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Frequently Asked Questions
What a forest plan does and does not do.
Laws, Regulations, and Policies
Threatened or Endangered Species
Hunting and Wildlife Management
Wild, Scenic and Recreational Rivers
Why Revise the Forest Plans?
The National Forest Management Act of 1976 requires each national forest to have a forest plan that is consistent with environmental laws and regulations. A plan should be revised every 15 years to incorporate resource and social changes, and gains in scientific knowledge.
A forest plan is a comprehensive document that provides direction on how the forests are to be managed. A forest plan does not make project-level decisions. It provides the framework for project decisions to be made on a case-by-case and site-specific basis. It is a strategic plan for implementing existing direction already provided by the Forest Service Handbook, Forest Service Manual, and other federal regulations and policies. It is important to understand “What a Forest Plan Does and Does Not Do.”
A team of resource specialists has been assembled to work solely on forest plan revision in the three-forest zone. Combining the Bitterroot, Flathead, and Lolo National Forests' plan revision will reduce cost, foster better coordination between the forests, and provide a broader, ecosystem-wide view. The forests will retain their own individual forest plans, thus allowing for unique situations on each forest. See About Us and Contact Us for more information.
What a Forest Plan Does and Does Not Do
The National Forest Management Act of 1976 requires the Forest Service to develop forest plans for each unit of the National Forest System every 10-15 years. The 2005 NFMA Final Planning Rule (link opens a new window) provides the procedural details for implementing the 1976 legislation.
Forest plans are strategic in nature. They are not final agency actions. They do not grant, withhold, or modify any contract, permit, or other legal instrument, or create any legal rights. Plans typically do not approve or execute projects or on-the-ground activities. In other words, forest plans provide very general “guidance” for project-level planning and decision-making. A forest plan contains the following components:
1. Desired Conditions
2. Objectives
3. Guidelines
4. Suitability of Areas
5. Special Areas
Desired Conditions are social, economic, and ecological attributes
that we work toward. Objectives describe on-the-ground work that
is needed (through project-level analysis and decision-making) to move
toward Desired Conditions. Guidelines provide the “sideboards”
that management activities must work within to achieve the Desired Conditions.
Suitability of Areas are expressed through land designations
that describe what types of uses are appropriate. Special Areas
are land designations for places that have unique characteristics.
Just as important as what a revised forest plan does are those things it does not do. The following information explains some of these differences:
Laws, Regulations, and Policies
The Forest Plan DOES incorporate guidance provided by the Forest Service Handbook, Forest Service Manual, and other federal regulations.
The Forest Plan DOES NOT establish law, regulations, or policy. The Revised Forest Plan is NOT a policy-making document; it reflects agency policy and goals.
Budget for Local Operations
The Forest Plan DOES reflect financial feasibility, primarily through objectives.
The Forest Plan DOES NOT determine funding levels for the forests; budget allocations are determined in other ways.
Travel Management
The Forest Plan DOES identify what kinds of travel are suitable to particular pieces of land, based on Desired Conditions and other designations, and can vary by season.
The Forest Plan DOES NOT make the decision to open, close, or otherwise restrict use of a specific road or trail to certain modes of travel (e.g., all-terrain vehicles or mountain bikes). If the management direction for certain parcels change, then site-specific plans for road and trail management will have to be made separately from the Forest Plan to bring travel into compliance. Decisions regarding specific roads and trails are made through project-level NEPA analysis and decision documents.
Timber Harvests
The Forest Plan DOES estimate annual timber sale program quantities and DOES identify which lands are suitable for timber production or timber harvest.
The Forest Plan DOES NOT identify individual areas where timber can be offered for sale.
Timber Sales
The Forest Plan DOES provide Desired Conditions, Objectives, and Guidelines that help determine where and how timber sales can be implemented.
The Forest Plan DOES NOT approve any site-specific timber sale.
Grazing Allotments
The Forest Plan DOES analyze and disclose what lands are suitable for grazing and provide guidelines for managing livestock use.
The Forest Plan DOES NOT make a decisions about allotment management plans or permit renewals.
Land Exchanges
The Forest Plan DOES identify values and considerations to be evaluated in potential exchange of land parcels. DOES identify landscapes where opportunities to consolidate landownership patterns should be or should not be pursued to meet Desired Conditions.
The Forest Plan DOES NOT identify or prioritize specific parcels for exchanges. Guidance governing required analyses for land exchanges is found in Forest Service manuals and handbooks.
Ski Areas
The Forest Plan DOES identify which lands have Desired Conditions and Suitability designations that are consistent with ski-based resorts.
The Forest Plan DOES NOT approve creation of any additional infrastructure such as lifts, runs, or snowmaking facilities.
Threatened or Endangered Species
The Forest Plan DOES provide Desired Conditions, Objectives and Guidelines that help sustain habitat conditions for species that have been listed for protection under the Endangered Species Act.
The Forest Plan DOES NOT decide which species will be protected under the Endangered Species Act. That is a decision made by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Hunting and Wildlife Management
The Forest Plan DOES describe Desired Conditions, Objectives and Guidelines for managing the habitat for many game and non-game species.
The Forest Plan DOES NOT set hunting seasons, or designate areas as open or closed to hunting, or set harvest levels or hunting fees. Seasons and limits are set by Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks (Except migratory birds - set by U. S. Fish and Wildlife).
Wilderness Recommendation
The Forest Plan DOES recommend to Congress those areas that are capable and suitable for designation as wilderness.
The Forest Plan DOES NOT create or designate lands as Wilderness.
Developed Recreation
The Forest Plan DOES identify which lands have Recreation Opportunity
Spectrum Desired Conditions and Suitability designations that are consistent
and not consistent with developed recreation facilities.
The Forest Plan DOES NOT approve creation of any additional infrastructure
such as developed campgrounds or other public use facilities.
Wild, Scenic and Recreational Rivers
The Forest Plan DOES identify those river segments eligible for further study as wild, scenic, or recreational under the nation’s Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. DOES allocate land to river corridors that must be managed to maintain the values that provide eligibility for wild, scenic, and/or recreational rivers.
The Forest Plan DOES NOT designate those rivers as wild, scenic, or recreational. Finding of eligibility DOES NOT automatically launch further study.
Law Enforcement
The Forest Plan DOES emphasize cooperative partnerships and collaborative activities with stakeholder groups and local communities and governments.
The Forest Plan DOES NOT include directives about law enforcement, specify enforcement staffing, or budget for those operations.
USDA Forest Service - Bitterroot, Lolo, Flathead National
Forests
Last Modified: Friday, 05 January 2007 at 12:59:26 EST