The Tongass Forest Plan Amendment
Record of Decision was signed by Alaska Regional Forester Dennis E. Bschor on January 23, 2008. Click here to review
the Record of Decision, the Final EIS, and the Final Amended Forest Plan.
The Final EIS and Amended Forest Plan were distributed in early February.
The Notice of Availability was published in the Federal Register on February 15, 2008 and local newspapers in
mid-February. The 90-day appeal period for the project extended through May 15, 2008.
Fifteen appeals were received. After reviewing the appeals, the Chief of the Forest Service upheld the Regional Forester’s decision on August 22, 2008.
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Welcome
Forest planning is a dynamic process. The first Tongass Forest Plan was completed in 1979. After several amendments, the
original plan was revised in 1997 and the 1997 plan has been amended many times since then. This Forest Plan Adjustment
Website was developed to support the planning efforts that led to a significant amendment of the Forest Plan in January 2008.
The site was designed to make information available in a user-friendly environment and provided multiple opportunities for the
public to participate in the planning effort throughout the process.
The Amended Forest Plan complies with an August 2005 Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals decision
that claimed inadequacies in the NEPA procedures associated with the 1997 Forest Plan Record of
Decision and Final EIS. The Amended Forest Plan also responds to the findings of the recently completed Tongass
Forest Plan 5-Year Review.
Many of you followed along with us on this Web site as we developed the Draft and Final Proposed Forest Plans and associated EIS
documents. Your suggestions, interest, and involvement have been helpful and are appreciated.
The Website is organized into several major sections, which are briefly described below.
Background - This section of the Tongass
Forest Plan Adjustment Website describes the background and history associated with the issuance of the 1997
Forest Plan Record of Decision and Final Environmental Impact Statement, including appeals, subsequent
decisions, litigation and legislation, in chronological order.
Approach - This section provides information
on how the 1997 Forest Plan Adjustment process was conducted.
Work Items - This section describes
the many work items that were addressed for the adjustment and update of the Forest Plan. One of the key work
items was the Conservation Strategy Review.
2008 Final EIS, ROD, & Forest Plan - This section provides links to the Final EIS, Record of Decision (ROD),
the 2008 Amended Forest Plan, and related information. It also provides links to the Map Library. The Appeals section provides copies
of the appeals related to the 2008 Amended Forest Plan. Click here to review the Appeal Decision document.
Map Library - This section of the site provides the
ROD Map, the associated Timber Sale Program Adaptive Management Strategy Map, and the Final EIS Alternative Maps. This
section also provides various reference map products including maps showing Value Comparison Unit (VCU), Ranger District,
and Wildlife Analysis Area (WAA) boundaries, and maps displaying Inventoried Roadless Areas and various breakdowns of
productive old-growth and young-growth forests.
Public Involvement - This section describes the overall
approach that was followed for public involvement during the 2008 Forest Plan Amendment process.
Newsroom - This section provides access
to any news releases and public announcements associated with the process. Tongass National Forest related graphs,
figures, and similar materials can be found in this section as well.
Reference Library - This section
provides access to key documents and references used for the adjustment and update efforts.
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