Bridger-Teton National Forest

Forest Plan Revision

Welcome to BTNF’s Plan Revision website!

Forest Plan Revision is about setting fundamental goals and strategies for management of a National Forest. It is a very complex task, reflecting the diverse (and sometimes divergent) values that society expects from its public lands. This is especially so for the Bridger-Teton, whose 3.5 million acres play a key role in the lives of those who care for, visit, and depend on the wide array of goods and services that this National Forest provides.

This website is intended not only to educate and inform public stakeholders about BTNF’s Plan Revision, but also to draw them into the process itself. We need the public to help us craft the Revised Forest Plan, because it is the public’s values that the Plan strives to address.

Questions, concerns or comments? Please e-mail us at btnfplanrevision@fs.fed.us, or contact an individual member of our Plan Revision Team FPR Team Membership [PDF].

What's New?

Last updated: April 15, 2008

• BTNF announces new round of Plan Revision public workshops - April 23, 2008 in Kemmerer; April 24, 2008 in Rock Springs; and April 28, 2008 in Pinedale (changed venue for Pinedale) (info)
• BTNF announces new round of Plan Revision public workshops - March 26, 2008 in Afton and March 27, 2008 in Jackson (info)
• Phase II of Economic Profile of the Bridger-Teton National Forest and County overviews now complete. Please visit http://agecon.uwyo.edu/econdev (copy and paste the web address into your web browser's address bar)

• Cooperators' Group meeting held in Jackson 2/27/08:
  * Agenda
  * Notes
  * Cooperators' Group Flip Chart Photos
  * Scenario Development Process
  * Access / Development Level Descriptions
  * Forest Plan Situation Handout
  * Presentation of "Economic Profile of the Bridger-Teton National Forest" (University of Wyoming)
  * Presentation of " Local Values and Preferences Regarding Bridger-Teton National Forest" (Colorado State University)

• While work continues at the national level to address the requirements of the March 2007 court injunction regarding the 2005 Planning Rule, here on the Bridger-Teton, the Forest Plan Revision Team and its partners have been busy with various “rule-neutral” tasks associated with planning, including a Forest-wide evaluation of current conditions (building on the results of our Need for Change workshops with the public in November 2006 and March 2007). The products of that and other efforts to evaluate current conditions will soon be ready to share in draft form. With this updated information, we are now ready to examine what those conditions might mean for changes in management on the ground, and to consider some of the trade-offs those changes could entail. To achieve this, the Plan Revision Team will be working both internally and externally to develop mapped “scenarios” that envision possible solutions to the Need for Change. This will include a Government Cooperators’ Group meeting in late February and several public workshops in March and April (details, dates and locations TBA). [More info]

• SOCIAL SURVEY: RESPONSES ARE CONTINUING. As of 5/24/07, Colorado State University has received about 250 responses from the randomly selected survey recipients. In order for the survey to have maximum statistical validity, approx. 150 more responses must be received. The results of this survey will be of uniquely high importance in helping us understand how area residents value the National Forest. If you have received a survey in the mail and have not yet returned it, please do at your earliest opportunity. Thank you!

• Please be advised that the Round 5 Public Workshops for BTNF Plan Revision that were tentatively scheduled for July have been postponed. This is in connection with the 3/30/07 ruling by the U.S. District Court for Northern California that enjoins the Forest Service from implementing the 2005 Planning Rule.We do intend to proceed with these workshops and other steps pertaining to the development of the proposed revision as soon as legal circumstances permit. In the meantime, our Plan Revision team is engaged with other, rule-neutral tasks relating to Plan Revision, including analyzing current conditions and trends, identifying need for change on the ground, and developing methodologies for monitoring and evaluation.More detailed information about our Plan Revision process during the injunction is forthcoming; please stay tuned.

• 2000 PLANNING RULE , INCLUDING ITS TRANSITION PROVISIONS, NOW IN EFFECT FOR FOREST PLAN REVISION: On March 30, 2007, the US District Court for Northern California enjoined the Forest Service from implementing the 2005 Planning Rule. In order to comply with the injunction, the Forest Service's Washington Office has announced that the 2000 Planning Rule, including its transition provisions, is now in effect. The following documents provide general information regarding these developments. Further updates regarding specific impacts on the Bridger-Teton's revision process and timeline will be posted as soon as they become available.
  * March 30, 2007 Court Order
  * March 30, 2007 Court Ruling
  * USFS Compliance Letter
  * Compliance Guidance Attachment
  * 2000 Planning Rule
  * 2004 Interpretative Rule
  

• DRAFT ECONOMIC ASSESSMENT OF THE BRIDGER-TETON N.F. NOW AVAILABLE: The University of Wyoming is preparing an economic assessment of the Bridger-Teton N.F. as part of evaluating current conditions in connection with Forest Plan Revision. The current draft may be downloaded at http://agecon.uwyo.edu/econdev (to access the page, please copy and paste the address into your web browser's address bar).
  

• COOPERATORS' GROUP 4/20/07 at the 4-H Building in Jackson, WY (agenda; notes); note: change from previously scheduled 3/29 date.
  

• BTNF SOCIAL SURVEY: COMMENT PERIOD DEADLINE EXTENDED TO 3/17: A survey of residents’ values regarding the Bridger-Teton National Forest will soon be conducted by Dr. Jessica Clement ( Colorado State University), as part of a broader evaluation that will inform decisionmaking with regard to Forest Plan Revision. The survey will be mailed to a random sample of residents in the immediate vicinity of the BTNF. Before the survey is initiated, Dr. Clement requests that interested parties please provide feedback or suggestions regarding the questions in it; the draft questions may be downloaded here. Please provide your comments by March 10 via email to btnfplanrevision@fs.fed.us. For more info please contact Rick Fox, Forest Planner, at (307) 739-5563.
  

• Round 4 Public Collaboration (click here to review the materials and participate), including workshops held March 5-8 2007 (info & schedule). In this round of public collaboration we ask the public to focus on current conditions with respect to wildlife, ecosystem diversity, timber, grazing, and related issues. This is a continuation of public workshops held during the week of Nov. 27, 2006 (info & schedule), where we discussed recreation settings and oil & gas leasing and asked the public to advise us on what needs to change.
  

• COOPERATORS' GROUP - 3/9/07 meeting at White Pine Ski Area near Pinedale (9a -3p - agenda - notes).
  

• COOPERATORS' GROUP - 12/1/06 meeting in Afton (9am-3pm in the conference room at the Lincoln County Office Building, 421 Jefferson) - Public is welcome. Agenda.-- Notes.
  

• The BTNF Plan Revision Cooperators’ Group will form two new subcommittees (public involvement & economic assessment) during a meeting to be held November 1st -- Announcement
  

• Plan Revision Cooperators' Group, 9/7-8 2006 at Green River Lakes -- Notes
  

• The July Forest Plan Revision Newsletter is now available!
  

• Check out The Draft Framework of Desired Conditions (Chapter 1) as of 6/14/06.

To download the Bridger-Teton 1990 Forest Plan, visit our Project and Plans page.

Forest Plan Revision Menu

• Overview of the Plan Revision process
• Public Collaboration
  • Collaboration Schedule
  • Public Involvement
    • Round 1: Toward a vision for sustainability on the BTNF
    • Round 2: Building a Framework of Desired Conditions
    • Round 3: Reviewing the Comprehensive Evaluation
    • Round 4: Identifying the Need for Change
    • Round 5: Developing the Proposed Revision
    • Round 6: Finalizing the Revised Plan
  • Cooperators’ Group
    • 1st Meeting
    • 2nd Meeting
    • 3rd Meeting
    • 4th Meeting
    • 5th Meeting
    • 6th Meeting
    • Nov.1 2006 Subcommitee Meeting
    • 7th Meeting
    • 8th Meeting
    • 9th Meeting
    • 10th Meeting
• Volume I: The Revised Forest Plan
  • Introduction
  • Chapter 1: Vision
  • Chapter 2: Management Strategy
  • Appendix A: Documentation of Public Involvement (link to #2 above)
  • Appendix B: NEPA Documents
  • Appendix C: Science Consistency Review
  • Appendix D: Documentation of Plan Amendments
  • Appendix E: Documentation of Administrative Corrections
  • Appendix F: Glossary of Technical Terms
• Volume II: Forest Plan Monitoring & Evaluation
  • Chapter 1: Monitoring Program
  • Chapter 2: Comprehensive Evaluations
  • Chapter 3: Need for Change and Recommended Implementation Priorities
  • Chapter 4: Annual Evaluations
  • Chapter 5: Evaluations for Plan Amendments
• Volume III: Environmental Management System (EMS)

USDA Forest Service - Bridger-Teton National Forest
Last Modified: Tuesday, 15 April 2008 at 13:04:26 EDT