inventoried roadless areas)

Next Steps• Spring 2013: Gather information on resource conditions

and trends; prepare topic papers for the assessment.• Follow-up meeting/webinar April 4th, 2 - 4 pm and 5 – 7 pm• Initial input on content of assessment topic papers due April 5th• Public review of draft topic papers May-June (with some chapters

available even sooner)

• October 2013: Draft Assessment Report released for public review

• December 2013: Final Assessment Report published• Winter 2013: Initiate NEPA, identify need for change in

current management direction.