Regional News

U.S. Forest Service to Hold Forest-Level Listening Sessions

Apr 23, 2015

The Pacific Northwest (OR, WA) and Pacific Southwest (CA) Regions of the U.S. Forest Service are beginning a public conversation on the process for revising forest land management plans in the Northwest Forest Plan amendment area. The land management plans within the Northwest Forest Plan area guide how resources will be managed for 15 to 20 years. These plans are due for revision.

“We promised to evaluate the need for additional Forest-level listening sessions,” said Jim Peña, Pacific Northwest Regional Forester. “We heard a strong desire for more sessions, so we’re holding the next round at local forest locations to further our commitment to engaging with and listening to the concerns of our communities.”

The Forest Service is currently in the pre-plan revision stage and is holding listening sessions to begin sharing information with the public and gathering feedback on things like how you would like to be engaged in plan revisions. Public feedback will be incorporated in different ways depending on the phase of plan revision. The Forest Service held a series of preliminary listening sessions last month in Portland, OR; Seattle, WA; and Redding, CA. The Forest Service is now holding additional public listening sessions throughout Washington State.

The purposes of the sessions are to:

Share our current thinking on plan revision,

Share how science will inform the process, and
Listen to ideas and thoughts about how to approach public engagement for forest plan revisions on each National Forest.

The Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest will host a Listening Session in Wenatchee, WA on May 5, 2015, from 5:30 to 8:00 p.m. at the Wenatchee Convention Center, 121 N. Wenatchee, WA 98801 in the Orchard Exhibit North room. Onsite parking is available. http://www.wenatcheeconventioncenter.com/

Other Region 6 Forests will be hosting additional listening sessions over the next few weeks. Specific locations and times will be announced by each Forest as their plans are finalized, and posted on forest and region websites at http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/r6/landmanagement/?cid=stelprd3831710

The Northwest Forest Plan was created in 1994 with the intent of protecting the critical habitat of the northern spotted owl while maintaining a viable forest products industry in the Pacific Northwest.